{"id":5057,"date":"2026-07-21T06:36:36","date_gmt":"2026-07-21T06:36:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/?p=5057"},"modified":"2026-07-21T06:36:36","modified_gmt":"2026-07-21T06:36:36","slug":"review-iqunix-mq80-is-a-low-profile-mechanical-keyboard-with-top-features","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/?p=5057","title":{"rendered":"Review: IQUNIX MQ80 is a low-profile mechanical keyboard with top features"},"content":{"rendered":"
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One of the rising trends in mechanical keyboards is the low-profile variants. These are lighter versions of the devices that act as a happy medium for the hobby. They have the joyous click of switches, but the portability, ergonomics and comfort of the membrane-style ones seen on laptops.<\/p>\n

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The one part holding back this category is that it isn\u2019t as developed as the full-bodied mechanical keyboard. Companies haven\u2019t come up a broad variety of low-profile mechanical switches and the keycaps are hit and miss.<\/p>\n

IQUNIX is pushing this part of the keyboard hobby forward with the MQ80. Its fresh take on the low-profile keyboard packs an 80% layout into a small form factor that fits across a 14-inch Apple MacBook. The company has also brought a bevy of features that have become standard for full-sized mechanical keyboard.<\/p>\n

GREAT SWITCHES<\/strong>
\nThat starts with the Kailh Pom Gold Linear Red Switches, which are a joy to type on. They flow smoothly, and it feels effortless to type on. When playing games, they do well, though they lack the customization and responsiveness of Hall Effect switches. The PBT keycaps help the experience. They feel sturdier than other low-profile ones. For a daily driver used across work and play, it gets the job done.<\/p>\n

The easy tactile press is just one part of the experience. The other half is the sound of the MQ80, and IQUNIX again gets it right with its Le-Tray gasket mount. It offers enough give so that it\u2019s softer to type on and that feeling is accentuated by the creamy sound. It has a roundness and a plushness that exudes a bit of luxury.<\/p>\n

It sounds much better than the ND75 LP, which has a clinky sound and a harsher feel. The differences stand out.<\/p>\n

Being an 80% keyboard, the MQ80 has the exact same number as tenkeyless, but IQUNIX compresses the layout, shifting the arrow keys, delete, home, end, page up and page down and others to the right. That saves desk space.<\/p>\n

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ODD FLOURISHES<\/strong>
\nOn the aesthetic side, the keyboard has strange flourishes such as a magnetic badge on the side. Although it looks important, the piece is cosmetic but doesn\u2019t serve much purpose.<\/p>\n

\n<\/div>\n

What\u2019s more important is that users can customize the keyboard to include macros using VIA software. For games, it\u2019s a vital option that saves keystrokes, allowing players to perform certain actions at a button press. For work, it acts as a shortcut for common actions such as setting up links or copy and pasting. The macros boosts efficiency at play and work.<\/p>\n

Another aspect of VIA is that it lets users to set up the lighting, but the MQ80 already does a solid job with that. Of course, it has RGB lighting that glows brightly. Despite the strong illumination, it\u2019s not used garishly. The lighting smartly indicates what features are being used in an intuitive way. If the Windows key is shut off, it will be illuminated, indicating it\u2019s inactive.<\/p>\n

With 4000 mAh battery, the MQ80 will last nearly a month in ideal conditions, but those who want the best responsiveness will stick to a USB-C wired or 2.4Ghz dongle connection. Those have a 1000hz polling rate. It can also connect through Bluetooth, though that method isn\u2019t the most reliable. The keyboard sometimes adds extra spaces or glitches out sometimes.<\/p>\n

Those mishaps occur rarely, and they don\u2019t ruin a stellar offering from IQUNIX. The company completes the package with a nice carrying case, extra keycaps and tools for those who want to modify the keyboard further.<\/p>\n

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\n<\/div>\n

IQUNIX MQ80<\/h3>\n

3 stars out of 4
\nManufacturer:<\/strong> IQUNIX
\nPrice:<\/strong> $159<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The Kailh Pom Gold Linear Red Switches shine, giving this keyboard a high-end feel with good portability<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":5056,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-5057","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-business"],"yoast_head":"\nReview: IQUNIX MQ80 is a low-profile mechanical keyboard with top features - Next City Digest<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/?p=5057\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Review: IQUNIX MQ80 is a low-profile mechanical keyboard with top features - Next City Digest\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"The Kailh Pom Gold Linear Red Switches shine, giving this keyboard a high-end feel with good portability\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/?p=5057\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Next City Digest\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2026-07-21T06:36:36+00:00\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"admin\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"admin\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"3 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/nextcitydigest.com\\\/?p=5057#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/nextcitydigest.com\\\/?p=5057\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"admin\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/nextcitydigest.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/13065d40d633843429ac57d4e5c06f9b\"},\"headline\":\"Review: IQUNIX MQ80 is a low-profile mechanical keyboard with top features\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-07-21T06:36:36+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/nextcitydigest.com\\\/?p=5057\"},\"wordCount\":664,\"commentCount\":0,\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/nextcitydigest.com\\\/?p=5057#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/nextcitydigest.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/07\\\/ac37bc3ef056d739f8e379147e7e6924.webp\",\"articleSection\":[\"Business\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/nextcitydigest.com\\\/?p=5057#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/nextcitydigest.com\\\/?p=5057\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/nextcitydigest.com\\\/?p=5057\",\"name\":\"Review: IQUNIX MQ80 is a low-profile mechanical keyboard with top features - 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