On its left side, it has a touch panel that can be programmed to control volume, switch between apps, and even accept macro commands. Cherry MX RGB Red, Brown, Blue, or Speed Silver switches are choices for the board. It unfortunately lacks Bluetooth support, making it impossible to pair with devices that don’t have a USB port. It was only a matter of time until a manufacturer began adding quality-of-life elements to the usually basic design, with small 60- and 65-percent gaming keyboards taking Centre stage. also you will learn our article on Asus ROG Falchion review. With its touch-based volume slider and opaque plastic cover, the Asus ROG Falchion 65 percent keyboard has a premium feel. Additionally, mechanical keyboards with wireless capabilities are still relatively uncommon. The Falchion doesn’t have many features per se, but it has a feature set that stands out among the new generation of compact keyboards for 2021. The Asus ROG Falchion is a compact keyboard that Editors’ Choice recommends for this reason.
Asus ROG Falchion review: Design
As a 65% smaller variant, the ROG Falchion naturally lacks the number pad and specialized F-keys. The separate arrow keys and an additional column of four keys on the right have been maintained on this keyboard, which is a significant plus since normally the function and arrow keys would be the same. Because the keys are packed together without any blocking or gap, the board appears to be tiny. Although the design is quite “gamer-esq,” we must admit that we truly dig it. The Falchion has what we would refer to as a floating keycap design, where the keys are raised above the frame to reveal the RGB illumination that is located beneath each key. The keycaps themselves are ROG’s double-shot PBT keycaps, making them incredibly strong and long-lasting before wearing out. The angry-looking gamer font makes the font from Asus ROG division a true classic. With overall measurements of 305mm x 101mm x 39mm, you are getting a board that has a very small desk footprint, and we appreciate the addition of dedicated arrow keys. With the arrows and four function keys down the right, we can finally use a small board for work without having to press three keys simultaneously to complete a task. Of course, there is a little bit more room to play with than on a 60% keyboard. The majority of the Falchion is composed of plastic, which helps it weigh less than the typical 520 grammes for a keyboard this size. Plastic is quite acceptable to us, and the keyboard has just the right amount of weight to keep it firmly in place. It really does look fantastic on the desk from every angle. The shape is quite boxy, with rounded off bezels to create an aesthetic that we prefer.
Keys
The 68-key Asus ROG Falchion is a little on the large side for a compact keyboard, despite the fact that its extra features don’t add any obvious extra surface area. It is not particularly small or large, but it is on the long side for a compact design at 1.69 by 12.19 by 4.13 inches (HWD). The number pad, function row, and some editing keys are taken out of the Falchion to make it a 65 percent keyboard. you can check our article on Asus ROG Falchion review. The Asus ROG Falchion contains arrow keys in the bottom-left corner as well as Insert, Delete, Page Up, and Page Down in the right key column, unlike slightly smaller 60%ers. Given that these keys are frequently removed from smaller keyboards, it’s a little strange that Asus would preserve them. The right arrow is located at the bottom of the column, suggesting that they are only still present for the sake of symmetry. That makes perfect sense, but the Fnatic Streak65 and other small keyboards have shown to make better use of the extra room. The Falchion looks quite unremarkable in comparison to some of Asus ROG’s larger keyboards. It has a single block of keys with no space between them, just as other keyboards with 60 and 65 percent of the keys. The “1” key is located right next to the Escape key. The bottom-right corner has been crowded with arrows. Neither the Strix Flare nor the Strix Scope have plastic ID tags or sharp edges. The legends do, however, use ROG’s distinctive, blocky font.
RGB lighting
Excellent lighting makes it a veritable eye delight for its small. The Cherry MX RGB with the premium keycaps work perfectly together. In addition to its many other uses, the touch panel now also functions as a battery indicator. That indicates that the touch panel may support up to 5 functions. That is a swipe on top of three taps (top, middle, and bottom). Each of these can be customized using the software, and if you’d like, you can also use a macro. Even after a week, we haven’t used up all the battery power on this keyboard. Even though we don’t use the RGB lighting, it seems like it could easily surpass the 300-hour mark as things stand.
Software
The Armoury Crate software must operate at full capacity for the Falchion. Despite the software’s varied reviews, we strongly advise downloading it even if you only want to use the keyboard alone. In fact, the keyboard’s programmable touch panel, which uses the desired buttons, is one of its most crucial features. We originally set this up to use the Page Up and Page Down keys, but since not all websites support scrolling through the Page keys, we’ve found that using the Arrow keys Up and Down yields the greatest benefit.
Asus ROG Falchion review: Connectivity
The Falchion only supports RF wireless connections, as contrast to other high-end wireless gaming keyboards like the Razer BlackWidow Mini, which also includes a USB dongle. It’s less adaptable and incompatible with tablets and phones as a result. Because Asus markets the Falchion as a gaming keyboard, it assumes you’ll use it with a desktop PC or a powerful gaming laptop that has plenty of USB-A ports. It’s a risky move that might annoy some users who want to bring their wireless keyboard with them when they go to Starbucks.
Performance
The Falchion’s foldable keyboard feet provided a great angled rise while typing, making it a smooth and reliable experience. The gaming experience on the board was likewise enjoyable and free of input lag. The software is this little board’s main flaw. Even though the Asus driver package has a wide range of lighting and macro choices that are all stored in the keyboard’s local memory, you cannot change the function layer or reposition the Fn button using the software. The programme appeared incomplete in some places. To put it another way, the software is adequate for gaming, but noticeably inferior to alternatives like Razer, Logitech, etc., but it’s terrible if you need more sophisticated programming for everyday duties at work. you will read our article on Asus ROG Falchion review.
Asus ROG Falchion review: Battery life
The Asus ROG Falchion can operate continuously for 450 hours. Although we were unable to fully test this, we left it on all week without needing to recharge it. We should note that because we had the RGB lighting turned on, the battery drains much more quickly. Asus does state that the 450-hour mark can only be reached with the lighting turned off. This brings us to the battery status bar, a feature exclusive to the Falchion. You won’t need to check the software to see that your keyboard is running low on battery life because the status bar displays this information in real-time. While this has historically been a frustrating feature with some peripherals, the keyboard puts itself to sleep when not in use, and it works nicely here. When you press a key, the lighting turns off, but what we like is that it responds right away and doesn’t need to wake up. Additionally, you can extend the battery life by altering the software’s sleep settings.
Conclusion
The ASUS Falchion is an excellent gaming computer. This extremely well-made board has highly impressively low latency and RGB lights that is programmable. Additionally, any key, including the touch panel on the left side of the board, can be assigned a macro. Our device’s Cherry MX Red switches feel responsive and light. It comes with a few different Cherry MX switch types if you’d prefer a different switch feel. Unfortunately, there is no wrist rest included.
