ASUS ROG Azoth review

Take it out of the box, and the first thing you'll notice is that the Azoth is built like a German tank. Heavy. Solid. And with just enough sleekness to look classy on your desk. This is not the flimsy keyboard you got free with your office PC. It's a 75% form factor, which means you get all the important keys - the function row, arrow keys - but without sacrificing half your desk to a plastic rectangle the size of a tea tray. Compact, but not cramped.

The metal top cover is a delight. It gives the thing heft and stability, so it doesn't slide around like a drunk penguin while you're typing. But the real sorcery happens underneath. It's got a gasket mount design with three layers of dampening foam. Which, for the uninitiated, means your switches aren't bolted down like prisoners in solitary confinement. Instead, they're cushioned, leading to a softer feel and - crucially - a much nicer sound. Think of it like typing on a trampoline made by Swiss engineers.

Then there's the party piece: a 2-inch OLED display with a three-way control knob. You can see battery levels, Caps Lock status, even your own custom GIFs. It's actually useful, unlike most pointless light shows. That knob? Smooth, intuitive, and dangerously addictive to twiddle. Honestly, why doesn't every keyboard have one?

This is where ASUS gets serious. The Azoth ships with hot-swappable, pre-lubed ROG NX switches. Translation: you can pull them out and replace them with almost any 3-pin or 5-pin mechanical switch. No soldering. Just pop and swap. It's like having an engine you can rebuild without lifting the bonnet. And the fact they're pre-lubed is a revelation. You don't get the spring ping, the scratchy feel, or the noise of an angry typewriter. Instead, it's smooth. Slick. Almost indecently pleasant.

The stabilizers - pre-lubed as well - keep the big keys (spacebar, enter, shift) from wobbling about like cheap furniture. The PBT doubleshot keycaps are premium, too. Durable. Resistant to shine. And unlike your average keyboard, the letters won't vanish after six months of furious typing.

Then there's the pièce de résistance for the lunatics: ASUS includes a full lube kit in the box. Switch opener, brush, Krytox GPL-205-GD0. Everything. Which means if you're the sort of person who enjoys dismantling switches in the middle of the night while whispering "yes, smoother, smoother" - you'll love it.

As for the typing experience itself? Sublime. The gasket mount, the foam layers, the pre-lubed switches - they all come together to create a soft, cushioned, delicious "thock" with every press. None of that cheap "clack." Long typing sessions are comfortable, big keys are rattle-free, and the sound is rich and satisfying. It's not silent - nothing this good ever is - but it's a pleasing sound. The kind of noise that makes you want to keep typing even if you've run out of things to say.

The Azoth connects in three ways. The default is wired USB for zero latency. Then a 2.4GHz RF wireless connection with ROG SpeedNova - up to 2,000+ hours of battery life if you switch off the OLED and RGB. That's not just good. That's "forget where you put the charging cable" good and Bluetooth, with the ability to pair to three devices and swap between them instantly. The battery life is absurd. You can type and game for weeks, maybe months, without charging. And when you do, it's USB-C. Easy.

Of course, a beast like this needs software. Enter Armoury Crate - the control centre. You can remap keys, assign macros, mess about with per-key RGB, and plaster your OLED with CPU temperatures or dancing cats. It's intuitive enough for beginners, but deep enough for mad scientists. And yes, it even toggles between Windows and MacOS, which is a rare bit of common sense.

Also Read - Asus Vivobook S16 Review

The ASUS ROG Azoth is not just another mechanical keyboard. It's a full-on assault on the entire enthusiast scene. It takes all the hallmarks of the custom world - gasket mounts, pre-lubed switches, bespoke tuning - and hands them to you in a finished, polished package.

It's beautifully built, endlessly customizable, sounds heavenly, and has battery life that makes laptops look pathetic. If you're a gamer, a typist, or a keyboard nut who doesn't want to spend weeks with a soldering iron, this is the one to get. It's expensive, yes. But also absolutely brilliant.