On August 19, 2024, Lofree officially announced its new product, Flow Lite, at the official X
In conjunction with this, a special pre-order page before crowdfunding on Kickstarter has also been launched.
The regular retail price starts at $109.00, and with the Super Early Bird discount, you can get it for $69.00, a whopping 46% off.
A detailed release date has not been announced, but from the countdown, we can infer that the crowdfunding start will be at 20:00 Japan time on September 19, 2012.
(The above countdown is converted from PDT (U.S. Pacific Daylight Saving Time) to JST (Japan Standard Time).
Currently, if you pre-order by paying a $1.00 deposit through the link above, you will receive a switch puller, keycap puller, and keyboard cleaning brush worth $19.90 as a bonus, in addition to the promised ultra-early bird’s eye price.
Representative of GreenEchoes Studio
He launched his own media as a site operator and web writer, and now plans and manages multiple corporate media. He often types heavily in his work, and in his search for greater efficiency, he became addicted to the keyboard swamp and established “GreenKeys”.
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Summary of announced Flow Lite information
Let us now summarize the information that has been presented at this time.
Available in three color schemes
The coloring, from top to bottom, is off-white, marble, and flamingo.
The color scheme closest to the current Flow is off-white, and the marble in the middle looks more like a glaze than anything else.
The color matching with the champagne gold-colored vertical rotary encoder is excellent.
KawamuraMarble colors are likely to be the most popular.
This time, I think pinkish colors were included to broaden the target user base.
Two types of keyswitches: lightened linear and silent linear
The two options available at this time are Specter (linear switch) and Hades (silent linear).
Probably again, the key switches are Lofree x Kailh’s Choc V2 compatible key switches (but with thicker shaft legs), and Specter has a 10gf lighter pressing pressure than Ghost, which is more to the Japanese liking.
KawamuraI am glad to see that the points that appealed to Japanese users’ voices were incorporated at the product development stage.
The ultimate in silent linear switches, “Hades,” is now available.
The prototype silent linear switch was very well made, so we expect great things from this one as well.
Body is made of ABS material, not aluminum
As this is a Lite version, the body will be made of ABS plastic.
The tight hitting feel of the aluminum bottom is nice, but again, it is a trade-off in terms of price.
However, the potential for lighter weight may provide an advantage in terms of portability.
Tri-mode connection supported
Flow Lite supports triple-mode connectivity (2.4 GHz, Bluetooth 5.4, and wired USB-C).
The previous Edge model had obtained technical conformity certification in advance for products to be sold globally, and this was printed on the back of the device.
Considering that the product has already passed technical certification in Japan, it will definitely be sold globally after obtaining technical certification.
OE921 (Flow Lite 84) and OE922 (Flow Lite 100) were certified.
KawamuraOE921 (Flow Lite 84/Certification No. 219-249253) and OE922 (Flow Lite 100/Certification No. 219-249254) were certified.
Gasket mount structure
Even though it is a Lite model, the key feel is unmatched.
The gasket-mounted construction, which combines IXPE and PU, will provide a comfortable key feel similar to Flow.
Tilt angle adjusts to 2 levels
While the angle was fixed in Flow, Lite offers two levels of tilt angle adjustment.
Depending on your preference, this is good news for those who find it easier to type if it is sloped.
Available in 75% and 100% full size
Like Flow, Lite will also be available in 84-key and 100-key versions.
If you have room at your desk, 100 keys are fine, and if you are mainly thinking about carrying it around, 84 keys are recommended.
Equipped with vertical rotary encoder
New this time around is a rotary encoder in the upper right corner of the keyboard.
It is not clear if the role can be changed by the keymap modification software described below, but at present it seems to function only as a volume controller.
Keymap can be changed with dedicated keymap change software
Perhaps the biggest evolution from Flow is the ability to change keymaps in Lite.
In addition to the usual key position changes, it seems to be possible to set combo keys and macro keys, and it seems to have a function to disable the keyswitch itself from functioning.
summary
The above is a description of the newly announced Flow Lite.
Who would have thought that the price would be lower and the specs would be higher, such as the ability to change the keymap?
Lofree is not just a low-cost version of the product, but has also significantly updated its functionality.
Perhaps the most affordable option is the Super Early Bird, which will be available in limited quantities immediately following the start of crowdfunding.
If you are interested, you can use the “pre-order” option to purchase at Super Early Bird prices before the crowdfunding begins.
Click here for the advance reservation page ▷▷▷
