Yunzii X98 Mechanical Keyboard Review – Each Key Gleaming Vividly
YunZii X98 is a $109 USD Mechanical Keyboard with a 96% Layout, Gasket Mount Structure, 8000mAh Battery inside, using Three connectivity methods, a function knob and Crystal KeyCaps. Today we will review the X98 and also broadly compare it with other Kebs from Yunzii as well as other manufacturers that play in the same price range.
Introduction
YunZii started as a brand no one heard about and now they’re rising to compete with Akko and epomaker, having many keyboards that are popular designed and launched into the wild, offering top performance, low prices and some premium kebs that people use and love. I found that Yunzii is great when you’re looking for simple, effective keyboards that are cheap compared to the competition, this entire review being typed right now on the X98 which is a uniquely fun keyboard. You can purchase Yunzii keyboards from their own store, Amazon, aliexpress and other electronics outlets.
As an Amazon Influencer, I earn from qualifying purchases, and using the purchase links in my reviews helps me maintain this website and Youtube Channel. Audiophile-Heaven has no Ads and our Youtube Channel has no midroll ads, and our work is supported by Affiliate Links and Donations. Huge thanks to yunzii for providing the sample for this review, in exchange for my honest opinion.
Product Link
Amazon – https://amzn.to/3Tv2I59
Aliexpress – https://s.click.aliexpress.com/e/_c41nY5gr
Build Quality – Design
It feels like Yunzii stretched far outside of what they were in the beginning and while I did start reviewing their keyboards with some super budget kebs, they were fun, so today we have an almost 100% keyboard, the X98. The 96% layout will compress the arrow keys and the Insert / Delete / home area above those as they are more rarely used than for example the nupad which is useful for almost everyone.
Yunzii X98 is built around 96 keys and one volume knob wheel that you can configure to do other things also. All keycaps as well as switches are fully swappable, and you can use both switches designed with 5 Pins and 3 pins. X98 comes with a Pre-Lubed Snow Switch which is a POM Switch with a total travel of .6mm and a bottom out force of 52gf.
Combined with the characteristic crystal keycaps using a CSA profile, X98 is a product by its own, and while with KeyChron keyboards I often suggest purchase the keb for the base and then replacing the switches and the keycaps, X98 is mostly made to be purchased and used as it comes from the factory. There are many reasons for this, but it is a customized Gasket Mount Keyboard, so you have a uniquely well matched setup, including QMK / Via programmable software and a huge 8000 mAh battery inside, which will give you more than 320 hours of battery life if you’re not using RGB. This is still more than 45 hours of continuous usage with RGB on and at max brightness, and it takes X98 13 hours to charge.
Under the keyboard you can find the 2.4GHz receiver beneath the bottom metal plate which can be pressed, and the whole keyboard has south facing RGB lights. On a more technical level, we have support for Bluetooth 5.3, Wired and 2.4GHz modes, and the weight of the whole keyboard is 1270 grams, with the keycaps having 3D Printed Characters, and PC CSA profile keycaps. You can also order the X98 with Yunzii’s Crystal Linear Switch instead of the snow, and the main difference is that while both are lubed and standard, Crystal is actually even harder to press, has a 3.3mm total travel, which is shorter than Snow, and it also has a Nylon Stem instead of POM which will produce a different sound, usually more poppy or with a slight tick to it, compared to the deeper, more silky sounding POM switch that is Snow.
Subjective Usage – Quality
Stability – Although it is quite clear that X98 is fully made of plastic and acrylics, it is one of the most stable keyboards that are not made of metal that I tested. Really, only the wooden Akko MU01 Mountain Seclusion was more stable and had less flex because it was made of solid wood, but with X98 you will feel like you’re using and handling a reliable, sturdy keyboard with an excellent build quality. It feels premium, and the translucent build it has feels super premium, just like the KiiBoom Phantom 81 V2 Mechanical keyboard, but at a lower price and with more keys. You can basically flex this keyboard 1 degree max, while most plastic keyboards will flex between 3 degrees and 5 degrees, which can look extreme but is ok for an elastic polycarbonate.
Ergonomics – The overall build of the X98 feels well-thought. It is rounded at all edges, but has a premium little ornament part on the right side that you always feel with your fingers and which feels really nice. For blind typing or for typing without looking, I miss the little knob on the F and J keys, so they are all smooth keys which I do not like that much, as they make typing hard for me. Other than this, there are multiple colors available, but all of them look really shine, and light up your desk and room, but the volume wheel in the corner is by far the best one I tried so far as it has a super satisfying click when you rotate it, making the whole keyboard feel even more premium. For typing on it, I feel like if you come from a 100% keyboard, you will get confused by the format because the Delete key is not where you expect it to be, and it is a lot like a keyboard of a laptop, as the DELETE is somewhat isolated on the upper row, just like it is with my Asus G18 laptop. The shorter shift key also throws me off sometimes and so does the CTRL key on the right as they are not the same as you see on 100% keyboards to which I am used. All of those are far less of an issue for writing and gaming than they are for programming where I feel those heavily.
KeyCaps – I always expect transparent keycaps to be fingerprint and grease magnets, and Yunzii proves me wrong. The translucent keycaps are premium and the plastic actually feels premium, they even manage to create a nice typing feel and sound, but they are some of the most novel keycaps I’ve seen. YunZii is using a proprietary CSA profile which is very similar to OSA and other SA keycap profiles, being very tall and having a special angling where the middle row so the CAPS A S D row is the shortest, but Space row and 1 2 3 4 number rows are the tallest. The F row is even taller, so your fingers naturally go to the A S D F row, but this is just so that the height of the keyboard can be adjusted enough by the feet, so that you don’t need to use an eraser gum as I do with Keychron Q6 MAX. The fact that the caps are side printed makes the keyboard look really awesome, and they have the transparency designed in such a way that the top of each keycap has a line of light, while the bottom has the symbol, it is really brilliant in person.
Switches – I got the version with the Snow Linear Switch which is a linear switch, using a 5 Pin for the socket. It has an operating force of 35gf and a total travel of 3.6mm, which is a fairly long / normal distance and a pre-travel of 1.5mm and they come pre-lubed. There is no special LED diffuser, so the whole switch glows like a transparent plastic. Since the whole pressure and travel graph is linear, it looks very smooth, and the whole keystroke feels smooth. We get a PC top cover, POM stem and PC bottom, so it will sound poppy like plastic or polycarbonate usually does. All keys are very stable, but it is a very loud switch and the sound it makes is amplified by both the case and the keycaps, so the whole keyboard is loud, one of the loudest I ever hard and has a very clear clack to it.
Gaming – For gaming, both the format and the looks are spectacular, as X98 has a smooth type feel to it, works fast and even via wireless is very responsive. There are no special features for gaming, it just works, feels clean and smooth and is a good keyboard. Best part is the stability of the keys and since when you play you don’t clack many keys as much as when you type, it is fairly silent and pleasing while gaming.
Typing And Work – X98 is great for typing in general from an ergonomic perspective as it has a really good overall build, reliable keystrokes and most of the letter keys are right where you expect them, and it even has a numpad which helps even with programming, but it is not good for editing. All the keys important for Editing are in the wrong place, including DELETE, ENTER, SHIFT and CTRL, so you end up doing a lot of mistakes while you edit, especially when CTRL B, Shift Enter and Shift Delete. I often end up deleting entire rows I did not mean to, but at the same time, for actual word typing, it is as fast as the best keyboards I ever use, which would be Keychron Q6 Max.
Overall – It d
oes feel like Yunzii X98 is more than just a novel product, it is a nice high-end keyboard that is cheaper than ever for a full transparent keb. It has minimal flex, it is stable and if you like this format, which is a 96, you will love it. I feel like it is much better for a heavy typist or gamer than a programmer or editor.
Value – Conclusion
Considering that X98 is right now the most affordable high quality transparent keyboard with both mechanical switches and a high-quality transparent keycap set, it is going to feel like a huge value. Like most products, it is not universal, but it is great and I love using it.
Overall, Yunzii X98 will be excellent if you want a fancy, shine-through keyboard with a great typing experience, loud sound and a clack rather than a thocc, it is going to be perfect. The snow switches are some of the smoothest switches ever made so it has a lot going on for it, along with the huge battery life, also being a fully recommended keyboard for typists and gamers.
PROs
- Stable switches and reliable keycaps
- Beautiful and shiny, transparent and with side printed keycaps
- Very little flex in the case
- Loud clack that is very satisfying
- Nice YunZii Logo on the right side of the base
- Strong light and very long battery life
- Excellent signal stability, even on wifi being as fast as it is on cable
- Great for gaming and writing
Cons
- Not great for editing
- Lacks the notches on F and J keys, so blind typing is not the best
Product Link
Amazon – https://amzn.to/3Tv2I59
Aliexpress – https://s.click.aliexpress.com/e/_c41nY5gr
--- Please remember to stay safe, and always have fun while listening to music!---
- If you have a dime to spare, please donate, and help us! It would make the day brighter for me and my wife-
Full Playlist used for this review
We listened to more songs than those named in this playlist, but those are excellent for identifying a sonic signature. I recommend trying most of the songs from this playlist, especially if you’re searching for new music! The playlists are different for Spotify, Tidal and Youtube, and based on the songs I enjoy and are available on each!
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL_cjBXGmwSHSdGcwuc_bKbBDGHL4QvYBu
https://open.spotify.com/playlist/5J3oloz8Riy9LxEGenOjQ0?si=979ba4f082414be7
https://tidal.com/browse/playlist/330fd544-8e5b-4839-bd35-676b2edbb3d5
--- Contact Us ---
