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The Akko ACR Pro Alice Plus is the first keyboard of its kind to hit the mainstream mechanical keyboard market, and despite its flaws, it packs an amazing value.
Most keyboards are rectangles with vertical keys, but for those looking to break the mold, there are more and more options. Akko ACR Pro Alice Plus is an affordable interpretation of the popular Alice layout with ergonomic tilt keys, central split key and double space. Akko has kindly provided a set of replacement ASA configuration keycaps, polycarbonate switch plate, USB Type-C to Type-A coiled cable, keycap and switch puller, spare daughterboard, spare silicon pad, screwdriver, adjustable feet and Akko Crystal or Silver Switches, $130.
Other than that, $130 is still in your pocket, so is Alice’s explanation worth it? let’s see.
The Akko ACR Pro Alice Plus is not a traditional 65% spacer keyboard: it features the Alice layout, a unique user-friendly design that has become a hallmark of the world of mechanical keyboards. The Alice layout was originally implemented by TGR Keyboards, influenced by Linworks EM.7. Let me tell you – getting a real TGR Alice is not easy. I’ve seen them resell for thousands of dollars.
On the other hand, the Akko ACR Pro Alice Plus is only $130 and at this price point it’s well made with lots of accessories. Other keyboards I’ve reviewed in this price range are usually made from polycarbonate or ABS plastic, but the Alice Plus is made from acrylic, which feels good in the hand and does a good job of dampening noise when you put your hands down.
Alice Plus comes with aluminum and polycarbonate switch plates. The aluminum plate comes pre-installed, which makes sense since it’s the more common material, but since it’s a spacer mounting plate, I quickly installed the polycarbonate plate. Polycarbonate sheets are more flexible than aluminum sheets.
For pads, Akko uses silicone socks instead of foam pads. Silicone socks are a refreshing option that kills two birds with one stone by helping the board dance and dampen noise. Alice also comes with three layers of foam and silicone for added noise cancellation. They do a great job of removing spring pulsation, but the case is still empty for me.
It didn’t bother me too much, but it’s worth noting that the LEDs on this Alice face north. This doesn’t usually bother me, as I’ve never had issues with the clearance of Cherry Profile keycaps. But if Akko recreates one of the most coveted mechanical keyboards ever made, the LEDs should face south. I’ve had no issues with the Cherry profile keycaps, but I know the underside isn’t as perfect as it should be.
RGB is bright and discrete thanks to the acrylic body. However, almost every RGB effect looks the same. The rainbow LED has a circular motion on the PCB, and illuminating it for each key is a chore. For some reason, you can not select all the keys at once and put a shadow. Instead, each key must be selected one by one. Wow, that was terrible. If you don’t use RGB like I do, this won’t be a problem.
Akko includes two sets of two color ABS ASA type caps which are excellent quality especially for the price. However, I am not a fan of engraved caps – they are always too high, and the legends in the center are not my thing.
Akko has designed the PCB to accommodate both screw-in and board-mounted regulators, so it can be tested for audiophile needs. The stabilizers that come with Alice are panel mounted, all I had to do was dip the wires in insulating grease so they were near perfect.
The flip-out feet on the Alice Plus are some of the most unusual I’ve ever seen on a keyboard. Mainly because they are not attached to the keyboard – they are attached with double-sided tape, and there are no markings on the bottom of the case indicating where they should be attached. Because they’re not built into the case, they also affect how the keyboard sits once installed – it doesn’t look like Akko intended to install feet for this keyboard, but added them after the fact.
Finally, the linear quartz switch is quite light (43g) and is made of polycarbonate, except that the stem is made of polyoxymethylene. I’ll talk more about these switches later, but I love them.
The Alice layout has always fascinated me, but I was intimidated by its split design and potential learning curve. But don’t let the looks fool you, because Alice’s layout is actually pretty easy to use. I’m a talent scout and most of my job involves sending emails quickly – I need to be able to type as quickly and accurately as possible. I felt so confident with the Akko ACR Pro Alice Plus that I decided to use it and have no regrets.
The two B keys are the most distinctive feature of Alice’s layout. Before writing this review, I didn’t actually know that the Alice layout had two B keys (now I understand why so many key sets have two keys). Alice’s layout uses two B keys, so the user can choose according to preference – the same goes for the two mini-spaces.
Spacer mechanical keyboards took over the audiophile market last year, but I’m getting a little tired of foam rubber and steel switches. Luckily, the Akko ACR Pro Alice Plus offers the fastest typing experience I’ve ever had thanks to a silicone sleeve that wraps around the switch plate. When I looked at the CannonKeys Bakeneko60 I was impressed with the amount of bounce this board provides – the ACR Pro Alice Plus makes the board feel like an over tightened tray mount, especially with the polycarbonate boards installed.
The included Crystal switches are great – it’s an affordable fee, but the switches don’t feel like a bargain. While these switches are a little too light for my liking, they don’t require additional lubrication, which is a huge plus. The spring weight of 43g is very close to that of the popular Cherry MX Red derailleur (45g), so the Crystal derailleur may suit MX Red users who are looking for a smoother ride.
I recently started playing arcade games again. I tested this keyboard in Tetris Effect and started switching tests when I reached level 9 and the game became very fast. I use the left and right arrow keys to move the quadrant and the left spacebar to rotate.
If I had to choose between an ACR Pro Alice Plus and a standard ANSI mechanical gaming keyboard, I would probably still choose the latter. Don’t get me wrong: gaming on the Alice Plus is certainly possible, but the semi-ergonomic split design won’t make the list of the best gaming keyboards.
The Akko ACR Pro Alice Plus software is nothing special, but it does a good job of remapping keys. Akko did not specify how many profiles Alice could have, but I managed to create more than 10.
Alice’s layout is very vague. Many Alice users reassign one of the spaces to perform other actions such as switching layers. Akko’s cloud software only allows you to change configuration files in the program, which sucks. While Akko Cloud works well, it would be great if the company made this keyboard compatible with QMK/VIA, which would unlock the full potential of the board and make it more competitive in the Alice market.
It’s hard to find high-quality copies of Alice, especially since most of them are limited to group purchases. The Akko ACR Pro Alice Plus is not just an Alice layout keyboard that you can buy right now, it’s also an affordable keyboard. True Alice fans might not like the north-facing RGB lighting, and while that didn’t bother me, if you’re recreating one of audiophile’s most popular layouts, you should probably tick all the boxes.
Having said that, the Akko Alice is still a great mechanical keyboard and one that’s easy to recommend, especially considering everything that’s included.
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