Lofree Dot Foundation keyboard review: Specs, features, price

Keyboards aren’t precisely an merchandise you could possibly describe as female. Off-the-shelf mechanical keyboards do not are likely to lean the design in that course in any respect and are often very utilitarian and industrial in development.

After all, a seasoned Mac person may merely swap keycaps out from a mechanical keyboard for one thing they like. However that also leaves the remainder of the keyboard unchanged until you are ready to pay so much for a mission to construct.

Lofree has developed a keyboard that takes the concept of a female keyboard and applies it to virtually all components of its development.

From the outset, the Circulation Dot Basis is a reasonably uncommon keyboard in various methods. A variety of that’s all the way down to how a lot Lofree centered on making it female.

For a begin, it is a transportable but small keyboard with a 75% structure utilizing 84 keys. The Operate Key row is undamaged on the high, however additionally they act as media keys due to a perform modifier key.

Lofree Circulation Dot Basis overview: A top-down view of the keyboard.

Your complete keyboard is encased in a transparent casing, with opaque sections inside that match the roundness of the outside. This aesthetic is good, with the interior blobs seemingly floating in place.

Beneath the keyboard are 4 toes. Two massive toes are to the rear for angling the keyboard, whereas the entrance two are very small.

Lofree additionally included a pair of additional nook cushions for the entrance in case the keyboard comes into contact with the desk.

The keyboard’s thickness, the peak of the keys, and the angle at which the fastened rear toes place the keyboard could also be a bit excessive for many customers, and can nearly actually immediate typists to spend money on a wrist relaxation.

Lofree Circulation Dot Basis overview: The fastened toes can’t be adjusted.

Towards the rear is a small part with two mode switches, a USB-C connector, and a pull-out dongle.

The design of the keys is fairly uncommon in that the majority of them are very customized. Many of the keys are clear ABS however with a layer of actual liquid basis inserted into the important thing.

The keys are additionally made to be round, with a slight bowl to them. For most of the keys, this offers the impact of typing on rows of upturned basis make-up bottles, therefore the identify.

Lofree Circulation Dot Basis overview: The keys are paying homage to make-up bottle bases.

The primary letter keys are a pinker shade than the quantity and performance keys, giving a little bit of design variation. Not all keys are handled like this, as the encompassing keys use an opaque peach-colored ABS with easy printing on high.

The house bar is an outlier, as it is a shiny rose gold key, the one one on there. It matches the metallic branding accent to the aspect of the keyboard fairly intently.

It’s a little bit of a chunky keyboard, however whereas a bit heavy, it is not overly problematic. At 972 grams (2.14 kilos), it is not one you’d anticipate to cart round along with your iPad in a bag. Nevertheless it’s additionally not too weighty to maneuver round your desk with out feeling too gentle.

Beneath the fascinating spherical keys are a set of Gateron Child Racoon switches. These had been apparently made color-matched particularly for the keyboard sequence.

They’re largely functionally much like the Gateron Pink as it’s a linear swap with a really gentle 40-gram set off drive. Whereas linear switches are often celebrated for offering a easy typing expertise, the lighter set off drive means you need not press as closely.

Lofree Circulation Dot Basis overview: A metallic embellishment subsequent to the keys.

The switches have a pre-travel of 1.7 millimeters and a complete journey of simply 3.2 millimeters. Not solely do you not have to press as onerous on every key, however they do not need to journey as far.

Like many different specialist mechanical keyboards, the keys are hot-swappable. If you wish to change the switches to a different sort, you are able to do so with out ruining the remainder of the keyboard’s look.

The keyboard does not have full RGB, but it surely does have heat white LEDs. That is considerably classier for this keyboard’s meant styling in comparison with what a standard RGB keyboard would appear to be.

There are seven lighting results to select from, full with 4 brightness ranges relying in your atmosphere. Between the Enter and the Web page Up is one other purposeful gentle, which signifies if wi-fi connectivity is in use.

The clear plastic keyboard enclosure homes a gasket mount design, which suggests there are components on the positioning gate between the switches and the PCB to cushion motion. There are different layers as effectively, together with IPXE foam and a silicon pad, which have an effect on how the keyboard sounds when typed.

The result’s an honest, low-sounding click on of a key press that is not overly loud. It is also a pleasant, passable expertise to press the keys down in common typing.

The general chunky development, regardless of being plastic, feels fairly sturdy. Nevertheless, it raises the keys to a reasonably uncomfortable degree to sort and not using a wrist relaxation.

The fastened legs additionally imply you will not be capable of alter the angle in utilization both, which is not perfect both.

Like another common keyboard, you could possibly join it to your Mac or iPad Pro utilizing the included USB-C to USB-C cable. It is useful, peach-shaded to match the keyboard, and recharges the built-in 4,000mAh battery.

Lofree Circulation Dot Basis overview: The rear switches, USB-C port, and dongle.

Across the again of the keyboard is the USB-C port for that cable, together with two switches. One is to change between layouts meant for macOS and iOS versus Home windows and Android.

The opposite swap is used to alternate between working off the cable, working off wi-fi, or turning the keyboard off.

The wi-fi connectivity is in two methods, with Bluetooth 5.3 assist, which suggests you may join it to your iPad pretty simply.

The opposite wi-fi is utilizing a dongle, which has its personal slot on the rear for storage. A neat a part of the design is that the dongle snaps into the slot with a magnet holding it in place, so it will not simply separate in transit.

The 4,000mAh battery is so much for a typical keyboard, and it exhibits in its utilization time. It’s claimed to final for as much as 14 days with a single five-hour cost.

Lofree has made a keyboard meant for a really particular market. In a product class the place gaming keyboards and industrial design aesthetics reign supreme, this one goes a very completely different course.

It is a female keyboard, actually, however not one which screams it is girly. It is moderately refined in the way it seems, which provides to its attraction.

Its clear enclosure, affected by the nice and cozy LED lights, and its pretty distinctive basis bottle-style key set assist its trigger even additional.

Lofree Circulation Dot Basis overview: Backlit keys.

There’s little to complain about right here, apart from the necessity for a wrist relaxation should you’ll use it for lengthy durations on the desk.

Sure, many extra keyboard choices are in the marketplace, and you’ll actually discover higher keyboards on the market. What Lofree has executed with the Circulation Dot Basis is to face out with an fascinating female soak up a masculine-dominated world.

It is a good stab at making an fascinating mechanical keyboard, and it is a danger extra producers ought to be keen to take.

• Fascinating design
• Good typing expertise
• Wi-fi and wired choices

• Fairly thick
• Not peak adjustable

The Lofree Circulation Dot Basis mechanical keyboard is accessible from Amazon, priced at $199.99. It’s also bought on the Lofree on-line retailer for $189.