Closer Examination

The CIDOO V65, as the name suggests, is a 65% form factor keyboard in that it has ~65% the number of keys (66) of a standard full-size keyboard in the US ANSI layout (104). This is intended to be a more ergonomic keyboard owing to the space savings as well as shorter finger travel while also giving you dedicated arrow keys that those using 60% keyboards forego. I've seen 65% keyboards with 65-68 keys and here we have two fewer than the usual max since CIDOO has added in a dedicated volume wheel on the top right corner with an aluminium knob that matches the rest of the keyboard well. The keys to the right of the space bar are also reduced from 1.25u to 1u to accommodate a third key there—usually R.Ctrl—whereas here we have two keys and a small gap before the arrow keys. The alphanumeric section on the left is pretty much the same as usual except for a shorter R.Shift and then we get three extra keys in the column above the right arrow key in the form of Delete, Page Up, and Page Down—quite decent for navigation if I had to choose only three from the Print Screen to Page Down cluster. The top bezel is slightly larger than the other three but for a valid reason as we will soon see. The keycaps are opaque so it was interesting to see the legends all placed towards the bottom left on the top surface, with modifiers going with the full name in tiny font and some even adding in the symbols. I wish CIDOO had gone with larger legends here but it's clearly a design choice as is the part where the secondary legends are barely visible next to the primary ones. This would have been a predominantly white keyboard if not for the three accent keycaps as seen above.


Turning the keyboard around, we see the use of a thick CNC-machined two-piece aluminium case that has been treated for a durable surface finish. This should help avoid the yellowing that white plastic cases can get over time while also minimizing the risk of oxidation to the metal. There are some striations on the back in the middle, thus pushing the CIDOO branding towards the bottom on a metal badge. As expected, there are four pre-installed round silicone feet at the corners to help add friction against the resting surface and also prevent scratches to the aluminium case. There are no add-on feet here so the set case elevation is all you get.


A cutout on the top left corner in the back side facing away from the user houses a switch to turn on the Bluetooth wireless mode, which it does by basically turning on the battery connection inside. There is another cutout inside this larger one to house the Type-C connector itself. The provided cable fits easily as will most aftermarket cables should you desire to use, say, a coiled and/or split cable for aesthetics. The stock cable in white is brighter than the off-white chassis but still works well enough with the general color scheme. It is a braided cable that is the usual 6' in length and goes to an available USB Type-A port on your PC where USB 2.0 will suffice for power and data alike.


A look from the side shows the built-in elevation of the keyboard, which I would classify as a medium to high profile and can benefit from a wrist rest if you are not used to touch typing with hands hovering over the keys at all times. The side view also confirms the use of an OEM keycap profile with the five rows sculpted and contoured accordingly, and they are non-floating in design courtesy the two-piece case design. The provided keycap puller works well to help extract some of the keycaps for closer examination as well as for cleaning the keyboard itself, if not also completely replacing the stock keycaps. We get thick PBT plastic keycaps (average wall thickness 1.35 mm) with dye-sublimed legends throughout, which is good for longevity and won't develop a shine from finger oils over time. But this does mean the keycaps are opaque as mentioned above and the LEDs used on the keyboard will be mostly for accent lighting only.


The pre-assembled version of the CIDOO V65 comes in a single switch option in the form of the Quark Matte switch. This is my first time with these switches that barely seem to be used and I can't even identify who makes these switches. The switches are installed in a south-facing configuration for increased keycap compatibility and this is good news for those looking to get the kit version and use it with low profile keycaps. Note also the translucent polycarbonate plate used here rather than the usual steel or FR3 composite. The larger keycaps use plate mounted stabilizers which come lightly lubed this time round to help mitigate the mushy feeling they could otherwise have.


The switch remover tool is handy to remove the hot-swappable switches off the PCB and to also provide a good look at the hot-swap socket complete with the SMD LED here, allowing for 3/5-pin Cherry MX-style switches to be used on the keyboard easily. The Quark Matte switch is a 5-pin linear switch and goes for an all-gray housing and stem with a matte finish as the name indicates. The housing is made of nylon and the stem made of POM, but otherwise there is very little information available online about these switches.