Iqunix Magi65 Pro review: Low-profile wireless mechanical keyboard nails it with an affordable price
Not magic, might as well be.
The Iqunix Magi65 Pro makes some lofty claims, like a cushioned gasket mount, over 300 hours of battery life, and an ergonomic low-profile design in an all-metal chassis. The Magi65 Pro thus presents itself as a keyboard enthusiast's low-profile board, but does that play out in the real world?Julian van der Merwe, 👁 Enrico Frahn Published 🇫🇷 🇪🇸 ...
Verdict - Top contender for best wireless low-profile mechanical keyboard
The Iqunix Magi65 Pro punches above its weight class, delivering an outstanding typing feel and sound, especially for the price. As far as low-profile keyboards go, it's an easy recommendation, as long as you don't need to travel with it regularly.
Wireless connectivity was stable, and battery life was excellent, as long as the keyboard was connected via Bluetooth with the RGB backlighting disabled. Build quality was also top-notch, and the included accessories are stellar quality. The small media control pad to the right of the navigation row on the Magi65 Pro was a nice touch, although it was better after being repurposed as a macro pad using VIA.
The biggest downsides of the Iqunix Magi65 Pro are its non-adjustable feet and an on/off toggle that's hidden under the caps lock key, the latter making it non-viable as an on-the-go keyboard.
Pros
Cons
Price and availability
The Iqunix Magi65 Pro is available directly from Iqunix for $139, and the non-Pro version without the scroll wheel and macro pad comes in at $119. It is not yet available from sites like Amazon, unlike the EZ63 we recently reviewed.
The Iqunix Magi65 Pro is a 65% low-profile mechanical keyboard with wired and wireless (2.4 GHz and Bluetooth 5.1) connectivity. It features a 3,000 mAh battery and a neat twist on the tray mount design that offers a uniquely bouncy typing feel. It is available in two colours and only with the Iqunix-Kailh collaboration Gold Red linear switches.
Specifications
| Form factor and size | Low-profile compact 65% US ANSI, 357 × 108 mm, 12.4 mm front height |
| Typing angle | ~4° |
| Case material | CNC aluminium, anodised finish in Shadow Black, e-coated finish in Ochre White |
| Weight | 1,030 g |
| Plate material and mounting style | Flex-cut FR4 plate, Le-Tray gasket mount |
| Connectivity | USB-C wired, 2.4 GHz, Bluetooth 5.1 |
| PCB and switches | Flex-cut 1.2 mm hot-swap PCB compatible with select Kailh low-profile switches |
| Default switch options | Iqunix Gold Red 40 gf linear (1.2 mm actuation distance) |
| Keycaps | Dye-sublimated PBT, uniform low-profile |
| Customisation software | VIA |
| Backlight | Per-key north-facing RGB |
| Polling rate | 1,000 Hz via USB-C and 2.4 GHz, unspecified Bluetooth polling rate |
| Battery capacity | 3,000 mAh |
Unboxing and accessories
The accessory kit that comes with the Iqunix Magi65 Pro is one of the keyboard's highlights. Not only does it include extra keycaps for macOS/Windows switching, but there are additional keycaps with a generic legend, two of which are metal accent keycaps. The included keycap and switch puller is also aluminium, and the included cable is a high-quality braided aviator style USB-C-to-A cable.
General use and impressions
The hardware of the Iqunix Magi65 Pro is nothing short of premium. The CNC work and anodising on the aluminium chassis is flawless, and the dye-sub PBT keycaps feel great, despite their thin sidewalls. The aesthetic is also pleasing, with enough visual flair to make the Magi65 stand out without being garish.
The roller on the right side panel above the media controls has a very grippy knurled texture and a positive notched feel to it. While it's mapped to volume control by default, it is easy to customise in VIA. The X-shaped media control pad is made of metal and uses very firm membrane or rubber dome switches. This gives those buttons decent tactile feedback. It makes sense to remap the media control panel as a macro pad, since many of the controls are duplicated in the secondary legends on the F row. This requires additional work in VIA.
One minor annoyance is the on/off toggle, which is hidden under the caps lock keycap. This means that turning the keyboard on and off requires holding Fn+Esc keys for five seconds. The few times we threw the Magi65 Pro into a backpack to work in a coffee shop, it woke from sleep in the bag.
Magi65 Pro typing experience and sound
The Magi65 Pro lives up to its claims as an enthusiast's mechanical keyboard when it comes to the typing experience. It is on-par with what you would expect from a much more expensive full-height keyboard.
Iqunix's Le-Tray mount, which uses cutouts in the PCB and rubber dampers around the stand-offs, provides a softer typing experience than many full-height gasket-mount keyboards. Something like the Keychron Q13 Max is significantly stiffer than the Magi65 Pro, while the Epomaker Galaxy 100 and its soft PP plate are just barely able to match it.
The Gold Red switches are smooth, although they take some time to achieve their full smoothness, as it typical of switches with a POM stem. The clear top housings are great for RGB transmission, but the keycaps aren't shine-through, so RGB backlighting is an aesthetic choice.
Below is a short typing sample of the Iqunix Magi65 Pro with Iqunix Gold Red switches.
The premium experience continues with the sound profile, although a handful of keys are noticeably deeper than others. The stabilisers are also quite good, except for the enter and backspace keys, which have minor ticking that can easily be solved with some lubrication.
Although the switches in the Magi65 Pro sound great, anyone looking to modify the sound profile or typing feel with new switches is limited to the Kailh x Lofree switches (curr. $49.99 on Amazon) or the Kailh Elements series (curr. $52.99 on Amazon). This limitation is due to the odd two-pin layout of the Magi65 Pro's hot-swap sockets.
Wireless connectivity and battery life
The Iqunix Magi65 Pro features 2.4 GHz and Bluetooth 5.1 wireless connectivity options. Both wireless connectivity options were very stable. The keyboard was very aggressive about power management when connected wirelessly, but the Magi65 Pro seamlessly woke from sleep with a virtually unnoticeable delay.
Battery life was abysmal when the RGB backlighting was enabled over a 2.4 GHz connection, but disabling the RGB and connecting via Bluetooth stretched the estimated battery life to nearly 300 hours.
Battery life results
| Connection mode and RGB | Battery drain (%/hour) | Estimated battery life (hours) |
|---|---|---|
| 2.4 GHz, full RGB | 14 | 7 |
| Bluetooth, no RGB | 0.3–0.4 | 250–330 |
Conclusion
The Magi65 Pro is an easy recommendation for anyone looking for a wireless low-profile mechanical keyboard, as long as they can compromise on portability. The 65% layout might be a challenge for anyone who needs a num pad, but it delivers a standout typing experience that exceeds similarly priced competition, like the $129.99 Lofree Flow Lite (now discounted to $109.99). Iqunix is working on a larger Magi75, and the MQ80 is available to pre-order for those looking for a similar design in a bigger layout.
Transparency
The selection of devices to be reviewed is made by our editorial team. The test sample was given to the author by the manufacturer free of charge for the purposes of review. There was no third-party influence on this review, nor did the manufacturer receive a copy of this review before publication. There was no obligation to publish this review. We never accept compensation or payment in return for our reviews. As an independent media company, Notebookcheck is not subjected to the authority of manufacturers, retailers or publishers.
