If you need a stylish and compact keyboard that’s sure to knock your socks off, look no further than the Akko 3068.
Coming in a retro design with an excellent typing experience, this keyboard is a great option for many.
Let’s jump right into the review.
The Verdict
The Akko 3068 is a super interesting 65% keyboard that many often overlook.
The keyboard comes with a ton of cool features including multi-color PBT keycaps, an excellent case design, power firmware, an a nostalgic retro design.
With Cherry MX keycaps, the Akko 3068 is built to last.
An uncommon aspect of the keyboard is the additional colored keycaps included in the box that allow for you to customize the aesthetic. Not to mention, a few novelkeys are also included to put a final bow on the design.
While not the best option for professional usage, the keyboard would be a great option for those that want a custom keyboard experience without needing to shell out the dough.
You can find the Akko 3068 on Amazon for a good price.
In The Box
The Akko 3068 comes with a lot of goodies in the box.
It reminds me of coming home after a successful round of trick-or-treating with lots of different candy (that my parents may or may not steal).
Anyways, here’s what you get.
Detachable cable: To match the aesthetic of the keyboard, a gray-colored USB-C cable is included to power the keyboard. While not braided, the cable is a bit nicer than usual with the Akko logo printed on both ends.
Keycap puller: A little out of the usual amongst the retro-colored objects is a bright pink keycap puller with a dog paw shape on the end. Not sure how it fits into the overall aesthetic, but I’m into it. The wire design is excellent and makes removing the keycaps a breeze.
Colored keycaps: Similar to the Ducky One 2 Mini or Anne Pro 2, the Akko 3068 includes a few colored accent keycaps in green or pink so you can customize the look. A few novelkeys are also included for the escape key.
Dust cover: A dust cover is included so you can keep your keyboard from accumulating dust when not in usage. On a side note, does anyone actually use these?!
And that’s about it. That’s all that came in the box.
Moving on.
Build Quality
I’m a big fan of the build quality.
I can’t put my finger on exactly what I like about it so much, it just feels really nice.
The design is your typical plastic case with aluminum top plate, but everything feels super sturdy and satisfying.
The shape of the case isn’t your typical angled brick, instead it has a small step-up to give it an incline.
The power port is included on the back left-hand side of the case, making it really easy to use a custom cable and plug in.
The only downside to the build quality is the lack of an adjustable typing angle. Without feet, you’ll have to type on it flat – unless you want to MacGyver the typing angle somehow.
But overall, everything looks symmetrical, beautifully toleranced, and ready to be typed on.
The Keycaps
The quality of the keycaps were quite a surpise.
The keycaps are dye-sublimated and made from PBT plastic which gives them an incredible feel, look, and durability.
The legends will not wear away after heavy usage or develop a greasy shine to them after usage.
The profile (shape) of the keycaps is a bit different from the usual.
They feel a bit flatter than usual, but still have an angled design for comfortable typing, which I really enjoy.
Not to mention, the legends look clean and are easy to red.
You also get a few extra keycaps so you can swap out the spacebar, enter, and escape key with colored options if you want to tweak the aesthetic.
The escape key has the Akko logo on it, which is an alien wearing headphones. It’s always great to get a cool looking novel key included in the box for free.
The keycaps are one of the best features of the keyboard and really stand out.
The Switches
I have little to complain about when it comes to the switches.
Cherry MX is always a safe bet. With a long lifespan of 100 million keystrokes and a super consistent feel across the board, they make a great option.
Instead of the normal ‘ol red, blue, brown options, it would have been nice to get a bit more variety to choose from, but at least all of your bases are covered.
You get a choice between linear, clicky, and tactile – which should be good for 90% of people out there.
It would have been nice if the PCB was hot-swappable, which would allow you to remove the switches without desoldering.
This would make it easy to change out the switches or do a few mods to the keyboard including lubing the switches or modding the stabilizers.
But the Cherry MX switches are pretty good out-of-the-box and will last you a long time without any issues.
The Stabilizers
The stabilizers on a keyboard are responsible for keeping the larger keys from shaking and rattling.
The stabilizers on this board do exactly that.
With smooth stabilizers and a nice sound produced on each keystroke, there is very little to complain about when it comes to the typing experience on this keyboard.
The stabilizers come in the standard Cherry style design which makes them great for swapping out keycaps and after-market modifications.
The stabilizer stems are also colored red, which is a nice touch.
Most keyboard manufacturers overlook the stabilizer design because most people will never look at them, but Akko took the time to address the smaller details making this keyboard even better.
Excellent stabilizers, all-around.
Powerful Firmware & No Software
The Akko 3068 comes out-fitted with power firmware that allows you to record macros and access hot keys.
This can be great if you want to automate any repetitive processes with the macros and configure them easily.
The keys on the lower layers can be accessed by pressing the Fn key. Unfortunately, the keycaps don’t display the functionality on the keys, so you’ll need to reference the user manual for that information.
Software that comes with the keyboard would also make it easier to configure macros and change up the key placements, but that is not an option with this keyboard.
Conclusion
The Akko 3068 is another great 65% mechanical keyboard that offers a lot of unique customization and a really fun user experience.
The retro design is a lot of fun to have on your desk and the colored PBT keycaps allow you to tweak the design to your preferences.
As a well-built option, the build quality is quite impressive and the Cherry MX switches will last just as long as the keyboard itself.
It would have been nice to see software and bit more options in regards to that, but at the end of the day, that’s not important to everyone.
Overall, the Akko 3068 can make an excellent pick if you need a compact and stylish keyboard.
You can find the Akko 3068 on Amazon through this link.