With compact 60- and 65-percent gaming keyboards taking center stage, it was only a matter of time before a manufacturer started grafting quality-of-life features onto the traditionally minimalist design. The $159.99 Asus ROG Falchion 65 percent keyboard feels luxurious, with its touch-based volume slider and opaque, plastic case. Plus, it’s wireless, which is still relatively rare among mechanical keyboards. The Falchion isn’t feature-rich, per se, but it has one of the most distinctive feature sets among 2021’s new crop of compact keyboards. For that, the Asus ROG Falchion is an Editors’ Choice pick for compact keyboards.
A Gilded Sword
Despite the fact that its extra features don’t add any obvious extra surface area, the 68-key Asus ROG Falchion is little on the large side for a compact keyboard. Measuring 1.69 by 12.19 by 4.13 inches (HWD), it’s on the long side for a compact design, but not exceptionally small or large. As a 65 percent keyboard, the Falchion gets cut down to size by removing the number pad, function row, and some editing keys.
Unlike slightly smaller 60 percenters, the Asus ROG Falchion has arrow keys in its bottom-left corner, as well as Insert, Delete, Page Up, and Page Down in the right key column. It’s a little odd that Asus would keep these keys, as they’re often removed from smaller keyboards. It seems that they’re still around for symmetry’s sake—the right arrow is at the bottom of the column. That makes perfect sense, but we’ve seen the Fnatic Streak65 and other compact keyboards use the extra space more effectively.
Relative to some of Asus ROG’s larger keyboards, the Falchion looks relatively nondescript. Like other 60 and 65 percent keyboards, it’s a single block of keys, without any spacing between them. The Escape key is right next to the “1” key. The arrows have been jammed into the bottom-right corner. There are no sharp edges like on the Strix Scope, or plastic ID tags like on the Strix Flare. The legends feature ROG’s unique, blocky font, but that’s about it.
It’s subtly distinctive, though that’s not entirely a good thing. To fit the editing and arrow keys, the Shift, Slash, and Backspace keys have all been made smaller. The whole lower-right corner can be a bit tricky to navigate until you get a feel for the keyboard’s unique proportions. On the plus side, the Falchion features sidecaps, as most compact keyboards do, noting FN key shortcuts for the function keys, media controls, onboard profiles, and other inputs.
The Falchion’s biggest gem isn’t a key, though: It’s the touchpad. In lieu of a volume roller, which would definitely add some extra bezel, the Falchion features a small touch-based slider on its left side. By default, it lets you raise or lower volume by either sliding your finger forward or back to raise and lower volume, respectively. By default, you can also turn the volume up and and down by tapping the ends of either side. There’s also a third, unassigned tapping input in the slider’s center. For my volume controls, I set it to mute.
The slider is quick and responsive, though it doesn’t have the same fine control capabilities as a volume roller. It’s still useful, though, making small to medium tweaks quick and easy. It’s also fully customizable, so you can make it do something else (though there aren’t that many scrolling options that would make sense for the swiping inputs).
The Falchion features Cherry MX switches—mine specifically has Cherry MX Reds—which makes sense, given the keyboard’s high-end build and price. Even with more companies making their own switches, Cherry’s keys are ubiquitous and feel great. As with other gaming keyboards, the Falchion’s linear switches have a shorter actuation point and require less force to press, which can lead to more mispresses while typing. That said, the switches are great for twitch gaming.
Despite the “standard” keys, the Falchion’s wireless connection makes it a rare breed. It connects wirelessly using a 2.4GHz connection via a USB dongle that creates a stable, discernibly lag-free experience. You can also set up a wired connection using the keyboard’s USB-C charging cable. And, yes, there is a magnetic dongle storage slot on the back of the keyboard next to the power switch USB-C port, so it really is ready for travel.
It also gets incredible battery life. According to Asus, the Falchion should last 53 hours with the RGB lighting on, and up to an amazing 450 hours with the lighting off. Though there’s a larger than average gap between the two, both numbers are very high. I’ve used about 50 percent of the battery after more than a week of intense use with RGBs on, so that’s in line with Asus’ estimates.
There’s just one small annoyance in the power department: The primary way to track the Falchion’s power level is an LED indicator on the touch slider, which is on the side of the keyboard. You can’t really see it at a glance, so Asus’ Armoury Crate configuration software becomes the best way to keep an eye on it.
Lastly, the Falchion comes with an odd, useful accessory: an opaque plastic shield that covers the keys when they aren’t in use, and doubles as a protective base. Though it isn’t as protective as a dedicated hard case, the cover protects the keycaps from getting pried out by small objects or getting pressed in a bag. The cover also doubles as a base when the keyboard’s use. It even has an opening that lets you access the touch slider.
Open the Armoury
The Falchion leverages Asus’ configuration app for its Republic of Gamers gaming peripherals: Armoury Crate. The app has a clear, visually-minded UI that makes it easy to remap keys, create macros, and adjust power-related settings. The touch slider is fully configurable, with two swiping motions and three taps—top, middle, and bottom.
The Falchion lets you configure up to five profiles in onboard storage, which is standard for high-end keyboards. You can also store as many as you like locally. The Falchion also contains shortcuts for switching to your onboard profiles without the Armoury Crate software.
Configuring lighting is Armoury Crate’s single sore spot. You can easily set full, keyboard-wide patterns, but you need to download a second app, Aura Creator, to set per-key lighting. It isn’t difficult, and Aura Creator works fine, but there’s no good reason for offloading the feature to a second piece of software. It stymies your desire to play with your lighting and creates clutter on your PC.
Small But Sharp
Inconvenient lighting customization can only hold back the Asus ROG Falchion by so much, though. With its strong typing feel and features unique among 60 and 65 percent keyboards, the Falchion makes a strong impression. Plus, if you’re looking for a wireless, mechanical keyboard, there aren’t many options, especially at its size.
In theory, $159.99 is on the pricey side for a 65 percent design—they tend to hew closer to $110-$120—but wireless keyboards tend to be significantly more expensive than their wired counterparts, so it’s hard to complain about it. The Falchion is one of Asus’ best keyboards in years, and stands out as a strong keyboard choice, even among this year’s 60 percent gaming keyboard deluge. If you’re looking for a compact keyboard with a little extra, check out this Editors’ Choice pick.
