Lighting and Performance

The Lofree Edge supports N-key rollover USB by default, unless you change it in the software as seen on the previous page, and this tested successfully using Aqua's test. It defaults to 6KRO with Bluetooth as expected. Switch Hitter confirmed no chatter with these keys either, and seen above are all the functions with dedicated keys on the base layer. This 84-key unit gives you most of the functionality of a TKL-size keyboard in a smaller footprint. Lofree also has several pre-programmed functions on the Fn layer which can be accessed by holding down Fn and the respective key. The keycap legends help indicate this and the included manual has a handy table explaining everything. These are different for Windows and macOS, which is also why the keycaps support dual OS legends in some places. On Windows, for example, we have volume and media playback controls, backlighting controls, as well as shortcuts to pull up programs such as the calculator or even the smart assistant on a compatible device.


Did you notice on page three that the switches had an opaque top housing and stem? If you did then you may have immediately thought about how that would affect light from the LEDs underneath the switches. To no surprise, the answer is quite poorly! It's quite something going from my first Lofree keyboard experience with an all-transparent keyboard that shines like nothing else to this, where I had to take a longer exposure photo to even show you how the LEDs appear. Even at 100% brightness—there are five brightness steps—the Lofree Edge is not going to have backlit keycap legends because the light simply isn't strong enough to go through the keycaps. You just end up with accent lighting and even that's pushing it. The breathing mode is one of the least effective as a result, I ended up just leaving the LEDs off most of the time. However, there is a useful LED in the front by the space bar key which acts as a battery status and charging indicator.

I had no problems pairing the keyboard over Bluetooth to multiple devices and switching between them, but the Bluetooth connection was iffy at best. I kept having ghosting when typing at my normal speed and ended up having to slow down to avoid getting frustrated. This was worse on non-Windows devices such as tablets and phones, so one could argue the average user experience with a PC or laptop should be better. I still don't see why this is even happening when pretty much any other keyboard we've reviewed in the last several years has been fine over Bluetooth. I can only hope this is an isolated issue as a result of the pre-release units Lofree made to send out for reviews and the retail product will be flawless in this regard. The battery life is quite good at a rated 130 hours of use—provided you have the LEDs off. Given how terrible the lighting is anyway, this is the way to go to allow for weeks of typical use with breaks between typing sessions. For those curious, the keyboard started complaining after nine hours with the LEDs on at 100% brightness. Lofree is using a 2000 mAh battery here, which is actually commendable given the size restraints inside. There is also fast charging on offer with the keyboard taking just over 2.5 hours to fully charge from zero with the lights off. If the Lofree Edge ends up actually having a stable Bluetooth typing experience then this can really be an ergonomic and portable wireless typing solution for many.


A huge part of what makes the Lofree Edge so thin is the use of Kailh's new POM Switch 2.0. The original Kailh POM Switch took the older Kailh Choc low profile switches and made them, well, even lower in profile. The Choc switches were used in the Lofree Flow which was already quite thin and competed with other such implementations from the likes of Nuphy and Keychron, let alone more mainstream offerings from Corsair and Razer. The newer switches are even smaller with a travel distance of 2.4 mm and height of 9.8 mm. The Cherry ULP switches are even thinner at a ridiculous 3.5 mm height in total, but they do have some disadvantages in that (a) the cost/exclusivity is much higher, (b) the travel distance is so low that some people hate typing on it, and (c) keycap compatibility is even worse. Other low-profile switches tend to be ~12 mm tall with a 2.8-3.0 mm travel distance and a typical full-size mechanical switch is 18.5 mm in height with a 4 mm travel distance. I'd say these switches are about the smallest that most people would go without feeling like they are not getting the crisp typing experience that mechanical switches can provide. A 2.4 mm travel distance is also fairly reasonable, especially with the force-travel curve on par with many full-size linear switches, although you are almost assuredly going to bottom out. The gasket mount coupled with the larger volume fraction occupied by damping materials—relative to a standard height keyboard—means the Lofree Edge does feel somewhat blunted to type on. It's unfortunately a compromise of all such ultra-low profile keyboards, and I will still give props to Lofree for still managing to carve out a decent typing experience.


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 Lofree Edge keyboard sample at ~80 WPM as it comes out of the box with these Kailh POM Switch 2.0 linear switches. For context, you can find sound clips from other keyboards here, including those with linear switches. I did bottom out constantly here to no surprise and this helps demonstrate how reasonably quiet this keyboard is. These are extremely smooth switches as a result of the reduced travel distance and reworked internals customized for the keyboard, and they are well complemented by the PBT keycaps, the screw-in stabilizers, the novel PCB gasket mount design, and the dampening inside to where the overall sound signature has absolutely no pings and sounds plenty decent for any keyboard, let alone one that is an ultra-low profile one.