Varmilo Minilo overview: A stunning little keyboard lacking one large function

Finest Costs In the present day: Varmilo Minilo VXB67 keyboard

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$119

$129

One of many very first mechanical keyboards that I purchased was from Varmilo, a Chinese language model targeted on easy designs with strong elements. Stable sufficient, actually, that I nonetheless use that board frequently, even after modifying it a number of occasions. So I used to be excited to take a look at one of many firm’s newest fashions in a extra official capability, seeing how Varmilo had improved in the previous couple of years. 

Additional studying: See our roundup of the very best gaming keyboards to study competing merchandise.

The Varmilo Minilo VXB67 design

The Minilo VXB67 is a beautiful little board, mixing refined hues with high-quality plastic and understated lighting into an interesting complete. It’s additionally sticking with these high-quality elements, with a compact however high-quality plastic physique and utterly customized electro-capacitive switches (extra on these later). 

The low level of the design is its complicated operate key format, which is exacerbated by an incapacity to reprogram any keys in any respect. This provides the Minilo a steep studying curve even in comparison with different compact keyboards, and it insists that you just adapt to it as a substitute of the opposite approach round. However in case you can forgive this quirk, and also you’re not in search of straightforward customization, it’s a high-quality providing with some distinctive enchantment in a sea of samey gaming and typing boards. 

In comparison with extra utilitarian designs, like Logitech’s MX Keys Mechanical and even Keychron’s Q sequence, or the bombastic disco mild present of gaming keyboards, the Minilo is pleasantly understated. The plastic case has a double-layered impact, with an eggshell-colored exterior and a layer of minty inexperienced straight surrounding the keys. These colours are continued into the keycaps themselves, accented by a splash of blue on the modifier keys. I feel it will look nice subsequent to that new Fractal Design Terra case from Computex. If you happen to’re not a fan of this specific “Eucalyptus” mixture, there’s a pink-themed “Mendozae” possibility obtainable as properly. 

Michael Crider/Foundry

The nice seems to be lengthen to the remainder of the board. Word the brand on the underside proper, which lights up (and may be disabled in case you please), and the matching inexperienced backside plate with its engraved steel badge supplying you with all of the producer and mannequin particulars. There’s a number of cautious and really interesting work put into this board, as you would possibly count on from a producer that focuses so carefully on its colourful particular editions. Double-stage keyboard ft are a pleasant shock, ABS keycaps (as a substitute of the extra premium PBT) barely much less so. 

The format is a variation of the favored 65% semi-standard, although I discovered a few the alternatives to be odd. The Delete key’s simply above the arrow cluster, as a substitute of within the upper-right nook as in most comparable designs. A few of the operate layer format is unusual, too: F-keys alongside the highest are apparent sufficient, however who seems to be for the Print Display screen key on L, or media keys from T to P? Extra complicated {hardware} features, like controlling the lighting or pairing through Bluetooth, require a dive into the consumer handbook. 

Michael Crider/Foundry

For instance, the board has no energy change. It’ll auto-sleep after half-hour, and re-awaken with a double-tap of the area bar. To show off the white LEDs, you press Fn+X. To pair a brand new Bluetooth system or change between current paired gadgets, press Fn+Q, W, or E… which is able to flash a light-weight on 1, 2, or 3, even if these keys aren’t those you’re urgent. To modify the highest row from the default numbers to the operate row, press Fn+Web page Down. None of those operations are indicated on the keycaps themselves. Oh, and there’s no handbook within the field: It’s a must to seek for it on Varmilo’s assist website, including one more little bit of frustration to all this.

Maybe worse, there’s no option to change any of those pre-programmed features. That’s a particular ding in opposition to the design in 2023. Price range boards like the wonderful G.Ability KM250 can get away with that, however Varmilo can’t, particularly on a compact board the place a cushty and intuitive format is essential for usability. That is the most important disadvantage of an in any other case glorious product. 

What concerning the Varmilo Minilo VXB67 switches? 

This board comes with switches designed completely by and for Varmilo. That’s not precisely unusual today — half the gaming keyboards appear to have “custom” switches, which usually means an organization like Kailh or Gateron made them, presumably with just a little further design work, presumably not, and re-branded the outer casings. That’s not the case right here: The “Jasmine” switches on our overview unit are electro-capacitive, and pretty distinctive for it. 

Michael Crider/Foundry

“Electro-capacitive” used to confer with a design that used a sliding stem in addition to a rubber dome between the switches and the circuit board registering key presses, leading to a particular “thock” really feel that made the Joyful Hacking keyboards in style. That isn’t what Varmilo’s electro-capacitive switches do. There’s no sheet of rubber domes, every change is fully contained in its personal Cherry MX-style housing. What the electro-capacitive time period refers to is the stem and leaf design, which doesn’t require direct contact like a typical MX-style change, actuating the press by mere proximity as a substitute of the same old “click.” Which means from the highest of a keypress to the underside, the one resistance you are feeling comes from the stem sliding alongside the change housing and the spring itself. 

If all that looks as if Greek to you, right here’s the TLDR model: The EC V2 switches on this board are very {smooth}. The “Jasmine” variant of the change isn’t simply color-coded to match the keyboard, it’s additionally a speedy linear design, in order that they’re barely lighter than most switches with a sooner activation. If you happen to prefer to kind frivolously with out bottoming out (urgent down till you may’t anymore), you’ll be significantly happy with these switches. 

Michael Crider/Foundry

And that’s an excellent factor, because you don’t have another selections. Whereas most keyboards on this worth vary include hot-swap change sockets that allow you to customise the switches, Varmilo omits the function on the Minilo. That’s not out of any sort of stinginess: The distinctive properties of those EC switches make them incompatible with different MX-style change designs, even when they give the impression of being very comparable. If that further flexibility is vital to you, there’s one other barely dearer mannequin of the Minilo with customary MX switches, hot-swap sockets, RGB lighting, and a 2.4GHz wi-fi dongle. 

However once more, even with the constraints, these switches are very good. Easy and quiet due to boxy stems, an all-plastic physique, and a little bit of silicone between the plate and the PCB, this board was surprisingly low-volume in an empty espresso store even with out switches with “silent” properties. It’s a disgrace that ordering the EC V2 switches or the hot-swap sockets are an either-or proposition. 

How does the Varmilo Minilo VXB67 evaluate to the competitors? 

Varmilo asks rather less than $110 for the Minilo VXB67 on its web site, with a selection of a number of electro-capacitive change variants. It’s about $5 extra in case you go for the mannequin with customary MX switches and hot-swap sockets, which additionally enables you to join through a wi-fi USB dongle along with Bluetooth and upgrades the lights to RGB. 

Michael Crider/Foundry

Nevertheless, postage to the U.S. makes the worth shoot up significantly — round $150 whole for me. Shopping for from third-party distributors on Amazon or the MechanicalKeyboards.com specialty retailer brings the worth again all the way down to the $110-130 vary, relying in your change selections. 

That places the Minilo within the midrange class for mechanical boards, competing with wi-fi non-gaming designs just like the Keychron K6 Professional. In that context, the query turns into clear: Would you like a really fairly, very high-quality keyboard with basically zero customization choices (together with programming), or a board that’s much less eye-catching however permits you to customise to your coronary heart’s content material? 

Michael Crider/Foundry

I can’t reply that query for you. However I can say that there’s no motive for Varmilo to omit programming choices, even when the electro-capacitive switches take hot-swapping off the desk. You’ll must study this board, not make it conform to your consumer fashion. It’s an oversight that’s exhausting to forgive when each different board on this worth vary presents not less than some sort of programming possibility — even Logitech. 

If you may get over that limitation, the Varmilo Minilo VXB67 is a wonderful little board that’s equally comfortable in your desktop or in your laptop computer bag. Simply don’t count on it to be particularly accommodating.