Monokei Standard Review

Serious typists, whether focused on productivity or gaming, invest in mechanical keyboards for their unbeatable typing feel and longevity compared to generic input devices. Ultra-super-serious typists customize or build their own mechanical keyboards with a choice of switches and keycaps, like the $299 System76 Launch Heavy or a costly kit from the boutique vendor Monokei. The Monokei Standard is the Singapore- and Malaysia-based firm's first mainstream keyboard—and by far its most affordable at $140. It has no bells and whistles and doesn't unseat our Editors' Choice winner, the $159.99 Razer Pro Type Ultra, but it's an appealing keyboard for typing savants.

Not counting specially decorated versions for fans of the Jujutsu Kaisen anime, a dozen Standard models share the same price: Classic White, Blush Pink, Dream Lilac, and Suave Blue (navy) keyboards. You can have any of the colors with your pick of three types of Cherry MX mechanical switches.

Cherry MX Reds are linear switches recommended for mechanical keyboard newbies, with an actuation force of 45 grams (technically centinewtons, but we'll round off). Silent Reds are also linear, with office-friendly noise damping and slightly shorter travel. Browns are tactile switches with more noticeable feedback and heavier 55g actuation. The Standard comes with keycap and switch pullers if you want to modify yours later.

All are tenkeyless (TKL) boards—desk-space savers with no numeric keypad to the right of the primary keys, just clusters of three (Print Screen, Scroll Lock, Pause/Break), six (Insert, Delete, Home, End, Page Up, Page Down) and four (the cursor arrow) keys. There are two tiny LEDs between F12 and Print Screen; the lower one blinks red when battery power is low and glows green then turns off when the keyboard is charged.

Our review unit is Classic White with Silent Red switches. Its injection-molded ABS case measures a chunky 1.54 by 14.3 by 5.9 inches and weighs 1.98 pounds but feels heavier, like a solid block or a big bar of soap. The rear edge is slightly higher than the front, giving a 5-degree typing tilt, though there are no folding or swiveling feet on the bottom. The keyboard is not backlit and doesn't come with a wrist rest as the Razer does.

The Standard has a polycarbonate base and double-shot PBT white keycaps (the black legends aren't printed but formed with colored plastic) with a slightly rough textured feel. If you'd like a small pop of color, there are contrasting Enter and Escape keycaps in the box—three sets in pink, blue, and lilac, with Monokei's ball-of-yarn logo on the Escape keys.

The keyboard works with both Windows and macOS, but the special keys have cryptic symbols instead of labels. For Windows, the bottom row is Control (a caret), the Windows key (a stair-step squiggle like a Mac's Option key turned sideways), Alt (an infinity sign), the space bar, Alt, Windows, Control.

There's a Fn key (three stacked diamonds) next to the right Shift key, which pairs with the top-row keys for some unlabeled shortcuts—F1 and F2 to decrease or increase screen brightness, F7 through F9 for previous/play/next track, and F10 through F12 for volume mute, down, and up. Holding Fn+W or Fn+O for two seconds (till the top LED blinks) selects Windows or macOS mode; the Standard ships in the latter, which works on a Windows PC but has the Windows and Alt keys swapped from the description above. Since that makes Alt smaller than the Windows key, I preferred the Windows setting. Switched Alt and Win keycaps are in the same baggie as the color-accent caps.

The Standard connects to your PC via a supplied 6-foot USB cable (with Type-C connectors on both ends) or Bluetooth wireless. It doesn't give you a choice of Bluetooth or 2.4GHz RF connection as most premium wireless keyboards do—there's no USB dongle or transceiver. We generally find RF keyboard links slightly more stable than Bluetooth, but I experienced no glitches with the Monokei (it can pair with up to four devices; Fn+5 switches back to wired mode).

Setup is straightforward, although the tiny power switch is inconveniently on the bottom instead of the back. I began with the device connected via USB, but when it finished charging—the company says a charge lasts for about a month or 240 hours' use—I unplugged the cable, pressed Fn+P to start the pairing process, and selected the keyboard from Windows 11's Bluetooth system tray button. A six-digit code appeared, which I typed to establish the link. Monokei's FAQ warns the Standard may disconnect if resting on a metal surface, which could rule out some desks.

While the Fn key does give you some top-row shortcuts and media controls, the Standard differs from keyboards one-third its price (and all but a few we've tested) in providing no management software of any kind—no customization or programmable keys, no macros, no battery gauge, and obviously no lighting controls. The open-source Via app popular with fans of specialist brands like Leopold, Filco, and Varmilo doesn't list Monokei support (and is too scary for civilian users anyway). Nor will you find features like USB pass-through.

If you're moving from a low-profile keyboard (in my case, the Dell KB900 Premier), the raised Monokei will make you wish for a wrist rest—the bottom row is a full inch higher above my desk than I was used to.

But what the Standard does give you is remarkable comfort and precision. The Silent Red switches almost literally live up to their name—the Monokei is the quietest mechanical keyboard I've tried, with a barely noticeable tapping as keys hit bottom, so typing sounds more like a whirring fan than a pickleball match.

And once you adjust to its height, its typing feel is sublime. The keycaps are perfectly curved and keys move with zero wiggle or wobble. The Standard feels night-and-day different from a generic, low-cost keyboard, yet not too firm or resistant as many users raised on such keyboards find mechanical models to be—sort of like the ultimate laptop keyboard, soft without being the slightest bit mushy. We're in Goldilocks territory here.

Apart from one or two web sellers, Monokei is short on U.S. distribution; our review unit was arranged by the company's Canadian PR firm and shipped from its Singapore office, though you can buy direct from the website. Ultimately, we think the Standard deserves a wide audience, even if additions like customization software and dedicated media controls would help find a wider one. We look forward to more, and more mass-market-friendly, products from the company.

As mechanical keyboards move from the enthusiast elite to the mainstream, Monokei's Standard is too good to stay under the radar despite lacking accustomed features like programmable keys or a USB wireless receiver.

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