Review: Yunzii AL65 QMK/VIA Hollow Mechanical Keyboard

Review unit provided by Yunzii

Yunzii Al65 is a aluminium wireless mechanical keyboard with a hollow design and supports QMK/VIA key customisation. This is a 65% layout with 68 keys, without the Function key row, and supports Mac and Windows.

Price of this keyboard at the time of review is USD 129.

Specifications

• Product: YUNZII AL65
• Type: Aluminum Mechanical Keyboard
• Layout: 65% Layout, 68-Key
• RGB: South-facing RGB and Side-Light
• Color Choices: White, Black
• Switch Choices: YUNZII Milk V2 Linear Switch/Gateron Zero Linear Switch
• Structure: Gasket Mounted
• Battery: 8000mAh
• Connection: Wired Type-C/Bluetooth/2.4G Wireless
• Size of Product: 319.4*110*39.9mm/12.57*4.33*1.57inch
• Weight of Product: 1061g/2.34lb
• Keycaps: Double-shot PBT Cherry Profile Keycaps
• Hot Swappable: YES
• NKRO: YES

The review unit I received comes with the Gateron Zero linear switches.

Things included

• Keyboard
• User manual
• Keyboard shortcut guide
• 2m long USB-A to USB-C charging cable
• USB-A wireless receiver
• Replacement keycaps
• Keycap and switch puller

Design

This is a beautiful and well made keyboard. The build quality is solid.

The design with the transparent keys on the right side definitely makes this keyboard stand out among other keyboards. If you don't like the transparent keys, you can replace them with the replacement keys provided, but then why even buy this keyboard in the first place?

Lighting for Yunzii keyboards is always beautiful. I love how the colours of the lights blend together between the keys.

For the transparent keys , you can see the south facing LEDs.

This keyboard also side side lighting also.

Main thing you have to know about this keyboard is there is no Function key row. But you can access the F1 to F12 keys by pressing the Fn button twice. The full list of keyboard shortcuts supported can be found online. There is no switch for Mac or Windows keyboard layout and you need to use Fn + A (Mac) and Fn + S (Windows) to switch. There many shortcuts for light controls.

If you use Function keys often, then I won't recommend this keyboard. If you're looking for a wireless keyboard to use with your tablet, this is a great option because tablets don't use Function keys.

Typing experience is wonderful. I was able to type fast, and smooth.

My review unit comes with the Gateron Zero linear switches. The tik-tok sound is slightly dampened, loud but not sharp. I prefer these switches much more than the Milk switches on my main keyboard, the Yunzii B75 Pro. The build quality of the aluminium body is definitely more solid compared to the plastic body of the Yunzii B75 Pro.

This keyboard can be paired with up to three Bluetooth devices, and supports 2.4Ghz and cable connection too. Charging is via USB-C port.

Battery capacity is 8000 mAh and that's actually considered big because most mechanical keyboards just have 4000 to 6000 mAh battery capacity. Battery life with all the lights on is 36 hours, and if all the lights are off you can get around 2 weeks of battery life if you type 8 hours non-stop a day.

For QMK/VIA customisation, you can visit this website. I did not play around with key customisation because the default key layout works fine for me.

Conclusion

The Yunzii AL65 is a great keyboard. I don't really have any negative things to say. The main thing to note is it's a 65% keyboard so there will be some limitations due to the limited number of keys, but you can still get all the keys through the use of keyboard shortcuts.

I love the typing experience. Gateron Zero linear switch is a good choice. If you want a thinner and lighter feel, go for the Milk switch.

Availability

The Yunzii AL65 keyboard can be purchased from Yunzii online store.