Over the last couple of years, ASUS has really stepped up its game when it comes to its gaming keyboards. Since last year, it has released two veritable bangers: the ROG Azoth and the ROG Strix Scope II 96. Both dramatically exceeded expectations, expertly walking the line between enthusiast keyboards and gaming keyboards. The ROG Falchion RX is a different beast, embracing a compact form factor and a low-profile design. But despite its differences, it also embraces the same enthusiasts and excellent performance that made those other keyboards so appealing. At $170, it's definitely on the expensive side and won’t be for everyone, but if you’re a fan of compact keys or are already in the ROG ecosystem, it’s worth a closer look.
Specifications
- Current Price: $169.99 (Amazon)
- Key Switch: ROG RX Low-Profile Switch
- Connectivity
- USB 2.0 (Type-C to Type-A)
- Bluetooth 5.1
- RF 2.4GHz
- Lighting: RGB Per keys
- AURA Sync: Yes
- Anti-Ghosting: N Key Rollover
- Macro Keys: All Keys Programmable
- USB Report rate: 1000 Hz
- USB Pass through: NA
- Cable: USB type A to C braided cable
- OS
- macOS® 10.11 or later
- Windows® 11
- Software: Armoury Crate
- Dimensions: 306 x 110 x 26.5 mm
- Weight: 595g without cable
- Color: White
- Contents
- 1 x ROG Falchion RX Low Profile
- 1 x Keyboard cover
- 1 x USB dongle
- 1 x USB extender
- 1 x USB cable
- 1 x ROG sticker
- 1 x Quick start guide
- 1 x Warranty booklet
ASUS ROG Falchion RX Low Profile - Design and Highlights
The Falchion is a unique keyboard in more ways than one. Low-profile designs have been on the rise in the mechanical keyboard world for the last several years, but it works hard to make itself stand out and succeeds. It's slim, small, fast, and completely programmable. It's also quite nice to look at, which is less important but still matters for a peripheral that you will be looking at so often. And for its asking price, all of these things matter.
ASUS knows this and you can see evidence of how in tune it is with its audience all throughout its design. Its keyboards lately have been aimed at the intersection between gamers and keyboard enthusiasts, so needs to pull in both. A prerequisite for this keyboard is that you find its low profile design appealing, but if you can check that simple box, you will almost certainly find that ASUS hits the mark for both types of users: gamers who want an enthusiast-level keyboard or enthusiasts who wants the programmability and wireless performance of a gaming keyboard.
That starts with the size and its design. The keyboard uses a 65% layout, which means it does away with the function row and number pad, as well as most of the navigation. There are dedicated arrow keys as well as a column of navigation and editing buttons along the right side. Compared to a 60% keyboard, it's much more functional for web browsing and productivity and is a nice middle ground between the two, as long as you don't need a dedicated function row. Most of the missing keys are available as secondary functions and anything additional you might want can be mapped within the Armoury Crate software.
The keyboard is definitely thin, measuring only 26.5 mm. It's not the thinnest low-profile keyboard you can find, of course, but among dedicated gaming keyboards, it's competitively thin. The Razer Deathstalker Pro, for example, is less than a millimeter off in thickness. Once you start to look beyond the world of dedicated gaming keyboards, however, several options are thinner, including the Lofree Flow and Edge, as well as Nuphy’s Air series.
Having used a number of these keyboards at this point, I believe that this decision is probably for the better. While ASUS could have made the keyboard even thinner, many people likely considering it are more likely to be coming from a full-height gaming keyboard. The learning curve for totally flat keys is higher. Here, you have a height that is noticeably lower than a traditional keyboard but isn't at desk level and includes tilt feet on the back to find the most comfortable angle.
As of this writing, the keyboard is only available in a white color. It looks good, and that light hue helps show off its RGB. The chassis has a metallic appearance along the top and is gray plastic on the bottom. Along the back edge, you have switches to choose between 2.4GHz, Bluetooth, Windows, and Mac. There's also a magnetic storage compartment for the USB dongle when it's not in use.
On the left side of this upper rim, you'll find one of the keyboard’s more unique features. ASUS has integrated a capacitive touch panel. Sliding your finger along this panel can turn the volume up and down, navigate tracks, or control your keyboard’s RGB lighting. Tapping the button next to it will cycle through its different modes with an indicator on the top to tell you what mode you're currently in. I was initially a little skeptical about whether I would like this feature, but it turns out that it works very well.
ASUS put a lot of thought into its switches and its overall typing experience. It uses your choice of linear or clicky optical switches. Rather than use traditional mechanical contacts, these switches use beams of light that connect with sensors to determine key presses. This allows them to be more durable and measurably faster than normal switches. The lack of mechanical contacts means there is no electrical debounce delay to contend with. Now, does that actually matter? While it is a legitimate advantage, I questioned whether or not most people would even perceive a benefit. But, if you are investing in a high-end gaming keyboard, why not invest in one that is measurably faster than its mechanical counterparts?
On top of these switches, ASUS outfitted the keyboard with UV-coated ABS keycaps. Don't let that scare you, though, because they're quite good. They are not thin and cheap-feeling like traditional ABS gaming keycaps. ASUS also claims that its surface treatment makes them more resistant to wear and tear. In my use, I didn't notice them picking up the usual finger oils, but it's here that the white collar also benefits because that, and long-term shine, will be less visible.
The bigger downside is that they can't be swapped out because of their proprietary design. Rather than use a traditional MX stem, they use a four-post design unique to ASUS and aren't compatible with any other keycap set that I know of. That also means that if one ever breaks, you won't be able to source your own replacement without going through customer service.
It does have one benefit though: RGB. Not having an MX stem means nothing is obstructing the LEDs below and they can shine up directly through the center of the switch. This allows the keyboard to shine brightly and it looks great.
Inside the keyboard, ASUS has added some mods to improve the typing experience. The switches, for example, are pre-lubed. It’s a noticeable improvement even on the clicky version, which we tested. The stabilizers have also been lubricated to ward off rattle. Inside, there are two layers of sound-dampening silicone to enhance its acoustics and quiet its volume.
This, along with the functions of each key, can be programmed within Armoury Crate. Inside this software, ASUS gives you the ability to reassign each key with keyboard or mouse functions, as well as Windows shortcuts and macros. The lighting can be set quickly and easily using presets or completely customized with your own animated or static layout. The software has come a long way over the last several years, but I did find it slightly cumbersome with its propensity to demand updates.
I hadn't used the ROG Harpe Ace mouse in some time and the software completely locked out customizations (including DPI) until I applied all of its updates — and the mouse had been running completely fine ahead of opening the software again. This wasn’t an issue with the keyboard but could be in the future, so I hope that ASUS adds a way to delay updating and just access the customization screens regardless.
The wireless connectivity is very good. for gaming, you will want to use the SpeedNova Wireless dongle. This is ASUS’s 2.4GHz solution and allows the keyboard to connect wirelessly with a 1,000Hz (1ms) polling rate and works very, very well. The keyboard connects almost instantly and stays connected without any issues. If I didn’t know it was wireless, I would easily believe it was plugged in.
You can also connect to up to three devices over Bluetooth, which is perfectly fine for productivity. This connection method is much slower at 125Hz (8ms) but works well outside of gaming and uses less battery.
While we’re talking battery life, this is another major high point of the Falchion and a returning benefit from the Azoth and Scope Strix II 96: it’s phenomenal. ASUS rates the battery at up to 430 hours over SpeedNova Wireless. You'll need to disable the backlighting to reach this, of course, but it is noteworthy that you can reach that lifespan with its fastest connection. It is common to see keyboards rate their maximum battery life only over Bluetooth, which is less demanding than 2.4GHz. ASUS's solution is fast and efficient.
That’s important because the keyboard has been designed to travel with you. Its still going slim profile makes it easy to slide into a bag and the four-post design of the switches makes it much less like that one will get knocked off in your bag. It also comes with a dust cover that can be put onto the top of the keyboard to protect it in your bag and can also attach its bottom to give you a little extra height when typing.
ASUS ROG Falchion RX Low Profile - Performance
I used the Falchion as my main keyboard between work and home for about a week for everything from gaming to writing articles to getting work done at my day job. I found that the learning curve was pretty slight. I had previously been testing the Lofree Edge, however, so I was already used to even lower profile keys. Newcomers should give themselves time to adapt, however, as the keys are also perfectly flat and not contoured like a normal mechanical keyboard. The combination of low height and flat keys can lead to missed keystrokes until you get used to typing on it.
Once you do, it delivers an impressive typing experience that maintains the mechanical feel of its taller predecessors. Though the key travel is less at 2.8mm (versus a normal mechanical switch at around 4.0mm), there's enough travel to deliver a satisfying typing experience that doesn't feel overly sensitive.
The keycaps feel substantial and have a nice texture to them. Typing feels refined.
I saw this is on my desk poop on your head poop in my legAs I said previously, I was sent the clicky version. In general, honey you can't drum or anything anymore okay just getting awake yet yeah I am not a fan of clicky switches because all you hear is the click. In a keyboard like this that uses sound tuning material in its construction, it would seem counterintuitive to reduce it down to such a simple sound. However, because of the lubing and the acoustic material, the switches have a deeper sound than I have heard on other clickies. They are also quieter, which tempers them further. I still wish there were a tactile version of these switches available, but these are pretty good as far as clicky switches go.
The layout works very well for gaming. Its smaller size allowed me to keep my mouse hand and keyboard hand closer together, which is more comfortable over longer gaming sessions. angling the keyboard also allowed me to have more room for my mouse. Conventional wisdom says this is the biggest benefit for first-person shooters but I also found it useful in MMOs to make big sweeps for quick turns in PVP and dungeons.
The responsiveness of the keyboard is excellent. Whether I was connected using the wireless dongle or with a wire, there was no difference that I could feel. At this price, it would be good to see a 4,000 Hz or 8,000 Hz polling rate, but it's hard to argue with the responsiveness that you get. If you are a top-level professional player, you might miss it, but for most people, it's going to be very good. For typing, Bluetooth was completely lag-free.
The programmability of the keyboard is also very good. You can accomplish just about anything you would like to, short of remapping multiple layers like VIA allows. What you get in exchange for that is easier macro recording and shortcut programming, as well as very good RGB mapping.
It’s not all perfect, though. The keycaps, while fine for now, will eventually shine like all ABS does. The proprietary stem is disappointing because when this inevitably happens, you’ll be left replacing your keyboard or hoping that someone has created a keycap set that works with it. That’s not impossible but it is unlikely and if they do, your options will be limited.
The cover is also disappointing. I expected it to snap on or be held by magnets but it doesn’t secure at all. I’ve taken to putting it in the center pocket of my briefcase so the items in the surrounding pockets will hold it in place. On its own, it sits so loosely that it will simply fall off without something to hold it there.
Final Thoughts
Overall, the ASUS ROG Falchion RX Low Profile is a very good keyboard that’s also very expensive. You are getting extras for your money. Its battery life is exceptionally good and its sound and feel put other low-profile gaming keyboards to shame. The big thing here is whether or not you actually need that battery life or high-speed wireless. If you don’t mind plugging in when gaming, the Lofree Flow and Edge offer a better sound and feel. Likewise, if you don’t mind slightly more limited Windows shortcut and RGB mapping, the Nuphy Air V2 series also offers a better sound and feel.
So, I hope that ASUS gives this one a price cut. It’s a very good keyboard but is less competitive than it should be. Still, if you need rapid wireless and crave something that’s wholly designed around your gaming experience, this may be the low-profile slate for you.
The product described in this article was provided by the manufacturer for evaluation purposes. Some articles may contain affiliate links and purchases made through this will result in a small commission for the site. Commissions are not directed to the author or related to compensation in any way.
