Gaming: New Asus Rog Azoth 96 He Review 2026
A very potent wireless HE gaming keyboard with lots to like that's marred by a horribly high price tag.
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Asus first introduced the ROG Azoth range a couple of years ago to straddle the line between traditional gaming keyboards and the more enthusiast-grade options that had skyrocketed in popularity. The original ROG Azoth was a triumph that walked the tricky line wonderfully, packing in nice-to-haves such as lubricated switches, reliable wireless connectivity and hot-swappable powers into a smart, compact chassis.
This new ROG Azoth 96 HE takes some of what Asus has built up to this point and tears it up. For instance, it's not mechanical in the same sense as its predecessors (or siblings, I suppose), as Asus has opted to go for its ROG HFX V2 Hall effect switches for gaming precision and power, rather than the increased tactility of a traditional mechanical switch.
These have been upgraded over the older V1 switches kitted out to other Asus keyboards with Hall effect powers and were first seen on the Asus ROG Falcata, with optimisations such as a shorter overall travel (3.5 mm vs 4 mm) that's more noticeable in use than you'd think, plus a larger magnet for more precise customisation. It's now possible to set the actuation or reset point in increments of 0.01 mm, which is not something I've seen before on a range of the best Hall effect keyboards out there.
In conjunction with the optimisations to accuracy and a shorter travel, the ROG HFX V2 switches carry a lighter actuation force of 32 g against 40 g. That may sound small, but it's enough to make the switches inside the ROG Azoth 96 HE feel more like hair triggers than rival keyboards. The combination of a lower actuation force and a shorter travel makes these switches some of the snappiest out there, besides those inside low-profile keyboards.
Switch type: Asus ROG HFX V2Keycaps: PBT, doubleshotLighting: RGB, controllable in softwareOnboard storage: 5 profilesExtra ports: NoneConnection type: Wired USB-C/2.4 GHz/Bluetooth 5.0Cable: USB Type-C/USB Type-A, detachableWeight: 1.395 kg/3.07 lbsPrice: €399
They're also smooth and slick with POM stems to make for a satisfying keypress in general use, and benefit from a new block stem design to reduce stem wobble. Plus, to benefit acoustics and overall typi
Source: PC Gamer
