YUNZII has been making affordable mechanical keyboards for several years. Featuring accessible yet eye-catching designs, its keyboards aim to balance price with performance and lower the barrier to entry for newcomers to the hobby or gamers looking to upgrade their setup. We’ve spent the last several weeks testing the KZZI Z98 wireless mechanical keyboard and the AL71, an aluminum kit designed as an on-ramp to the custom keyboards hobby. With prices of $109.99 and $99.99 respectively (slightly more on Amazon), these keyboards are well priced and anything but budget.
Pricing
- KZZI Z98 Pro
- AL71
Introducing YUNZII, the Z98 Pro, and the AL71
YUNZII began operations in 2018. According to its About Us page, the company was founded by a group of keyboard enthusiasts that also had extensive experience in the industrial design and manufacturing business. Since its debut, it has had several keyboards that have gained the attention of influencers and technology journalists, including the CoolKiller CK75 and the IF98, both of which made their way repeatedly onto my YouTube subscription list.
To be honest, there are so many affordable mechanical keyboards these days that a lot of these tend to pass me by. The keyboards have to do something special to really catch my attention and, I suspect, that of many other potential customers. The CK75 and IF98 were certainly two of the sort with some truly unique aesthetics and designs that looked genuinely very good for the money. As someone who reviews and shares a lot of keyboards, I’m always on the lookout for products that are affordable and exceed what you would expect at a given price point.I wasn’t able to try either first-hand, though.
Which is exactly why when YUNZII reached out and asked if I’d like to try two of its newer models, I immediately said yes. Both the Z98 Pro and the AL71 have unique qualities that are well-worth a closer look.The Z98 Pro is wireless (Bluetooth and 2.4GHz), has an OLED screen, and has one of the most unique looking designs I’ve ever seen on a mechanical keyboard. The AL71 is a fully aluminum pre-built keyboard that is essentially a custom keyboard with a unique layout and an even more surprising price (plus includes pre-lubed switches, keycaps, and sound-dampening foams).
These two keyboards are very different. In fact, I originally planned to review them in two separate articles. Instead, I’ve brought them together to make this point: YUNZII isn’t your average keyboard company. After trying them for myself, I was quite impressed. If you’re on a budget, these are both excellent options that are very much worth considering to improve your typing and gaming experiences alike.
YUNZII KZZI Z98 Pro Review: Wireless, Aesthetic, and Impressive
Specifications
- Product: YUNZII KZZI Z98 PRO
- Layout: 96% 1800 Layout, 94-Key
- RGB: South facing
- Color Choices: White, Blue, Matcha, Light Purple, Purple
- Switch Choices: Linear, Tactile
- Structure: Gasket Mounted
- Battery: 3750mAh
- Connection: Wired Type-C/Bluetooth/2.4G Wireless
- Size of Product: 392*152*42mm
- Weight of Product: 1.03kg
- Keycaps: Double-shot PBT KSA Profile Keycaps
- Hot Swappable: YES
- NKRO: YES
The Z98 Pro is immediately eye-catching. The color choices are simple on paper — white, blue, matcha, purple, and light purple — but in real life, they’re much more interesting. White isn’t just white. It’s white, black, and red. Purple isn’t just purple, it’s purple, black, and pink. Light purple is like blueberries and cream, with light and dark purple, cream white, and a mix of yellow and peach keycaps. The keyboards are gorgeous.
Given their gradient color options, the case is made entirely of plastic. Interesting, it’s all glossy plastic, which isn’t very common. The keycaps are tall KSA profile, which are similar to the retro SA profile keycaps we’ve seen on vintage keyboards and many customs, and are also smooth. They’re made of doubleshot PBT, however, and should last without shining further or wearing away. They also sound amazing (the spacebar in particular).
The keyboard also has a built-in OLED screen that can be used for customizing its different settings, displaying the date and time, and what operating system layout you’re currently using. You can access the keyboard’s menu with a quick key combination, which allows you to choose how you’re connecting, the lighting animation being displayed (there’s per-key RGB backlighting, though the keycaps are not backlit themselves), and which wireless connection you’re opting for. There are also dedicated Fn key combinations for most of these options too, if you find that more convenient. The keyboard also supports loading your own GIFs to display for even more customization.
For wireless connectivity, you have the option of three different Bluetooth connections and fast 2.4GHz using the included dongle. For gaming, you’ll definitely want to use the 2.4GHz connection for its fast 1ms response time. The connections are all quick to connect and reliable once established.
Around the top edge, I was also surprised to find that this keyboard has a built-in USB hub with both a Type-A and a Type-C connection. This is more common than ever these days, especially with Type-C, so it was great to see here at such an affordable price.
It’s not all looks, though. The keyboard is fantastic to type and play games on. My sample was sent with tactile switches (unnamed KZZI switches) and I’m surprised they’re not called out because they’re very enjoyable. They have a strong and high tactile bump that makes the keyboard feel very responsive and wards off typos. They’re also pre-lubed for extra smoothness and a better sound. A linear option is also available, and the keyboard supports hot-swapping switches if you’d rather install some of your own.
Inside, it’s built with a gasket mount implementation. It’s not the flexiest keyboard I’ve used, but there is some movement if you press down. The gaskets here lead to a soft typing experience that wards off fatigue over long gaming sessions. There are also layers of sound-dampening and sound-tuning foam.
It’s not perfect, of course. The biggest concession here is definitely battery life. Its 3,750mAh battery will need to be recharged about once a week if you’re using backlighting (and you’ll want to be it really enhances the overall look of the keyboard). The glossy finish on the OLED screen also attracts fingerprints, so it needs to be wiped down regularly to stay tidy.
Overall, for $110, this is a unique-looking, high-performing keyboard that absolutely exceeded my expectations. It’s my blueberries and cream board and I’m honestly pretty enamored with it.
YUNZII AL71 Review: You’d Never Guess It Was $100
The second keyboard I tested was the AL71, an aluminum keyboard kit that will shock you with how good it is for the money. It’s no exaggeration to say that only a few years ago, a kit like this could easily have cost $200 or more, not including switches or keycaps. And yet here we are with a keyboard that sounds and feels simply amazing for the $89.99 you can get it for on Amazon right now.
The AL71 is a high-quality keyboard kit with a unique take on the 65% layout and comes in a fully aluminum case. It is a custom keyboard in all but name, which makes its price all the more impressive.
At this point, I would recommend the AL71 to anyone looking for a compact custom keyboard for the first time and is on a budget. There’s no point building one yourself. You will spend more to get less. Buy this keyboard instead. Buy custom keycaps. You’ll still probably spend less than if you built one yourself.
Let’s break it down. The AL71 is a gasket-mounted keyboard that offers a soft typing experience — noticeably softer than the Z98 Pro. It comes with pre-lubed linear or silent linear switches, pre-lubed stabilizers, a soft polycarbonate plate, and layers of sound-dampening and acoustic tuning foam. It’s absolutely designed by people who know what makes a custom keyboard great and tuned for it. This keyboard has lessons for even more expensive options like the Keychron Q2, which is currently $210 on Amazon.
Its aluminum case is simple. You’re not getting the intricate accents you’ll find on some of the more expensive CNC-milled options on the market, but it does have a nice moon and star badge above the arrow cluster. There are also RGB strips on the left and right, which look nice and are customizable.
Like the Z98 Pro, it features tri-mode wireless — including 2.4GHz, which still isn’t super common in the custom keyboard world (though is becoming more so). So you could certainly use this for competitive gaming. It’s just as reliable too, so you can use it without fear of random disconnects.
The typing experience is so well-tuned for this price. Even though it's no longer hard to find a great keyboard on a budget, it's no exaggeration to say that its combination of parts delivers a typing experience that's well in excess of virtually any gaming keyboard not named the Azoth, Scope 96 II, or Blackwidow V4.
The keycaps are noticeably different than the Z98, however. While that keyboard used tall, doubleshot PBT, the AL71 utilizes dye-sublimated PBT. They're thick and well done, and just as durable long-term, but aren't quite as crisp with the legending. They're still very good, though, and are consistent across the board.
It's still an entry-level keyboard with the simplicity of its case and has the same battery life limitations as the Z98. The AL71 also lacks VIA support, which really would have put it over the top as a pre-built custom, but has its own software that allows you to remap keys, control the lighting, and assign macros. And you know what? It's still an incredible value.
Final Thoughts
YUNZII blew me away. These two keyboards are better than they have any right to be at this price. They are both incredible values and excellent keyboards in their own right. I highly recommend taking a long look at both.
The product described in this article was provided by the manufacturer for evaluation purposes. Some articles may contain affiliate links and purchases made through this will result in a small commission for the site. Commissions are not directed to the author or related to compensation in any way.
