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Gigabyte puts laptop mechanical keyboards under the spotlight

by Mark Tyson on 23 April 2020, 13:11

Tags: Gigabyte (TPE:2376)

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Gigabyte updated its gaming and content creator laptops back on 2nd April, alongside many other ODMs. That was the date that Intel launched its latest 10th gen Intel Core i9/i7 H series 8-core mobile CPUs and Nvidia let loose its GeForce RTX 20-series Super GPUs for laptops. At the time Gigabyte mentioned in passing that its Aorus Extreme Pro Gaming Line would be the industry's lightest laptops to feature "true mechanical keyboards," thanks to its partnership with Omron. Today the computer and component maker is providing some more information about the "world's lightest mechanical keyboard notebooks" it has recently launched.

If you like to have a mechanical keyboard available for PC use when you go on your travels you might pack a compact TKL model in your suitcase, like I do. However there are more laptops now than ever which are benefitting from integrating mechanical keyboards into their compact forms. Gigabyte has just introduced its Aorus 17X, Aorus 17G, and Aorus 15G pro gaming laptops featuring a built-in Omron keyswitch infused input peripheral.


"Featuring 1.6mm actuation point and sensational tactile feel, the register speed of Aorus laptop keyboards are 20% faster compared to those of normal laptop keyboards, giving users a crucial in-game advantage," wrote Gigabyte on its news blog today. "With the Aorus 15G weighing in at 2.2 kg and only 2.5 cm thick, it is 51% lighter than other laptops carrying mechanical keyboards and is 50% thinner. As the world's lightest and most compact mechanical keyboard laptop, the Aorus 15G aims to be a true professional and portable gaming laptop."

If you are wondering about the linked news blog's headline of "Half the Thickness & Half the Weight," I am quite sure that Gigabyte is making reference to the MSI GT80 Titan SLI which HEXUS reviewed back in March 2015. This 456mm x 330mm x 49mm and 4.5kg machine utilised some very beefy hardware for the time as well as a SteelSeries designed keyboard using Cherry MX switches.

It would certainly be interesting to test out Gigabyte's new pro gaming laptop keyboards from Omron, however we haven't had one in yet. For related reading, please check out the recent HEXUS review of the Gigabyte Aero 17 HDR (2020). This was one of the laptops launched on 2nd April with the Intel/Nvidia updates applied but it isn't graced with the mechanical keyboard mentioned in the main story above. YouTuber Dave Lee had a look at the Gigabyte Aorus 15G last week, and you can see what he thinks about the laptop, and new keyboard in the video embedded below.

Keyboard discussion starts at 1min 48s



HEXUS Forums :: 8 Comments

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Linus also released a video today with this laptop (although it was focusing on the new NVIDIA Super MAX Q graphics) and he does briefly touch on the mechanical keyboard. Link here, timecoded to the part about the keyboard: https://youtu.be/v07whIRP9zw?t=459
huggi
Linus also released a video today with this laptop (although it was focusing on the new NVIDIA Super MAX Q graphics) and he does briefly touch on the mechanical keyboard. Link here, timecoded to the part about the keyboard: https://youtu.be/v07whIRP9zw?t=459

Watched that earlier and tbh, it sounds like Gigabyte have done a really good job with those keys. If I had cash burning a hole in my pocket, i'd love to try them out.
The key switches seem a bit short-lived compared to Cherry MX, 15,000,000 presses compared with 50,000,000 presses but, if pressed 10,000 times a day, they should still last over 41 years…
so if we test one button 20million times, with a machine of sorts would there be an actual proof or is it just 8 out of 10?
A bit sick of the ever greater trend towards thinner and lighter on notebooks.
There is always a compromise to achieve that.
Always.
If you want a desktop replacement or good gaming machine in a mobile form factor, then in my opinion it can only be done well if you give up some of the form factor.