New wireless low profile mechanical keyboard launches with aluminium case for Apple fans and mobile productivity

Akko bills the Air 01 as a portable wireless mechanical keyboard for Mac users, and its specifications seem to fit the bill quite well. It features a minimalist design with a compact 75% layout — meaning it has no number pad but still packs a function row and a navigation column — and an aluminium case, although it still only weighs in at 612 g, making it significantly lighter than the Iqunix Magi65 Pro and only slightly heavier than the plastic Lofree Flow Lite we reviewed. The Air 01 also features a gasket mount, which is a feature typically found in enthusiast mechanical keyboards and is known to produce a satisfying typing sound and feel. 

Generally, low-profile mechanical keyboards use either Kailh or Gateron low profile mechanical switches, but Akko hasn't specified which switch type is being used in the Air 01. The product page, however, claims that they are custom switches, and they look similar in design and pin layout to the Kailh Choc V2 switches found in keyboards like the Lofree Flow and the Iqunix Magi65 Pro. Either way, the switches come in four different varieties: linear, clicky, tactile, and what appears to be a silent tactile variant. All four versions of the switches feature relatively middle-of-the-road actuation force, except for the tactile Winter switch, which has a lighter starting force of 38 gf. Aside from the switch customisation options, Akko will offer the Air 01 in two colours: black with black dye-sublimated PBT keycaps and white, which is actually a silver case with white dye-sublimated PBT keycaps. Software customisation comes by way of Akko's web driver, which is generally usable but a little more limited than something like VIA, which is commonly used by some of the more popular low-profile keyboard makers, however, it is usually a positive sign to see any form of customisation. The Akko Air 01 has south-facing RGB backlighting, which is a somewhat perplexing decision, given the reason for south-facing being repopularised in the first place was because some Cherry profile keycaps would interfere with MX key switches — obviously not a concern with low-profile keyboards. 

Being a wireless mechanical keyboard, the Akko Air 01 has both Bluetooth and 2.4 GHz support, with the latter offering 1,000 Hz polling rate via an included dongle. It also supports USB-C connectivity for charging and data, so you don't need to rely on wireless if you prefer better stability. The built-in Li-ion battery in the Akko Air 01 has a rated capacity of 4,500 mAh, although Akko doesn't make any battery life claims. In our experience, depending on the firmware and PCB design, a keyboard with this sort of capacity could last as long as 300 hours with backlighting disabled.