Closer Examination

The font for the AUKEY KM-G3 is certainly not my favorite, as certain characters have been styled in an unnecessary way, which regular readers will know I really don't like. I prefer a nice, clear font on a keyboard; those who don't need to look, don't see it and those who do need to glance at the keyboard want a clear font they can read quickly. It isn't a huge problem, more of a personal gripe; it is like using Comic Sans for a website.


When combined with the FN key, the F1 - F4 keys all have secondary functions; F1 opens your optical drive, F2 is volume down, F3 is volume up, and F4 is mute. You can also see the different lighting presets for "gaming mode". Using FN with the 1-5 keys will illuminate the keys for those games shown on the legend.


Again, F5 - F8 have secondary functions when used with the FN key; this time, we have media keys - F5 is rewind, F6 is fast forward, F7 is pause, and F8 is stop.


Finally, we have F9 - F12. When combined with the FN key, F9 is for your email program, F10 is the homepage, F11 is my computer, and F12 is the calculator. It is nice to see all the F keys with a secondary function on even a budget keyboard.


As per usual, we have a set of indicators showing you if your num lock, scroll lock, or caps lock is on, but you also have a Windows lock key which is enabled by pressing the FN and Windows key. Again, it is nice to see features such as these on an entry level keyboard.


Seeing this might make you think that there are macro keys as MR is usually Macro record and M1 and M2 are usually macro names, but that is not the case. In fact, these are your LED-lighting controls; FN + Print screen (PS) turns the LEDs on/off, FN + INS cycles through eight different LED modes, and FN + Del cycles through individual colors.


FN + HM allows you to illuminate individual keys; pressing the key multiple times changes the key's color. Here, you can see that I have picked red, green, and blue for TPU. The last set of keys you may want to use for LEDs are the arrow keys; the up/down arrows change the brightness when used in conjunction with the FN key and the left/right arrows speed up or slow down active profiles.


Now, getting to the important part, here are the switches. The KM-G3 uses Outemu Blues. These switches are made by Gaote Corp. Cherry MX clones, they are noticeably different, feeling slightly heavier and having a little more of a bump than Cherry Blue switches. The plastic for the surround also seems to be made out of a far lower quality plastic with a louder "click" as it reverberates. Now, switches are a personal preference, and I myself use Cherry MX Greens, but the Outemu switches really do feel quite nice. They are very satisfying to press and seem to be made to an acceptable standard. I would have no problem using these as an everyday switch and have seen them gain in popularity on some of the keyboard forums I frequent. The keycaps are of adequate quality, far better than I expected, and they are backlight compatible.


The USB connector is a little bit chunkier than usual due to the molded plastic/rubber surround, which does add some nice protection around the connector. The cable feels quite thin and cheap but is certainly adequate; it isn't thin enough to cause any problems or get damaged.


The KM-G3 has a standard side profile, which allows you to type comfortably and quickly without any issues due to fatigue. Again, I was surprised that the profile was so nice.


Flipping the AUKEY KM-G3 over, we can see that it comes with four feet; two rubber feet at the front and two plastic flip-out feet at the rear. The rear feet are larger than what we usually find and feel far better; they don't feel like they will snap as easily as some far more expensive alternatives.