The Cyberboard R2 was launched by Angry Miao more than a year ago, at least conceptually. The Chinese tech-fashion firm abandoned the project due to meager yield rates and tremendous demand. But after 404 days of waiting, the Cyberboard R2 Le Smoking keyboard finally reappears. Suppose you can get beyond the nauseatingly high Price of at least $670. It’s unquestionably one of the most excellent keyboards you can purchase.
The aluminum unibody of the CYBERBOARD R2 honors the shiny/matte design aspects of the Yves Saint Laurent Le Smoking suit. Angry Miao’s creator Li Nan stated: “We are incredibly fortunate to be able to honor two great masters at once, exactly like Hedi Slimane did for YSL. Most industrial designers in China today lack a strong aesthetic background and pay little attention to fashion. Hence there aren’t many innovations in this field.”
With its distinctive narrow cut, silver chain, and Chelsea boots, Le Smoking regained appeal among men during Hedi Slimane’s tenure at Yves Saint Laurent. The stylish all-black design highlights its rich texture and copious details with its dramatic contrast between matte and glossy materials. Le Smoking was initially a representation of female autonomy.
What will you see here?
Design
The innovative “aluminum unibody matte and glossy PVD polishing method” used by Angry Miao captures the contrast between matte and glossy design features. Mobile phones are the first to use this kind of technology extensively in the computer electronics industry. Adopting this procedure was necessary to produce a sandblasted texture and a good and brilliant mirror polishing effect on a single piece of CNC-cut aluminum alloy.
The Le Smoking suit, a similarly angled and agile-looking garment introduced by Saint Laurent in 1966, inspired the R2 Le Smoking. There is no question that the similarities exist. It has four angled corners that give it a retro-futuristic appearance that feels both small and powerful, just like the suit that served as its inspiration.
It weighs more than seven pounds when equipped with a complete set of switches and keycaps, making it likely the heaviest keyboard you’ll ever use. Three different PCBs, an aluminum shell and plate, and an integrated wireless charging connection contribute to the board’s weight.
With the array, you can do anything; I chose a Tetris animation offered on Angry Miao’s website. This contains personalized animations, fixed colors, relevant data like the time and battery life, and a signal for the current Bluetooth connection. It originates from the sizable 200 LED grid on the keyboard’s back.
Switches
Although the base keyboard kit doesn’t include switches or keycaps, you can entirely dismantle the Cyberboard R2 Le Smoking and replace them. Angry Miao’s Glacier keycaps and Gateron Ink Black linear controls are included in the package, which cost $823 and is around $150 extra.
Ink Black switches are heavier than typical Red linear switches, needing 60 grams of force instead of 45 grams. This makes them incredibly smooth for typing, especially if you’re a slammer. The R2 Le Smoking employs a gasket mount in contrast to the less expensive keyboards, which place the switch plate directly on top of the rest of the frame using a top horse. It makes a massive difference for typing since a tiny piece of the material lies between the switch plate and the rest of the frame. Although, the plate never truly moves. The slight give and take it provides when you type gives the impression that you are typing on a cloud. As a result, replacing switches will require disassembling the keyboard. The trade-off is worthwhile.
Software
Hardware must be powered by software. However, the Cyberboard R2 doesn’t require this. You have to create your effects on Angry Miao’s site, then download a file, and then put it into the keyboard in place of dedicated lighting and macro software. Real-time updates are not available, and downloading community assets requires logging in.
This is a horrible system, especially considering how frequently Angry Miao’s website crashes and slows down. There are many possibilities available to you—three lighting levels on the LED grid with motion support, automated picture translation into the grid, and unlimited remapping layers—but the difficulty in simply getting the website to function will make you less inclined to try new things.
The great news is that Angry Miao doubled the number of custom lighting options from two to three over the initial design. The editor is strong enough to produce distinctive, bright animations.
Lighting Effects and Key Mappings
The number of DIY lighting effect memory units on the CYBERBOARD R2 has been raised to three. R2’s RGB lighting has you covered in terms of functionality and color accuracy. It provides 256-level DC dimming with in-key lighting connection technology for a greater refresh rate. It is now smooth to switch between Bluetooth and USB Type-C thanks to the removal of the physical dual-mode switch. Remappable multimedia keys and numerous keyboard layers, first introduced with the CYBERBOARD Terminal, provide customers with an even greater range of customizing choices.
Typing Keyboard
When using the Ink Black switches, the typing experience is too unique. The switches and keycaps you choose will significantly impact your experience, but the Cyberboard R2’s gasket mount puts you in a good position. Due to its weight, moving the keyboard is complex. And smashing your thumb against the mouse’s frame with a swift movement will quickly result in a bruise. The problems with gaming are, sadly, not resolved by alternative switches.
Price
The Cyberboard R2 – “Le Smoking” version pays homage to Saint Laurent’s 1996 Le Smoking suit with a high-sheen PVD treatment on Jet Black and Psychedelic and an anodized finish on Meteor Grey. The Price of the Jet Black color keyboard is $670 & The Psychedelic color keyboard cost around $670. The Meteor Grey color cost around $580. And Gateron Ink Black linear switches and Angry Miao’s Glacier keycaps cost an Extra $150.
Connectivity and ports
The Cyerboard R2 Le Smoking includes two USB-C ports and one Bluetooth port. Even though Angry Miao doesn’t provide a cable in the package, the USB-C connection is the quickest and is what I utilized throughout testing. Anyone who spends $700 on a keyboard must have at least a few more USB-C cables, but having an extra wouldn’t hurt.
Three devices may be connected to Bluetooth simultaneously, and you can switch between them by pressing Fn + 1, 2, or 3. You may keep all three of your devices paired simultaneously. And the LED grid will illuminate to indicate which connection you are using. The only OS that is supported in Windows.
With the LEDs flashing, the battery life depletes quickly, but it’s not a significant problem. I lost roughly 10% of the battery over a couple of hours. When the R2 Le Smoking battery reaches 85%, a wireless charging pad embedded into the bottom of the keyboard will start to work. A wireless charging mouse pad never has to be topped off, and since the place turns off when it is complete, you never have to worry about draining the battery.
Cyberboard R2 Le Smoking release date?
Angry Miao launched the Cyberboard R2 on May 27, 2021. The Chinese tech-fashion firm abandoned the project due to meager yield rates and tremendous demand. But after 404 days of hard work, they launched Cyberboard R2 Le Smoking on July 10, 2022.
Is Cyberboard R2 Le Smoking Customizable?
A keyboard with a lot of customizability is the Cyberboard R2 Le Smoking. This keyboard’s keys can easily be switched out. Both Bluetooth and wireless charging are supported.
Should I Buy Cyberboard R2 Le Smoking?
The cost is prohibitive. Only those who want a mechanical keyboard that can be customized should purchase this keyboard. If you don’t want to personalize it or buy more switchable keys, you shouldn’t buy it.
Conclusion
Cyberboard R2 Le Smoking is a highly customizable keyboard. It supports wireless charging & Bluetooth. Key’s of this keyboard is swappable. The Price is insanely high. You should only buy this keyboard if you want to customizable mechanical keyboard. You shouldn’t buy it if you don’t want to customize it or you don’t want to purchase extra switchable keys. This keyboard got a remarkable design with excellent quality. It’s simply a keyboard for staunch keyboard enthusiasts.
