Serene Industries has begun accepting pre-orders for the $2,100 Icebreaker mechanical keyboard—a peripheral for the price of a high-end PC doesn’t offer exceptional features, and its price tag comes down to its unique appearance.
Image source: serene.industries
The source of inspiration for the creation of Icebreaker was the Flatiron Building, one of the symbols of New York. Like the building, the keyboard is wedge-shaped. “If you look at it from the right angle, it appears flat, like a sheet of paper,” said company founder Denis Agarkov. The device is made in a monolithic body made of 6061 aluminum alloy, which gives it strength.
The keycaps are also made of aluminum, which can also be purchased separately. Their designations are not painted, but perforated; the holes have diameters of 400 µm. With these sizes, the holes can be felt with your fingertips and are clearly visible thanks to the LED backlight. However, Icebreaker’s design solutions also raise some doubts. The holes can become clogged with dust and debris. The keycaps themselves are low-profile, but are mounted on full-height mechanical switches, which means the keys can be somewhat unstable during operation. There is also a rotary switch that allows you to adjust the volume and can also be used for work, such as video editing or image editing.
The wireless version of the Icebreaker is equipped with a 4000 mAh battery, and four holes with 1/4-20 threads are drilled into its base for installing accessories or attaching a keyboard. There is also a rotary knob on the case – it, like the other keys, is programmed using the Via application. In its base version for $1,500, Icebreaker offers a paint-free case, USB Type-C connectivity, and hot-swappable switches; the black version with Bluetooth and Hall effect switches will cost $2,100. There is no number pad on the keyboard.