Introduction

Depending on when this article goes live, it would be alongside the review of the Drop CTRL keyboard or slightly after. I was in two minds about which to go with first, but decided that surely CTRL precedes ALT in most combinations! Besides, the CTRL was Drop's first keyboard, so this order made sense to me. The ALT came out in late 2018 and thus makes for another product that isn't the latest but still aims to be the greatest. Thanks again to Drop for providing a review sample to TechPowerUp!


The ALT was a natural progression in Drop's keyboard lineup, designed near-identical to the TKL form factor CTRL but shrunk down to the 65% form factor instead. As with the CTRL, there are two color options for the frame, including the Space Gray seen above. This time around, things go the other way with my sample the black color version instead. As with the CTRL, there are several switch options from the likes of Cherry, Kailh, and Drop's branded Halo switches. Let's see how the ALT fares with this feature set in our review, which begins with a look at the specifications in the table below.

Specifications

Packaging and Accessories

I've personally bought a few things from Drop before, but no keyboards or associated accessories yet—at least until a backed keycap set shows up in the near future! I knew after having unboxed the Drop CTRL that we might get a similar experience as with the Drop ALT keyboard, and there is indeed a bare cardboard box that has the Drop logo on the front and a product sticker on the back. A double flap on the side with a seal over it keeps the contents inside in place during transit, and opening the box, we see the keyboard in a cardboard layer.


On top of the keyboard is a quick start guide in English which also acts as a warranty manual. One side talks about the use of the USB port(s) aboard the keyboard, and the other lists the extra pre-programmed functions. There is a reminder to use an optional configurator for further customization, which we will cover in more detail over the course of the review. A pull tab helps lift the keyboard up and out of this layer that may also be fully removed from the product box to access the bottom layer with shaped cutouts for the provided accessories.


We have the detachable USB Type-C to Type-A cable, which points towards the adoption of Type-C connectivity for the keyboard. Drop also includes the same cool aluminium two-in-one keycap puller as with the CTRL. It has a well-machined base that reminds me of some of the pens the website carries, and the keycap puller itself uses metal wires, which are my preferred choice for this function. There is the second function of the hidden Phillips-head screwdriver in the base for keyboard disassembly. A switch remover has been included as well, and the final set of accessories consists of two add-on keyboard feet with "ALT" etched into the matching aluminium casing on the contact side.