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Review Summary
The Aula HERO84 HE is an aesthetic and performance-driven magnetic keyboard with a 75% ergonomic boat-shaped layout and a unique lightbox design. It provides Hall Effect magnetic switches with adjustable actuation, a sturdy dual metal rail frame, and five dampening layers for improved acoustics that offer an outstanding typing and gaming experience, making it a compelling option in its price range.
Hours Tested: 1 Week
Overall
-
Design - 9/10
9/10
-
Build Quality - 8.5/10
8.5/10
-
Typing Experience - 9/10
9/10
-
Performance - 9.5/10
9.5/10
Pros
- Attractive Color Theme
- Impressive Performance Specs
- Web-Based Software
- Pre-Lubed Magnetic Switches
- Stunning RGB Lighting
Cons
- Wired-Only Connection
- Non-see-through Legends
- Unusual USB-C Port Placement
Aula’s has built up quite a reputation for itself in the mechanical keyboard scene, and the HERO84 HE feels like another step forward. Recently, I got to test their Aula WIN68 HE Max, and that really surprised me with its performance. So, when the former showed up at my doorstep to review, I was curious to see how it compared to brands like Wooting or Keychron, and whether it was worth your money. Let’s find out.
Key Takeaways
- The HERO84 HE is a compact 75% Hall Effect keyboard that combines eye-catching aesthetics with impressive performance.
- You should consider the HERO84 HE if you want a premium typing feel and prefer hassle-free software.
- You should skip the HERO84 HE if you need wireless connectivity and want see-through legends.
Here are the technical specifications:
| Polling Rate | 8000Hz with a USB 2.0 high-speed hub or a USB 3.0 hub |
| Key Scan Rate | 128KHz |
| Actuation Precision | 0.01mm |
| Hot swappable | Yes, with TTC King of Magnetic Switch, TTC Uranus Gaming Edition, and magnetic switches of the same series, including Meteor Magnetic Switch, Black King Switch, Dragon King Switch, and Jade King Switch. |
| Keycaps Profile | Cherry |
| Keycap Process | Dual-shot injection molding |
| Factory Lubed | Yes |
| Stabilizers | Pre-lubed demagnetized steel wire stabilizers for large keys |
| Magnetic Switch Type | Black King Switch |
| Layout | 75%, ergonomic boat-shape frame |
| Number of Keys | 84 Keys |
| Keycap Materials | High-quality PBT (Double-shot), OEM profile |
| Case Material | ABS Plastic |
| Case Structure | Tray-Mount |
| Mounting Plate Options | Aluminum Alloy, FR4 (Gold-plated), Carbon Fiber |
| Dampening Layers | 5 Layers |
| Connectivity | Wired (USB A to C cable included) |
| Design Details | Side metal parts |
| Anti-Ghosting | Yes |
| Battery Size | No Battery |
| RGB Backlight | South-facing LEDs |
| Lighting | 16.8M colors |
| Driver Support | Web driver adjustment |
| System Compatibility | Compatible with Windows, macOS, and Linux |
| Weight | 0.91kg |
| Size | 322.05(L)×138.95(W)×42.51(H), Front Height: 1.8cm, Back Height: 3.3cm |
What Makes the Aula HERO84 HE Different?
The Aula HERO84 HE provides an ultra-fast 8,000 Hz polling rate paired with a 128 kHz scanning rate and configurable actuation down to 0.01 mm, giving it a type of performance that is comparable to renowned gaming keyboard brands. Moreover, it offers an 84-key 75% boat-shaped frame, a choice of aluminum alloy, FR4, or carbon fibre mounting plates, and five layers of sound-dampening, making it feel much more premium than its price.
Packaging & Unboxing
The HERO84 HE comes in a complete black box with the keyboard’s name written on the front in white text with a cyan background and a small logo in the top right corner. Turning it around, on the back of the box, it lists some notable technical specifications in different languages along with the usual manufacturing information.
Box Contents
Opening it up, you’ll first see the quick operation guide along with the manual card. Beneath them, you’ll find the HERO84 HE wrapped in a plastic sleeve with a dust cover on top. Right above it, you’ll notice two different sections that have the accompanying accessories in them. Here is the list of everything that you’ll find inside the box:
- Aula HERO84 HE
- Dust Cover
- USB Cable
- User Manual
- Quick Operation Guide
- 2-in-1 Keycap and Switch Puller
- Replacement Switches
- Extra Keycaps
- Screws
- Wrist Strap
Design
Aula gives you a variety of color options to choose from, as the HERO84 HE comes in White Purple, White Contours, Pink (Side Printed), and Purple Light variants. Each one has its own unique design philosophy. The one I am reviewing here is the white-purple variant that has its legends printed on top of the keycaps, unlike the rest. At first look, it gives off a clean, simple vibe.
The overall design leans more toward minimalism rather than flashiness. They didn’t go heavy on aggressive gamer accents or unnecessary curves. Instead, it’s got a straightforward rectangular frame, which they call an ergonomic boat-shape with softly rounded edges. I also like how balanced the proportions are. The bezels are adequate, the key spacing feels natural, and the layout has a clean flow to it.
Layout
Speaking of layout, the HERO84 HE follows a 75% one with 84 keys in a tight, space-efficient design that still keeps all the necessary keys where you need them. Here, you’ll get your arrow keys, function row, and navigation buttons without the numpad taking up extra space. It’s compact, but not cramped, which is preferable if you have a smaller desk or prefer a minimalist setup.
Personally, the 75% layout has always been my favorite. Before switching to it, I was using Aula’s Epomaker x Aula F108 Pro, a full-size keyboard that they co-developed with Epomaker. That keyboard is great for productivity and gaming alike, but moving from it to the new one felt surprisingly easy. The key spacing and placement are so well thought out that the transition barely took any adjustment time.
Wrist Strap
The HERO84 HE has a small cutout on the left side, shaped like a small anchor point, where you can attach the wrist strap. Aula has included the strap and a small set of screws in the box so you can attach it to the side of the keyboard if you want to use it. It’s not often that you see it on most keyboards.
The wrist strap itself is made of a soft, woven fabric that feels well-made. Its color scheme complements the purple-and-white theme of the keyboard, blending in nicely. It is mainly here for portability, which is handy if you move your keyboard around a lot. Once attached, it gives you an easy way to carry the keyboard without pressing on the keys or gripping the edges awkwardly.
Underside
Flipping the HERO84 HE over, the bottom panel has a solid finish with a smooth texture. There are four pill-shaped rubberized feet on each corner, which do a great job of keeping the keyboard in place on your desk. Even when I was typing fast or gaming aggressively, it didn’t slide around. Additionally, you also get a pair of adjustable kickstands that let you choose between two different typing angles.
There are two larger stands, and within each of them, there’s a smaller one that folds out. It’s a thoughtful implementation that gives us several options to choose from depending on our comfort level. In the center, you’ll notice a metal plate with some generic product information etched onto it, surrounded by a subtle bit of Aula branding.
Build Quality
The HERO84 HE is built with an ABS plastic chassis, but it doesn’t feel cheap or flimsy in any way. The frame feels durable, and when you pick it up, you can tell it’s well-put-together. It weighs 0.91 kg and has a nice bit of heft. The keyboard measures 322.05mm long, 138.95mm wide, and 42.51mm tall, with a front height of 1.8cm and a back height of 3.3cm.
Even though the case is made from plastic, there’s very little flex when you press or twist it. The body feels sturdy and solid, and nothing rattles when you move it around. Adding to its rigidity, the keyboard features two slim metal decorative plates put along each side of the frame. They not only give it a subtle industrial accent but also help the overall structure in place by keeping everything tightly held together.
Keycaps
The HERO84 HE has gone with high-quality PBT keycaps, made through dual-shot injection molding. These have a dense, matte texture that feels premium and long-lasting. There’s none of that expression of slippery shine that might develop over time, which means it should hold up nicely even after months of daily use. They’ve also gone with a Cherry profile, which I personally prefer. I find it helps reduce finger fatigue during long sessions.
The legends have a neutral font and are evenly printed, and because of the double-shot construction, the typeface won’t fade or wear off over time. The color combination they chose for this, with purple legends on white keycaps, looks fantastic. Except for the ESC and Enter keys, which flip the color scheme with white legends on purple keycaps. They also included extra replacement keycaps for the spacebar and arrow keys, both in purple if you want more color on the keyboard.
RGB Lighting
The HERO84 HE has per-key RGB backlighting with south-facing LEDs, giving each key a bright and even glow. The lighting looks especially good on the white keycaps, as the way the colors bounce off the surface makes the whole keyboard look well-balanced rather than overdone. Moreover, it has an RGB lightbox that is placed on the top edge, which is a translucent strip in purple. The lightbox is packed with 36 LED beads, and it produces a soft, ambient glow that complements the rest of the RGB lighting.
It helps extend the RGB presence beyond the keys, creating a sort of neon-bar look that adds more color to the desk. You can fully customize it as well by changing colors, effects, brightness, and speed using various FN + key combinations. Lastly, the legends on the keycaps aren’t see-through, so you might have some trouble typing on it if you are heavily reliant on seeing your keyboard while you type, as light doesn’t come through the characters.
Switches
The HERO84 HE comes equipped with Black King magnetic switches. They are pre-lubed from the factory, and you can definitely feel that right away. The keypress is incredibly smooth and consistent, without the scratchiness you sometimes get from dry or poorly lubed switches. On paper, these switches have a trigger force of 33±5gf and a bottom-out force of around 53±5gf, which places them on the lighter side.
The total travel distance is 3.4±0.1mm, with an adjustable actuation point that can be customized. In terms of sensitivity, these switches operate within a magnetic flux range of 85±15Gs to 480±60Gs (on a 1.6mm PCB). This indicates that the magnetic sensing is quite precise, ensuring reliable actuation every single time, even during rapid inputs or light presses. Lastly, there’s no light diffuser built into the switch housing, so the RGB lighting doesn’t shine directly through the keycaps.
Connectivity
The HERO84 HE is a wired-only keyboard that connects through a braided USB-A to USB-C cable. Its quality itself feels durable, which is a good thing since it tends to take the most wear over time. Aula deserves some credit here for including a high-quality braided cable instead of a basic rubber one. You’ll find the USB-C port on the left side in one of the metal decorative plates right below the wrist strap attachment point.
Generally, the placement is a bit unusual, since most keyboards have their connector up top. However, it kind of makes sense here because they had to make room for the RGB light bar, which is placed at the top, so shifting the port to the side feels like a fair trade-off. For this, they made the USB-C cable L-shaped or angled, which makes it easy to connect to the sideways port and helps prevent any awkward bends.
Typing Experience
Typing on the HERO84 HE feels genuinely enjoyable. The switches actuate lightly and consistently, giving every keypress a quick response. Once I was used to how sensitive they were, I noticed my typing speed naturally picking up. Aula has included five dampening layers, which are evident in the sound and feel. When you press a key, you don’t hear that hollow echo you sometimes get with cheaper boards. Instead, it’s soft, muted, and satisfying.
Breaking it down, we have the keycaps and switches sitting on a positioning plate, followed by a PO sandwich foam, fiber switch base pad, and a sound-dampening pad layered above the PCB. Underneath that, there’s a bottom foam, a molded silicone pad, and lastly, a thick rubber base. Moreover, it has a tray-mount structure and several mounting plate options. You can choose between aluminum alloy, FR4, and carbon fiber plates. The one I have here uses the aluminum alloy plate, and it gives the keyboard a firmer typing feel.
Performance
The HERO84 HE has an 8,000Hz polling rate and a 128KHz scanning rate. This results in practically zero lag or input delay, which is a must-have for competitive gamers. The switches are magnetic, so they don’t rely on traditional metal contact points, and their adjustable actuation points range from 0.01mm all the way to 3.4mm. You can customize exactly how deep you need to press before a key registers. Aula also claims 0.01mm RT precision, and while that sounds almost too specific, it does provide noticeable responsiveness.
The keys react instantly and reset the moment you release them, which makes things like quick double-taps feel incredibly quicker. Lastly, the instant key release detection makes movement feel snappier, like pressing “A” and “D”, which I have tested during counter-strafing in Valorant. Lastly, it has full anti-ghosting, so no matter how many keys you press at once, every input gets registered cleanly.
Software
The HERO84 HE uses a web-based software instead of a traditional downloadable driver. Personally, I think that’s a great step forward. Historically, Aula’s older software versions weren’t exactly known for their stability, and some users even reported security concerns, so not having to install anything directly on your PC is a huge relief. You only need to open it in any Chromium-based browser, and you’re good to go. The software itself is clean, responsive, and fairly intuitive.
You can create and save different profiles depending on what you’re doing. For instance, one for gaming and another for productivity. Moreover, it gives you access to all the important settings, like RGB lighting customization for both the light bar and key backlights, macros, key remapping, and most importantly, adjustable actuation points for every single key. Lastly, there’s also support for some advanced features like Rapid Trigger, SOCD handling, Dynamic Keystroke, and many more.
Should You Buy it?
Buy it if
✅ You want a premium typing feel: It provides a buttery-smooth typing experience thanks to its pre-lubed magnetic switches, multiple dampening layers, and tray-mount structure.
✅ You prefer hassle-free software: The web-based driver lets you customize actuation, lighting, and macros without downloading anything on your PC.
Don’t buy it if
❌ You need wireless connectivity: It is wired-only, as it doesn’t offer any Bluetooth or 2.4GHz option.
❌ You want see-through legends: The keycap legends are not transparent, meaning RGB lighting won’t shine through the typeface.
Final Verdict
After spending time with the Aula HERO84 HE, it’s clear that they are trying to step up their game in the magnetic keyboard scene, while keeping the price competitive as well. If you’re after a high-performance, fully customizable keyboard that doesn’t break the bank, it’s honestly one of the best options out there right now. The keyboard is responsive, flexible, and delivers a level of control that mechanical keyboards at this point rarely offer. I think Aula might have outdone themselves here.
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[Hardware Reviewer]
After many years of exploiting various pieces of hardware, Abdul Hannan now serves as an editor at Tech4Gamers. He’s been in the PC hardware reviewing industry for almost a decade, and his staff of passionate geeks and reviewers is second to none.
Abdul Hannan is constantly seeking new methods, you will always see him running into New Computer Courses to improve the performance of his computer components since he is an ardent overclocker. He is well-known for providing the most extensive and unbiased analysis of the newest and greatest hardware for PC gaming, including everything from GPUs to PSUs.
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