ASUS Republic of Gamers just recently launched its thinner version of their 65% compact gaming keyboard, The ROG Falchion RX Low Profile. We got our hands on this for review after few months it got released in the country and in this review of ours, we'll let you know our experience using this gorgeous gaming keyboard.
Disclaimer that the unit in this review was lend to us by ASUS Philippines for testing and review but have no influence on what we will write about it.
Compared to their typical gaming keyboards, the ROG Falchion RX Low Profile got thinner as if it went to the gym and boost not just its profile but the features it offers.
WHAT'S INSIDE THE BOX
The unboxing experience is very much usual, the box came with a signature gaming looking design.
You can see that the switch we got is their ROG RX Red Optical Switch that is Linear.
Inside the box includes the ROG Falchion RX Low Profile Gaming Keyboard, the keyboard cover, the 2.4 Ghz dongle that is attached on the keyboard's magnetic compartment, a USB Type-C to Type-A cable (braided), USB Extender, ROG Sticker, Warranty Booklet and the Quick start guide we usually don't read until we have to.
PHYSICAL APPEARANCE AND DESIGN
In this part we have a lot to talk about. As we said that the ROG Falchion RX LP got buffed up, we mean that physically a lot has improved comparing to its other versions (ROG Falchion, ROG Falchion NX, and the ROG Falchion Ace).
Let us start of with how thin this gaming keyboard is, we compared it with a pen box without its cover. The reason why it is called Low Profile is obviously it got thinner but the way it was design was more handsome looking.
We also compared it to an iPhone 13 Pro Max (Fully paid) and as you can see, the aluminum layer is as thin as the iPhone 13 Pro Max.
The width of the ROG Falchion RX LP is as wide as 2pcs iPhone 13 Pro Max (Fully paid) lined up vertically.
The material used on this ROG Falchion RX LP is a combination of hard plastic on the bottom for the wireless dongle to be more effective and accurate, adding the aluminum like layer where the circuit board is located and the keyboard switch and keycaps.
The feet also has 2 layers that you can choose from based on your preference.
The top left side of the keyboard now where the touch panel is relocated, originally on the left side of the keyboard from the other version of the ROG Falchion, this placement is much better since the left side location is more prone to accidentally swiping while playing and might cause interruption while playing. The touch panel also got a new look from an acrylic looking RGB panel before, not it looks slick with a minimalist camouflage design. Beside it is a physical button where you can change the function of the touch panel.
The touch panel function can be changed on the fly from Volume Control, to Media Control, to RGB Lighting Control to a Custom Function thru its software Armoury Crate.
On the top right area of the keyboard is where the connection switch are placed along with the wireless dongle compartment. The indicators are not well marked (embossed with the same color as the whole area), making it hard to see even in well-lighted area which could have been better if they have another color scheme on the indicator markings. The tri-mode switch can let you change the connection from wired to wireless dongle to Bluetooth connection. Beside it is a toggle switch for you to change from PC to Mac, allowing you to easily use a Mac keyboard layout (which we haven't tried since we have no Mac device). And in between the toggle switches and the wireless compartment is the USB Type-C port for wired and charging connections.
3-WAY BLUETOOTH CONNECTION
The ROG Falchion RX LP also comes with 3-way Bluetooth connection, allowing you to pair to 3 different devices via Bluetooth with tapping 3 keys (K for Device #1, L for Device #2, ; for Device #3). Making it more flexible to more devices. The only downside is you can't tell on what device you are connected since there are no indicators for the Bluetooth devices the keyboard is connected with.
SPECIFICATION AND PERFORMANCE
As mentioned we got the ROG RX Red switches which is the Linear switch, comparing to a regular size RX keyboard, we can say that the performance is much better given the height of the switch and keycaps, the actuation is much faster comparing to a laptop keyboard, the feel and typing experience is much better.
The only downside we are seeing is the layout of the keycaps which is given on the ROG RX Switches, there is no available 3rd party keycaps we can use to replace the current keycaps of the keyboard. On the brighter side, the defused lighting of each keys are much better looking than cross-stem switches.
Given the layout of 65% keyboard that is fit on a 60% frame, there are chances we are mistakenly tapping on different keys but this can be fixed by muscle memory as you use the keyboard more frequently.
THE ARMOURY CRATE AND OMNI
The ROG Falchion RX LP is the second keyboard (first is the ROG Strix Scope II 96 Wireless) from ROG keyboard line up that offers Omni receiver function. This allows you to use one (1) dongle for both keyboard and mouse making it more convenient if you are using ROG mouse and keyboards. Though as of writing there are only few ROG mouse and keyboards that support Omni receiver function, all are the recent model releases.
On the Armoury Crate software, you can customize per key mapping
The Armoury Crate is also where you can customize the Touch Panel functions aside from the System Volume which is default.
You can also change the lighting alert indicator or check the battery life of the keyboard. And lastly, the most important part is the firmware update which is very useful if there are some malfunction or issues not just the ROG Falchion RX LP but all of the ASUS and ROG Peripherals.
BATTERY LIFE
Based on paper, the battery life of the ROG Falchion RX LP can go up to 400hr without lighting, this may be because of the Speed Nova technology they implemented on their recent wireless peripheral models offering more battery life and low latency connection. Though we haven't tested to deplete the 96% battery life of the keyboard on our review but having that reference, you can definitely use this keyboard for 16 days non-stop or probably 1 full week without charging.
WHAT'S GOOD AND WHAT'S NOT
We saw 2 factors that we think is the cons for this product. One being the ROG Falchion RX LP only comes in white color, which we are not happy, though some prefer white for aesthetic but for some that has sweaty hands, it is a no no and white is also a dirt magnet. We just hope there is a black version for this model that can compliment on black minimalist setup.
Another factor is the Price, as of writing the SRP for ROG Falchion RX LP is PHP 8,580 or $145 comparing to RK N80 which is around PHP 7,800 or $132 and Keychron's K3 which is around PHP 3,520 or $60.
On the brighter side, the ROG Falchion RX LP has the omni receiver and the tri-mode connectivity with 3 Bluetooth device options making it more premium than others.
CONCLUSION
The ROG Falchion RX Low Profile gaming keyboard is one of the best minimalist keyboard you can find plus the factor that it is designed for gamers.
- 9/10 for design, minimalist design but no black color option
- 10/10 for performance, tri-mode, 3 device option for BT, 400hr battery life
- 8/10 for the price, premium comes with a price
Have you tried a low profile keyboard? are you more on mechanical or optical, can you consider this keyboard minimalist for you setup. Tell us more on the comment section what you think about our review. Let us know your thoughts for us to improve our website and contents.
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