Angry Miao Neon 80 Review: An Impressive RGB Machine

mmorpg.com:

Angry Miao is back with its latest custom mechanical keyboard and it’s a stunner. With “four dimensional” RGB matrix lighting, the Neon80 produces a downright mesmerizing effect that shines from all sides. There’s no screen like the Cyberboard or RGB 65 but the effect is no less alluring thanks to a matrix of more than 3,000 tiny lighting ports. It’s also a great typing and gaming tool that offers top-tier sound, feel, and responsiveness with an artisan’s attention to detail.

Specifications

Current Price: 

• Standalone: $515 (IndieGoGo)
• Bundle: $655 (IndieGoGo)

Angry Miao Neon80 — Design and Highlights

Angry Miao styles itself a “future art” company, and it’s easy to see why with the Neon80. Available in silver, gray, or white, it cuts an imposing figure on any desk. It’s a tenkeyless mechanical keyboard, but its chunky bezels, tall RGB-clad forehead, and substantial thickness make it a big boy indeed. AM says it’s synthwave inspired and that essence carries through perfectly. It’s simultaneously futuristic and retro, but is ironically one of the company’s most approachable keyboards from an aesthetic standpoint.

With the lighting turned off, it looks neat. Surely not an office keyboard and will still garner questions if you try to use it as one, but it’s the kind of thing that people not in the know could look at and say “oh, that’s interesting.” Turn the lighting on and it becomes something else entirely.

Let’s get right to it: RGB is the star of the show here. If you don’t like bright backlighting, then this isn’t the keyboard for you. Where the Cyberboard has a big RGB matrix screen on the top, the Neon80 replaces that with a matrix of more than 3,000 finely drilled holes. It softens the lighting, acts as a diffuser, and allows the hues to bloom and blend in an entrancing way. It’s fully customizable, too, including downloads from the community so you can make it look exactly as you would like. 

This matrix extends around the back and sides too, though it’s