RAW Relic 80 by Angry Miao
keyboard by: Angry Miao
Photos taken in House by alex
AM Relic 80 Review — RAW
This is the Relic 80 from Angry Miao, the RAW edition to be exact. They did send this in, so full disclosure, the original stream was sponsored, but you guys know we are still going to dive deep in this article and give it an honest look.
I’ll be the first to admit, Angry Miao’s aesthetic isn’t for everyone. A lot of their boards lean heavily into that hyper-futuristic, cyber vibe. But the Relic 80? I think this is one of their more tame, palatable designs. Well, maybe not the RAW edition one, but it sort of is? The RAW edition version has a very distinct finish which apparently is acid anodized.
Today I’ll break it down, tear it open, and see what this $699 board is really all about.
Aesthetics: Off-White Vibes and Cool Machining
Right out of the box, the finish on this board is striking. Like I mentioned it’s an acid anodized, which is something I’ve personally never seen before on a board. It almost feels like a weathered-down version of their original design, which I think works super well with those missing corner pieces.. I am a huge fan of texture on boards, and the machining pattern on bottom of the case is dope as well. Overall, it gives it a battled worn look that perfectly suits the “Relic” name.
However, we need to talk about the text. There is a lot of text on this board. It leans heavily into that “Off-White” hypebeast branding style, prominently featuring the word “RAW” on the top case. If I’m being honest, I don’t love the branding. If they had left the word “RAW” off the top so you could just appreciate the finish and the texture, it would be a much cleaner product. However, this is super subjective and for those into this style, this is probably just lending to the visual interest.
One major aesthetic win, though, is the LED implementation. The missing corner cutout lights up, and the way they designed the internal reflections makes it look almost like a glowing gemstone. It’s a really neat trick and adds a cool, unique flair to the desk.
Tearing It Down: The Good, The Bad, and The Adhesive
Because pre-builts can be a mixed bag, the game plan was always to tear this thing down. Inside, Angry Miao has done a genuinely interesting job, but there are a few gripes we need to address.
The Good
It sports their take on leaf spring mounts. I absolutely love these. When implemented correctly (like in the Class60 for example), they sound insane and feel incredibly comfy to type on. Angry Miao included a bunch of adjustable leaf springs here, which gives the board some great movement and flex. To make this really clear, they are a complete joy to type on.
It also has a very solid performing tri-mode PCB and wireless charging always seems to be on Angry Miao’s check list and I am glad they don’t skip on things like this. They are also using Gateron hot-swap sockets, which is always a welcome sight.
The Gripes
Adhesive foam… can we please stop doing this? The foam on the back of the PCB is adhered directly to it. If you want to experiment with different foam configurations, which is the whole point of a high-end custom, taking this off without destroying it is a massive pain. It limits creativity for absolutely no reason. Well, okay, the reason some designers have given me is it’s easier to take apart the internals and everything sits better, but I really don’t buy it personally.
The batteries for the tri-mode wireless are soldered on. While replacing them in the future isn’t the hardest job, it requires a soldering iron rather than a simple plug-and-play header. None of which is ideal.
This is a minor, slightly outdated design gripe that I have. Because of how the plate/PCB assembly sits, the screw points for the case in the way. You end up having to fiddle with it, or even pop out switches, just to get the top and bottom cases to sit right without forcing anything.
Sound, Feel, and the Spacebar Fix
In its stock configuration, the board sounds pretty good. It has a much better sound profile than some older Angry Miao boards I’ve tried. It has a crisper foaming sound. However, I wasn’t a fan of the stock polycarbonate keycaps. They feel incredibly slippery, and I do not like the typing feel on them one bit. They are very pretty though!
I didn’t love the spacebar out of the box, it was harsher than I wanted. To fix this, I completely removed the leaf springs sitting directly underneath the spacebar. It was instantly better this way, to me at least.
I did end up doing a teardown and rebuild on stream for this. For the rebuild, I decided to swap the stock switches out for Roxy Linears, which also looked great on the board. I also stripped out the PE sheet, the plastic sheet, and one piece of case foam, leaving the rest intact. It ended up sounding more up my alley. (Note: the stock stabilizers definitely need a little bit of manual tuning and clean-up, too).
In all configs though, the board felt great. The leaf-springs are doing some crazy heavy lifting here.
My Final Take
I got out my notebook on stream for this one.
Performance-wise, you are getting a pretty standard, premium experience. It has tri-mode connectivity, some flex cuts on the PCB (though not enough to drastically alter the sound profile), and a solid internal layout. Basically everything you could want on paper.
But let’s be real. At $699, this keyboard is completely not value-oriented. You are not buying this for pure price-to-performance. This is a board built on form over function. And you have to really like the form here.
So, who is the Relic 80 for? This board has a very specific target audience. It is for the person who wants a “hypebeast” desk setup. If you love that heavily branded, off-white, industrial aesthetic and you want a keyboard that looks like a weathered piece of futuristic tech, this is going to be right up your alley.
Are there better options at this price point? Of course. There are tons of boards I’d personally pick up for $700 and even more for less. But the mechanical keyboard hobby is subjective. If you are deeply in love with this specific aesthetic, the Relic 80 delivers a solid typing experience wrapped in a very… very bold package.
Until next time. 👋