Introduction

We've covered a few different Akko keyboards on TechPowerUp, and they all have had one theme or another to varying degrees of success. The Monet's Pond theme was probably my favorite to date despite being a bold statement to say the least, and the Silent theme, on the other hand, was a much more subtle and simple keycap set. Akko was quite eager to have me test the subject of today's review, however, claiming not only aesthetics to beat the competition, but also a lot more going on compared to a typical Akko keyboard. So here we are taking a look at the new-ish Black & Pink theme with the 3098, and thanks to the company for sending us a review sample.


Anyone who has kept up with the custom mechanical keyboard world even somewhat would be aware of the GMK Olivia keycap set, or its group buy. It is a couple of years old now and still sells out instantly whenever some extras come up, with scalpers of the set making NVIDIA GPU prices in 2021 seem like a relative bargain. That set uses pink accents with a white or black base, and the black and pink option ended up being incredibly popular even so. Akko clearly sees this to be a winning idea and has a growing series of keyboards that begins with the rarely seen 96% form factor. We will discuss the theme, any taken inspirations, as well as the rest of the keyboard in our detailed review that begins with the product specifications in the table below.

Specifications

Packaging and Accessories

Themed keyboards, especially if part of a whole series, usually have matching packaging. This holds true for the Akko 3098 Black & Pink with its two-piece packaging that comes inside a plastic wrap to begin with. The outer sleeve is where we see most of the colors, with the base black and pink accents similar to the keyboard inside. The company logo and product name are alongside a large render of the keyboard on front, and there is a simplified render on the back with technical specifications next to it. The sides are in pink and have a sticker that notes the switches for the sample inside. There are no seals, with the inner box simply sliding off the outer sleeve. I will also point out that the packaging thus far suggests the product name is "3098 ASA Black&Pink," but I am calling it the Black & Pink 3098 ASA based on the product page. We also see the box got some "love" from the delivery service, so let's see if that had any impact on the contents inside.


The inner box, also made out of cardboard, has a simpler design with a mostly black color scheme. The Akko logo in a radiant purple greets us on the front, and a double flap on the side helps keep the contents inside in place during transit. Opening the box, we see a thin foam cover on top of even more foam on the sides. There is a lot of added protection for the keyboard even before we see the keyboard is inside two layers of its own. The top layer is a molded plastic cover that can be used as a dust cover as well, and then there is a soft foam wrap all around the keyboard for further protection in transit. A QC sticker and manual are underneath the keyboard. The manual is adequate; basically identical to those we saw included with Akko 3108v2 keyboards before, it supports multiple languages and goes through the pre-programmed functions on the keyboard. The other accessories are actually inside a separate cardboard box, not just underneath folded cardboard as with most keyboards.


Akko includes a nice metal-wire keycap puller with its logo on the handle and wires long and thick enough to easily remove keycaps for replacement and/or cleaning without the risk of scratching the sides as with the cheaper plastic-ring pullers most others include. We also see a detachable Type-A to Type-C USB cable in black to match the keyboard, which points towards the use of Type-C connectivity on the keyboard. It should not surprise you anymore, but there are more Akko logos on the cable connector housings. With notches which are presumably used as guides for the physical connection on the keyboard, the Type-C housing is also shaped differently.


Given the Akko 3098 is as close to a full-size keyboard as possible without being one, we do not get a lot of room for novelty keycaps. However, this has not deterred Akko from including a whopping twenty replacement keycaps in the pink color scheme. These are thick PBT keycaps (average wall thickness 1.41 mm) with doubleshot injected designs, such that we end up with a salmon pink base and black legends. Backlighting is really not a thing—this keyboard does not have any backlighting out of the box, and the focus is instead on the novel color with these keycaps, including four novelty keycaps that are in line with the Akko keycap sets seen separately (Akko logo, a cat's paw, a flower, and a Koinobori).