Latest news with #Keychron
WIRED
17 hours ago
- WIRED
I Surprisingly Can't Get Enough of the Space-Age Looks of This Asus Gaming Keyboard
A lot of mechanical keyboards struggle with aesthetics. It's hard to get right! If the styling is overdone, you might inhibit functionality or just have too much going on visually. If you stick to the basics, you might end up with a bland keyboard. Whichever way you go, there's still a chance you'll get it wrong and have something that doesn't look good. But there's been an influx of really well-designed keyboards of late: Keychron's K2 HE Special Edition is a great example, along with the Mchose GX87 Ultra, not to mention the countless high-end custom keyboard kits available today. With most of these keyboards, keycaps take a backseat—even if they look good, they're usually fairly standard and minimal. Asus takes the opposite approach with the ROG Azoth X: A simple white case, but colorful and stylized keycaps. It's not the most conventional design, but they look really good and manage to liven up a desk without taking over your setup. This keyboard manages to look good without sacrificing substance—the Azoth X has 2.4 GHz and Bluetooth connectivity, 1,000-Hz polling, and an internal assembly that makes it both fun to type on and easy to modify. It's available in white with either click or linear NX switches, and includes a silicone wrist rest. All that costs a pretty penny, though, at $300. Deep and Snappy Typing Photograph: Henri Robbins This keyboard is most comparable to Razer's BlackWidow V4 75% in typing experience. Both use a metal top case and a plastic bottom case with a gasket mount system and a plastic plate. The stiffness is similar, as are the sound profiles. The biggest difference is the switch options: Razer's 75% keyboard is only available with tactile switches, while Asus offers linear and clicky switches. The unit I received came with Asus's Snow linear switches. These are a fairly light linear switch with a deeper typing sound and a consistent smoothness throughout the entire keypress. They aren't the smoothest switches I've tested, but the friction felt when typing is both minimal and consistent, resulting in a typing experience that's still enjoyable. These switches also have minimal stem wobble, meaning keypresses feel stable and confident when typing. They require less force than a Cherry MX Red switch, requiring 53 grams of force to fully bottom out compared to the MX Red's 60 grams. This difference is noticeable and makes the switches feel more responsive without as much risk of mis-inputs compared to a truly lightweight (sub-50g) spring. The gasket-mounting system that holds the keyboard in place feels like a mix between a gasket mount and an o-ring mount, since the rubber gaskets are pressed tightly into the inside of the case. This means the typing feel is consistent across the entire keyboard, and feels more connected to the case compared to a standard foam gasket. It still has some of the bounce and softness expected from a gasket mount, but it is less than many comparable keyboards. The stabilizers in the Azoth X are standard plate-mounted, lubed from the factory. While plate-mount stabilizers are typically going to feel less stable than PCB-mount, the ones used here still feel good and have no rattle out of the box. Space-Age Aesthetics Photograph: Henri Robbins There are a lot of things I like about the design. The keycaps are slightly flatter than the average keycap and have a two-piece assembly with a transparent back for RGB diffusion. The case has a sleek and angular design that looks stylish and space-age without taking up a lot of room.
CNET
6 days ago
- CNET
This Keychron Keyboard Combines One of the Best Technologies in Gaming With a Gorgeous Premium Design
If you've paid any attention to gaming accessories the past few years you've likely heard something about the benefits of Hall Effect joysticks and triggers. Essentially, instead of using a physical connection to sense movement, Hall Effect sensors use magnets. The idea is to reduce wear and tear on components to give you more durability as well as improve the controller's response time. Most gamers probably won't notice the difference between a standard and Hall Effect controller, but for the hardcore gamers, where every millisecond counts, it can make a big difference. Hall Effect controllers have exploded in popularity over the past few years, so I suppose it was only a matter of time before companies started using this same technology in keyboards. Behold the Keychron K4 HE: It's a 96%-sized wireless keyboard from the world-renowned company. As you probably guessed from the intro, it uses uses Hall Effect switches instead of traditional mechanical switches. The result is a combination of superlatives like impressive, enjoyable, annoying and ridiculous overkill, all in one package. What I like about the Keychron K4 HE For starters, the build quality is exceptional, as I've come to expect from Keychron. The K4 HE has a good bit of weight to it, which gives it a premium feel, and the wood sides of the Special Edition version I reviewed add a touch of luxury as well. It's available with either black or white keycaps with slightly different wood tones for each. There's also a Standard version, which has Cherry-profile keycaps instead of OSA-profile and loses the wood side rails, knocking about $10 off the price. CNET/Jason Cockerham The most important feature of the K4 HE, however, is the Hall Effect switches. The use of magnets enables a 0.2 to 3.8mm actuation range with a minimal 0.1 mm sensitivity. The Nebula Gateron switches that came with my K4 HE have a start and end actuation force of 40 gram-force and 60 gram-force, respectively, but you can get other Hall Effect switches with smaller or larger actuation forces. It's worth noting that the K4 HE is only compatible with double-rail magnetic switches. So while you can hot-swap the switches, you cannot use traditional mechanical switches. What's really nuts is the insane levels of software customization available. You can set different actions for different actuation points within each keypress, meaning a shallow, 0.2mm keypress could trigger one action while a deeper, 3.8mm keypress could trigger a different action. There's also Last Key Prioritization, which prioritizes the last key pressed, and Snap Click, where deeper keypresses take precedence when you press two keys at the same time. Basically, this allows you to trigger multiple actions in a game without having to lift your fingers for multiple keypresses. In games that require speed and fast reaction times, this can be huge. CNET/Jason Cockerham The Rapid Trigger feature also gets a speed boost because each keypress is reset the moment the key travel reverses, meaning you can keep firing or moving literally as fast as your finger can move. Honestly, the most surprising thing to me is that you can have up to four distinct actions per key based on how hard you press it. As in, you can program up to four stages per key, which triggers a keypress at each stage. This is my first experience with Hall Effect magnetic keyboard switches and the typing experience is… interesting. Fully aware of the irony, I immediately noticed how firm and tactile the typing experience felt when I first started using it. The design engineers at Keychron deserve a lot of credit for tuning the magnetic resistance so superbly. It feels amazing to type on. The acoustics are also enjoyable. While they don't quite have the crispiness of a traditional mechanical keyboard "thock," they still sound great. I personally enjoy the noise of a mechanical keyboard and the K4 HE sounds nice to my ears. The only exceptions are the spacebar and other longer keys. It's not unusual for these specific keys to sound different than the rest of the keyboard, but it's still annoying when they do, at least for me. CNET/Jason Cockerham HE not for everyone? I never quite got used to the typing experience over my several weeks with it, so I never got back up to my normal typing speed and accuracy while using it. I still haven't decided if I'm going to press on (sorry) and see if I fully adjust or go back to my standard mechanical switches. Part of my frustration lies with the compact layout. It's literally one solid rectangle with no space between the main keyboard and the arrow keys, numpad, or function keys. I personally found it annoying and don't know if I'll get used to it. Also, if you're a big fan of RGB, I'd probably get the Standard edition over the Special Edition because the RGB is much harder to see with the keycaps from the Special Edition. Overall, the Keychron K4 HE is an impressive keyboard. If you are a hard-core FPS player, there's no doubt you can take full advantage of the customization options to up your gameplay, and the solid build quality and wood rails look great on any desk. If you don't need a numpad, I'd probably recommend going for the K2, as the layout is likely closer to what you're used to. Either way, for $135 to $145, depending on if you want the OBS keycaps and wood rails, there's not a lot wrong with the K4 HE. That's a good price for a keyboard this good, and if it sounds interesting to you, you won't be disappointed.
Indian Express
08-06-2025
- Indian Express
Fifty per cent off: Budget delight for mechanical keyboard warriors
They might be noisy, heavy and take some getting used to, but mechanical keyboards with their clickety clack sounds that bring out typewriter vibes, have a dedicated following of their own. Once largely of the wired variety seen with desktops, mechanical keyboards have evolved with time and today you can get mechanical keyboards that work wirelessly. The problem is that these often come with stiff price tags – some of Logitech. Keychron and Razer's mechanical keyboards can set you back by well over Rs 15,000. While wireless keyboards with affordable price tags do exist, they often come with a number of compromises, which makes them slightly risky investments. However, there are some exceptions to this rule, and one of them is the Portronics Hydra 10 Wireless Keyboard. This keyboard comes with Bluetooth as well as 2.4 Ghz wireless connectivity and mechanical switches as well as RGB lighting, and while it was generally available for around Rs 3500 – Rs 4000 and has an official sales price of Rs 9,999 on the Portronics website, it is now available for prices in the range of Rs 1,999 – Rs 2499, and at those prices, it is a terrific deal. It might now come with a very affordable price tag, but the Portronics Hydra 10 does not look like a low cost mechanical keyboard from any angle. The keyboard is made mostly of plastic and has a very solid feel to it. It is available in black and white, and although the white one does look more attractive, its ability to attract dust (a quality, alas, too common in mechanical keyboards, thanks to the deep spaces between keys) makes the black variant a more sensible option, unless you work mostly indoors. It is a 68-key keyboard, so you do not get a dedicated number pad and the number row on the top also has the F function keys with then, which can be a bit of a disappointment for those who want a full array of keys on their keyboard, but the keys themselves seem sturdy, have plenty of travel and have letters very clearly printed on them. What's more, they come with RGB backlighting, which you can turn off if you wish (we left it on). As this is a slightly compressed keyboard, we would recommend spending some time getting familiar with the specific shortcuts available for this keyboard as some common keys, such as that for hashtags, are not clearly marked. The left side of the top of the keyboard houses a USB Type-C port while the base of the keyboard (its back) has a USB nano dongle for 2.4 GHz for wireless connectivity and an on-off slider switch. The keyboard comes with Bluetooth 5.0 connectivity and can be connected to three devices at a time. The Hydra 10 is about a foot in length, 29 mm in height and about 10 centimetres wide, and weighs about 580 grams. It is very easy to carry along, although there is no carrying case (or even a cloth or plastic bag) in its box. We would recommend investing in a basic carry bag for it, if you are considering taking it along on your travels – it is sturdy enough to survive being thrown into a regular backpack, but it does attract dust and other particles there. All said and done, this is a compact, easy to carry keyboard, with clean, smart looks. It certainly does not look like a Rs 2000 keyboard. The Portronics Hydra 10 delivers a very good performance. The keys are a little on the small size as is often the case in compact keyboards, but there is plenty of space between them, so the chances of errors is limited. Typing itself is a great experience and those who love mechanical keyboards with satisfying clicking sounds will love the Hydra 10. It is not too loud, but key travel is excellent and each keystroke delivers a satisfying click. The RGB lights add to the overall typing experience, though those who find it distracting can turn it off. The absence of some keys can be a little disorienting initially, but you get used to the shortcuts for them by and by. Typing in general is a smooth experience, and the keyboard connects very smoothly with devices on all platforms – we used with an iPad, a OnePlus Pad 3, a MacBook Air and an Asus VivoBook and it worked well with all of them. Connecting is as simple as switching the keyboard on, pressing a key which you wish to use as a connectivity key (you can choose from three), and then choosing the device from your tablet or notebook. To switch between devices, simply hit the key dedicated to each device. The process is seamless. We used it to switch between typing on our OnePlus 13s and iPad, and faced no problems. There is hardly any latency on Bluetooth but the experience seems just a little faster on the 2.4 Ghz connection – we suggest using that mode if you are using the keyboard for gaming. Battery life is pretty good – we got through close to 5-7 days of usage on a single charge, and the fact that the keyboard charges off a type-C port is so much more convenient than carrying AAA batteries for it. And yes, you can even connect the keyboard to your device using a Type-C cable if you like a wired connection (it is the fastest of all). It is not all roses with the Hydra 10, though. We found the Bluetooth connection dropping sometimes in the middle of a typing session, which can be very irritating (it never happened on the 2.4 Ghz connection). And we can see some people getting annoyed at the need to remember keyboard combinations for something as basic as a hashtag. There is no clear way to see battery levels on the keyboard itself, and as with all mechanical keyboards, one has to reconcile oneself to regularly cleaning the space between keys! ' Still all said and done, the Portronics Hydra 10 delivers great value for mechanical keyboard fans on a tight budget. You can get it for around Rs 2,000 – Rs 2,500 or even lower with the right offers, and at that price, it just clicks!
WIRED
05-06-2025
- Business
- WIRED
Asus' ROG Falchion Ace HFX Brings a Fresh Take to Hall Effect Keyboards
Every gaming keyboard manufacturer seems to be jumping on the Hall effect bandwagon, and why wouldn't they? The keyboard technology has been proven in both esports arenas and home office setups worldwide and offers countless advantages over standard mechanical keyboards, with no real performance compromises. Hall effect keyboards have also arrived as countless other technologies enter the keyboard space: Everything from gasket-mounting to touchpads is now in mainstream keyboards. That also means I regularly see new products, mechanical and Hall effect, with features I've never even considered before. Case in point, the Asus ROG Falchion Ace HFX, a small keyboard with a large name and a lot of unusual features. This $200 wired-only keyboard has Hall effect switches, an 8,000-Hz polling rate, multidevice connectivity with two USB-C ports, and a programmable touchpad on the back edge. Not to mention countless on-keyboard controls and a flipable lever to enable or disable the rapid trigger feature found on most Hall effect keyboards. While it does have some strange design decisions, it has a lot of really clever ones too. Unique Switches Photograph: Henri Robbins Photograph: Henri Robbins Photograph: Henri Robbins The Falchion has one of the deepest typing sounds compared to other Hall effect keyboards. This is likely a combination of the keyboard's unique HFX magnetic switches, one of the few I've tested that aren't made by Gateron, and the sound dampening inside. It consists of multiple layers of foam, Poron, and silicone, and a sheet of small rubber domes. The switches feel incredibly smooth, even when pressed slowly, with a consistent feel throughout the entire keypress. They use a polycarbonate top housing, a POM stem, and a POM bottom housing, contributing to the deeper typing sound and ensuring smoothness across the entire keystroke. Unlike most Hall effect switches, the HFX doesn't have a hole in the center, instead, it moves the magnet to the front, where the metal contact leaf would typically be on a mechanical switch. This makes the Falchion incompatible with standard Hall effect switches, but likely improves the sound profile as well: Open-bottom switches tend to have a more hollow typing sound, which can be heard on competitors. The springs are weighted to 55 grams of total force, which is 5 grams lighter than the Gateron Nebula dual-rail switches used by Keychron, and 10 grams lighter than the standard Cherry MX Red. There aren't any other switches available for this keyboard, but because Hall effect switches are contactless, the existing switches can be removed without any desoldering or extensive disassembly. I didn't find myself wanting to change the switches, though—they have a poppy and deep sound that's incredibly crisp, and they feel responsive and smooth, especially with rapid trigger enabled. My largest issue with the typing experience was the keycaps. They have a rough texture that, while grippy, felt noticeably coarse and unpleasant when typing. It comes down to preference, but I found them less enjoyable than smooth or lightly textured keycaps.
Tom's Guide
20-05-2025
- Tom's Guide
I finally tried magnetic key switches, but I never thought I'd find them in a split keyboard that's also wireless
When I went to Asus' headquarters to see all of their new products ahead of the first day on the show floor at Computex 2025, I wasn't expecting a new keyboard to be revealed, especially a split one with magnetic switches. Oh, and did I mention it's also wireless? Just like when magnetic Hall Effect sensors first made their way to the best PC game controllers, I've been itching to try out these new magnetic sensors that are becoming increasingly popular in gaming keyboards. While these sensors help prevent stick drift in your controller, on the best mechanical keyboards, they provide you with greater accuracy. This is because you can fine-tune their actuation point (or where a keypress is registered when you press down on a key) to your liking. Over the past few years, we've seen all sorts of magnetic keyboards from companies like Keychron and Nuphy. While it was inevitable that bigger brands would join the fray, I never expected to find magnetic switches in a split keyboard from Asus. Here's everything you need to know about Asus' new ROG Falcata keyboard and why it's just as good for typing as it is for gaming. Unlike a traditional keyboard, the ROG Falcata is split in half right down the middle, though you can put both ends together if you prefer. Designed with gaming in mind, this 75% keyboard is just as good for typing due to its split design. You see, with a split keyboard like this, you can separate the two halves, which allows your hands to rest in a more natural position with them further apart. The ROG Falcata also comes with removable wrist rests that have a nice soft feel to them, which makes sense given that they're made of silicone. But that's not the only way you can customize this keyboard to your liking. When you flip the ROG Falcata over, besides attaching or removing the wrist rests, you can also adjust its height and angle. In the picture above, you can see the extra feet Asus includes with the Falcata. They allow you to raise the entire keyboard or just a part of it. For instance, you might want the middle of your keyboard to be higher so that it has a tent shape to it. I've seen this feature in some of the other split keyboards, but instead of removable feet, they often just have ones you can raise or lower. With the ROG Falcata, Asus is giving you quite a bit of flexibility in how you want to use it. As is the case with many other split keyboards, you don't have to use both sides at the same time. Instead, you can just use the left side so that you have plenty of space on your desk for one of the best gaming mice. This also makes the Falcata easier to travel with if you know you're just going to be using it for gaming, since you only need to bring one side of the keyboard. On the left edge of the ROG Falcata, there's also a multifunction wheel and button that allows you to customize it even further. You can use the wheel to tweak a variety of settings from the actuation point of its keys to the sensitivity of its Rapid Trigger feature, volume, media playback, keyboard lighting and more. Meanwhile, the button with the ROG logo above the wheel lets you easily switch to the fastest typing response and key repeat rates with a single tap. I don't know about you but I love being able to adjust my computer's volume with a knob or a wheel like this one so that I don't have to do so from within Windows itself or directly on a pair of the best computer speakers. For the ROG Falcata, Asus has given its magnetic key switches some serious upgrades. These pre-lubed switches have been redesigned from the ground up with a new snap-fit stem design that makes them more stable while also delivering more consistent keystrokes. At the same time, Asus has increased the size of its built-in magnets for improved precision and better accuracy. The switches can be customized for 0.1-3.5mm actuation, though you can also fine-tune them at 0.01mm intervals. Thanks to Asus' ROG Hall Sensors, you get more accurate input detection while reducing electrical noise and interference. However, their increased magnetic flux tolerance also makes them more precise overall. The ROG Falcata features an ultra-responsive 8,000 Hz polling rate. And thanks to Asus' ROG SpeedNova 8K wireless technology, the keyboard has a whopping 610 hours of battery life. We will have to put this to the test ourselves, but with that much battery life, you'll rarely need to charge this keyboard, which makes jumping right back into your favorite games even easier. With tri-mode connectivity on board, you can connect the ROG Falcata to one of the best gaming PCs over Bluetooth, using the included 2.4GHz wireless dongle. If you're an old-school PC gamer who wants the least amount of lag possible, you can always plug it in using a USB-C cable. In addition to more accuracy and better precision, Asus has also considered the keyboard's sound. The ROG Falcata has four integrated layers of dampening foam and other materials so that your typing won't distract your teammates or coworkers if you plan on using this keyboard in the office. It's rare to find one of the best gaming keyboards that's as comfortable to type on as it is to play games with, but the ROG Falcata checks both those boxes. Its split design lets your hands rest in a more natural position while its magnetic ROG HFX V2 switches give you both greater accuracy and control over your keystrokes. Obviously, this is one we're going to have to get in for testing, but during my brief time with the ROG Falcata at Asus' headquarters, I was very intrigued by both its design and how nice it felt to type on. Given that this is the company's first split keyboard and it's a wireless magnetic one at that, I expect it will be priced higher than some of its other offerings, as Asus hasn't given us a final price yet. Still, you're getting a very customizable keyboard with free attachable wrist rests in the box. I spent quite a few years using a split keyboard for better ergonomics, but at the time, I didn't really have a lot of choices to pick from. Even then, most of them had to be connected to your PC using a cable, and your keycap options were quite limited due to the fact that many of them use non-standard-sized keycaps. The ROG Falcata is scheduled to be released this summer, and I can't wait to literally get my hands on it. Let me know in the comments if you've ever used a split keyboard or would consider doing so. But for all the latest from on the ground at Computex 2025, stay tuned to Tom's Guide.
