AUKEY KM-G15 gaming keyboard review: Pink is the new black

If you’ve seen or used a gaming keyboard before, there’s a very good chance that it was black, silver, or dark gray. Keyboard engineers have traditionally chosen neutral color designs that look sleek, discrete, and can fit into almost any setup. The only setup that these traditional keyboards don’t look good with colorful battlestations, which have become increasingly popular in recent years.

Enter pink keyboards, which are targeted at enthusiasts of the color that aren’t satisfied with standard designs. AUKEY’s KM-G15 is one such board, and I’ve had the opportunity to put it to the test over the last few weeks. After concluding my testing, I feel confident in saying that this keyboard is one of the best gaming keyboards for fans of pink, delivering a superb balance of price and performance.

The best thing about the AUKEY KM-G15 is its build quality, which is remarkably good for a keyboard that costs $60. Featuring quality materials, well-made ABS keycaps, and durable switches, this keyboard is built to last. There’s also not much flex to the board’s frame, which is often an issue that budget-friendly keyboards have. It’s not as tough as premium keyboards like my CORSAIR K95 RGB PLATINUM that has a thick metal chassis, but for what it costs, it’s great.

This keyboard punches well above its price point in terms of quality and value.

Secondly, the keyboard has full N-key rollover, which means that your inputs won’t be delayed when you press several different keys in rapid succession. This is important for people who strafe a lot in shooters, and it’s also useful for strategy games and MMOs where the ability to quickly give orders or queue up specific attacks can decide victory and defeat. This crucial gaming feature isn’t always found on cheaper keyboards, so it’s great to see it included here.

Finally, the KM-G15 has full RGB backlighting that looks quite good for such an affordable keyboard. It’s not the brightest I’ve seen, but there are lots of color options that you can cycle between by pressing Fn + Spacebar. Fn + up and down arrow keys also adjusts brightness, too, which is useful for when you want to brighten the lighting up or turn it off entirely. For more precise control over the colors and access to several different lighting effects, you can use AUKEY’s free KM-G15 software, too.

What you’ll love less about the AUKEY KM-G15

There are only two things I dislike about the AUKEY KM-G15. The first centers around the feet of the keyboard’s stands, which slide a little too easily. This may result in accidental keyboard movements if you input aggressively while gaming.

Secondly, there’s the use of “AUKEY Blue” switches, which are designed to imitate the feel of Cherry MX Blues. I don’t understand why AUKEY chooses Blue-style switches for its gaming keyboards, as this is a switch primarily aimed at typing enthusiasts rather than gamers. They’re far from bad — in fact, they’re quite good — but a design inspired by Cherry MX Reds or Speeds would be ideal for gaming.

Should you buy the AUKEY KM-G15?

While the slightly slippery stands and the use of AUKEY Blue switches aren’t ideal, they don’t really take much away from the fact that, for $60, the AUKEY KM-G15 is a stellar option for the pink enthusiasts of the world. Featuring excellent build quality, N-key rollover, and attractive RGB, it’s a keyboard that pulls no punches.

4.5
out of 5

If you’re not all about that all-pink life, check out my review of the AUKEY KM-G12, another quality budget-friendly option that has a more traditional color scheme. Also, don’t miss our roundup of all the best gaming keyboards available on the market.