Air68 Review

keyboard by: Morgrie 
Photos taken in House by alex

Air68 Review — A Straight Forward Low Profile Board

I’ve always liked low profile keyboards, and lately I’ve been getting to use a lot of them. I really like the feel of typing on a laptop when I am not at my desk, and when I want to sit back with a mouse and a keyboard it just feels right. Most of the time I’ve been using boards from NuPhy and Lofree, but Morgrie sent me the Air68 to check out and honestly, I didn’t know what to expect.

Morgrie’s earlier designs have usually felt a little outside my taste, leaning into experimental shapes and aesthetics that didn’t always connect with me as I usually prefer more timeless designs. The Air68, however, feels like a shift in approach. At just 89 dollars with an aluminum case, tri-mode connectivity, and hot-swap sockets, it looked solid on paper, but when I pulled it out of the box I was more impressed than I thought I would be! The design is clean without being boring, playful without being over the top, and it carries some of the same design language I associate with Teenage Engineering, minimal, clever, and just a little fun.

Full Disclosure and Affiliations

These boards were sent to me to look at and they let me keep them after the build stream and this article was written and published without the brand or any affiliated persons reviewing it. There are some affiliate links. These links give me kickbacks and allow me to continue making content! All thoughts are my own, transparency matters.

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Unboxing Surprises (Sort of)

The Air68 looks modern but doesn’t shout for attention. Its clean lines and subtle industrial feel give it a more refined personality than many other budget-minded low profile boards. The front edge has a soft contour with a lip that makes the board feel intentional rather than a generic rectangle, and the rail-style foot along the bottom adds a bit of elegance to the overall look. I had worried that this rail might make the keyboard wobble, but it sat firmly on the desk (yay!).

RGB is absent here, which I personally don’t mind, though I know some people would prefer having per-key lighting, especially if they like working in dim environments. There’s a small charging indicator LED tucked away on the front, which is well placed and unobtrusive, but otherwise that’s all you get. A third version with backlit keycaps and transparent legends would make sense for users who want it, though I don’t miss it myself. It’s all preference.

One thing that did bug me was the physical wireless mode switch on the back. Functionally it works great, but it doesn’t have any labels, so you’re left to remember which position is Bluetooth and which is 2.4 GHz. I’m sure that over time you’ll learn it by muscle memory, but a small laser-etched mark would have made a big difference without compromising the design. Bit of a miss here.

As for the packaging, it’s well put together and visually appealing, though I found it a bit funny that Morgrie labels the included accessories as “Free Gifts.” For a moment it got my hopes up that there would be something extra inside, but it’s really just a braided USB-C cable, a keycap puller, and a couple of spare caps. All of that is perfectly fine at this price, though I think it would make far more sense to call them what they are… accessories. A simple travel sleeve, on the other hand, would have been a genuinely useful addition, especially since this is a portable board and that bottom rail is bound to get scratched if you toss it straight into a bag.

Keycaps Worth Talking About

Layout-wise, the Air68 is a familiar 68 percent, so you get arrow keys and a compact cluster without giving up too much. The typing angle is 4.4 degrees, which for me is just about perfect. I’ve always leaned toward lower angles for long typing sessions, and this one feels easy on the wrists without needing a palm rest, which makes sense for a low profile board.

The real standout here, though, are the keycaps. At this price point I expected thin, forgettable caps, but these are some of the best looking and feeling low profile caps I’ve come across. They use lowercase legends with a simple, modern typeface, and the sculpt feels intentional rather than generic. They’re noticeably thicker than the typical caps you see on low profile keyboards, and the smaller landing area seems to naturally guide your fingers toward the center of each key. I can’t prove it makes me more accurate, but it does feel good. Honestly, Morgrie should sell these caps on their own, because I’d happily buy a set or two for other boards.

Under the Hood

Out of the box the Air68 comes with Kailh low profile switches, and it uses two-pin hot-swap sockets offset to the right. That means if you ever want to experiment with other Kailh low profile options, it’s easy to do so without any soldering. They were also well lubed. Considering how limited low profile options used to be, this is a big step forward.

Typing feel is solid and I like the sound of the board, too. The alphas have a pleasant tone, stabilizers are tuned well enough that I didn’t hear any distracting rattle, and overall it feels smooth. The one weakness is the spacebar, which comes across as a bit thuddy compared to the rest of the board. It’s not terrible, just not as satisfying as the other keys. Compared to other brands, I still think Lofree has the best sound right out of the box, but visually I prefer the Air68, and for the money the sound profile is absolutely respectable.

I opened the board up to see what was going on inside, and it’s not the most mod-friendly process. You have to peel up the adhesive feet to reach the screws, which is never my favorite, and the rail on the bottom is screwed in from the inside of the rear panel. That means you’ll want to be careful not to scratch anything during disassembly. I did have to bend the bar a bit to get to the screws, which was really silly to have to do.

Once inside, the Air68 uses a gasket-mounted plate with firm silicone strips and a thin foam sheet. The firm gaskets make sense in a tight low profile shell like this, they don’t offer dramatic bounce, but they do provide a bit of isolation that makes typing feel nicer than a rigid tray mount.

The battery system is also worth mentioning. Two cells are adhered to the back plate, and while they’re not meant to be swapped daily, they do look simple enough to replace if the need ever arises. That matters, because any wireless product can deal with swelling batteries down the line, and being able to replace them without major headaches is important for long-term use.

 

Bang For Your Buck?

At 89 USD, the Air68 makes a strong case for itself. It stacks up well against both NuPhy and Lofree, two of the bigger names in this space. If sound is your top priority, you may still prefer Lofree, but if you want a cleaner design, a comfortable angle, and genuinely good keycaps, the Air68 is hard to beat for the money. I’ve already seen people in the community talking about how much they like it, which tells me Morgrie struck a good balance here.

Changes I’d Love to See

  • Add labels for the wireless switch.
  • Do not make users peel feet to reach screws.
  • Consider shifting the indicator LED cluster out from under the spacebar area.
    Include a basic travel sleeve.
  • Offer the keycaps as a standalone set.


Who should buy this

  • You like the laptop typing feel but want a nicer desk setup.
  • You want a clean 68 percent for work.
  • You care more about design and comfort than RGB and a loud sound profile.
  • You want to experiment with low profile switches without rebuilding a full height board.


Who should pass

  • You must have per key RGB.
  • You hate any extra steps with VIA and will not import a JSON file.
  • You plan to mod often and do not want to deal with adhesive feet.
  • You want a deep or heavy sound out of the box with a dramatic spacebar tone.

My Final Take On The Air68

I went in expecting a basic budget board and ended up with something much better. The Air68 is a minimal aluminum low profile keyboard that looks great, feels comfortable, and ships with some of the nicest low profile caps I’ve tried. The spacebar could use improvement, and the unlabeled switch is frustrating, but the overall design, comfort, and value make this an easy recommendation if you’re curious about low profile boards or want a work-friendly 68 percent that feels a little more special.

If Morgrie adds simple labels, moves the LED cluster, and tosses in a travel sleeve, the Air68 would be a no-brainer pick at this price. As it stands, it’s already one of my favorite low profile boards, and it’s been living on my desk when I want to work in another room with my laptop or iPad.

Until next time. 👋