Closer Examination

In a big change from the monochrome color scheme of the other AQIRYS keyboards I've reviewed so far, the Libertas goes for a far more colorful design. The two-piece plastic chassis is translucent black and the 82 keys provided on this 75% form factor go for a three-tone color scheme by default. There's also a knurled aluminium volume knob in the top right corner adding dedicated volume control, and we see a plethora of keyboard-specific functions already programmed and identified by the legends on various keycaps. AQIRYS has still managed to include indicator LEDs, including two for the wireless connection options, and the bezels are about average in size to make this a keyboard that will save space on your desk while still giving you most of the functionality of a TKL keyboard. In fact, you are missing five keys here—Print Screen, Scroll Lock, Pause/Break, Home, and Menu/R. Win—so I dare say most people will be happy with the key mapping used. The keycaps themselves are opaque, so the legends can be located without concern to where the LEDs will backlight them. As such, we see mostly centrally placed legends which are also relatively large. But many keycaps still manage to look quite busy as a result of two to three legends used on each keycap, and this difference in font size can further distract from what is already a busy look. Branding comes in the form of AQIRYS writing on the left side, so it's not really visible in use.


Turning the keyboard around, we see the usual plastic sticker with the various certification labels, the serial number of the keyboard and more branding. We also see the translucent case better now as it provides a sneak peek at the silicone sheet used between the PCB and the case. There are five rubber pads on the top and bottom to help add friction, and we also get two sets of keyboard feet for added elevation angles. These feet have rubber pads on the bottom for additional grip too.


Next to one set of feet is where the pre-paired low profile USB dongle for 2.4 GHz wireless connectivity is located. It isn't held in place via magnets and instead relies on a friction fit inside a notch cut into the case which seems sturdy enough. There's also a useful switch allowing the end user to choose between the three connectivity modes easily. For a wired connection as well as to charge the battery inside, there is a Type-C port on the left side facing away from the user. The provided cable fits in easily, and we see there is obviously room for aftermarket cables if you wish to jazz things up. The cable has a durable fabric sheath in black to match this black cased keyboard, is the usual 6' in length, and goes to an available USB Type-A port on your PC where USB 3.0 (USB 3.2 Gen 1) is recommended for power and data alike.


A look from the side shows the aforementioned branding as well as the built-in elevation of the keyboard, which I would classify as medium profile and could benefit from a wrist rest if you are not used to touch typing with hands hovering over the keys at all times. The keycaps are non-floating in nature owing to a two-piece case design, and the included keycap puller is useful in removing and/or replacing the keycaps as well as to clean the keyboard. The metal wire keycap puller is also nice in doing its job without the potential of scratching their sides as with plastic ring-style pullers. AQIRYS is using the rarely seen MDA keycap profile here with the six rows contoured accordingly. This is a set of sculpted top surface keycaps similar to the SA profile which allows for your fingers to be more naturally placed in the center of the keycaps for support and to minimize any wobbling when typing. It's not as tall as the SA profile though, so I can see this being a good option for those who were curious about sculpted keycaps. The keycaps are made of thick PBT plastic (average wall thickness 1.35 mm) with doubleshot-injected primary and secondary legends on the top for durability and longevity alike. These are opaque and thus the LEDs present on the keyboard will be for accent lighting only. The keyboard-specific legends appear to be pad printed on though, so they may not last the test of time as well.


Despite there being HaiMu Blue switches included in the box, the AQIRYS Libertas only comes with a single switch option in the form of the HaiMu x AQIRYS Super Silent switch. These are mechanical switches which have been manufactured by HaiMu to AQIRYS' standards and even include "AQRYS" on the switch housing. The switches are installed in a south-facing configuration which can help increase compatibility with some low profile keycap sets, although I don't think many who purchase this keyboard will be rushing to get different keycaps. The larger keycaps use plate-mounted stabilizers which are well-lubed and don't feel mushy at all. At this point, you may also choose to install a set of foam dampening pads for the space bar key which we also get included as an accessory in the box. I personally chose not to since the overall stock combination was dampened plenty already.


The switch remover tool is handy to remove the hot-swappable switches off the PCB where we see the use of a 5-pin mechanical switch socket with a foam sheet between the plate and the PCB too. There is also an SMD RGB LED associated with each switch although, as we saw above, these will result in accent lighting only with the opaque keycaps used on the AQIRYS Libertas. The HaiMu x AQIRYS Super Silent switch is a linear switch with a yellow cross-point stem that has columns around for added dust and spill resistance. It has clear top and bottom housing and uses a 5-pin design for added stability in the hot-swap switch socket.


In case the three-tone keycaps were too much for you, AQIRYS helps by providing replacement keycaps which can take away the orange keycaps as well as the orange-tinted aluminium volume knob too. This makes for a two-tone, more appealing keyboard in my opinion. Alternatively, if you wanted more orange then you can do so too. Just be aware that these replacement keycaps don't have the associated keyboard-specific legends on them that the stock keycaps do.