Closer Examination

The ASUS ROG Falchion, NX or otherwise, is a 65% form factor keyboard. This means you have a smaller keyboard than what you might be used to, with a 60% keyboard taking up just the alphanumeric section of a keyboard (Esc typically replacing ~) and this 65% keyboard using a shorter R. Shift and three keys to the right of the space bar rather than four for some extra space on the right side for dedicated arrow keys and four other keys from the Ins-Pg Dn cluster. For many, this 65% form factor is the absolutely smallest they are willing to go since dedicated arrow keys are a must. The main benefits of going with such a small keyboard tends to be ergonomic since your fingers have to travel less for an average typing session. Whether you are right-handed or not, your mouse will also be closer to the keyboard now; thus, averagely sized hands will be placed more in line with the shoulders, too.

Helping this is the minimalist case design with practically non-existent bezels and a predominantly black color scheme. ASUS has also somehow managed an ROG product that doesn't scream it is one in use, but you of course still have the ROG Eye subtly placed on the Esc key, and then there is a large "Republic of Gamers" on the space bar keycap, front-facing as with many other legends on other keycaps. This is where ASUS brings back the "missing" functions from a full-size keyboard and even adds some more. Showcasing the best use of layers for typing, these legends are quite helpful in cutting down the entry barrier to the Falchion. The keycaps generally only have single legends on the top, which are located at the center for uniform backlighting courtesy the north-facing LEDs underneath. But in a weird move, the 1–0 keys have the associated secondary legends underneath even though others right after those have them alongside the primary ones.


Flipping the keyboard around, we see the usual certification sticker at the bottom-left corner with a striated design cut into the ABS plastic case on the left for contrast to a plain surface with the ROG Eye etched into it on the right. Four rubber pads at the corners add friction against the resting surface, with the top two placed further in to accommodate two small keyboard feet right at the extremities. This placement results in smaller feet than I'd like, but the keyboard is quite light at ~520 g, so the feet on their own won't determine whether the keyboard moves around or not.


The ROG Falchion supports both wired and wireless connectivity, with the former a Type-C port placed on the back inside a triangular cutout. The accompanying cable proves handy here, and there is a switch to the left for turning the wireless connectivity on/off. ASUS includes a low-profile 2.4 GHz USB dongle here, placed inside a magnetic slot to the right of the Type-C port. The cable is braided in black and the usual 6' long, and USB 3.2 Gen 1 is recommended for wired connectivity, which also charges the internal battery faster.


A look at the side further confirms this relatively high case profile, which adds built-in elevation on top of the keyboard feet we saw earlier. But it also shows a pretty cool feature on the ROG Falchion in the form of an actual touch pad on the left with + and - markings. We will discuss this more over the course of the review, but it is by default configured to be a volume controller. Above is also an LED strip with a plastic diffuser, which has a status indicator in the absence of dedicated indicator LEDs. As with the ROG Claymore II, we see the use of a cut-down OEM keycap profile, so various rows are sculpted as expected from a typical gaming keyboard in 2021, but shortened in height to come off as a slightly low-profile. This also results in floating keycaps, which you may or may not like. What it objectively does is help remove the keycaps easily in the absence of an included keycap puller. Removing any confirms the use of PBT plastic for the keycaps (average wall thickness 1.35 mm) with predominantly doubleshot injected legends that will basically last forever. The front-facing legends are laser-etched, but will not be touched directly, so their longevity is not going to be impacted much either. It is the secondary legends under the numbers that continue to haunt me, being laser etched, located on top, and opaque to backlighting.


I mentioned earlier how there are two different ROG Falchion keyboards now, with the older original using Cherry MX RGB switches and the newer Falchion NX using the brand-new ROG NX mechanical RGB switches. I have the older version here, which comes with four different Cherry MX switches to choose from—MX Red, Brown, Blue, and Speed (Silver). I have the MX Red RGB switch on this sample, which is characterized by the red crosspoint stem and the newer batch rated for a minimum of 100 M keystrokes before any perceived drop in performance. The larger keycaps use costar-style wire stabilizers, which are a pain to deal with for keycap removal, but help mitigate that mushy feedback of the cheaper, plate-mounted Cherry-style stabilizers. The wires are also lightly lubed at the points of contact, which helps smoothen travel as well.