NEO65 Core Plus Review

keyboard by: QWERTYKEYS 
Photos taken in House by alex

NEO65 Core Plus — My Favourite 65 Release From Neo Yet

The Neo65 Core Plus is one of those keyboards that makes you rethink what a budget friendly kit can deliver. It gives you flexible mounting, thoughtful plate design, and a clean look that reads simple and timeless from a distance yet feels considered up close. Most important, it sounds right in that bright and resonant way that many of us chase, and it does it at a price that stays friendly. Oh, and it does have foam kits for the foam and deeper sound lovers, too.

The Core Plus feels like a careful iteration on the Core idea. Inside the bottom case you get raised ridges that break up the interior cavity. That little choice changes how sound scatters and adds fullness without relying on a massive internal weight. If you’ve been following me or reading / watching some of my reviews, you’ll know I really have been loving this simple design in keyboards as of late since it’s so impactful.

The exterior reads clean. Thinner side bezels, a slightly thicker forehead and chin, and a gentle side slope that keeps the wedge silhouette from feeling blocky. The rear badge and weight strip give it a bit of identity. I do not love the compass logo, it has become a fixture in the lineup which I was hoping would change but I guess it’s here to stay for now. But the overall presentation still looks tidy on a desk.

The kit includes the parts you actually need to get building. Puller, cable, O-ring, gasket set, case feet, and stabilizers. I appreciate the inclusion of a plate fork style puller since not everyone has one. The pogo pin connector and lock-and-pull mechanism make assembly and teardown simple, so trying both mounts is quick. Interior access is straightforward, which makes it easy to experiment.

Full Disclosure and Affiliations

This is not a paid article. These boards were sent to me to look at and they let me keep them after the build stream and no mention of a written review was ever discussed. 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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Let's Talk Pricing

This is honestly where the Neo65 Core Plus really blew me away. The starting point is 105 dollars (USD) for the plateless solder version with a brass weight. This is absolutely awesome considering how polished this product feels. And we’ve been seeing more and more projects with considerable lower price points without sacrifice to quality.

The sweet spot will probably be the wired hot swap builds, which come in around 135 to 140 dollars. If you want copper instead of brass, it is only 15 bucks more. That puts the most expensive setup at about 150 to 160 dollars. Even maxed out, it still feels like a steal.

The important thing to remember is that copper is not really an upgrade, it is just a different flavor. Brass will give you a livelier sound while copper leans deeper and a bit more muted. Pick the one that matches your preference instead of treating copper like a premium choice.

In terms of value, the Core Plus is in a league of its own right now. Even competing against it’s own lineup becomes a bit unclear and muddy. Let’s stack it up against a few familiar names.

  • QK65: Still a fantastic board, but depending on the configuration you usually end up closer to the 200 dollar mark, sometimes more if you factor in extras. The Core Plus gives you a similar build quality and arguably better mounting options at a lower price.

  • Monsgeek M Series: Monsgeek has been the budget king for a while, but the Core Plus feels more refined out of the box. Monsgeek still wins if you want a decent board at the cheapest price possible, but the Core Plus feels like a more complete package.

  • Keychron Q Series: Keychron offers “okay” value, but once you add weights or limited colors, the price climbs quickly past 200 dollars. The Core Plus gives you a similar typing experience with better acoustics and for a lot less money. Not to mention I’ve had readers and viewers tell me some awful experiences with Keychron customer service.

Again, even if you go all in with a copper weight and hot swap PCB, you are still sitting around 160 dollars. That puts it in a category where you can comfortably recommend it to newcomers without hesitation, but it is also strong enough to satisfy long-time enthusiasts. I would say the only other board I would really stack up against this in a sort of similar price range is the CU series, and I still prefer this in almost every aspect expect some visuals on the side profile.

So What's New With the Core Plus?

We have two larger changes to the Core Plus series. One of the biggest changes with the Core Plus is what they did to the plates. Both the aluminum and carbon fiber options now come with a redesigned layout that has a big relief cut above the spacebar. At first glance it looks like a small tweak, but after some time with the board I do feel like this cut was a fantastic addition. 

Basically what this relief cut does is gives the spacebar a little more movement and keeps it from sounding too loud or harsh compared to the rest of the keys. And as a mini side rant here, after working on my own project and really diving in deep about how important plate designs are in keyboards, I can really appreciate how this subtle change makes a big difference.

Neo has clearly been paying attention to how plate design impacts the overall typing experience, and it shows here and I want more of this from brands.

Gaskets

The other big change is the upgraded gasket system. Neo designed what I call dumbbell-style gaskets. They look simple, but they create more even pressure across the entire board. They have basically iterated on the standard shape and created a sloped-slot on the gasket itself.

They are claiming it distributes pressure evenly across the surface instead of concentrating it at one point. I’ve used plenty of these style of gaskets at this point and really comparing them to other boards I’ve used them in is extremely hard to tell if these slots make a difference. There is more softness to these, but I am unsure if that’s just due to the durometer of the silicone here.

I also experimented with removing the gaskets under the spacebar to see if it would change much. The difference was minimal, so I think most people are fine leaving them in. 

Overall, the new gaskets are a fun, but I don’t think there a huge leap forward but more so a proper refinement instead of just reusing the same old gasket material we have seen on dozens of boards.

Sounds and Feel

My test setup used Cherry Black MX2A on an aluminum plate. O-ring first, then gasket. The O-ring build felt soft, with a little more vertical give than I usually feel on O-ring boards. While it still sounded good, I do also personally prefer harder o-rings on my boards. The included one is 30A which is soft, and I did end up tested a few others and much preferred the sound and feel from the more dense ones. I do feel like when doing an o-ring mounted boards, 50A should be the standard hardness brands should include. That or at least offer other hardnesses on the buy page.

Swapping to the gasket configuration to the dumbbell style gaskets was the winner for me. There is a nicer bounce and a livelier tone across the entire board. The board sounds fuller without losing the bright, clean character that makes it fun to type on. If you want more depth, the CU series is still the path, but I prefer the Core Plus because it keeps the resonance and clack that I enjoy day to day.

What Else Should I know?

All PCB choices hit 1000 Hz polling, which is plenty in my experience for the casual gamers who are interested. Chasing higher polling rates usually costs you battery life or comes with tradeoffs you will not notice outside of edge cases. Neo’s hotswap PCBs continue to be standouts with very generous layout support and matching plates. If you are comfortable with a soldering iron, the plateless solder option could be a sleeper hit on this board, especially paired with the gasket mount. Sadly I didn’t get to try this though.

TL;DR

Pros

  • Dual mounting that actually changes feel and sound, both options are good
  • Redesigned plates with a very smart spacebar relief cut
  • Interior ridges that add fullness without heavy weights
  • Excellent layout support on hotswap, ISO included
  • Clean and simple case design
  • Excellent pricing
  • Plateless support!


Cons

  • Compass badge styling is not for everyone
  • Copper weight is a sidegrade, choose by preference only
  • O-ring included in the box is a bit to soft in my opinion

VIA Support? (Sorry for this again...)

This needs to be said: VIA is not supported out of the box. Vial also doesn’t work out the box either. You’ll have to download a .json. This could potentially be a deal breaker for some people.

Again: Brands really need to start treating VIA or VIAL support as a launch requirement, not an afterthought.

So yes, it technically works, but you’ll need a file.

Final Thoughts

The Neo65 Core Plus brings meaningful acoustic design, two solid mounting styles, a generous PCB with lots of options, a solid plate redesign, and a wide colour range, all at a price that feels unreal for what you get. It is not flashy, it is simply well considered, and it gives you the tools to shape the feel and sound you want without overspending.

At 105 to 160 dollars depending on configuration, it is one of the most compelling value kits right now.

If you prefer deeper, heavier sound and the visual of a full copper bottom, the CU series remains the more natural choice. If you like a brighter, more resonant signature with a touch more liveliness, the Core Plus wins. I favored the original Core over the CU lineup, and I feel the same way here. The Core Plus is the one I would daily, and it actually has been in my rotation since!

Until next time. 👋