We're extremely excited to announce the launch of the MONOKEI Standard, our take on a keyboard designed for everyone.
The inspiration for the Standard is straightforward. When Kerri and I first started MONOKEI our friends frequently asked about mechanical keyboards that they might enjoy. Our conumdrum was simple, we could not recommend our custom keyboard kits to them as it took too much time and effort for our friends who wanted something good but could not spare the time to build a keyboard.
We started working on the Standard in Sept 2020 with the goal of creating a keyboard that included all the benefits of a custom keyboard kit without the work involved in building one.
The MONOKEI Standard is our most ambitious project so far, spanning more than six hundred days of iterations and tweaks. We designed every bit of the kit and its accessories as a team, and we've grown from a passion project for both Kerri and I to a team of 7 (we're still hiring).
More information available here.
We designed the MONOKEI Standard with these features in mind:
We created the Standard to be a wireless keyboard as we increasingly enjoy a wireless setup at MONOKEI, and we went with a design that allowed us to connect up to 4 devices and to switch between them quickly.
We also decided to go with a USB C to C connection, perhaps one of the few prebuilts on the market that'll be future-port-proof. We're also shipping the Standard with our own firmware to achieve a 30-day battery life, and we hope to extend the Standard's software functionality in the future.
We're huge fans of PBT doubleshot keycaps; they're uncommon but extremely durable and allow us to showcase amazingly crisp legends. The Series 1 keycaps were first designed for the Standard, and we're proud to have them available by default on all Standards and its future variants.
We've also gone with the reliable line-up of Cherry MX switches, which provide a good typing experience for all use cases. The Standard comes with hotswap sockets as well, so users can quickly swap to their favourite set of switches if they desire to do so.
Polycarbonate plates are the default at MONOKEI; we enjoy the flex and sound characteristics of the material. We've paired it up with gasket strips to further dampen typing sounds while maintaining a firm but comfortable tactile feedback for long hours of keyboard usage.
The Standard sounds good, even more so with plate and case dampening tweaks, another feature commonly utilised in custom keyboard kits. Paired with a polycarbonate plate, the Standard produces a low pitch that's extremely pleasant, and for more experienced users the switches can be removed and tweaked to achieve the desired sound profile.
The MONOKEI Standard is our first prebuilt mechanical keyboard. Pre-order opens from 29th July till 16th September 2022. We're working hard to ship these to you by November 2022, and we anticipate much shorter wait times for future batches. Our goal is to make Standard an in-stock, best in class prebuilt that's great for both enthusiasts and non-enthusiasts.
The MONOKEI Standard will be reviewed by some really swell folks including:
The reviewers will be posting their thoughts on the MONOKEI Standard during the pre-order period from 29th July till 16th September 2022. Keep an eye out on their socials for more information!
The MONOKEI Standard will be sold by your favourite vendors including:
If you're in Singapore and Malaysia, you can also head down to our partners who have a few sample units of the MONOKEI Standard in their stores:
The Standard marks a new era for mechanical keyboards at MONOKEI. We hope you enjoy it!