Introduction

Another day, another Epomaker Kickstarter! This is obviously the route the company is going to follow for new launches, ensuring a market and successful launch. This time, it is for a 65% keyboard, but there are a few more tricks up the sleeve—or should I say case—for the all-new Epomaker NT68. As I write this, the Kickstarter campaign is already live, and the deliberately low set goal has been surpassed many times over. It's a marketing campaign just as much as anything else, and the usual crowdfunding caveats should apply here, too. That said, Epomaker does have plenty of successful history with these, which does help make this review more meaningful as we start by thanking the company for sending review samples to TechPowerUp!


There are two form factors of the Epomaker NT68. The NT68 Regular uses full-size mechanical switches from Gateron and the first-party branded Epomaker Chocolate switches we saw debut with the AK84S. It is separately reviewed here and has two color schemes with the aluminium frame and keycap set, and the third version and second form factor is the low-profile NT68 that uses Gateron Low Profile switches. This article examines the NT68 Low Profile, which might well be the first of this version sent out given everyone else seems to just have the regular version. It keeps things interesting since we have covered a few other Epomaker small form-factor keyboards, and then there is the so-called magic/stealth case which further merits investigation. Given the multiple versions, I am skipping the specifications table, which has us move on to the unboxing experience on the next page.

Packaging and Accessories

As with the new GK61 Red Wine, there's finally an Epomaker logo on the product box instead of just "Skyloong," which is the factory manufacturing the NT68. I also like the Skyloong mascot on the box and feel it just needs more contrast for the text. Not much is going on otherwise, with only a sticker on the side confirming the NT68 low-profile version (NT68W) is indeed inside. A double flap in the middle keeps the contents inside in place during transit.


Opening the box, we see more of the same unboxing experience I have come to expect with Epomaker keyboards. Included is a quick start guide that goes over the base and Fn layers via two printed key maps on the brochure. There is also a reminder to use the GK6XPlus software drivers for fine-tuning and further customization, including over the backlighting. This then leads to an advertisement of other products from Skyloong, and the other side does exactly the same things in Chinese. With the NT68, there is a dedicated section about the included "magnet portable holder," which is no doubt just poorly translated and referring to the included magnetic carry case that comes with the keyboard inside.

The accessories are off to the side and separated by a cardboard layer, and we see two short cables included in a velvet drawstring bag. These are just 3" long, braided, and sleeved black, and go from USB Type-C on one end to either USB Type-C or Type-A on the other. The shorter lengths indicate that the NT68 is meant to be used wirelessly or plugged to a laptop, but not in the traditional manner, either. Rubber supports are meant to be used when you place the keyboard on top of your laptop keyboard, which is an expected use case, too. Epomaker also includes the cheaper set of a plastic ring-style keycap puller and the metal wire switch remover, which aren't great, but let's hold off judgment until we have tried them out.


The unique selling point of the NT68 Low Profile is this stealth carry stand that goes over the keyboard and uses magnets to keep it in place. It also folds away in a variety of configurations for the keyboard to be used at different elevations while providing the means to host mobile devices, such as tablets and phones. There are clearly magnets inside the NT68 keyboard as well, which are handy for using it over the laptop keyboard. I would have liked an elastic strap over the case for placement around a laptop bag or sleeve, which would have made it more portable, rather than carrying it in your hands or hoping there is enough room in your laptop bag.


Here is a look at the two NT68 profiles side by side, which shows that the case is seemingly shared between the two. What this results in is a saggy case with the NT68 Low Profile keyboard, which in itself doesn't look too bad until you compare the two and see it received the step-child treatment.

Closer Examination

The Epomaker NT68 keyboard follows a 65% form factor, and the key layout is different than on the GK68XS we saw before. The backspace key has moved further in for four modifier keys on the right now, unlike the three on the GK/SK68 keyboards. The bottom row is also more cramped with four keys to the left of the space bar and two keys to the right before the arrow keys themselves. The other rows are more or less consistent with expectations for a 65% keyboard, including a shorter R.Shift key for a single bank of keys, which isn't the case with some other boards we will see soon.

I have the NT68 Low Profile here, which is also different from the regular versions in that there is a single color option with a silver-colored aluminium trim that has a bead-blasted finish. The keycaps are all black and low profile, and in a flat top surface that makes the NT68 Low Profile seem even more crowded. The bezels are also non-existent, and the beveled top and bottom edges add to this effect, making it slightly smaller even in length and width compared to the GK68XS I also have here. There are plenty of secondary and even some tertiary legends, including aside from expected ones. This easily visualizes all the pre-programmed functions that bring back some of the missing functions from a TKL keyboard via layers.


Flipping the keyboard around, we see the usual certification sticker in the middle, and the Skyloong logo in addition to the serial number of the unit and its power draw, confirming USB 2.0 will suffice since a maximum of 380 mA is needed over the 5 VDC rail. Four small round rubber pads at the corners lift the case up to prevent scratches to the plastic bottom while adding friction against the resting surface.


We get hybrid wired/wireless connectivity with the Epomaker NT68 Low Profile, with a Type-C port on the left where the provided two short cables plug into a source right below it. This is why the port is on the left side and not the usual top. There is also a dedicated slider switch to toggle Bluetooth 5.1 connectivity on/off, which is always nice to have.


The regular version of the Epomaker NT68 is clearly taller than the low-profile version seen alongside above, but not by much. Note that the buttons on the side appear to be more centrally placed in the low-profile version, and the adoption of the lower-profile keycaps also reduces the height of the low-profile version to the 23/18 mm here. The case that comes with the NT68 is by itself not unique—we have seen similar implementations with tablets in particular. It allows for multiple configurations of the keyboard, with it either underneath or as part of a stand, but I wasn't really pleased with how finicky it is on this low-profile version. There isn't a sensible way to get things right easily, and I suspect you will get frustrated and use it haphazardly as long as it seems remotely stable as a stand. This is likely the result of re-using the same case across both profiles, especially with the regular version being clearly what the case was designed for.



Epomaker also shows off four use cases of the stand with the NT68 regular version, and note how it looks different from this low-profile version. The case here doesn't have the integrated rubber pads to hold mobile devices as in position 1, and I have since confirmed that the NT68 Low Profile case in its current form is only meant to support a tablet held in place between the stand and keyboard
The included white rubber pieces also are nearly useless as they are not tacky or large enough to do anything. This keyboard series is clearly targeting Macbook users, which I understand given the lucrative market, but it also means I don't have anything to test the NT68 fully in position 3, either. So I am left wanting more, especially with the case being a less-than-satisfying experience even though the main feature of the keyboard.


The side view confirms the low-profile nature of this aptly named version of the NT68, with the case going from 15 mm at the top to just 8 mm at the bottom, and the ABS keycaps making it 23 and 18 mm respectively. In contrast, the regular NT68 goes from 35 mm at the top to 25 mm at the bottom, with the case also slightly thicker. This also results in the port and switch on the side being more towards the middle of the case on the low-profile and offset towards the bottom on the regular version. There is the slightest of contouring, which explains the height differential between the top and bottom relative to the case, but it is otherwise going to be a flat and wide typing surface with lots of room to type on, which does make distinguishing between rows when touch-typing harder. It can help with using typing layouts other than QWERTY, so that's an unexpected bonus. On the flip side, the stock keycaps are of mediocre quality; using thin ABS plastic and laser-etched legends which are backlighting-compatible, these will wear out quicker than most Epomaker keycaps. Oh, by the way, the provided keycap puller is absolute garbage for this low-profile version since the gap between keycaps is minimal, so much so that the thicker plastic just doesn't fit. Epomaker is now aware of this issue and will hopefully swap the keycap puller in both versions out for the better metal-wire design on final production models.


There are far more switch options with the regular NT68, including four from Gateron and five from the new Epomaker Chocolate series. Being hot-swappable also means you have many other aftermarket switch options. The choices are much more limited on the NT68 Low Profile, with three Gateron switches to choose from—Low Profile Red, Low Profile Brown, and Low Profile Blue. This means all three feedback mechanisms are still covered, and I have the Gateron Low Profile Brown switches characterized by the brown stem placed inside a unique-looking housing that minimizes switch wobble and adds some dust and spill resistance. The larger keycaps use plate-mounted Cherry-style stabilizers, which come lubed, too. The amount of applied lube across all stabilizers is inconsistent enough for this to have been a manual job.


The good thing is that the NT68 Low Profile also uses the same hot-swappable switch sockets, so you can use any 3-pin (or clipped 5-pin) mechanical switches conforming to the MX style and form factor. You will lose the low profile somewhat, but the option remains nonetheless. With an example switch removed, we get a closer look at the Gateron Low Profile Brown switch, which is an RGB-compatible switch in that the top is translucent and has a cutout in the bottom housing to allow light through from the SMD RGB LED in the socket below.