Anne Pro 2 60% Mechanical Gaming Keyboard Review

A good keyboard is an important element in any gaming station. There are a lot of factors to consider when selecting one, though. For one thing, you have to be sure it works in your space. That’s one of the many reasons 60% keyboards have become so popular in recent years. They are trimmed down to the bare essentials so they take up as little space on your desk as possible, giving you more space to move your mouse.

Photo: Cody Campbell / HGG

The Anne Pro 2 is one of the highest rated 60% keyboards for gaming. It’s known for its wireless capabilities and exceptional quality at a fair price. We decided it was time for us to pick one up so we could give our readers a fair and unbiased review. Here’s what we found.

Zoom In: Specs

• 60% form factor
• Colors: black or white
• Connectivity: USB Type-C wired or Bluetooth 4.0 wireless (up to 4 devices)
• Switches brands: Gateron/Kailh Box/Cherry
• Switch types: reds, blues or browns
• Double-shot PBT keycaps
• RGB
• Custom macros
• Magic FN key
• “Tap Mode” arrow keys
• 1900mAh battery
• ObinsKit software
• Price: $75.00

Design and Build Quality

The design of the Anne Pro 2 isn’t the best we’ve ever seen, but it’s pretty impressive for the price point. Inside the box, you’ll find the keyboard, QuickStart guide, a bright red, rubberized USB Type-C to USB Type-A cable, a keycap remover, and a selection of bright, pastel-colored keycaps that you can use to customize the board.

Photo: Cody Campbell / HGG

The keyboard itself is housed in plastic and comes in either black or white. The frame is a little bit light and, while it does have rubber grips on the bottom, it doesn’t grip polished surfaces especially well. It is sturdy enough on most desktops, however. The keycaps are made of a grippy, matte double-shot PBT that’s less likely to wear out than ABS and makes for an exceptional typing experience. The USB port is on the rear-left and there’s an on/off switch for the Bluetooth on the bottom.

Photo: Cody Campbell / HGG

The keyboard can also use the caps lock key as a secondary FN key, and has a feature called “Tap Mode” arrow keys. This allows the owner to use the right shift, FN, page, and control keys as arrow keys simply by tapping them instead of holding them down. This is a very clever solution to what we consider one of the trickiest aspects of the 60% design.

Gateron Switches

The Anne Pro 2 has no less than nine different switch options. You can get linear reds, tactile browns, or clicky blues from three different brands: Gateron, Kailh Box, or Cherry MX. The version we tested had the Gateron reds. Gateron represents the cheapest of the three options, and we wanted to see how they stack up to the competition.

Photo: Cody Campbell / HGG

Overall, we found that they had smooth action and actuated pretty high on the keystroke. That can be good for games that rely on fast response times. There’s a little less tension than in other brands, however, which can make typos and accidental keystrokes more prevalent.

Some people may find that trade off worthwhile, but we think it might be worth it for most users to cough up the extra $10 for Kailh Box switches, which we think are some of the best on the market. Cherry switches are currently only available on the official Anne Pro website and drive the price all the way up to $127.00, which is definitely on the expensive side.

Gaming Performance

Gaming on the Anne Pro 2 in wired mode is an absolute dream. The USB Type-C connection is incredibly fast and responsive, making it so your keystrokes affect the game almost instantaneously. I tested it out playing some Doom: Eternal and was thoroughly impressed with both the performance and comfort. I wish I could say the same for the wireless connection.

Photo: Cody Campbell / HGG

Bluetooth isn’t the fastest connection out there, and users are bound to notice a small amount of latency. Games are perfectly playable over Bluetooth, but you’ll be able to feel the difference when switching from wired, and it’s not ideal for competitive gaming. It is handy to have in certain situations, however.

Players can use the four different Bluetooth profiles to easily switch between using the Anne Pro 2 with their desktop, laptop, console, or tablet without having to pair it each time. It’s also useful when gaming mobile or on a television.

ObinsKit Software and RGB

Mac and PC users can get added functionality from the Anne Pro 2 by downloading the ObinsKit software. It isn’t the most stylish or user-friendly software on the market, but it does add an impressive number of features. Users can adjust key sensitivity, mapping, and lighting, and create macros.

I did encounter a few bugs, however. There’s an option to set a timer for the keyboard to put itself to sleep after not being used. I found that the keyboard put itself to sleep after only two seconds of disuse no matter what I set the time to, and it only stayed on when I turned the timer off altogether. The keyboard also wouldn’t connect to lighting options I had set after being turned off in wireless mode until the software was reopened and the keyboard was paired to it again.

Image: Cody Campbell / HGG

The lighting options are also somewhat limited. There are only seven moving RGB options: breathing, gradual breathing, rainbow, breathing per key, poptank, breathing trigger, and rainbow trigger.

There were no choices for speed and directionality, although it is worth noting that these effects are color specific. You can set which colors the various effects utilize — a rare feature that we’d like to see more often. There’s also a setting to change the keyboard to a different color when caps lock is activated, which is a nice touch.

Is the Anne Pro 2 worth the Money?

The Anne Pro 2 isn’t without its flaws, but it is priced competitively. There are better built 60% keyboards out there, like the HyperX Alloy Origins 60 and the Kinesis TKO, but they’re both more expensive and do not offer wireless capabilities. There are also a handful of cheaper keyboards, like the Royal Kludge RK 61, that offer similar feature sets but will have a hard time competing with its build quality and mechanical switch options.

The “Tap Mode” arrow keys are also the best solution we’ve seen to adding arrow key functionality to a 60% keyboard, making it stand out for productivity applications. Therefore, we believe the Anne Pro 2 is an appropriately priced middle ground.

Photo: Cody Campbell / HGG

Zoom Out: Verdict

4.0

Out of 5

Build Quality

80%

Performance

80%

Features

70%

Value

90%

Summary

The Anne Pro 2 is a moderately affordable 60% gaming keyboard with a variety of features such as Bluetooth connectivity and “Tap Mode” arrow keys that give it an edge on the competition. The software control is somewhat limited, however.

• Tap arrow key functionality
• Color specific RGB customization
• Nine different switch options from three quality brands

• Software functionality is limited and unreliable
• Doesn’t grip polished surfaces well
• Bluetooth 4.0 is slow for gaming

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