Performance

The Epomaker GK96S keyboard supports 6-key rollover Bluetooth and N-key rollover USB, which tested successfully using Aqua's test. Switch Hitter confirmed no chatter with these keys either, and the Switch Hitter screenshot above also shows the functions with dedicated keys on the base layer of this GK96LS keyboard. There are more discrete keys on the standard GK96S, especially the arrow keys, so be aware of this before you decide what to go with.


Be it the woeful lighting control via the software or the PBT keycaps in this sample that don't let light through, lighting on the GK96S I have is barely a thing, aside from a form of accentuation. Seen above is a photo of some LEDs powered on without switches and with switches but no keycap, and with both installed, which clearly shows how little light is seen in action. During the day, the light leaking through the gaps is not enough to be seen much, and in the middle of the night, you can't see the legends anyways. So all the programmed-in lighting effects are going to be more effective in those versions with ABS doubleshot keycaps.

Backlighting controls are available onboard and easier to use than the software drivers. These come in the form of selecting between nine preset modes, the first five of which can be further customized with brightness, speed, and even a pause control in addition to turning it off altogether. In addition to these, there are a bunch of other functional controls that do not need the software at all. The manual does a decent job of stating how the "LS" version differs with the other switches here compared to the standard right-handed numpad version, and also goes over the Bluetooth pairing settings with which up to three devices can be connected to the keyboard. There are also profile/layer selection shortcuts, including for the Windows and macOS default layers and the Driver mode layer ("Driver 1" described on the previous page), which has a default lighting effect for easier identification. I did like the shortcut options, especially to put my computer to sleep or wake it up from said state.

Also, there is no dedicated on/off button for the Bluetooth operation—you have to use Fn + ~ for turning the keyboard on or off. In Bluetooth mode, you do have increased latency and higher ghosting potential, but the ability to store most functions onboard does mean fundamental differences aren't large compared to when wired. This is especially so given the generous 4000 mAh battery inside, which lasts a long time even with the lighting on, and longer with it off, of course. Indeed, given I hardly had any lighting on, I have yet to exhaust the battery completely once in my two and a half weeks of testing. Charging happens via the provided USB-C cable in wired mode, and is indicated by the LED below the 4 key in the alphanumeric section, which is why it may be lit up in a static color that does not match the lighting effects. Finally, there is a sleep timer option if away from the keyboard. The Bluetooth 5.1 connection is backwards compatible with pretty much everything Bluetooth, and I had no problems whatsoever in connecting it to a laptop, phone, or even smart TV, as well as switching between them from time to time.

Using the GK96S is not hard, but the GK96LS will have a steeper learning curve because of how often you will use the Fn key even for this larger form factor keyboard. It is my second time only with a left-handed numpad keyboard, which I suspect is two more times than for nearly everyone reading this. The first time was just a numpad to the left of a TKL keyboard, so the same size and shape were left intact, which was far easier to get used to. This one somehow took me longer than the average 68%–75% keyboard, split or otherwise, simply because my brain was still trying to reach for the arrow keys and got confused by their absence on a keyboard of this size. It took a few days before I was naturally resting my right pinky on the Fn key for all the functions associated with it. The GK96LS is a tougher sale, which is why I appreciate Epomaker making its variants specifically available alongside the GK96S and the optical-switch SK96S keyboards, which are expected to sell more.


As always, the sound of a keyboard is based on more than just the switch type. So when comparing sound clips, consider the keyboard as a whole. In this case, I have provided above an example sound clip of me typing on the Epomaker GK96LS keyboard sample at ~85 WPM as it comes out of the box. For context, you can find sound clips from other keyboards here, including those with linear switches. The Gateron Red switch, in my opinion at least, feels better than the Cherry MX Red. There have been questions associated with quality control over Gateron switches in the past, with reported yields fairly low compared to the industry standard Cherry, and often, there would be some switches that passed QC but felt less smooth than a better batch. No such issues here, and of course, the keyboard is available in a wide variety of switch options.