Packaging

Given the nature of this pre-production unit, I have chosen to combine the packaging and closer look pages. I did ask for a retail unit when available as well, so I will update this review to include retail packaging separately in due time. As it is, this sample arrived in a plain cardboard box with a double flap in the middle, and opening it up, we see the same style of protection to the keyboard as before with a plastic clamshell on the top and sides of the keyboard, which is in turn placed inside a foam cutout protecting it from the sides and bottom, so there are no complaints on that end. Missing here are any accessories, but the retail sample should have a warranty card, user guide, and cleaning cloth. No wrist rest here though, which is a disappointment considering it is included with the MK Retro.

Closer Examination

The keyboard came with a plastic wrap all around the zinc-aluminum alloy frame to keep it clean and shiny, and removing it, we get our first good look at the entire keyboard. It is very reminiscent of their MK Retro-01, but weighs a lot more of course, owing to the metal as opposed to the plastic frame before. This pre-production sample is also a proof-of-concept for their fundraiser campaign and thus, came with leatherette instead of the genuine leather the retail samples will sport. I have here the so-called Onyx edition with a black chrome plating on the frame, black leather (leatherette in this case), and black keycaps with black chrome side rings. I also have the USA language layout, and AZIO is offering the Retro Classic in USA, UK, German, Nordic, and Portuguese language layouts.

There are four indicator LEDs in the top-right corner as seen from the front, instead of the three we saw before, with the fourth to indicate whether the Windows lock is on or off, as that is one of the customization options available here. Above the arrow key cluster is a screwed-in metal plate with the company and keyboard model name engraved, and here, we see the "MK Retro Pro" name, which was the original name for the keyboard before they decided to go with Retro Classic. As such, the retail samples should have that engraved instead. I could have done without the "Elegantly Fierce" tagline there, however, as it just comes off as trying too hard in my opinion. The font used for the legends is the same as before, although the positioning is different in that it is more central, but also smaller in size to coincide with the LED directly underneath. While this is fine for all the keys with only a legend printed on to the keycap, those with primary and secondary legends suffer a little in that they are now squeezed into a smaller space as before, which has them feel cramped. Note also the multiple hex head screws all around the keyboard frame that match the finish of the frame and are chosen to be visible deliberately to fit the overall aesthetic. The nature of the zinc-aluminum alloy is such that even with the chrome plating over it, you will see signs of weathering with time, and this applies to the leather plate as well. AZIO is aiming to sell this as a unique look that comes about with time, but only time will tell how uniformly the finish tarnishes.


Not much going on at the back to see. There are four rounded feet with a softer plastic bottom, and this time, these feet have a rubber finish at the bottom, which will, combined with the keyboard's own mass, keep it firmly in place on your desk. The two feet at the top can be raised for elevating the keyboard at the top as we saw before, which I will demonstrate again from another angle below. The cable is non-detachable and braided and terminates in a male USB Type-A connector. USB 2.0 is plenty enough to power the single-color backlighting here.


Here, we see the keyboard feet that use a twisting motion to raise or lower the keyboard. It works really well and does not have the disadvantage of having to be flipped out to angle over the keyboard. The mechanism seems sturdy enough to last a lot of actions, and over the course of the four weeks I used the keyboard, it presented me with no issues.


The keycaps are ABS plastic, but of multiple rather than a single part. The base is powder-coated white (or black), the legends are then pad-printed on, and the glossy trim is attached in place. The trim itself has some minor processing marks from the coloring on the bottom of all the keycaps, but none of these are visible from the top. Note also the non-Cherry MX style stem compatibility, which means there is no compatibility with Cherry MX-style keycaps. Backlighting is uniform on the legends here since the light source is immediately below at the center instead of shining through the top to mimic how the LEDs are positioned on the keyboard themselves. The floating keycap design here does not impact backlight bleeding nearly as much since the switch housing is not transparent.


Yes, this is a single-color-backlit keyboard, but the LED is not simply soldered in above the switch as with most others. AZIO worked with Kailh to develop a custom housing of the Kailh tactile and clicky switch (Kailh Blue) that has the LED and a diffuser element over the LED to better spread the light uniformly through the center. You can thus rule out any aftermarket keycap compatibility, and given the stock keycaps are a major selling point of the keyboard, that is fine with me. The larger keycaps use a Cherry-style stabilizer, although one with a single bar that hooks into a wire underneath, which still results in it being similar in that even the larger keycaps are easy to remove for cleaning purposes. They are perhaps too easy to remove in some cases, but that issue was simply a case of their installation at the factory not being firm enough and was an easy fix thus.