Lofree Flow 2 review: Great to type on, but oddly designed | usagoldmines.com

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When I tested the predecessor to this keyboard, the Lofree Flow, it received high marks despite a couple of minor complaints. Now Lofree is back with the Flow 2, a keyboard that prioritizes build quality and a comfortable typing experience.

Lofree Flow 2 100: Layout and options

It’s available in several different sizes and with various key switch options, but the Nordic layout I tested is called the Flow 2 100. It also has a sticker on the box it comes in that reads Silent Edition.

The name 100 means it has 100 keys, comprising the QWERTY keyboard, F1 to F12 along the top, and a numeric keypad on the side. The layout isn’t quite 100 percent, but rather what’s known as 96 percent. This means the numeric keypad on the right is squeezed tightly next to the Enter and arrow keys.

Mattias Inghe

Lofree Flow 2: Quiet, but cramped

That’s what its predecessor looked like too, and it was one of my minor complaints. Many keyboards with a 96 percent layout give you a small margin between the main keypad and the number keys. This gives the arrow keys a bit of breathing room and separates them from the rest of the keys, making it easier to avoid accidental keystrokes.

There wasn’t room for that on the previous model, but the Flow 2 is physically wider thanks to a 3 cm-wide strip to the right of the number keys, which doesn’t seem to serve any purpose. A slight redesign of the right-hand side would have been welcome. It takes time to get used to not pressing the left arrow key instead of Ctrl, for example.

Silent Edition refers to the switches. These are linear Pom Cloud switches without a click. These provide a tactile feedback signal roughly halfway to the bottom. You can type very quietly on it if you’re not in the habit of hammering away at the keys. Even a heavy keystroke produces only minimal clatter thanks to several vibration-dampening layers, the solid aluminum chassis, and the dampening rubber feet. You can lay the keyboard flat – at which point it’s barely two centimeters thick – or raise the rear edge using the fold-out feet.

Lofree Flow 2: Features, connectivity

There’s also a small switch under one of the feet that toggles between off, wireless connection, or USB-C. For wireless connectivity, you can connect either via the included 2.4 GHz nano-receiver or up to three Bluetooth pairings. You can then switch quickly between these using an Fn key combination.

Mattias Inghe

One thing I complained about with the previous model was the backlighting, which only shone around the keys and didn’t illuminate the characters. It was of no use in a dark room. This has been rectified, and the characters on all the keys are now clearly illuminated.

This comes set up as a Mac/iPad/iPhone keyboard, with keys at the bottom for Mac OS commands, but you can switch the profile to Windows and Android, which use the same instruction set. The package also includes extra keys that you can swap in to give you Windows symbols. What’s missing are the tools to remove the existing keycaps. You’ll need to get these separately.

You switch profiles using a hidden keyboard shortcut. You’ll need to look in the printed quick-start guide to find out which keys are used for this, as well as for switching between wireless connections.

Lofree Flow 2: Side controls, battery life

On the right-hand side of the keyboard, there’s a black strip with touch controls. You can swipe forwards or backwards to adjust the volume. That’s all it can do. I’d have liked the option to assign it to other functions, as I can with the Asus ProArt M100, but that would require a good management interface.

Apparently there is one – the web-based third-party system VIA – but it’s extremely fiddly to access. The quick start guide states that I must contact Lofree’s customer service and ask them to send a configuration file, which I then upload to VIA’s system. Who on earth can be bothered with that, and why isn’t it simply available to download? Or rather, why isn’t this sort of thing pre-configured from the start?

Mattias Inghe

The Lofree Flow 2 is powered by a reasonably large 3,000 mAh battery that charges via USB-C. It’s supposed to last for around 120 hours of active use or up to 14 hours with the backlight set to maximum brightness. It’s not the longest-lasting, but it’s hard to say what that means in real life. What counts as active use, and how quickly does it switch to power-saving sleep mode? During my three-day test, the battery level dropped by 20 percent. But I can only see that if I connect via Bluetooth, not with the RF adapter.

Should you buy the Lofree Flow 2?

Priced at $169, the Lofree Flow 2 100 does one thing very well and a couple of things… not so well. The mechanical construction of the keys and the chassis is flawless, and its quiet keystrokes could make it a top-class keyboard for those who don’t want to disturb those around them and appreciate a sense of quality. Lofree also deserve credit for getting the backlighting right.

However, I’d have hoped for a more thoughtfully designed keyboard and better usability. The limited functionality of the touch strip, an ill-conceived key layout with wasted space, inaccessible battery status, and mediocre battery life mean I’ll be looking elsewhere for a better alternative.