Wooting's 80HE is about to get a new 80% Hall-effect competitor in the Iqunix EZ80 gaming keyboard
When we reviewed the Iqunix EZ63 gaming keyboard recently, we praised it as a true competitor to the Wooting 80HE, despite the more compact layout. The EZ63 features impressive build quality, excellent Gateron Jade Pro switches, and reserved aesthetics. Now, Iqunix has announced that it will be launching the EZ80 as what appears to be an enhanced TKL version of the EZ63 (curr. $179.99 on Amazon).
Iqunix EZ80 main features
Judging by the Discord teaser, the Iqunix EZ80 looks quite similar to the EZ63, featuring the same gasket mount design and simple disassembly, but there are also changes under the hood that Iqunix claims will make the EZ80 a significantly different keyboard compared to the EZ63. For one, the EZ80 has a 16,000 Hz scan rate and a new "single-sided rail-to-rail" Hall-effect sensor, which Iqunix claims will deliver a more stable and precise reading of the switch position at the cost of increased voltage.
The EZ80 also features the same dual-rail gasket mount design and an aluminium plate material. The combination of the aluminium plate and the gasket mount should provide the same stable platform and precise gaming performance as that of the EZ63 without any of the harsh bottom-out and chattery sound issues associated with traditional tray-mounted gaming keyboards.
In terms of looks, the EZ80 seems to lean much further into the gaming theme, with transparent side-printed keycaps instead of the double-shot PBT keycaps from the EZ63, which had an objectively clean look. The aluminium case looks to feature many of the same design cues as the EZ63, with the same CNC cutouts in the side rails, although this time, there is a separate top cover for the F row.
Unlike the Wooting 80HE, the EZ80 features a traditional TKL design, which should be easier to get used to than the aforementioned Wooting keyboard and it's unusual layout that's somewhere between 75% and TKL. Like the 80HE, though, the EZ80 seems to be a wired-only keyboard, and it will in all likelihood use a USB Type-C port for connectivity. The switches also seem to have been swapped out, with the EZ80 preview revealing a box stem that Iqunix is calling the X Switch. Unlike the Star Trail or Gateron Magnetic Jade Pro switches (curr. $57.99 for 70 pcs on Amazon) of the EZ63, the EZ80's switches use a box stem, which should serve to reduce stem wobble. The new switches have an initial force of 36 gf, a bottom out force of 48 gf, and a 3.5 mm total travel, indicating that the new switches will likely be similar to the Gateron Magnetic Jade Gaming switches (curr. $57.99 for 70 pcs on Amazon).
Iqunix has yet to publish an official price, availability date, or pre-order page, but the actual launch will take place on May 13. We will update this article as more information becomes available.
- Next-Level Hardware Performance:0.005mm Tested Rapid Trigger Sensitivity (Infinite Mode)
- 0.18ms Tested Latency
- 8KHz Polling | 16KHz Scanning
- Flagship-Grade MCU Chip
- 3rd-Gen Linear Hall Sensor
- In-house M.A.T. 2.0 Algorithm
- Custom EZ Dual Circuit System
- Premium Aluminum Alloy
- eSports GASKET Structure
- Side-printed Translucent Keycaps (EZ80 Dark Side RS Version)
- Esports-Tuned X Magnetic Switch
- Upgraded EZ 3.0 Software: SOCD, MT, DKS, TGL, RS Support
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