Ducky and Varmilo teamed up to produce keyboards under the same range called ”Miya”. Today in our Varmilo Miya68 Mechanical Keyboard review, we’re discussing one of the products under the line.
What we have for review is the Miya68 Summit R2. It has a fantastic design combined with top-notch performance, giving you different keyboard options.
If you’re interested in the product and want to know more, continue reading our Varmilo Miya68 Mechanical Keyboard Review. You will find essential details about the product like features, functions, design, specs, and performance.
Varmilo Miya68 Mechanical Keyboard Packaging
Our keyboard arrived in a white box that was nice, clean, and simple. Its front displays the company’s branding, the keyboard’s name, and some colourful artwork. The back of the box is plain white, but it has some details about the brand.
Inside, you’ll find the Miya68, a USB-C to A cable, a dust cover, one keycap remover, and user manuals.
It’s good to note that there are multiple keyboard variants, and these come with different add-ons.
Varmilo Miya68 Mechanical Keyboard Review – Design and Functionality
The build quality of this product is good. So we’re also sharing about it in this Varmilo Miya68 Mechanical Keyboard review.
It’s a 65% keyboard, and the additional 5% comes from its four navigation buttons on the right of the backspace. The Miya68’s overall size is small and compact, but its length is still close to TKL keyboards at 34cm.
Miya68 has 68 keys which explains why it has this length. However, they kept things compact for the keyboard’s sides, measuring 11cm wide. The number keys are near the top together with the functions keys.
Its arrow keys shift to the left portion of the board. And the column of navigation keys is the primary difference between this and a TKL keyboard. We love how the company implemented regular-sized keys into a small chassis without leaving it looking too cramped.
Build Quality and Ergonomics
The Miya 68 is a well-built keyboard featuring an aluminium frame with a plastic base. It feels durable and sturdy with minimal flex.
It has a slightly angled side profile that should help with ergonomics and ease of use. There’s also a single kickstand adjustment that you can use. Considering its price, we would like to have more adjustment angles, but this wasn’t a big deal for us.
Under the cable, it has rubber feet that should keep the keyboard in place. However, these seem to slip off easily if you aren’t careful.
The right portion of the keyboard’s rear is where you’ll find a USB-C port for plugging the power cable. Usually, keyboards with coiled cables have a port on the left side. But despite being on the right side, it’s still convenient for keeping all cords neat and organised.
Overall, the Miya68 has good build quality. It would’ve been better if it had an aluminium frame, but it isn’t necessary. This keyboard is already adequately durable, even with its plastic frame.
The Miya68 also has numerous variants, but most of these vary by aesthetics. You’ll find a range of designs, and some come with unique package inclusions.
Keys of the Varmilo Miya68 Mechanical Keyboard
Rather than utilising OEM or the standard ABS keycaps, Varmilo used Cherry profile PBT keycaps for the Miya68. These feature a lower profile which keyboard enthusiasts often favour since they don’t wear out fast.
The slightly detached arrow keys allow you to find them with ease.
Key Features of the Varmilo Miya68 Mechanical Keyboard
We’re listing the keyboard’s primary features since these make it stand out from its competition. Are these up to your needs and preferences? Let’s check them out.
Compact Design of the Varmilo Miya68 Mechanical Keyboard
The Miya68 features a compact form factor and won’t take up too much space on your desk. When using this keyboard, you’ll have more room for mouse movement.
Numerous Options for Keyswitches
With the Miya68, you can choose the Cherry MX switches when purchasing a keyboard. Each variant offers different keystrokes and typing experiences. Our keyboard has the Cherry MX Red, which is smooth, light, and perfect for gaming.
Cherry MX switches are known for their superior quality. They also go through rigorous testing to ensure that they will last.
Each Cherry MX will typically last for around 100 million keystrokes that can last for long years of intense use.
Buttery Smooth Stabilisers
When we used the product for testing for our Varmilo Miya68 Mechanical Keyboard review, we noticed its buttery smooth stabilisers. Unlike most pre-built keyboards on the market, the Miya68 is highly stable and smooth, with almost zero rattling.
The Miya68’s pre-lubed stabilisers significantly reduce friction and vibration for a better typing experience.
Unique Functions of the Varmilo Miya68 Mechanical Keyboard
The Miya68 has numerous unique features you can’t find in other keyboards. It has a mode swapping option that allows you to shift between Windows and Mac functionality. It works for both operating systems, but note that the shortcut keys don’t work on macOS.
You can also swap the number and function rows on the top by pressing a combination of keys. Its page-up and page-down keys feature a LED light to indicate which layer is active.
If you tend to press the Windows key, you can lock this when gaming without leaving your full-screen applications.
Specifications
Our Varmilo Miya68 Mechanical Keyboard review will focus on the keyboard’s specs.
The keyboard has wired connectivity with a type-C interface. It has a total of 68 keys with a white LED backlight. Additionally, its keycaps are PBT-made and measure 1.3mm.
It weighs approximately 1.2kg with the package and measures 341 x 108 x 50mm with its adjustable feet. It’s compatible with Windows OS but isn’t fully compatible with Mac OS since it doesn’t support the keyboard’s shortcut keys.
Hands-on with the Varmilo Miya68 Mechanical Keyboard
It’s essential to know how well a product works. So, we will share our experience using this keyboard for over a week.
We’ve reviewed other keyboards from different brands, so we compared our experience with it with the others we tried. Is it better and worth upgrading to, or should you look elsewhere?
But before anything else, we’ll talk about the Varmilo Keyboard Software.
The Varmilo Software is where you can change the Miya68’s RGB settings and program macro keys. It features a simple interface, but it has limited options.
Although the keyboard supports maximum RGB programming, it only has white backlighting. So, choosing a different colour via the Varmilo Keyboard Software disables the backlight.
Note that the software isn’t available on macOS and Linux, so you can’t customise its settings with these systems. Fortunately, you can program it on a Windows PC before using it on another computer.
Performance matters the most when choosing a keyboard. To test its efficiency, we used the product for various tasks. By doing so, we can share our experience with you in our Varmilo Miya68 Mechanical Keyboard review.
The Miya68’s typing quality is notable, and its keycaps felt premium to the touch. Its keys were stable and comfortable to use when typing for long periods.
The Cherry MX Red switches were smooth with minimal noise, making them suitable for our office. Its performance was also notable for gaming and allowed for seamless keypresses.
This keyboard also has a decent latency, though it’s slightly higher for wired boards. It should be ideal for most users, but it isn’t for competitive gamers.
The product is adequate for office use though some may consider its ergonomics a bit lacking. But the thing is, you won’t feel too much fatigue when typing for long durations. Generally, it’s a well-built keyboard and offers outstanding performance and typing experience.
Varmilo Miya68 Mechanical Keyboard Review Summary
The Varmilo Miya68 is an outstanding keyboard based on design, features, and performance. It’s comfortable to use, has a durable build, and features unique aesthetics.
What’s great about this keyboard is it comes in numerous designs, so you can choose the style that suits your setup. You can also select the switches based on your preferred typing experience.
Another thing we liked about this keyboard is its unique layout. Its 65% form factor retains the dedicated arrow keys, unlike the more compact 60% keyboards. With the arrow keys available, navigating text and doing other tasks was easier.
The Cherry MX Red switches offered a smooth typing experience during our tests for this Varmilo Miya68 Mechanical Keyboard review. Its stabilisers also helped improve our user experience.
Only a few keyboards offer a great typing experience while having attractive designs. And the Miya68 delivered both, which was a surprise for us. Although it would be better if it had more updated features, we have no complaints about this product.
Overall, this keyboard is ideal for gaming and general tasks. With its PBT keycaps, Cherry MX switches, unique form factor, and other amazing features, the Miya68 is an excellent option. We highly recommend it to anyone who wants a stylish and high-quality keyboard.
Learn more about the Miya68 Mechanical Keyboard by visiting Varmilo’s official product page for more information on the product.