ASUS ROG Falchion Review

It was sometime around July when ASUS teased us with the ASUS ROG Falchion video. We can see in the video that ASUS has somewhat listened to or is currently watching the demand from the mechanical keyboard enthusiasts. Now, they created their own 65% non-standard wireless mechanical keyboard, with a unique programmable touch bar panel on the side. In this review, we will check if ASUS Republic of Gamers did a good job with its first wireless mechanical keyboard.

The ASUS ROG Falchion comes with a lot of accessories. A plastic case for top or bottom protection cover, USB Type C Cable, Adapter for Type C to USB-A, 2.4ghz receiver (attached to the keyboard), stickers, and manuals.

• ASUS ROG Falchion
• Top/Bottom protection cover
• USB Type C cable
• Type C to Type A adapter
• 2.4ghz receiver
• Manual and warranty card

The ASUS ROG Falchion is a non-standard ANSI 65% wireless mechanical keyboard. It has minimal to almost no flex at normal strain test even though it has a plastic bottom case, thanks to its solid and thick aluminum top plate which contributes to its durability. In addition, it has that unique touch bar side panel that can be programmed thru the ROG Armoury crate for your needs.

ASUS also provided us a removable bottom plastic cover that can also be used as a top cover to protect the ROG Falchion from dust.

The layout is somewhat very unique. The ROG Falchion uses a 5.5u for spacebar, 1.5u right shift, 2u enter key, and a 1.75u backspace. You will have a hard time replacing its keycaps unless ROG offers aftermarket keycaps afterwards.

What I like about the ROG Falchion is that it uses 2.4ghz connectivity instead of Bluetooth connection. It ensures low latency and less input lag as compared to lower BT series (3.0 and lower). In addition to this, you can use it on wired mode and alternatively use a Type C custom cable like the Geek cable with no issue in terms of compatibility. I have been playing for a week already using it in wireless mode and I just charged for it for 1 time only after using it out of the box.

At the back of the keyboard, you will see the ROG eye logo and the ROG Falchion branding and serial number. The lines and triangles contribute to the Aztec design at the back with those for triangular rubber feet. Furthermore, it has 2 small flip-out feet which add minimal height adjustment.

ASUS ROG decided to use Cherry MX switches for their ROG falchion, particularly the Cherry MX red (linear). They don’t want to compromise in terms of quality so they decided to use the German-made Cherry MX switches. So far, this is one of the best Cherry MX red that I’ve tried, maybe because of the new molds they used. In addition, it has a north-facing switch.

Sadly, ASUS ROG used non-standard costar stabs for their long keys, so you won’t have the chance to change the keycaps unless ASUS ROG will release some of its own in the near future. Stabs are quite good out of the box, no need to apply lube.

MATERIAL

The material used here is PBT. PBT (short for “ Polybutylene terephthalate”) is a better material than the usual ABS plastic. It requires longer time before it shines.

TYPE

The keycaps are made of PBT, printing is both doubleshot (main legends), and side printed (sub legends). The W key has a homing dot, marketed towards FPS gamers.

PROFILE

As for the profile, it is quite surprising that ASUS ROG finally decided to use cherry profile instead of OEM profile for their keycaps.

SOFTWARE, LIGHTING AND OTHER FEATURES

When it comes to software, ASUS ROG created an all-in-one application to control your ROG devices in just one app. The ASUS ROG Falchion is the first wireless mechanical keyboard from ASUS that can use the AuraSync feature.

For the first tab, you can remap your keys and bindings to your preference. You can reassign certain keys to either a mouse function, a preset text, launch an application, or even a website. In addition, this is where you can disable the winkey (game mode) or disable the alt+f4 function.

Second tab is where you can reconfigure the side touch panel. I like it since it is very different from the common knobs, wheel from existing keyboards. You can adjust your volume, brightness or even use it for zooming in and out of a picture/browser. Alternatively, you can use it as a macro for MMORPG or even FPS games, such as PTT key for the tap command, zoom in/out of a map for an MMORPG game, etc.

LIGHTING CUSTOMIZATION

The third tab consists mainly of the RGB customization and aesthetics. This is where you can set your lighting or even use the AuraSync feature of the ASUS ROG falchion to sync it with your other ROG gaming peripherals with AuraSync. You can also adjust here the LED brightness and thickness (number of LEDs turned on).

BATTERY PERFORMANCE

Lastly, the final tab is where you can monitor the battery performance/life of the ROG Falchion. I’m so amazed that right after using it out of the box, I only charged it for 1 time and use it with RGB for almost a week already without charging it again (technically 6 hours of daily use). You can also set here the warning for the battery power (red for less than 20% battery power) which will reflect on the left LED bar.

RECOMMENDATION:

So if you want a small footprint to save space for your desktop, a wireless 65% mechanical keyboard with software sync at just around 8,000 pesos (SRP might go lower for some stores), the ASUS ROG Falchion is definitely a top choice among other mainstream mechanical keyboards. As a mechanical keyboard enthusiast, I was happy with ASUS that they are now somewhat listening to the wants of the mechanical keyboard enthusiasts but I would like them to stop doing non-standard layout with weird stabs to allow users to change the keycaps to their liking.