Lighting and Performance

The Keydous NJ81 supports N-key rollover USB as well as 2.4 GHz out of the box, which tested successfully using Aqua's test. It defaults to 6KRO with Bluetooth as expected. Switch Hitter confirmed no chatter with these keys either, and seen above are all the functions with dedicated keys on the base layer. This 80-key, 75% keyboard gives you most of the functionality of a TKL keyboard in a smaller foot print and note that R. Win is replaced by the Fn key which is used for the Fn layer itself.


Speaking of which, here we see the pre-programmed functions tied to the Fn layer on the Keydous NJ81. These include switching between the various connectivity modes on offer as well as choosing the desired client in Bluetooth mode to where you can use the keyboard with any of up to five client devices, although only one at a time. There are also some quality of life improvements courtesy shortcuts for Insert, End, Print Screen, and volume controls as well as to pull up programs including the calculator, your default browser, and the file explorer location for your PC. Note the OLED screen controls which will be more crucial than you think, as well as the option to go with macOS mode too.


Seen above are some of the other available lighting effects accessible via both onboard controls and software, with full 16.8 M RGB per-key lighting helping me test for light bleed. There is not much light bleed here owing to the thick case and non-floating keycaps. Given the opaque keycaps, I'd say this is not a keyboard for those who want a strong light show, especially as alternative options these days come with clear keycaps or even a clear case for plenty of side and under lighting too. I then used the software drivers to set all LEDs to white, testing for color fidelity, since RGB LEDs can struggle to put out a true white and require calibration on the hardware and software fronts from keyboard makers. Keydous managed a white that has a relatively strong pink hue to where it needs to work on its LED calibration further. That said, I was more focused on the OLED screen which I found requires far more fiddling to get a satisfactory result even for still images. You will have to play around with B&W/RGB modes in addition to the font and background colors for text, and even here there will be hiccups with multiple colors occasionally showing up as seen above with the TechPowerUp logo which should be all red and white on a black background. The videos above also aim to show a few other screen implementations although unfortunately the camera doesn't pick up the dynamic range necessary to show everything clearly—the second video is supposed to have the "White Guy Blinking" meme GIF on it which worked out fairly well in B&W mode. Funnily enough, some B&W GIFs lost plenty of detail in B&W mode and necessitated the use of RGB mode to get it going. If the OLED screen was meant to be a strong convincing point towards the purchase of the keyboard then Keydous still has some work to do!

I will give Keydous props for using the screen natively to showcase relevant keyboard parameters in wireless modes though. It will show you whether you are in 2.4 GHz or Bluetooth mode, which of the Bluetooth clients is active, the current keyboard battery level in 10% increments, as well as being a visual indicator for a few other things including LED control and also a gimmicky activity bar that increases in length the faster and longer you keep typing on the keyboard. The screen works great as a handy tool thus and I have only positive things to say about the wireless modes on offer. The 2.4 GHz dongle was already paired to the keyboard out of the box and I had no issues getting a similar typing experience with it as wired itself for my needs. Battery life is ~8-10 hours with the LEDs on in this mode which increases to 12-15 hours in Bluetooth. Keep the default sleep settings that turn off the LEDs and then the keyboard after certain periods of inactivity and now you can get the keyboard to last as long as 450 hours without the LEDs on. Given the opaque legends here that's mostly what I did outside of deliberately leaving the LEDs on to verify the battery life. Suffice to say that I only had to charge the keyboard twice and the third use cycle with the LEDs off is likely going to last weeks of typical use. The smaller form factor also has a few inherent ergonomic benefits in that your fingers do not have to travel as much to hit the required keys and you can also have the mouse placed closer to the keyboard so as to have your arms be in line with your shoulder width. Gamers will also benefit from more real estate to move the mouse around!


As for the actual typing experience, this review sample of the Keydous NJ81 came with Kailh BOX Strawberry Ice Cream Pro RGB switches, which we previously examined both inside and out. These are premium quality switches using POM for the switch composition in addition to having a longer spring that promises a smoother, more uniform feedback curve. The stem and spring also come pre-lubed and it makes for delightfully pleasant and smooth linear switches. These are fairly light switches though with an operating force of 37±10 gf at a rated actuation distance of 1.7 ±0.4 mm compared to the more standard 45 gf at 2.0 mm for full-travel switches. Instead we end up with a peak force closer to 45 gf when bottomed out at 4.0 mm, so you are highly likely to bottom out given the extremely small gap here in the force curve going from actuation all the way down. Kailh and Keydous both mention this switch is best suited for those who have a lighter touch or simply prefer a less-fatiguing linear switch. On my end I'd say you would be likely to have inadvertent actuations or double-taps too, so be sure these are the switches for you!


As always, the sound of a keyboard is based on more than just the switch type. So when comparing sound clips, consider the keyboard as a whole. In this case, I have provided above an example sound clip of me typing on the Keydous NJ81 keyboard sample at ~95 WPM as it comes out of the box with the Kailh BOX Strawberry Ice Cream Pro RGB switches. For context, you can find sound clips from other keyboards here, including those with linear switches. I did bottom out constantly, which isn't surprising for the reasons mentioned above. The presence of foam dampening both between the plate and PCB as well as underneath the PCB helps dampen the keystrokes to where it's not as high-pitched as it would be without them. The thicker PBT keycaps also help although you can still pick out the slight pings off the steel plate here. The pre-lubed stabilizers help more with typing feel than the sound itself and then there is the denser brass plate which also works synergistically to make for a pleasant sound signature. I'd even go as far to say this sounds creamy!