Final Thoughts
AZIO’s retro-style keyboard have been a huge success and we’ve seen them release quite a lot of iterations over the years. So it makes sense we have a new version of the keyboard here in 2024. AZIO is presenting two different colorways with the Retro Classic Prestige, Ebony and Ivory. Ebony makes use of black wood and gunmetal, while the Ivory makes use of white leather and brushed silver. These unique elements really allow the keyboard to stand out on your desk and can totally take your setup to the next level.
Beyond the new colorways and materials AZIO has also changed the keycap design to be more square compared to the round keycaps of previous Retro Classic keyboards. This allows for a better typing experience in my opinion. Having used the previous Retro Classic keyboards they took a considerable amount of time to get used to. Here I was able to get used to the keyboard in just a couple of hours. Now I do have to say the keycaps are pretty flat so this may not be the best keyboard for gaming. The experience is good for typing though, especially with the mechanical key switches. It is also worth noting that this is a hot-swappable keyboard so you can swap out the switches down the line if you wanted to.
AZIO will be launching these keyboards on Kickstarter today with a early bird special of $149 (limit 100 per color), then the normal Kickstarter price will be $169, with actual MSRP after the Kickstarter campaign being $209.
I think that if you are looking for keyboard to really make your setup stand out this is it! Overall ThinkComputers gives the AZIO Retro Classic Prestige Mechanical Keyboard a 8 out of 10 score.
Pros:
– Unique design & materials
– Mechanical key switches
– Can be used wired or wireless
– Square keycaps are more comfortable
– Works on both Mac and PC
– Hot swappable design
Cons:
– No software
– Keycaps are a bit flat
