Review: Keyboardio Atreus - macwright.com
Nobody needs this keyboard. If you want to type, all you need is a laptop. The Keychron K2, Logitech K380, or Apple Magic Keyboard will work if you keep your laptop closed.
The Atreus started as a handmade kit designed by Phil Hagelberg. This version of it is produced by Keyboardio, a pair of engineers who redesigned the Atreus into something that could be produced at scale and with mass-market level fit & finish.
I’ve been using the Atreus part-time for the last few months, and it’s just what I hoped for. The learning curve is steep but achievable. My hands feel pretty good when I use it. I think it’s more ergonomic than my usual keyboard. Plus it’s simply cool and fun to use.
As a novelty device, it’s important that the Atreus feels solid. And it does, even though it’s very small. It’s heavy enough, with no wobbles or gaps in construction. With weight as a sort of metric, I can see keyboards gaming it. My Keychron has an aluminum case that adds to the weight, but there are visible gaps and mismatches in its manufacturing.
The biggest challenge for me is #2: it’s hard to remember which hand types which keys. That’s also the biggest problem with switching back to traditional layouts: I’ll stretch to type “B” with my left hand because that works on the Atreus, but it doesn’t make that much sense on a traditional keyboard.
