Minisforum has entered the mechanical keyboard market with its new MKB i83. As a mini PC specialist, it comes as no surprise that the firm’s first input peripheral offers a compact layout. The keyboard’s name suggests this is a compact 83-key layout, and indeed it is. Other highlights of the MKB i83 are its anodized aluminum body, RGB lighting, double-shot PBT keycaps, Kailh MX Red switches, hot-swap keyswitches, and triple-mode connectivity.
In an email we received, Minisforum stated that the impetus behind the new MKB i83 mechanical keyboard was the desire to provide its users with a “complete desktop environment.” Perhaps there will be mice and other keyboards on the way too.
A press release emphasizes that the Minisforum MKB i83 is a premium quality offering. With such a frequently touched peripheral, carefully selected materials like aluminum and PBT are highly welcome. Some diagrams show the keyboard checking other design tick boxes like the use of a wraparound metal base (in silver, blue, or orange), sound-dampening foam, and a silicon mat within the sandwich of components.
Enhancing things further are customization options such as hot-swap keyswitch changing (linear Kailh reds are supplied) and RGB lighting configuration. A keycap and keyswitch changing tool are provided in the box.
While the keyswitches are a known quality, we would have to get hands-on time with an MKB i83 sample to consider things like build quality, feel, acoustics, and so on.
Above are the key specs of the Minisforum MKB i83 for you to scan for strengths and weaknesses. The keyboard’s flexible connectivity looks like a particularly attractive feature, if you would be using this peripheral with a variety of devices. Of course, the built-in battery will play a role when in wireless mode, but Minisforum hasn’t shared battery life figures for Bluetooth / 2.4G connected modes with RGB lighting applied. All we know is that with RGB-off the keyboard battery should last about 300 hours.
Minisforum is offering the MKB i83 for $99 direct. Buyers will find appropriate shipping and taxes added to this price at checkout time. Though some images show silver, blue, and orange case models, sales choices seem to be limited to models in silver, blue, and black.
We have already seen that Minisforum is looking beyond the Mini PC market with its recently teased Hawk Point APU packing tablet / convertible. It also regularly comes up with boundary-pushing Mini PCs like its external GPU hosting Mini-ITX design, an open air design, and a mini motherboard plus mobile CPU offering.
