Mechanical-keyboard-focused retailer Drop has opened pre-orders for its latest keyboard, sense75, Unlike other recent keyboards from the retailer such as icon collectionWhere it sold pre-existing models in new configurations, the Sense75 is a completely new design – at least for the drop.

The Sense75 includes several recent keyboard design trends, made popular by model: gmmk pro And Keykron Q1, It has a compact 75 percent layout that’s similar to most modern laptops, a volume knob on the top right, and it uses a gasket-mount design, This means the switches are mounted on a circuit board that is sandwiched between two gaskets, allowing it to flex slightly as you type. The design has recently proved popular with keyboard enthusiasts, allowing for a softer typing experience and lower sound levels without compromising the efficiency of mechanical switches. But it does mean that the Sense75 looks quite familiar.

Image: Drop

Like the GMMK Pro and Keychron Q1, the Sense75 is customizable. Its keys can be remapped using a new configurator coming soon from Drop, and the retailer is promising support for remapping with QMK firmware and Via, the latter is the same excellent visual remapping software that Keychron’s configurable keyboards use. The Sense75’s switches are hot-swappable, which means they can be removed without removing them.

The Sense75 offers some design improvements over the Drop’s older keyboard, such as Ctrl And Alt, First, the board uses a five-pin circuit board design, so the Sense75 is compatible with a wider range of switches than the earlier keyboards of the Drop, which only supported three-pin switches. (You can convert a five-pin switch to a three-pin switch with a flush cutter, but who has the time?) The keyboard’s switches face south—oriented with the backlight LED on top, not the top—keycap To reduce compatibility issues.

Other features include per-key RGB backlighting, as well as an RGB underglow that subtly illuminates the desk under the keyboard. It’s wired, and pre-built models include “factory-tuned” stabilizers that will reduce the claimed rattle of the drop.

Drop’s keyboards have a reputation for being expensive, and the Sense75 is unfortunately no exception. The bare-bone model, which comes without switches, stabilizers, or keycaps, starts at $249 for the black anodized version and $299 for the electrophoretically coated white. Meanwhile, the pre-made model (which includes the Holly Panda X Switch, DCX keycap and stabilizers) starts at $349 in black and $399 in white. Pre-orders are open starting today, with shipping expected in early November.

This makes the Sense75 much more expensive than competing keyboards from Keychron (which currently sells its knob-equipped Q1 with switches and keycaps for under $180) or the GMMK Pro (whose bare-bones model goes for $170). is sold). Is the Sense75 Worth the Extra Cost? Stay tuned for our full review.