Frontech Pro JIL-1697 Gaming Keyboard review

A keyboard is the most basic input device of a computer for decades now, and you can’t even think of working on a computer without one. That said, computer keyboards are available in several form factors, and each of them is available at different prices, some for general users, while others are for certain class of users like pro users, gamers, or users dealing with production, and other specific requirements. Mechanical keyboards are the best as they deliver wonderful tactile feedback with every keypress, which is something most people like, including me. But, that goodness of mechanical keyboards come at a price, which most users are not willing to pay.

That said, I recently got the Frontech Pro JIL-1697 Gaming Keyboard, which gives tactile feedback with a keypress, and it is also a great keyboard for gamers, as well as pro users. I am using the Frontech Pro JIL-1697 Gaming Keyboard for quite some time now, and thus, just like every single time, I am here with the review of the product. I will try to mention all the important points that you should know about this keyboard before you make your final decision of spending your hard-earned pennies on this keyboard. The keyboard comes with some amazing features, which should cater to the requirements of most users who are not looking for something specific.

So, without any further delay, let’s get started with the review of the Frontech Pro JIL-1697 Gaming Keyboard. I will start with the features.

Frontech Pro JIL-1697 Features:

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Let me first talk about the most highlighted features of the keyboard that most users will care about.

• The Frontech Pro JIL-1697 Gaming Keyboard has LED backlighting which is something most users will need while working in the dark and if not that, the beautiful RGB backlight looks really cool when you are gaming or is doing some other task late at night
• With the help of the additional Fn button, it is possible to carry out 12 multimedia tasks, which include volume controls, playback controls, opening the web browser and the default email client and many more. The same can also be used for controlling the brightness of the RGB backlight, lock the windows button and switch between the stable mode and the pattern mode of the LED backlight.
• To make the keyboard cable last long, the cable comes with high-strength braided fiber, and also gives the keyboard fiber a premium look. This ensures, you will hardly face troubles with broken cables, which is the case with most other gadgets not having braided fiber.

• The keyboard comes with fully injection moulded keycaps, which are laser-etched, and eventually delivers an ergonomic feel while using the keyboard. For better ergonomics, the keyboard also comes with a palm rest which can be very useful for some users.
• Talking about the number of keys, the keyboard comes with 104 physical keys and the keyboard is supported by all modern operating systems, which include Windows, Linux, and other mobile operating systems with a proper adaptor to connect the keyboard to the mobile.
• The keyboard comes with Caps Lock, Num Lock, and also a Scroll Lock, which though, isn’t that useful, and the toggle LEDs are also present to help you understand whether each lock is set on or off.

So, that was all about the features of the keyboard that you should know about and you should take care of at the time of purchasing the keyboard. Here are some screenshots…

JIL-1697 Pros:

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Let’s have a look at the pros of the Frontech keyboard.

• Even though it is not a mechanical keyboard you can find the refreshing sound each time you press the keyboard keys, which is something most users will find useful and can also be useful at the time of gaming, to make it sure that you have actually pressed the keys.
• As it is a full-size keyboard, it will not take a lot of time for you to get accustomed to this form factor if you are switching from a full-size keyboard. Even if you are switching from a keyboard of a different form factor, it wouldn’t take long for you to get habituated with this keyboard.  The key spacing is also maintained properly so that you can easily have your fingers on the keys when you try to press them or get hands on them.
• There is a dedicated key to toggle the LED  backlight and you can also use the same key in combination with the Fn key to switch between the RGB LED pattern and stable RGB LED backlight.

• The additional option to control the brightness of the backlit LED can also be useful if you are facing problems at the time of sleeping if you are having the computer along with the keyboard connected within the same room where you sleep.
• The keyboard has the old school large ‘Enter’ or ‘Return’ key, which is something I personally like. In most keyboards with a small ‘Enter’ key, I am pretty sure, most users will end up pressing the right ‘Shift’ and the ‘Enter’ key interchangeably. The same applies to the large ‘Backspace’ key, which is also ergonomic at the same time.
• Talking about the extra functions of the keyboard you can use the Fn key in combination with the W key or ‘Fn + W’ to switch between W, S, D, A keys and the navigation keys and use the same combination to revert back to the normal. What it will do is, you can use the W, S, D, and A as the up, down, right, left navigation keys respectively and the navigation keys to type in W, S, D, and A. This feature can be useful at the time of gaming if you do not want to configure the keys in the game controls menu, which can be hard to find and configure in certain games. Furthermore, you can also lock the Windows key if you accidentally pressed the Windows key while pressing Ctrl or Alt, with the ‘Fn + Windows’ key combination and use the same key combination to unlock the windows key.
• The keyboard is inclined at an angle which makes it easier to have a look at all the keys properly and use them when it is necessary. The keyboard also comes with all the necessary keys, which most users will need for their work and also for the purpose of gaming and other requirements.

So, those are the pros of using the Frontech Pro JIL-1697 Gaming Keyboard.

JIL-1697 Cons:

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Now let’s have a look at the cons of the Frontech Pro JIL-1697 Gaming Keyboard, which you should know about before you make your final decision of purchasing the product.

• Even though the keyboard comes with all the necessary keys most users will need, it doesn’t have the Power, Sleep, and the Wake-up button. Even though most users will hardly need those keys, but it was easily possible to offer those keys on this keyboard, instead of misusing the extra space between the Delete, End and the Page Down button and above the navigation keys by placing an unnecessary hinge that just make it look cool. However, that isn’t a deal-breaker.
• I don’t like the positioning of the RGB backlight toggle switch as I ended up accidentally pressing the key several while pressing the Ctrl or Fn button. Frontech could have placed the RGB toggle switch in some other position of the keyboard, which isn’t used by most users, like at the top, beside the function key row.
• Even though the keyboard is inclined at an angle, there is no option to make the keyboard sit flat using the optional foldable stands which is present in most other keyboards but not in this one. The following problem is also not a deal-breaker.
• One more thing that is missing in the following Frontech Pro JIL-1697 Gaming Keyboard is that, the W, S, D, and A keys aren’t highlighted or are colored differently. I just wish they had a different color to make it easier to deal with the keys at the time of gaming.

So, those were the few cons of the Frontech Pro JIL-1697 Gaming Keyboard. You can easily understand, none of the cons is actually a deal-breaker.

My Verdict:

Talking about the final verdict, if you are looking for a stylish keyboard, which gives tactile feedback and that too, with a backlight, Frontech Pro JIL-1697 Gaming Keyboard is the best one that you can go for. I got this keyboard at Rs. 750 from a local store and the price is quite reasonable as well, considering the features it has to offer. You can hardly get anything better than this at this price. As this is a  product by Frontech, you can also expect good longevity as most Frontech products are trustworthy and they last really long.

So, that was all about the Frontech backlit keyboard review. Do you have any questions or have anything to say? Feel free to comment on the same below.