The first time I unwrapped the Lofree Dot Foundation from its packaging, the brilliantly pink look of its keys gave my partner goosebumps. Upon hearing the sound the keys made, they got goosebumps for a second time. If you are someone who really cares about the aesthetic of your work setup or gets some joy from the click-clack of a nice set of keys, Lofree has made possibly one of the nicest keyboards I’ve ever touched.
Unfortunately, if you are more of a lazy typer or have bigger hands, you may have to hold out for something more size-appropriate.
Lofree Dot Foundation review: Price and availability
The Lofree Dot Foundation sells for the retail price of $239.99 at Amazon and Lofree’s own site. It has been on sale more than it has been available at retail price since I’ve been monitoring them, regularly reaching sub $200. Interestingly, Lofree also has a page on AliExpress that claims the retail price of the keyboard is $426.04, but frequently sells it for marginally cheaper than the two previously mentioned options. This is a manipulative sales tactic, making AliExpress shoppers believe they are getting the keyboard at a better discount than they actually are.
For that price difference, you are better off with the security of the first two choices as AliExpress can be unreliable. Since I’ve been checking the Lofree Dot Foundation, I haven’t come across any stock issues so you should have no problem buying it. That said, buying from Lofree can take anywhere between seven to 35 days depending on the type of shipping you get, and having Amazon Prime gets you next-day delivery. Amazon seems like the best way to get the Lofree Dot Foundation.
Lofree Dot Foundation review: What’s good?
Starting with the most noticeable element of the Lofree Dot Foundation, it is inspired by the aesthetic of foundation bottles so it all has this vaguely pink sheen to it with central keys having a translucent top and the side of the keyboard being a more solid cream color. The space bar is closer to the Rose Gold of the iPhone 7. The font on the front of the keys is bubbly and cute, whilst being very legible. With backlighting behind the whole thing, it can look really pretty in the brilliant sun or at night in the dark. Quick shortcuts can customize the pattern and brightness of the lighting, allowing you some level of customization on the go too.
Compatible with Windows, Android, and Apple devices, there’s a switch at the top of the keyboard that you can flick to allow Mac keyboard shortcuts. Each relevant keycap has the name of the Mac key and Windows key on it, making it a viable all-rounder keyboard for any setup. Luckily, if you want specific Mac keys, the keycaps that come with this keyboard are hot-swappable, meaning you can replace them easily. With nothing but a strong grip, they can be pulled off the board itself without any damage. Once off, you will spot Lofree’s own “GATERON Baby Racoon Switch” underneath — a form of linear switch that makes a pleasant ‘thunk’ as it hits the base.
The Lofree Dot Foundation’s keys aren’t super loud but they have a super satisfying click, that sounds particularly good at speed. It’s a super smooth tap that sounds as great as the keyboard looks. They not only look glossy but feel it, making them fingerprint-resistant. If you are someone who likes to type away on your best iPhone or the best Mac, the Lofree Dot Foundation has great connectivity, capable of connecting wirelessly via a super steady and quick USB dongle, wired USB-C cable, or Bluetooth. You can even easily cycle through connections with the function button, meaning you can swap between devices in mere seconds.
With 84 keys and weighing just under a kilogram, the Lofree Dot Foundation is a surprisingly good travel keyboard and the battery life powered me through over two weeks of use before I had to charge. If you are worried about its durability on the go, the Foundation has a protective layer of translucent plastic all around the side, that feels super sturdy. The keyboard itself has a gasket design, with multiple interlocking layers that hold all those keys down well and it doesn’t give or bend to any pressure on the center of the board.
The Lofree Dot Foundation has so much going for it that, if you connect to that look and sound, you likely won’t regret the pretty big price of entry.
Lofree Dot Foundation review: What’s not so good?
The Lofree Flow 100 is a larger more Apple-like keyboard and is $70 cheaper — with it going even lower with regular sales. If you buy the Dot Foundation, you definitely pay for that aesthetic. It is significantly more expensive than many similar keyboards, though it is one of the most unique keyboards I’ve tested.
Though it looks great, the lighting doesn’t fully highlight the whole keyboard. Instead, it only really glows over the central and top keys, appearing quite muted on the solid cream caps at the side. This means if you use it at night and like the glow to highlight your keys, they become quite hard to see.
As well as this, the 40g of actuation force required to press keys feels incredibly light if you type fast. Just brushing the keys too hard with your fingers as you move them across the board can end up in misclicks. This is further harmed by the fact that keys can feel quite short and close together, thanks to the size of the board itself. I often found myself mistyping sentences I wouldn’t otherwise, much to the dismay of my colleagues. I did manage to mostly curb these mistakes after a while but found myself hitting the board with a much more careful typing style, slowing me down somewhat.
As someone with particularly big hands, I’ve found myself particularly vulnerable to these two problems so someone with smaller hands or a slower typing speed will be less likely to run into them.
Lofree Dot Foundation review: Competition
The aforementioned Lofree Flow 100 is a cheaper option that is stylish in a very different way, even though it is let down somewhat by poorer battery life. The Nuphy Gem80 starts at $149.95, is super customizable, sounds great, and is fantastic to type on. The Meletrix Zoom75 is a similarly priced keyboard, though you can entirely customize it on the website. You are paying custom keyboard prices here and, though it does show in high-quality materials and looks, you need to be the right type of person to get the value out of the Dot Foundation.
Should you buy it?
Buy the Lofree Dot Foundation if…
- You want something very pretty
- You need lots of connectivity options
- You love a great-sounding keyboard
Don’t buy the Lofree Dot Foundation if…
- You want a more understated keyboard
- You have clumsy fingers
- The aesthetic isn’t worth all that money to you
Lofree Dot Foundation mechanical keyboard review: Verdict
The Lofree Dot Foundation is a very impressive mechanical keyboard with a great look, fantastic sound, and a high-quality feel. However, you definitely pay for the aesthetic and small keys, mixed with a light actuation force, mean typos can happen frequently with bigger hands.
The bottom line
If you are someone who likes the idea of having a super cute setup and love when your keyboard has a nice sound, the extra cash for the Dot Foundation will likely be worth it — just watch out if you have big hands
