The ROG Azoth gaming mechanical keyboard had been the talk of town among keyboard hobbyists since its announcement. Featuring hot-swappable switches, a complete keyboard lube kit, on top of advanced gaming features, it is clear that the company is marketing this keyboard towards the venn diagram intersection between keyboard enthusiasts and gamers.
In this review, we will take a closer look at the keyboard’s design, functionality, and overall performance before we round up with our final thoughts.
ROG Azoth Specifications
| Keyboard Layout | 75% |
| Dimensions | 326 x 136 x 40 mm |
| Weight | 1186g (PBT keycaps without cable) |
| Colour | Gunmetal |
| Software | Armoury Crate |
| Connectivity | USB 2.0 (TypeC to TypeA) Bluetooth 5.1 RF 2.4GHz |
| Lighting | RGB Per keys |
| AURA Sync | Yes |
| Anti-Ghosting | N Key Rollover |
| Macro Keys | All Keys Programmable |
| Report Rate | USB: 1000 Hz RF 2.4G: 1000 Hz |
What’s In The Box?
- 1 x ROG Azoth
- 1 x ROG switch opener
- 1 x ROG keycap puller
- 1 x ROG switch puller
- 1 x lube station
- 1 x lube brush
- 1 x lube
- 3 x ROG NX Switch
- 8 x Stabilizer mat
- 1 x USB dongle
- 1 x USB extender
- 1 x USB cable
- 1 x ROG sticker
- 1 x quick start guide
- 1 x warranty booklet
Design
The ROG Azoth is a 75% keyboard with an aluminium top cover. It features three layer dampening and has a silicon gasket mount. This form factor and mounting style is increasingly popular among keyboard enthusiasts and gamers lately, as the size is smaller than a TKL while still offering similar levels of functionality.
One key design feature is the 2-inch OLED display and three-way control knob located at the top right. We will look into the specifics later in the review.
The keyboard uses ROG’s in-house NX mechanical switches and keyboard stabilisers, which are factory-lubed. You also get two tone double-shot PBT keycaps, of which a few keys have legends on both the top and sides, such as macro keys and Fn keys.
At the bottom, you are greeted with a textured plastic enclosure with ROG branding. The keyboard is supported by rubber feet, and has two pairs of tilt keyboard feet, allowing for a total of three tilt adjustments.
At the back, you will find the connectivity switch, USB Type-C port, and a magnetic slot for the 2.4G wireless dongle.
Overall, the keyboard feels solidly built, and has a heft to it. I tried twisting and bending the keyboard and it did not flex at all. But please, don’t try this at home.
Keyboard Features
Mechanical Switches
The ROG Azoth uses the in-house ROG NX series of switches. You get three options here: NX Red (Linear), NX Brown (Ultra Tactile) and NX Blue (Clicky). Our review sample came with NX Brown tactile switches.
OLED Screen
The ROG Azoth’s key selling feature is the 2-inch OLED screen that can showa variety of information:
- Animations
- Setting Indicators
- Audio Visualisation
- System Monitoring
You can choose from a variety of ROG animations, or use your own GIF. You do have to crop the GIF to fit in the screen via Armoury Crate though. You can also use the screen to display setting indicators, such as keyboard profiles. For audio visualisation, it will show the music visualiser whenever audio is played. Lastly, you can set the screen to display system info, such as CPU and GPU clock speeds.
Three Way Knob
The three way knob is placed at the edge of the body right beside the screen. It houses a knob that can be pressed and flicked back and forth. There is also a button at the side that cycles between settings such as lighting brightness, OLED brightness, volume and media playback.
Adjusting the settings is straightforward too, as flicking will increase/decrease the level, while pressing down will either play/pause or turning each setting on or off.
Connectivity
The ROG Azoth features three way connectivity, a feature more commonly found in custom keyboards. You can connect the keyboard via USB cable, wireless dongle and even Bluetooth.
I find that wired and wireless 2.4G worked best as there are no noticeable latency. Meanwhile Bluetooth connections tend to introduce a bit of latency from time to time.
Accessories
You do get a lot in terms of accessories. ROG Azoth comes included with a keyboard lube ‘station’ out of the box, where you get keyboard switch lube, lube brush, switch openers and other accessories to help you fine-tune your switches.
The included lubricant is unbranded, but it is more towards the viscous side. I appreciate the inclusion of a keyboard modding kit even though the lube station is too small. At least newcomers to this hobby can get their feet wet without having to spend a lot of money to get a full kit.
Typing Feel
Typing on the ROG Azoth feels nice. While the silicon gasket mount does feel a bit stiff when compared to custom keyboards, it still offers a bit of cushioning while bottoming out.
Typing sounds are well dampened too thanks to the three layer dampening foam design, resulting in a satisfying thocc. The stabilisers have no rattle to them, and felt smooth as I type. The spacebar has been treated with an extra layer of foam, making it sound awesome.
The NX Brown Ultra Tactile switch feels great too, there is a noticeable and audible bump, but not the to point of annoying my eardrums while I am typing. Even thought it is factory lubed, each switch sounds and feels consistent.
My only complaint would be the keycaps. While the legends are sharp and well built, the profile is a bit too flat for my liking.
Customisation
Like any other ROG branded products, the ROG Azoth can be customised via the Armoury Crate software. You can change the lighting, profiles, individual keys and OLED display via the software.
You can even update the keyboard firmware, and I highly suggest you to do so, as earlier firmware can be a bit buggy. I encountered an issue where the keyboard will experience intermittent disconnects, only to be fine after a while. Updating the keyboard pretty much eliminated this problem.
Armoury Crate does have a few issues however. Sometimes it could not detect the ROG Azoth in its device list, while other times it couldn’t load the device page. The worst offender would be the command window appearing intermittently as it tries to load the keyboard in the background.
Final Thoughts
ASUS ROG managed to deliver the best of both worlds with the ROG Azoth, delivering tons of gaming features with the quality that custom keyboards are often associated with.
The pricing is certainly on the high side, retailing at RM1,070. However, you do get a high quality keyboard that is comparable to mid-end custom keyboards in the market today.
For more information about the ROG Azoth, check out the official product page here.
