Anyone who knows me knows that my desk is never without at least one mechanical keyboard in sight. That's partly because I vastly prefer them to any other type of keyboard, especially given how many words I type in a typical week. I've got small-run, custom CNC keyboards that cost hundreds of dollars each, mass-produced gaming keyboards, and everything in between. I've also got one of Angry Miao's earlier keyboards, the AM 65 Less, so when they asked if I wanted to take a look at their latest keyboard, the AM RGB 65, who was I to say no?

Allow me to say that this isn't a keyboard for everyone, even among mechanical keyboard hobbyists. Angry Miao has a specific retro-futuristic aesthetic that isn't to everyone's taste, and that's perfectly okay. This is an art piece and a functional input device, with nods back to the handheld gaming consoles of yesteryear while using modern construction techniques like adjustable leaf spring mounts and a quirky dot matrix LED panel. It's also firmly aimed at the enthusiast crowd, with a barebones kit starting at $448 and a fully decked-out keyboard costing up to $598 before shipping costs.

It's a statement piece for the collector, an ode to the typing experience, and great fun to use. It's also Angry Miao's most approachable keyboard, which is almost a shame considering how the price will exclude a large section of the market.

About this review: Angry Miao provided an AM RGB 65 for review. The company had no input in this article and did not see its contents before publishing.

Pricing and availability

After a successful Kickstarter campaign, the AM RGB 65 is now available for pre-order from Angry Miao's website. All orders placed now are scheduled to be shipped in November 2024. That's pretty common for low-volume, custom mechanical keyboards, where the ordering process is handled by preorders or group buys, then fulfilled later once the manufacturing has been completed. It can be ordered as a base kit without keycaps or switches from $449 for the Cyber Gray and Cloud White colorways and $488 for the dual-anodized Violet Fury. You can also get a bundle that includes keycaps and switches for $559 in Cyber Gray and Cloud White and $598 for Violet Fury.

What I like

Plenty of retro nods and a playful RGB panel

It wouldn't be an Angry Miao keyboard without an in-your-face design, and the AM RGB 65 pays homage to the handheld gaming console that made AA batteries a hot commodity when I was at school: the Game Boy. The rounded-off bottom right corner with the CNC'ed out carvings, the bottom panel design that echoes the A and B buttons, and the D-pad detail around the USB-C port are all evocative and immediately familiar. The pixel art panel on the back isn't just for show; it's made out of plastic so that the Bluetooth 5.1 or 2.4GHz wireless signal can escape from the aluminum case unobstructed, but it can also be replaced if you want to make your own.

Depending on your chosen color, it comes with varied keycaps to complete the look. Cloud White is the closest to the Game Boy style, even if the keycaps are closer to how the PAL SNES controller looks. Violet Fury uses multi-color anodizing to blend black, bluish-purple, and purple into a design that will likely be unique on every board, and comes with white and purple keycaps. Cyber Gray is the one we received for review, with a solid dark gray anodizing and see-through Angry Miao Glacier Dark keycaps, which give a 90s effect with the per-key RGB lighting.

All three colors have the same LED panel on the top, which uses 200 LEDs and a controller board to enable animated pixel art. You can create your designs in the AM Master software or the online configurator, or there are hundreds of options in the gallery to download and transfer to the keyboard. It's the same panel used in the earlier Cyberboard, so the community has created a large amount of visual effects.

The typing experience is sublime

Many mechanical keyboards come with CNC aluminum cases, and enthusiasts know they provide a solid typing foundation and a pleasing sound signature. Angry Miao has a reputation for further customizing the feel and sound, and the AM RGB 65 is no exception. Starting with the parts you can't see, the PCB is mounted on three-stage adjustable leaf springs, which control how bouncy the typing feels. You get leaf springs made from two different materials (stainless steel for stiffness and phosphorous copper for more flex), each of which can be adjusted to be soft, firmer, and firm. This lets you customize the feel, and my preferred setup is on the flexier side so that typing is less fatiguing.

Multiple layers of sound-dampening foams and other materials can also be used to adjust the sound signature, reducing resonance and increasing the overall bounciness of the typing feel. The new Icy Silver Pro V2 linear switches use transparent PA12 nylon for the housing, which allows the RGB illumination to shine through and makes a thockier sound. They're pre-lubed and have a 37gf actuation force and a 45gf bottom-out force, so they're comfortable to type on for hours. I usually type on a slightly heavier switch, but I found no issues thocking through my workday, and the overall acoustic signature of the keyboard is a delight.

What I don't like

A few minor issues on an otherwise great keyboard

While the AM RGB 65 has been a joy to type on, it has a few minor annoyances. The biggest is the absence of QMK firmware, meaning there's no support for VIA customization. I understand why Angry Miao uses its own system, especially with the LED matrix. Still, I hope VIA customization support can be added later.

One of the other annoyances is also to do with the AM Master software, but it's more of a quality-of-life improvement suggestion. The library of user-submitted designs for the LED matrix is great, but the only ways to sort it are by ALL or HOT. A tag-based search function is sorely needed now that there are hundreds of designs to scroll through.

The AM RGB 65 has excellent battery life; I managed a week over Bluetooth even with all the LED effects running. That's thanks to a 10,000mAh battery capacity, so I don't think I'm complaining about battery life because I'm not. However, once the battery percentage drops, recharging again takes forever. The reason for this is a very conservative 5W charging speed, which is almost ludicrous. I don't mind if wireless charging takes that long, mainly because I don't have to worry about cables during the process. But because of how premium this keyboard is, the slow charging speed feels out of place. Even 15W would be much more acceptable, and maybe a future revision could improve this feature.

Should you buy the AM RGB 65?

You should buy the AM RGB 65 if:

• You want a well-constructed wireless and hot-swappable keyboard.
• You want a centerpiece for your mechanical keyboard collection.
• You don't need a numpad or function row.

You should NOT buy the AM RGB 65 if:

• You want a more affordable keyboard.
• You prefer a more subdued design.
• You need VIA or QMK support.

The Angry Miao AM RGB 65 is the company's best and most approachable keyboard. Its typing experience is wonderful, and the clearly defined sound signature makes me want to type more whenever I sit down. Whether that and the showcase of the LED matrix are of enough value to warrant the asking price is a subjective question, and it's up to you to decide for yourself. Just know that every Angry Miao fan has already placed their order.