Ajazz AK33 RGB Mechanical Keyboard Review - Zorro Black Switch

I’ve already reviewed a couple of budget RGB mechanical keyboards with the Motospeed CK104 and the Gigaware K28, and so far none of them gave me what I am looking for in an RGB keyboard, and that is the ability to match the RGB colors with my desk setup.

Today, we are taking a look at the Ajazz AK33 RGB Mechanical Keyboard which boasts a 16.8m True RGB colors and a whopping 19 lighting modes. It also offers an 82 key, 75% compact form factor which ticks all the boxes that I am looking for on a keyboard. So let’s see what this keyboard is all about.

MY EARLY BREAKDOWN

Pros: Affordable, Compact with a removable cable, True RGB lighting

Cons: Color inaccuracy with the lighter shades

SPECIFICATIONS

Brand: AJazz

Model: AK33

Version: RGB Version

Color: Black

Connection: Detachable USB Wired

Switch: Black Switch, Blue Switch

Backlit: 16.8 Million Color RGB

Keys Amount: 82 Keys

Dimension: 310.5*120*36.8mm±0.5mm

– 82 keys compact design, keeps the commonly used keys and saves more space and makes it easy to carry.

– Ergonomic design with special R5 standard.

– Detachable USB cable

– 16.8 million colors RGB backlit

– Built-in 19 displaying modes

– Supports macro setting and lighting modes via software

WHAT’S IN THE PACKAGE

Ajazz AK33 Keyboard

Mini-USB Cable

Application Guide

Warranty Card

Keycap Puller

Brush

FULL REVIEW

Design and Construction

In terms of design and construction, looking in front, the Ajazz AK33 looks very good in all aspects. The font used is what I can say as “normal” font, which I personally prefer compared to the aggressive gaming font that we often used to see on other mechanical keyboards.

The construction is also well built with no flex whatsoever on the entire body, thanks to its aluminum backplate. It’s solid while still being relatively lightweight.

At the back, is another story. The back part of the keyboard has a very glossy finish that I assume no one appreciates, it’s basically fingerprint magnet and is very susceptible to scratches. The good thing is that it’s on the bottom so we rarely see this part of the keyboard aside from the sides which are also glossy.

Ugly glossy finish aside, the back of the keyboard has 6 rubber feet, 2 at the bottom,

2 at the normal height,

and 2 at the adjustable stands which I really appreciate and I hope every manufacturer implement this as well on their keyboards. Regardless of the orientation, the keyboard will not move on your desk.

The side of the keyboard, we’ll see the mini USB port. I appreciate this very much as the keyboard is already compact at its own right with a 75% layout and with the removable cable, it makes it even more portable.

ajazz ak33 rgb mechanical keyboard review

The connection of the mini USB cable is also gold-plated as an icing on the cake.

ajazz ak33 geek rgb mechanical keyboard review

Layout

As I’ve mentioned, the Ajazz AK33 is a very compact mechanical keyboard with 82 keys and a 75% layout. But it also does have some compromises to achieve this form factor.

Some of the keys that we usually see on a full size or even a tenkeyless keyboard are cramped up on the right side, and some of the keys were modified to accommodate other keys. For example, the right shift and control key are smaller compared to their left side counterpart.

The delete key is also up top near the backspace which is rather unusual. There’s also no dedicated print screen key and you have to use the function key with the end key to trigger print screen.

The escape key is also larger than usual and there’s no space in between the function and number keys.

ajazz ak33 mechanical gaming keyboard review

The keycaps height are also adjusted for a more ergonomic typing experience. All these adjustments are made to accommodate this compact form factor and I think it’s just a matter of time before anyone can adjust typing with this layout.

Switch and Keycaps

Now, let’s talk about the switches on this keyboard, as far as I know, there are two available switches for the RGB version which is black and blue, what we have here is the Zorro black switch which is another Cherry MX clone switch. It is linear so there’s no clicky bump when you press on it, the actuation force is rated at 60 grams although I feel like it’s a little bit lighter than that. Having been using blue switches before, the experience is definitely new, It’s not as satisfying as the blue switches but I think I like this switch better, as I feel like I can type faster now with less intrusive noise.

With regards to the keycaps, it is made from ABS plastic with laser etched labels, the build quality is ok but unfortunately, it’s not double shot which is a little bit disappointing.

The matt black coating feels really nice and I just hope this will not fade easily over time. What I like about these keycaps, on the other hand, as I’ve mentioned earlier is that it uses what I can say a “normal” font.

RGB Lighting Modes

The RGB lighting of this keyboard is I think one of the selling point of this version compared to other versions of the Ajaz AK33, which is by the way span across different colors and types of switches.

Plugging in the mini USB you will be greeted by a green boot up sequence, after which you can change the lighting modes by hitting the FN+F8 keys. This keyboard has a whopping 19 lighting modes.

You can change the brightness by hitting FN + up and down in 5 different levels and you can also change the speed by hitting the FN + plus or minus keys.

Hitting the FN + the left arrow key will change the direction of the flow while hitting the FN + the right arrow key will allow you to change the colors to a single color with 8 colors in total as your option.

The lighting modes don’t stop there guys, you can also customize your own by hitting the FN + tilde key, once inside the custom mode, hit the same combination again to start recording which will be indicated by the caps lock LED flashing. Start hitting the keys you want to light up, hit them more than once to change the color if you want and once you’re done hit the FN + tilde key again to save.

Now you can access your custom settings anytime by hitting the same combination.

Other functions that you can use alongside the FN key is the FN + W to interchange WASD with the arrow keys and FN + windows key to lock the windows key.

Now what I like about the RGB lighting on this keyboard is that it’s a True RGB keyboard, which means the transition between the colors is very smooth and that you have a variety of color options other than the basic primary colors. Which is one of my big issues with my other keyboards, for example my Gigaware k28 although it has a ton of lighting modes as well, it doesn’t have a single color option, while my Motospeed ck104 lacks other colors like a dedicated color orange for example which I was looking for to match my setup.

Looking closer at the RGB LEDs we can see that it’s fairly bright and with the help of the switch being clear and with the aluminum back plating, the RGB lighting reflects even further.

ajazz ak33 82 key mechanical keyboard review

Performance

Now, when it comes to the reliability of this keyboard, as per my testing, I didn’t encounter any ghosting or key conflicts while pressing multiple keys at the same time. All the keys registered as it should be and there are no unwanted keys being registered as well. Which means this is very good when used for gaming.

Speaking of gaming, as expected, the Ajazz AK33 performed really well, I have no issues whatsoever playing with this keyboard, the keys are very easy to actuate without so much noise making the gaming experience even better at least for my taste.

And using this for productivity especially with heavy typing tasks such as writing articles, the typing experience is really nice. And as I’ve mentioned, I feel like I can type even faster on this keyboard with fewer mistakes compared to when I was using a keyboard with a blue switch. Of course, your mileage may vary and the experience will be different depending on your typing preference.

Software

And lastly, before we wrap this up guys let’s talk about the software, which you can download from their website. Inside the software, you can customize the keyboard even further by modifying keys, recording macro settings and setting up custom multimedia keys.

You can also modify the polling rate of the keyboard and of course, customize the lighting modes.

The software is very intuitive and easy to use, you can increase the brightness, the speed, the direction, and the colors. You can even select your own colors from the pallet and you can also choose from a ton of lighting modes using this software.

In addition, you can also set up your custom lighting mode with 4 available gaming presets that you can also customize even further. What I did with this is I set up my own colors to match my current desk setup as you can see here.

However, the RGB colors are not very accurate, at least with some colors using the software, for example, if I choose a different shade of orange, the keyboard will light up light red instead, and it does that with other shades as well. It’s not a big deal as the issue are mostly with lighter colors and I think it just having a hard time compensating with the brightness to achieve the lighter shade colors. Overall, I still appreciate the intuitive software and its capabilities at least at this price point.

VERDICT

Alright guys, so to conclude, what I like about this keyboard is the form factor, a very compact and portable design with a removable cable that you can bring along with you anywhere. Partner it with the relatively silent linear black switch and you’re set for a portable gaming or productivity experience. I also like the fact that its true RGB with tons of customization using both onboard memory and with the intuitive software. The only downside that I can see with this keyboard is with the inaccuracy of some of the lighter shade colors which is not even a big deal for me personally. So if you’re looking for a decent mechanical keyboard with 82 keys and a 75% layout I strongly feel that this is a very good budget option.