Neo75 and Neo98 Review

keyboard by: Neo Keyboards 
Photos taken in House by alex

Neo75 & Neo98 Review — Two layouts, one design philosophy

The Neo75 and Neo98 feel like the answer to the following question; What happens when you take a clean, modern design language and apply it to different form factors without losing the core identity? It’s clean, minimal, well-finished, and priced aggressively enough that it forces you to ask an uncomfortable question: why is this only $140 (Neo75) / $149 (Neo98)?

At a glance, the shared DNA is obvious between the two boards. They are pretty much the same internally and visually, just with a difference of layout. So from this point on, I won’t be focusing on differences mainly because there was nothing worth nothing (besides layout) between the two.

Design-wise, Neo is continuing a design language that’s been working extremely well for them. Thin bezels, a refined top-down look, and a really strong side profile. The stainless steel accent badge looks excellent in person, especially in silver, and I’ll be blunt here: I strongly prefer the non-PVD stainless bottom over the PVD options. It looks cleaner, stays cleaner, and honestly reads more premium despite being the cheaper option. 

Some other visual notes about the board, it has a small strip of RGB on the accent which I personally found fun and if you turn it off, it feels like it was never there. Oh and the side profile is lovely and almost reminds me of the F1-8x. I also preferred Neo’s take on the weight design here. It seems that compass they had on all of their previous releases is not as center stage as it once was, which I prefer.

From a visual standpoint alone, these are some of the most elegant and minimal boards you can buy right now for the price. But I will be diving into more, so grab some snacks and let’s get to reviewing.

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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More Options Than You'd Expect

The board can build a few different ways:

  • Top mount (Well rounded sound profile)
  • Silicone gasket mount (A bit flatter but adds more bass)
  • PORON gasket mount (brighter and poppy)


You get three mounting style, and thankfully they are not just there on paper. Each one actually sounds and feels different, which I really appreciate. Top mount is on the stiffer side, as expected, but with a plastic plate it ends up sounding deeper and more satisfying than I initially thought it would. It pairs really nicely with classic switches like MX2A Cherry blacks.

The silicone gasket ended up being my favorite overall. It has a fuller sound without feeling overly muted or mushy, and it strikes a balance that just works for longer typing sessions. The PORON gaskets are good too, but they are a bit of a process. They are finicky to install, and with bottom foam they can make the board sound a little stuffy, especially on the spacebar. Without the bottom foam though, the PORON setup actually sounds great, particularly on the alphas. That configuration surprised me in a good way.

I like that Neo gives you real tuning options here, even if a bit of experimentation is needed to find the sweet spot. And for anyone worried about foam, don’t be. The bottom foam here doesn’t scream “foam board” at all. It’s subtle, and depending on your build, it can actually help pull the sound together.

On another note, the build experience is pretty standard fare! It even has preinstalled force break pads (to break contact from the aluminum top and bottom piece to avoid unwanted resonance), which is nice. Although, I have a nitpick behind the philosophy of the board. So, you get multiple ways to build it and it’s hotswap, and it’s great! However the decision to go with hidden screw designs where it makes the board a bit more of a pain in the rear end to disassemble is odd. I totally get this decision since it most likely is why the board is so low front height wise, but I thought I’d mention my thought process here.

The One Part I Wish Was Different

This is really the one area where I started to feel the limitations.

The layout is fixed. No solder PCB. No 7U support, even though a 7U wire is included, funny enough. Exploded arrows are here, which I personally don’t mind, but that’s going to be subjective. For some people, this will be perfectly fine. For others, it’s a dealbreaker.

I’ll be blunt a second time here, I really wish Neo offered a solder option here.

Not because hotswap is bad, but because this board looks like something that could have benefited from more layout flexibility. At this price point, I understand why options were limited. This feels like a missed opportunity, even if I understand why they made the call.And what do I mean by this? Well, the limited hotswap layout options are also probably limited due to positioning of the hotswap sockets in this case, but again, solder!

Also, it would have been nice to have solder since the PCB has mounting points and it would have been awesome to do a plateless build.

But how does it sound?

This board leans lower-pitched overall. Not muddy, not hollow, just slightly bass-forward, especially on the bottom row. It’s not an F1-style poppy board, and it doesn’t try to be. Also, in my findings with the same switches and plate I didn’t notice too much of a difference, if any at all, between the Neo75 and Neo98.

Plastic plate configurations sound great here. Aluminum is a bit brighter and snappier, but I personally think plastic suits the new Neo’s personality better.

Neo’s included stabilizers are serviceable, but they do require more tuning than I’d like. They’re fine because they’re included. I wouldn’t go out of my way to buy them separately and I’d suggest using TypePlus or Knight Stabs!

The front height of the board comes in around 18mm, which makes it very comfortable for longer sessions. No complaints there. Overall I am a fan!

Neo75 vs Neo75CU

This part is awkward.

The Neo75 competes directly with Neo’s own Neo75CU. The CU is more expensive, easier to take apart, offers more flexibility, and has a more intricate design. The Neo75, however, sounds excellent for the price and looks incredibly clean.

If you want:

  • More layout flexibility
  • Easier modding
  • A slightly more premium-feeling build

Then the Neo75CU still makes sense.

If you want:

  • A great-looking 75%
  • Strong sound for the price
  • Minimal fuss and lower cost

The Neo75 is a very compelling option!

Although I still think the Neo75cu does make more sense for people who want more bang for their buck and want more layout options.

My Final Take

The Neo75 and Neo98 really feel like Neo fully settling into their stride design wise. They nailed the modern look here. Nothing feels experimental, and nothing feels like it was done just to chase trends. These boards feel intentional from the first look to the first keystroke. I am also so incredibly happy Neo did a near full size layout and even happier it turned out so good. We need more of these in the value / budget area of the hobby.

Neo has been pushing value for a while now, but with this lineup it feels less like they are trying to undercut the market and more like they are setting expectations.

Despite a few complaints I have (the layouts and software mainly) it’s a very strong board to end the year off with! I can’t recommend it enough if the above doesn’t bug you.

Until next time. 👋