Asus reveals a 65% mechanical keyboard: ROG Falchion

A recent ROG live stream event that focused on the new ROG Phone 3 also had some products of interest to PC enthusiasts, the most exciting of which is the ROG Falchion, Asus’ first mechanical keyboard with a 65% layout.

Named for how small it is in relation to a full-size keyboard, the 65% design is even more compact than tenkeyless (TKL), and this is achieved by removing the top row of F-keys and bringing the arrow and navigation keys in to within the main key set, like so:

Beyond its layout, the 68-key ROG Falchion’s main feature of note is its interactive touch panel located on the left side. Details are still scarce, but we do know that it can be used to adjust volume, play and pause music, and zoom in or out on your main display. It can also function as a macro key.

The keyboard is wireless via a 2.4GHz connection and offers a 1ms response time. You also get RGB lighting on every key, programmable on a per-key basis and compatible with Aura Sync – a first for a ROG wireless keyboard.

Asus reckons it can get up to 400 hours of battery life out of the ROG Falchion, but that is of course without RGB lighting turned on, so if and how you use it will affect the actual battery life. The touch panel on the side also doubles up as a battery indicator using its own RGB LEDs.

It’s unknown exactly which switch(es) the ROG Falchion will be using, but we do know they will be Cherry MX RGB with tactile feedback. Browns or maybe Blues thus seem like likely candidates.

With a nod towards its portability, Asus will also include a cover case to protect the keyboard from dust and debris whenever you put it in a rucksack. We also understand it can be snapped onto the underside whenever it’s not protecting the front.

That’s about all we know of the ROG Falchion for now, as pricing and availability have not been confirmed.