Finding the right accessories for your desk can be a difficult task at times, especially if you want more options, beyond the usual brands. China-based Rapoo is one of those companies I wasn’t familiar with when I decided to try their Ralemo Pre 5 wireless mechanical keyboard and Ralemo Air 1 optical mouse. These two products in particular are a bit more premium compared to others. keyboard and mouse options of the brand. This is what I liked during my use.
Rapoo Ralemo Pre 5 Wireless Mechanical Keyboard: If you want a keyboard with a unique design, the Ralemo Pre 5 certainly fits the bill. I got the pink color option which looks unique and classy. It has a typewriter feel, which might appeal to some people. The keyboard has LED-backlit keys and you can configure it for both Windows and Apple MacBook or iMac depending on your preferences. The keyboard offers support for both Control, Alt, and Command and Option keys. I used the keyboard with a Windows laptop and my MacBook Air and it works fine in both cases with all keys working as needed.
I have to admit, the mechanical keyboard took a bit of getting used to and I’m not a fan of the louder noise these tend to make, which is to be expected. What also confused me a bit with the Ralemo was that sometimes I couldn’t see the exact battery life left on the keyboard. This data was not visible on the MacBook for some reason. I’m not sure why this happened and it could be a configuration issue on my end. However, the battery life was visible on the Windows laptop.
The Rapoo Ralemo Pre 5 keyboard has a 4000mAh battery and you can use a USB-C cable to charge it.
The keyboard can be used via Bluetooth 3.0 or 5.0 or the 2.4GHz nano receiver dongle can be used to connect to your required device. I usually relied on the Bluetooth feature as the connectivity was good enough. The keyboard has a 4,000mAh battery and you can use a USB-C cable to charge it. The keyboard’s battery should last a week for most regular users with, say, four or five hours of daily typing. I never knew if I had charged it to 100 percent since the Mac never showed the battery percentage.
I had some issues with Bluetooth connectivity, especially when switching between MacBook and Windows, but otherwise no issues. Admittedly, this is not my favorite keyboard to type on and noise was one of the main reasons for this. I also struggled with accuracy, but I’m more used to keyboards on laptops, so there was a lot of fighting muscle memory as well.
RAPOO Ralemo Air 1 Mouse: Now this was a mouse, I absolutely loved it. It came in this blue color with a metallic finish and it looks stunning. In fact, it’s one of the best I’ve used in a long time. This one has an aluminum alloy body, is very compact and comes with the ‘quiet click’ feature. The mouse has two buttons and a spherical roller-type scroller. The mouse is definitely a great product in terms of responsiveness, accuracy, and how easily it worked on both my MacBook Air and Windows laptops. I preferred this over my Magic Mouse because I find physical mouse buttons more reassuring.
Rapoo claims that it can be paired with multiple devices and switching between them is easy. This was not the case for me when it came to switching between devices. The mouse is based on Bluetooth 3.0 and 5.0 and 2.4Ghz dongle to connect with your device.
The Air 1 has a 300mAh battery and Rapoo claims a battery life of 25 days. And just like the Apple Magic Mouse, you have to plug the cable into the bottom while charging, which is a shame. The Air 1 can also be charged with any Qi-compatible wireless charging pad, but since it didn’t have that, I couldn’t test it. Again, I was only able to see the battery levels on the Windows devices and never on the MacBook.
This also meant that when the Ralemo Air 1 ran out of battery, I had no idea. But even with that, he still preferred this one given how well it worked. The good looks of the Air 1 also play in its favor.
Verdict
If you’re looking for colorful premium accessories like a new wireless mechanical keyboard or Bluetooth optical mouse, Rapoo’s products are an interesting premise. The Ralemo Pre 5 keyboard looks stylish and comes with various color options and can add a bit of whimsy to your boring work setup. But it does have a premium attached to it at a price of Rs 6,999. I preferred the Rapoo Air 1 Mouse, simply because it is a product that I found more useful. And yes, the fact that it looks so stylish helps too. The Air 1 Mouse is priced at Rs 4299.
