Angry Miao R4 Graffiti Review

Angry Miao has existed at the intersection of art and mechanical keyboards since its inception. Its hallmark product is the Cyberboard and it has gone through multiple iterations over the years. In fact, we’ve reviewed it here in the past and were impressed at its uniqueness and innovation. 

All of those rounds of improvement, as well as everything the company has learned from its other projects, come into play with the Cyberboard R4 Graffiti. It features the most unique case design of perhaps any mechanical keyboard ever produced, on top of it’s large LED matrix display, which already made it unique. It also features one of the best typing experiences of any of its keyboards yet. It doesn’t come cheap but if you’re looking for a centerpiece for your PC setup that won’t make you sacrifice on sound, feel, or responsiveness, look no further. This is it.

Specifications

• Current Price: 
• Paisley/Bebop Base Kit: $670 (Angry Miao)
• Paisley/Bebop Bundle: $830 (Angry Miao)
• Fluo Free / Gangstar / Stone Face Base Kit: $570 (Angry Miao)
• Fluo Free / Gangstar / Stone Face Bundle: $730 (Angry Miao)
• Cloud White V2 Base Kit: $585 (Angry Miao)
• Cloud White V2 Bundle: $745 (Angry Miao)
• New Features with R4:
• 3-Stage Adjustable Leaf Spring Mount for adjustable flex
• 3 Graffiti colorways with multi-color anodizing finish
• 4 colorways inspired by JoJo's Bizarre Adventure
• 2.4G hardware support (AM Sniper 2.4 dongle for sale separately)
• Improved internals, including a new PET film, an IXPE switch pad and PORON pads, making it the best sounding Cyberboard yet
• Brand new AM Icy Silver Pro switches are included in the Bundle
• Connectivity: 2.4GHz, Bluetooth 5.1, USB Type-C, Wireless Qi charging
• CNC machined case from 6063 aluminum 
• Multi-color anodizing finish for Graffiti colorways (Paisley and Bebop)
• Hotswap PCB 
• Per-key RGB 
• Upgraded internals for a better sounding keyboard: Upgrades include a PET film, an IXPE 8 switch pad and Poron pads
• POM plate with flex cuts for a more elastic typing feel

• AM Icy Silver Pro switches (Bundle only)

• Custom switches co-developed with Tango Works
• Y3 composite stem, pre-lubed from the factory
• Actuation force of 37gf and bottom-out force of 45gf for a lighter but not cheap-feeling typing feel
• Translucent PC switch housing to make the most out of in-switch LED lighting effects
• Hi-Fi sound
• Stem: Y3 composite stem
• Actuation force: 37gf ± 5gf
• Bottom-out force: 45gf ± 5gf
• Actuation travel: 2.0mm ± 0.3mm
• Bottom-out travel: 3.5mm ± 0.3mm
• Spring length/weight: 19mm / 37g
• Switch housing: translucent PC

Angry Miao Cyberboard R4 - Design and Highlights

The Cyberboard has been around a while now, but if you’ve missed it up to this point, you’re in for a surprise. Angry Miao, the company that designs and manufactures it, prides itself on bringing the worlds of modern art and functional, everyday peripherals together. It embraces innovation and, if there’s an area where it can push things to the next level, you can bet that is exactly what it is going to do. 

The Cyberboard, ostensibly, takes its inspiration from the Tesla Cybertruck. You can see that in its hard lines and angles but I also think that it’s fair to say that it’s inspired by cyberpunk in general. It uses a CNC-milled metal case made from 6063 aluminum alloy (that would be “aircraft grade” if we were talking about gaming keyboard marketing) with a big LED matrix display on its back edge. This display and its large, angular design give it a very unique look that only gets more so when you begin to explore the different color combinations the company offers with each new round. 

This time, we have a handful of new colorways with pretty wide-spanning inspirations. The sample we were sent is the Bebop version, which is inspired by the art of Jean-Michel Basquiat. It uses a silver anodized case decorated with graffiti to create something that is at once authentic and entirely unique. What’s even more surprising is that the patterns are also anodized, so they’ll never chip or wear with proper care. How Angry Miao pulled this off, I don’t know because I’ve never seen anything else like it. The anodization is impeccable across the board, too. 

There are a number of other versions too. Paisley is a silver on black colorway inspired by the 2014 Supreme x The North Face jacket. As the name implies, it features a gorgeous paisley pattern on both the front and the back. Vision, a limited edition model, also uses a silver base but is adorned with different colors and textures inspired by Felipe Pantone’s 1994 Corvette. It’s stunning.

Four more are inspired by the JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure manga series. Gangstar is a blush purple, inspired by the protagonist, Giorno Giovanna. Fluo Free is a fluorescent green, akin to the hair of Cujoh Jolyne, the protagonist from the sixth series. Stone Face, another limited edition, is concrete gray, inspired by the Stone Masks from series one and two. Finally, Cloud White V2, is a warm white similar to Jotaru Kujo and is also an evolution of the Cloud White that was first available in R3.

While the JoJo colors are simpler, it’s worth repeating that there is nothing else out there like Bebop, Paisley, or Vision. These are wholly unique, inspired designs that blend together artistry with craftsmanship. 

Of course, the Cyberboard R4 is also a high-end custom mechanical keyboard, so it needs to excel in more than just looks. It absolutely does. This is where we see all of those lessons learned from prior models come into play. I am reminded of the Relic 80, the company’s recent tenkeyless keyboard. It emphasized sound and feel more than any of the company’s keyboards before it, and that same emphasis carries through here. 

The board has just as much going on inside as it does on the outside. It uses custom Icy Silver linear switches (if you purchase the bundle version) Angry Miao developed in collaboration with Tango Works. These switches are -pre-lubed, long-pole linear switches with a light 37g actuation force and 45g bottom-out. They feel immediately familiar if you’re coming from something like a Cherry MX Red but so much smoother in both sound and feel. It also does away with any of the ping that comes from the contact leaf and spring in Cherry switches and is more responsive for gaming too. 

The switches snap into a soft mounting plate made of POM plastic. This material is the softest currently used for mechanical keyboards (at least to our knowledge, please correct us in the comments below if there is something softer). It’s also lined with precisely placed flex cuts to allow the switches to move slightly beneath every keystroke to create a soft and forgiving typing experience. This material also lends a deeper tone to keystrokes. 

Should you disassemble the keyboard, you’ll find even more beneath that. A layer of PORON plate foam surrounds the switches, isolating their unique sound signature. IXPE foam and a plastic PET sheet are positioned below the switches to add a crisp, highly poppy sound signature to each press. Beneath that, below the PCB, is another layer of foam designed to dampen the case itself and remove any hollowness that might detract from the keyboard’s auditory experience. 

The Cyberboard R4 also employs the company’s 3-Stage Adjustable Leaf Spring mounting system. While many custom mechanical keyboards use soft silicone or foam tabs/strips to dampen keystrokes and provide flex, the R4 takes its inspiration from coilovers on custom-modded cars to create something else entirely.

Surrounding the internal structure of the case are long metal leaf springs. This springs slot into the plate with rubber tabs to prevent them from slipping and have a second rubber bumper positioned below that can be moved or removed to provide more or less movement. Stainless Steel leaf springs are installed by default but Angry Miao provides a second set of softer Phosphorus Copper springs in the box. This provides a wide range of possible typing feels. The company states there are 18 different combinations to dial in your exact feel.

Speaking of the box, the Cyberboard ships in a latched briefcase. It cuts an imposing figure with “CYBERBOARD” stenciled on one side and an array of top-secret styled decals around the edges. Three vertical claw marks decorate the other side. Opening it up, you’ll find the keyboard well-protected in a custom foam cutout. The tools and accessories are beneath that. 

If it wasn’t already clear, the Cyberboard is pretty next-level but it doesn’t stop there. The LED matrix on the back is composed of two hundred customizable blocks. Using the online DIY configurator or the AM Master software, you can choose from an array of presets, browse and download community creations, or even create your own frame by frame animation. There’s enough here to create full animations too. Just ask the Pikachu that peeks around the top of my keyboard. The per-key RGB also looks great through the translucent Glacier keycaps and is similarly programmable.

It's also completely wireless. Inside, the keyboard sports a massive 10,000 mAh battery and – get this – a Qi wireless charging coil. If you have a wireless charging mat, you literally never have to plug it in. If you don’t and run it at full brightness, you’ll need to plug it in once every couple of weeks.

Out of the box, it supports both Bluetooth 5.1 and 2.4 GHz. Note that I say supports because the 2.4 GHz dongle needs to be purchased separately. I would encourage Angry Miao to rethink making this an add-on purchase. For how expensive the kit is, it really should come with everything included.

Taken as a whole, though, it’s an evolution of the Cyberboard we’ve seen in previous iterations. It doesn’t reinvent anything but instead refines and improves upon it, all while offering us new artistic interpretations of the designer’s inspirations. It looks, sounds, and feels fantastic.

Angry Miao Cyberboard R4 – Typing and Gaming Performance

As you may have gathered from the above section, the Cyberboard R4 is an achievement in sound and feel. While I still think the Relic 80 is the high point for the brand, this keyboard is very close and I could certainly see some people preferring it for its slightly deeper acoustics. Like many things in the mechanical keyboard hobby, it’s subjective and up to personal taste. 

What I love about it, though, is that there is a clear evolution from its past models. The Cyberboard R2 Le Smoking was very good in its own right but the shift to leaf spring mounting, a POM plate, and the new foam structure make the R4 a much more refined, competitive keyboard with high-end custom mechanical keyboards. Just about every aspect of the typing experience has been revisited at this point, from the keycaps and switches to how the internal structure comes together and mounts to the case, Angry Miao has touched everything. 

The result is a very poppy, marbly typing experience with a customizable level of flex. The PC keycaps have a bit of the classic polycarbonate sound but it’s deeper and more solid than any other set I’ve tried. You get the benefits of their translucence without having to sacrifice “thock” in the process. I also have to commend Angry Miao on changing up the typeface as it’s more consistent and neutral than the bright green of only a couple years ago. 

Out of the box, the keyboard is configured in a “balanced” setup with the leaf springs and stoppers. It’s neither the firmest or softest it can be but believe me when I say that it’s responsive under the fingers. You can observe its movement – across the entire keyset – with normal keystrokes. You can feel it too. The springs absolutely work yet manage to not feel too soft or distracting. Unlike some gasket mounting solutions, they don’t feel mushy at all. 

Gaming on the keyboard is great. You’ll want to play wired to avoid the native latency inherent to Bluetooth. When you do, you’ll find that the switches are very responsive and their slightly lighter weight plays perfectly with games. I’ve also long said that a great gaming keyboard is one that pairs responsiveness with a sound and feel that make you want to come back and keep playing. This is exactly such a keyboard. 

With that in mind, it’s time to hear it for yourself:

Video Credit: Elyxirine

Video Credit: Ty Cottle

Video Credit: FOFO Studio

Final Thoughts

Angry Miao keyboards are just as much art pieces as they are functional mechanical keyboards and, as such, they’re not for everyone. It refers to its fanbase as a “future art community.” Like most custom art, it’s not exactly cheap. For the base kit, without switches and keycaps, you’re looking at $570 to $670. If you purchase a bundle with those missing parts, it jumps to $730 to $830. All of that artistry, uniqueness, and innovation comes at a price, which inherently means it's not going to be for everyone.

At the same time, there’s no denying how unique these keyboards are. Bebop, Paisley, and Vision are unlike anything else out there and clearly take true craftsmanship and an exceptional amount of time to create.

If you’re the kind of person that wants one keyboard they can use for a lifetime, a desktop centerpiece that’s just as much a tool for your daily grind as it is a piece of modern art, a true conversation starter in more ways than one, then the Cyberboard R4 is absolutely worth considering.  

The product described in this article was provided by the manufacturer for evaluation purposes.