The Asus ROG Falchion Wireless Keyboard is a sleek and stylish gaming keyboard that packs quite the punch. It features RGB lighting, macro keys, onboard audio/mic for chat functions, and an all-black design to stand out from the crowd. Plus, it’s wireless.
The Falchion’s prominent feature is its 65 percent TKL (Tenkeyless) form factor. Its diminutive size allows it to fit on the tiniest of tables and be readily carried.
At a glance, there are the following features:
- Interactive touch panel
- Dual-mode wireless with a 2.4GHz connection (wired)
- Battery life of 450 hours (no RGB)
- Doubleshot PBT keycaps
- MX switches (Cherry MX)
- The cover for the Keyboard is made of polycarbonate that also serves as a tray.
Wireless Networking
A massive feature of the Falchion is its Wireless Networking. This is one of the few, maybe only gaming keyboards of this size to be completely wireless.
A 2.4GHz USB dongle with a 1ms report rate provides the connection. During my testing, I never had a connection fail, which gives me confidence in using this as my everyday car for gaming. Wireless technology has progressed significantly, and although I believe it matters less when it comes to keyboards, I understand why some people still prefer connected peripherals.
Status Bar for the Battery
The Asus ROG Falchion is rated for 450 hours of continuous usage. I could not put this entirely to the test but left it on throughout the week without having to charge it up once. I had the RGB lighting on, so it naturally drains much quicker, and I should point out that to hit 450 hours, Asus does state this would only happen with the lighting switched off. This brings me to a feature unique to the Falchion – the Status Bar for the Battery.
The battery life is shown in real-time in the status bar, so you won’t have to go into the program to find out when your keyboard will die. When not in use, the keyboard goes to sleep, and although this has been a nagging feature with other peripherals in the past, it works nicely here. When sleeping, the illumination turns off, but I like that it reacts to the first keypress and doesn’t need to wake up before getting to work. You may also extend the battery life by changing the sleep settings in the program.
Interactive touch panel
This has to be one of the most admirable aspects of the Falchion; I’ve never seen anything like it on a keyboard this compact before, and it’s a great piece of Asus invention. The touch panel has nine tactile stages and is positioned on the board’s left side. The touch panel is set up to manage your media volume out of the box, but it doesn’t have to be. The touch panel may be used to make app shortcuts, copy and paste, and even be programmed as a macro key for gaming.
The software allows you to adjust several features of the touch panel. For example, the center area of the touch panel wasn’t set to do anything, so I configured it to silence media when pressed.
Switches
While the Cherry MX RGB switches on the Asus ROG Falchion aren’t going to impress anybody, they are sturdy, trustworthy switches that will never fail you down. The model I’m using has the Red variation, which I prefer when shopping for a keyboard since I like a linear type switch.
The keyboard has a minor degree of pinging, but it’s considerably less than the Corsair K65 Mini, where you wouldn’t notice or care. These have a higher quality feel and sound, and they seem to be lubricated since they are smoother.
Cover for the Keyboard
At first glance, it may seem strange that I include a Cover for the Keyboard as a feature but hear me out, this is great. The included polycarbonate cover is of high quality and can be used as a dust cover when away from the desk. The body also has an alternative use and can flip around to be a keyboard tray essentially.
It’s unnecessary to use it as a tray, but it’s well-designed and diffuses the RGB light around the borders. Asus has gone a step further by including two tiny holes for accessing the touch panel and the back button/charge port. We also notice four rubber pads on the bottom and rubber inside for optimal stability in this mode.
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