Buying a keyboard on a tight budget can be a daunting task. When it comes to quality budget-friendly mechanical keyboards, the options are relatively limited. Fortunately, this is where Cidoo comes in. Lately, they have been on a roll, consistently delivering high-quality keyboards regardless of the price point. Over the past year, I have reviewed keyboards from their high-end to mid-range offerings, but now it’s time to see how they handle the budget-friendly market with their ABM081 Stellar keyboard.
Cidoo ABM081 Stellar kit and keyboard are available for purchase on Amazon. #ComissionsEarned As Amazon Associate, we earn from qualifying purchases.
DESIGN
The Cidoo ABM081 Stellar comes in two variants. The preassembled version of the keyboard is available exclusively in an off-white color with matching keycaps, while the barebones version offers the additional option of a black casing alongside the white one. Given that most coverage of this keyboard focuses on the white, preassembled version, I decided to go for the black kit variant and assemble it myself. For this purpose, I paired the keyboard with Cidoo’s own proprietary Carda switches and topped it off with Epomaker Space Travel keycaps, which ultimately complemented the black and gray color scheme of the Stellar casing perfectly.
But before getting into all that, let’s cover the basics. The Cidoo ABM081 Stellar is a 75% wireless, gasket-mounted mechanical keyboard with a rather minimalist design. That said, the look is quite unique given that the housing is made from two pieces of plastic – an outer black part and an inner gray part, which gives the keyboard a distinctive two-tone appearance. One thing to note is that the keyboard’s casing itself has a slight incline, making it relatively comfortable to use even in its default position. If that’s not enough, underneath you’ll find feet with two levels of angle adjustment, allowing you to achieve a super comfortable angle no matter your preference or seating position.
Two tone casing paired with Space Travel keycaps looks amazing
One of the feet also houses the wireless dongle, which is always convenient to avoid losing it if you prefer wired mode or when transporting the keyboard. Besides that, there are two areas of interest on the casing. The first is the area on the back, where you’ll find the USB-C charging port and the switches for adjusting wireless modes and choosing whether the keyboard layout is optimized for Mac or Windows.
The screen primarily serves as a convenient and highly useful addition where you can view the time, date, whether the keyboard is in wired or wireless mode, battery level, and indicators such as CAPS lock status. Beyond these practical details, the screen also has internal memory that, with the help of special software, allows you to upload up to two different GIFs or images, which is a great option for those who want that added bit of customization to their keyboard.
Casing is plastic but at least it has the feet and a dongle compartment
As for the internal structure, you have the gasket-mounted, flex-cut PC plate that has mounted, pre-lubed stabilizers. Underneath, there are a bunch of sound-dampening materials aimed at reducing the hollow sound typically associated with plastic keyboards. These include Poron plate foam, IXPE switch pads, PET sheets, and additional case foam.
In fact, there is so much sound-dampening material inside that at times you might forget this is a gasket-mounted keyboard, given the significant pressure required to notice any flex in the typing surface. However, it is still a plastic keyboard, weighing just under 800 grams, which gives it a somewhat cheap feel and means its build quality cannot compare to aluminum keyboards. Its relative lightness and materials are likely the main reasons why this keyboard is so budget-friendly, which is definitely something to keep in mind.
The screen is super useful, but it can also be customized with images and GIFs
Moving on, I paired it with Cidoo’s proprietary Carda switches. These are 5-pin linear switches with a 60g bottom-out force, a 2mm actuation point, and a 3.5mm total travel distance, making them a relatively good choice for both gaming and typing. On top of that, I added the Epomaker Space Travel keycaps, whose purple-gray color beautifully complements the two-tone aesthetic of this keyboard.
The result of this combination, along with the keyboard’s construction and sound-dampening materials, is a relatively deep sound profile that will appeal to those who enjoy thocky keyboards. I tested the keyboard with several other switches, and the result was generally similar, so regardless of the switches you have, you can be fairly confident that with the ABM081 Stellar, you’ll achieve that sweet, satisfying thockiness which is amazing for such a budget keyboard.
The sound profile is satisfyingly thocky which is great for a budget keyboard
It’s also worth mentioning that the PCB has south-facing RGB, and even though I opted for non-shine-through keycaps, the RGB still looks very vibrant and satisfying. Of course, there’s a whole range of more or less standard effects like rainbow wave, breathing, ripple, starlight, and many more that smoothly animate across the keyboard. These effects can be changed using keyboard shortcuts or customized to your heart’s content using the VIA software.
PERFORMANCE
ABM081 Stellar is no slouch when it comes to connectivity and performance. Unexpected for a budget-friendly keyboard, Cidoo has provided not only a wired USB-C connection mode but also wireless connectivity options via Bluetooth 5.0 or a 2.4GHz receiver. Even better is that both wireless modes perform excellently. The dongle is ideal for more reliable and responsive wireless use, especially for gaming, while Bluetooth is superbly reliable for productivity tasks, allowing you to easily connect to a laptop, tablet or any other Bluetooth enabled device.
If you opt for either of these wireless modes, the 3000 mAh battery provides a solid level of autonomy. Of course, battery life will depend on RGB settings and other factors such as screen usage, but you can generally expect around 30 hours of use with the lights on.
Tri-mode connectivity and an all-round reliable performance
In practical terms, this means you will likely need to charge the keyboard once or twice a week, which is quite satisfactory. On the other hand, if you choose to turn off the RGB, you can easily get away with charging the Stellar just once a week, which is a fantastic benefit for those who prefer a wire-free desk most of the time.
In terms of customization, like other Cidoo keyboards, the Stellar uses VIA software. VIA is an excellent tool known for its robust functionality, supporting a wide range of keyboards. It allows for creating profiles, different key layers, macro combinations, key remapping, and much more. However, a somewhat problematic aspect is that VIA does not support the customization of non-standard additions like the screen here. As a result, you will need to download an additional lightweight piece of software for its customization.
CONCLUSION
I’ve been emphasizing the ABM081’s budget-friendly nature, but I haven’t yet disclosed the price. Well, the assembled version of the keyboard will cost you $80, while the barebones version is available for just $60. Of course, for the barebones variant, you will need to supply the switches and keycaps yourself, but it’s great to have this option if you want to cautiously enter the world of keyboard assembly without breaking the bank. Whichever version you choose, the Stellar is an excellent, budget-friendly way to enter the world of mechanical keyboards. It might even outperform some of the more expensive keyboards from well-known brands in certain aspects.
