mechanical keyboards are the gold standard for typing
and the Redragon Azure k652 is one of the latest in premium mechanical keyboard tech
it's got everything you could want whether you're a gamer or a typist
and we're going to put it through its paces to see if it's a great keyboard for the price
in this video I'm gonna show you everything you want to know about the Redragon Azure K652
we'll check out the design connectivity customization and features of this good looking keyboard so stay tuned
but before we dive in let's check out the contents of the box
and here we have the keyboard itself along with the following accessories
a switch and keycap metal puller
a few extra low profile orange keycaps including one for the spacebar
a 1.2 meter long USB-C cable for wired connections and charging
a set of extra low profile blue replacement switches
a full set of PC dedicated extra low-profile keycaps
as the keyboard originally comes with Mac dedicated keycaps
and a quick start guide
let's unwrap the keyboard now
oh and there's also a gaming leaflet
that's sweet
first of all it has a really sleek and compact design
it's a 75% keyboard which means it doesn't have a numpad
this makes it a lot more compact and portable
and it also gives you more space for your mouse
the numpad is gone but it still includes the essential function keys and the control keys for convenience
so it has 84 low-profile keys which are shorter than traditional mechanical keys
this is supposed to make them a lot more comfortable to type on
ensuring a lower typing height which can be more ergonomic and help protect the wrists from strain
well we'll see about that in a minute
the k652 has an aluminum frame and a top plate and weighs 477 grams
the keyboard has two plastic switches on the side for switching between Windows and Mac keyboard layouts
and controlling the connectivity modes
as this is the first Redragon keyboard intended for Mac users
the keyboard is available in a Macbook style colour scheme with different shades of gray
but it's not boring because it has a cool vibrant orange accents
this color combinations gives the keyboard a visually appealing industrial style look
that certainly enhances my desktop setup
I like it
the k652 is a hot-swappable keyboard
which means you can easily swap out the keycaps and switches to find a perfect feel and sound for you
to remove the keycaps you have to use included switch and keycap puller
it's a standard tool with steel wires and it's pretty easy to use
the keycaps come off easily
you can use the same tool to remove the switches
sometimes you might need to apply some force to pull them out
the stock version of this keyboard comes with low profile keycaps and low-profile Redragon Outemu 3-pin switches
these are tactile switches with a 45 grams actuation force
they have a tactile bump that provides feedback when the switch is activated
they're a good choice for people who want a quiet switch that doesn't make a lot of noise
ultimately the best switch type for you will depend on your personal preferences
so if you're not sure which switch type is right for you I recommend trying out different switches to see what you like best
the [Fn] key also called a function key is a modifier key that unlocks the k652's hidden features
when pressed in conjunction with another key
the FN key can be used to control various functions such as brightness volume or change the backlight
all the special functions are printed on the keycaps so you can easily identify them
for example holding down the FN key and the right shift key gives you a light indication of the current battery level
the FN on any of the F keys at the top gives you access to multimedia options so there you have it
the FN key is a pretty handy little thing
experiment with it and see what you can do
the keyboard has a RGB backlight that you can change to different modes
to do this hold down the FN key and press the PageUp key the keyboard will cycle through the different lightning modes
to change the speed or brightness of the backlight just press the FN key on the Arrow key that corresponds to the direction you want to go
to change from dynamic RGB to static color press the FN key and the PageDown key
you can also customize the backlights to your liking
if you don't want to use the software which is only compatible with PC Windows
you can do it from the keyboard level
to do this press the FN and End key together
this will bring up the customized backlight and if you press it again it turns on the backlight customization mode
to select a color just keep pressing the individual keys
once you've found the color you want press the FN + End keys together again to save your changes
the keyboard offers three different ways to connect
USB-C wired
Bluetooth 3.0 or 5.0
and 2.4 gigahertz radio control wireless mode
and this gives us a lot of flexibility for different usage scenarios
we already hooked it up in a wired mode so now let's try the 2.4 gigahertz dongle
the radio control wireless mode with the dongle works as expected
I tested it with my 'potato PC' and found the keyboard worked fine within a range of four to five feet of the dongle
with no missed keystrokes and a stable connection
as you probably know the 2.4 gigahertz connection is slightly faster than the Bluetooth connection
so if you're into gaming this might be your second best connection option after the wired one
to connect via Bluetooth just flip the switch on the side of the keyboard
then press and hold the FN key and 1 - 2 - or - 3 key for five seconds
on your device go to the Bluetooth settings and select BT 3.0 KB or BT 5.0 KB
tap on it and the keyboard will connect to your device
it's that easy
if for some reason the pairing won't work or if you previously assign some other Bluetooth devices
you can reset the Bluetooth connections by pressing and holding the FN key and all three keys - 1 - 2 and 3 for around 5 seconds
so I'm gonna reset the Bluetooth connections and pair the keyboard with my wife's iPad Air to see how it goes
and the keyboard works with the iPad smoothly with no missing keystrokes or latency
it should work exactly the same way with any iPad or any iPhone
now let's connect my Android phone
and before we carry on make sure you subscribed
these are the same steps as before so I'll need to confirm the pairing on the phone
the keyboard was recognized straight away and I was able to type without any problems
and now just for fun let's try the racing game
as you can see the keyboard automatically connects to my phone and even shows me the key combinations I need to use
I always say this - it's taking the Android gaming to the next level
it also works great with the Android tablets
the keyboard is being recognized straight away
my son is helping me with this again
alright let's connect it to my iMac now
it's paired instantly again and the connection is rock dolid
I had to switch the keyboard to Mac mode so the Command key works as it should
I'm really happy with it I haven't noticed any missed keystrokes
everything just works like a dream
the only thing that's missing is a fingerprint reader key
and this is something I really like in the stock Apple keyboard
but the typing feel and design of the Azure keyboard made me choose it over the Apple one
as mentioned earlier the keyboard comes with an optional software support
that allows you to do a bunch of cool stuff like create custom macros
reassign keys and create user profiles
each profile can have its own set of macros key assignments and backlight settings
this can be useful if you share your computer with other people
or if you want to have different settings for different tasks
you can also customize the RGB backlight effects
the software can be downloaded from the Redragon website
the keyboard has a long battery life even with the RGB backlight turned on
the keyboard has a 2000 milliamp hours battery which can last up to 26 hours in 2.4 gigahertz wireless mode with the RGB backlight turned off
and around 18 hours with the RGB backlight turned on
in Bluetooth mode the keyboard can last up to around 14 hours on a single charge
and it takes around 4 hours to fully charge it
as I mentioned before checking the current battery level of the keyboard is made easy through pressing the FN and the right Shift keys combination
this will display the remaining battery capacity on the number keys from 1 to 0
the number keys will display a red color when the battery goes below 30 percent
overall the red dragon Azure k652 is a great keyboard for anyone who wants a premium mechanical keyboard
or an alternative to the stock Apple keyboard for their Mac
it's got a sleek design RGB backlighting and it's compatible with variety of switches
it's also wireless so you can use it with multiple devices
if you're looking for a comfortable responsive and versatile keyboard the Azure k652 is a way to go
the low profile design makes it comfortable to type on for the longer periods of time
but it might not be the keyboard for everyone
but it's certainly great for typists and gamers who wants a responsive and tactile keyboard
thanks for watching
catch you guys on the next one