Archives September 2022

Akko makes a lot of different keyboards. I have covered some of these different boards on this website. Most keyboards Akko sells have a polycarbonate housing and come complete with keycaps and switches. But the company also has a DIY line-up. These boards are made with customization in mind and come without keycaps or switches. The MOD 007 and its Improved brother, the MOD 007 v2 have been among the bestsellers in this line-up. Now Akko has introduced the MOD 007S v2 which is Akko’s first keyboard with a south-facing switch layout.

North vs South

Up until now Akko has produced all of it’s keyboards with a north facing switch layout. This means the LED’s in the switch sockets are on the upper side. Some people like prefer this because this way the leds don’t shine in your face. But many enthusiasts are specifically looking for keyboards with a south facing layout. The main reason for this is that the populair Cherry-style layout of keycaps can interfere with a north facing layout. Akko answered the call and made an updated version of the popular MOD 007 v2.

Youtuber Romsicle made a very informative about the differences between North- and South facing boards. You can check it out here.

Specifications of the Akko MOD 007S v2

The specs according to Akko’s website:

• Plate: aluminum and polycarbonate plates;
• Gasket Mount: the aluminum plate comes with silicon gasket (to avoid misplacement) by default with spare poron gaskets for users to pick;
• The MOD007v2 will not come as pre-assembled (screws provided), making it easier for users to mod;
• Comes with both poron plate foam and bottom case foam, specifically the case foam is pre-cut against the hot-swappable sockets to reduce unnecessary space for improved sound profile;
• Poron switch pads added to the kit;
• Reduced PCBa thickness to 1.2mm to increase the softness, and be compatible with more screw-in stabilizers;
• Black Coiled Cable.

Unboxing

Exterior

The first thing I noticed, this box was a lot heavier then the previous ones I had on my desk from Akko. Akko’s headphone wearing alien-cat (or whatever it is) is once again up front next to the companies name. The exterior looks like there is a reason to celebrate with all the colored dots. So I decided to find out and remove the wrapper.

Under the wrapper is a chique and sturdy box with Akko Designer Studio printed in silver. I cannot read the symbols above, I presume they say the same.

Taking a look inside the MOD 007S v2

Inside the box the top of the keyboard is bundled with the metal plate, plate foam and the silicon gaskets attached to it. , bags which include the knob, the optional poron gaskets, screws and manual can all be found here. Diving deeper inside we find the polycarbonate plate and the bottom housing with the optional lower case foam and switch pad.

Assembling the MOD 007S v2

Plate, foam and tape

I chose to build the board with the polycarbonate plate as this is my preference when it comes to sound and feel. The first thing I did was adding some screw in stabs, also from Akko. These are of very good build quality and come with sound dampening stickers as well. I lubed the housings gently with some g205g0 and the wires with dielectric grease.

Next up I added the switch pad material and plate foam. I went with three layers of painters tape on the back of the pcb and went without the lower case foam. I added pieces of bandaid on the lower part of the case next to the screw holes to avoid any pinging sounds.

Switches and Keycaps

The Jelly black switches (review) were my choice for this build. They compliment the screw in stabs from Akko very well as they both have a dark-smoke housing. For the keycaps I chose the Akko Black and Cyan kit. Personally I find this a very stylish combination. Please take a look at the pictures I made and judge for yourself.

Using the MOD 007S v2

Build

The board feels and looks premium from every angle. And as far as build quality goes, there is really nothing to complain about, it is built like a tank.

I really liked the feel of the Jelly blacks (which also come as a pre-lubed option) in this board and paired with the I was very satisfied. Eventually I did remove the layers of tape and instead added the included case foam and changed the rubber gaskets for the porron versions. This was for me a more satisfying typing experience. All this is very personal ofcourse and that is what the MOD series is all about. I was thinking of getting the Macaw keycaps as an upgrade myself.

Software

Akko is still using its own software; Akko cloud. While this works fine for the most part, I still hope they will add VIA support to their boards in the future, especially for the MOD series. For the most part Akko cloud is easy to use and intuitive but I wished for total control of customization. The knob can be used to adjust the level of lightning on the board and after pressing it once, it will control the volume of your pc. I would have liked to adjust it for other purposes like zooming or scrolling.

South facing LED’s

Ok, VIA support isn’t here yet, but another highly requested feature finally is! Akko has implemented a south facing layout in this board which ensures perfect compatibility with Cherry-style keycaps. The LEDs themselves are of great quality and shine bright and vivid when needed. At first I was a bit worried of having a burst of light shining in my eyes, but fortunately this was not the case. I don’t have any cherry-style keycaps myself so I never had the problem of incompatibility but it is sure nice to know this won’t be of any issue in the future. All the usual lightning settings can be found on the board.

Verdict

The MOD 007S v2 is a very nice board which can compete with boards like the Keychron Q1 and GMK. While I personally would choose the MOD007S v2 over the GMK, the Keychron Q1 is a tougher nut to crack. Its biggest pro is the VIA and QMK support which Akko doesn’t have. Akko does win with the build quality though as the MOD series do seem to have a nicer finish with their aluminium. I have also read numerous reports of not so great after sales from Keychron which do concern me. It is up unto the end-user to decide which of these things are the most important of course.

I do wish Akko they included screw in stabs as a standard, the included ones are not that bad and come pre-lubed. I still prefer the screw in version though. I am very curious to see if the board will come available in other colors, but trust me, the product pictures don’t do the board justice, it’s even more beautiful in real-life! Overall I am very impressed by the MOD 007S v2. You can order the keyboard directly from Akkogear.eu.

Disclaimer

This product was send to me by the Akko. Opinions are my own. This review may contain referral links. By using these links you support this website and allow us to get products in for review and testing.

If you asked me a couple of years back if I would ever buy a Chromebook, I would have kept laughing. I was of the opinion these were wannabe laptops for kids.

Recently I did buy one in an impulse though. I thought: let ‘s see if i can use this to write some stuff on the go or give it to the kid for watching some YouTube.

What is a Chromebook?

A Chromebook is an alternative to the classic laptop running Chrome OS. Chrome OS is a lightweight operating system which sits somewhere between that of a classic laptop and that of a Tablet. At first they were presented mainly as a cost-effective device for schools. They can be used with Google ‘s office alternatives, watch movies on YouTube or browse the internet. Unlike windows laptops in the same price range Chromebooks are responsive, fast and don’t need an anti-virus program running in the background.

A little history

Netbooks

Back in the day I worked as a salesman at an electronic store. Apart from household appliances, fridges, tv’s and all kinds of other electronics we sold computers and laptops. These mostly consisted of consumer brands like HP, Acer, Packard Bell and Asus. Most of these brands started to come with so called Netbooks around 2007. The Netbook’s purpose was to give consumers a cost-effective way to access online content. Back then we didn’t have big mobile phones with large internet contracts.

Specs

Netbooks were not known for being fast. They usually had a Celeron or Atom processor, coupled with 1 or 2GB of RAM, and a maximum of 32gb of storage space. Usually they were shipped with windows Xp and later windows 7 starter. Screen sizes typically ranged from 7 to 10″. Netbooks typically had a price between €179,- to €279,-.

Use cases

Me and my colleagues usually presented them as portable devices to watch some movies, or to make notes on. There really wasn’t that much else to do with them to be honest. The things were slow and the build quality usually wasn’t that fantastic either. I noticed most people buying these mini-laptops were parents, wanting to give the kids a “my first Sony” laptop.

Death of the Netbook

Netbooks slowly died out as fewer people wanted a small and sluggish device when the normal laptops became less bulky and cheaper. Smartphones with bigger screens started to come out and people had more access to WIFI and mobile data.

The final nail in the coffin was the Tablet-rage which was started by Apples Ipad and followed by Samsung, Asus and many others.

Introduction of the first Chromebooks

A year or so after the release of the Ipad, Chromebooks started to come out. They were marketed as cheap, safe and fast alternatives for laptops in the classroom. Students did not need to rely on expensive software and there were no risks of viruses. Brands like Samsung and Acer were among the first ones to launch these devices. Unlike the Ipad a Chromebook came in a laptop design which means a keyboard was attached to the device.

The Google play store on your Chromebook

Everyone who owns an Android device is familiar with the google play store. When Google announced that Chromebooks would support apps from its play store they instantly became a lot more interesting for most people. Not all apps are optimized to be used on a Chromebook though so sometimes you wil have to manually make the screen for it larger. Most of the time though there are no issues.

The Lenovo Ideapad Flex 5 Chromebook

A challenging quest

I was looking for a portable device to be able to write some articles on the go. At first I thought of just using my wife’s windows laptop. But after taking it with me to the local library there were two major issues I had with it. It was big and bulky, and it had terrible battery life. I started to look at some smaller laptops and set myself a budget of €500,-. Of course I soon discovered there are a lot of compromises to make in this price-range. Screens are usually not that great, storage is small, keyboards are rubbish or or the build quality is just awful. Most of the time a couple of these negatives were fused together in one package.

Stumbling upon a deal that would change my mind

When browsing through some forums, websites and looking at some buying guides I stumbled upon the Lenove Flex 5 Chromebook. For €399,- it had a pretty impressive list of specifications, ill list the most important ones here:

• 13.3 inch full-HD OLED touch screen
• 100% DCPI
• touchscreen
• 8GB of LPDDR4X ram
• Core I3-1115G4 processor
• 256GB M.2 SSD
• WIFI 802.11AX
• two USB C 3.2 Gen1 ports
• one USB A 3.2
• Bluetooth 5.1
• foldable screen (you can use it as a tablet or put it in tent mode for example)

As you can see this is a pretty impressive package for just €399,-. So i thought, lets do it. At worst case scenario I’ll just use it as a tablet replacement.

The Lenovo Chromebook in real life

The laptop, or Chromebook in this case makes a solid impression. The Chromebook is mostly made of sturdy polycarbonate material with an aluminum lid. I like the dark grayish color and compact design. On the left you can find on the of the USB-C ports, an USB-A, the headphone jack and a microSD port. on the right there is a second USB-C port and a kensington slot.

The Oled panel

This particular model comes with a Samsung Oled panel. This ensures the screen is vivid and has beautiful blacks. Watching movies on this device is a treat. There is a risk of burn in with an Oled panel, but personally I’m not that concerned as I never use any static images on my screen for prolonged periods. The screen is touch sensitive so when folding it around it can be used like a tablet.

Tablet and tent mode

Like I said, the Lenovo Chromebook can be folded flat. This way the keyboard sits on the back and is automatically disabled. You can use the Chromebook in tablet mode this way which can be handy when you are using some of the apps or streaming services on the couch. I ordered myself a Lenovo USI-pen which this device supports so I can use the pen for drawing or making notes in tablet mode. Another option is to set it in “tent” mode. I use this mode in the kitchen sometimes when I want to look at a recipe for example while cooking.

Keyboard

Lenovo has gotten much praise over the years for their excellent keyboards in their ThinkPad laptops. This Chromebook doesn’t have that same keyboard, but it is still among the better ones I have used on a keyboard. The keyboard has a nice travel and feel to it. There is little flex, unless you press real hard down the middle. The letters are easy to see thanks to the white print on the grey/silver keycaps. I love the fact the keyboard comes with a back-light as well. If you still want to use a separate keyboard though you could check out the Akko 3084B Plus for example. This is the wireless version of the 3084S which I have reviewed on this site.

Audio and connectivity

Audio is ok, nothing that will wow you. For casually watching a show or online conversations it will do just fine. But realistically I think most people pair their portable devices with (wireless) earphones these days. Speaking of wireless, the Lenovo IdeaPad 5 has wifi 6AX and Bluetooth 5.1 which are both not the absolute latest and greatest but still very modern. Good luck finding a portable computer for this price with WIFI 6E and Bluetooth 5.2 though.

Color saturation fix

I did find one issue though which had me concerned I had a defective panel. When watching movies on streaming services or YouTube I sometimes experienced some weird color changes. My screen would give a sudden red or green flickering, at first I thought it had something to do with my settings or the apps I used. Fortunately I found that this is a problem with the automatic display settings in Chrome that does something weird. The color saturation randomly keeps shifting. Until Google finds a fix with a software update there is a way to resolve this manually.

• type in your browser: chrome://flags
• Go to force color profile
• set this to one of the other settings that work for you instead of automatic (for me the best one was SRGB)

Chrome OS

Chrome OS on one hand looks a lot like what you find on most tablets. There are some differences though. Chrome OS is more of a desktop oriented interface which relies on Google’s services, mostly the Chrome browser. In the Chrome browser you can, unlike the mobile version on android tablets, use plugins. Another benefit is the life expectancy. My unit will get software updates for Chrome OS until at least June 2029. With most Android tablets you can feel lucky when you get just 1 update.

One downside is the reliance on internet connectivity. When you don’t have this you can still use your downloaded files or type your text in google’s own alternatives to office but you won’t be able to acces things like Microsoft office which can only be used as an web based version on a Chromebook. This however has been no issue to me so far.

Phone Hub

One of the updates Chrome OS received is the Phone Hub which serves as an extension for your android device. This lets you quickly switch to sites recently visited on your phone, receive notifications and quickly look at the latest shot photos.

Overall impression of the Lenovo IdeaPad Flex5 Chromebook

So far I have been very satisfied with the Chromebook. For me it’s a perfect device to use on the couch, take it with me to the library or just do some casual gaming. The screen is very nice, typing on it is excellent, it’s fast, quiet and doesn’t annoy me with notifications or having to restart with every little change.

The battery life is OK, but I have seen better and occasionally I can hear the fan spin briefly. The build quality is decent enough for me but I managed to get a small dent in the aluminium top which annoys me a bit. I also wished there was a convenient way to store the optional USI pen.

Personally I am very satisfied with the Chromebook and will keep this as my portable device next to my desktop.