Closer Examination

As we saw before, the G.SKILL KM360 comes inside a wax wrap, but there is also a molded plastic cover on top that can be used as a dust cover for when the keyboard isn't being used. It is after removing both that we get our first good look at the keyboard, and in person, how light it is might also surprise you. The tenkeyless form factor helps here no doubt, but the use of a low-profile ABS plastic case combined with a relatively thin aluminium frame as well as ABS plastic keycaps results in a keyboard of just over half a kilogram. It is also petite in terms of how much space it takes up, so much so that it offers TKL functionality in a footprint of some 65%–75% keyboards. As far as aesthetics go, the aluminium frame gets a lustrous metallic finish that is more camo green than the photos above show. It does reflect back a lot of light, so it can come off brighter and in more of a silver in such pictures, which is why I have above a profile view to better relate how it looks in person. Note that the KM360 comes in black or white, with the latter using white keycaps and a white case.

The bezels are tiny, and the indicator LEDs are integrated into their respective keys. This and the absence of a logo in use makes for a fairly stealthy keyboard that could also be from any other company. Indeed, I have seen very similar-looking keyboards from Motospeed and Aukey, and I dare say that this may not be a bespoke G.SKILL design, either, which wouldn't change much for me provided feature set and price are in line, so let's move on. There is no numpad, of course, and single-legend placement on the keycaps is predominantly in the top-center. We see thus that all the legends are the same as for a standard ANSI layout, and there are no keyboard-specific ones. Secondary legends are placed alongside the primary ones at the top, which points towards the usual north-facing LEDs at the top of the switches. Font and size are clean and relatively large, which adds to the appeal of using the KM360 as a work keyboard should you prefer it, in addition to a gaming keyboard at home, of course.


Flipping the keyboard around, we surprisingly don't see the usual certification sticker. Instead, we have relevant information printed on the case itself in reverse. Four rubber pads add friction against the resting surface along the corners, with the two at the top going around two feet which can be used to further elevate the keyboard. The feet have rubber pads on the bottom to go with the rubber pads on the case, which prevents slippage as well as scratches to the case and feet.


The expected USB Type-C port is seen in the top-left corner facing away from the user, such that the cable plugs in and leads away from the mouse for a right-handed user. The cable is shorter than average at 5 feet with black sleeving and goes to a spare USB Type-A port on your computer. USB 2.0 will suffice for power and data alike, and G.SKILL says as much on the product page should you be running out of USB 3.2 Gen 1 ports.


As with your average mechanical keyboard, G.SKILL uses an OEM keycap profile with six sculpted and angled rows. We do not get a keycap puller here, so I used my own to get a better look at the stock keycaps. These keycaps are better than those on your average mainstream gaming keyboard. While still of thin ABS plastic, the legends are doubleshot injected in a seamless fashion. So the legends at the very least will last as long as the keycaps themselves, which will still develop a shine over time with finger oils and what not. As expected, the keycaps are backlighting-compatible, and the keyboard has excellent third-party keycap compatibility should you want to customize it, for which it is also a decent candidate because of the absence of extra keycap legends, including those for keyboard-specific programming. Of course, G.SKILL would rather you use their own replacement keycaps, which we will take a detailed look at shortly.


There is only one switch option with the KM360 in the Cherry MX Red in its older iteration with an opaque housing and separately mounted LEDs above the switches. The larger keycaps use Cherry stabilizers that are not factory lubed and end up somewhat rattly and mushy, especially on the space bar key. On the plus side, this does make removing the keycaps simpler compared to costar stabilizers, under others, should you want to replace them or just clean the keyboard.