Keychron Orca echo Short Review: What to Make of a Commercial Split Keyboard with an Unusual Layout and Trackball

How should we assess an input device that looks like an oddball and attracted support from more than 26,000 people through crowdfunding in Japan?

Keychron Orca echo is a trackball-equipped keyboard with a split, column-staggered layout.

It also has a 40% layout with fewer keys than a standard keyboard, wireless connectivity between the two halves, a horizontal rotary encoder, and even a touchpad—in short, it would be no exaggeration to call it an all-in-one keyboard.

I believe keyboards with these features have their roots in the DIY keyboard scene.

Although input devices with these features have long attracted attention, DIY kits can require soldering and parts selection, creating a very high barrier to entry for beginners.

A key point to keep in mind when evaluating Orca echo is that it went on sale as a ready-made product that can be used without assembly.

I regularly use a small split keyboard, and with a familiar keymap loaded, I can type with the same feel and at about the same speed as on my usual keyboard.

However, I think first-time users will need time to get used to the key layout and the way numbers and symbols are entered.

Put plainly, there is no doubt this is a product with high switching costs.

I had the opportunity to review Orca echo separately from the “early reviews” being posted on social media lately.

Drawing on my experience reviewing a wide range of keyboards, including DIY and small keyboards, this article discusses what may delight and challenge people starting out with Orca echo.

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Orca echo Overview and Review Setup

Orca echo is a keyboard co-developed by Keychron and Gizmodo Japan.

Its 49-key column-staggered layout is paired with a trackball on the right, a wheel on the left, and scroll pads on both sides.

This article covers not only the default settings but also my experience after changing the click location and layers. A detailed look at 40% and 30% keymaps will appear in a separate article.

Orca echo typing sound and feel

First, listen to the typing sound recording.

Typing feel and sound

The model I used this time had tactile switches (Samurai).

The resistance when pressing the switches is pronounced, giving them a solid feel.

I usually use linear switches with an actuation force of around 40 gf, so I would have preferred something a little lighter.

Those who prefer a light keystroke may find these a little heavy.

The typing sound, however, is subdued.

In my experience, the volume was low enough that I would consider using it in an office.

Those who enjoy the sharp, clacking sound of a mechanical keyboard bottoming out may find it a little underwhelming.

The feel when pressing the keys all the way down struck me as just right—not too hard and not too soft.

The switches felt heavier than I prefer, but I thought the bottom-out feel was quite good.

How the stock keycaps feel under the fingers

The stock keycaps have a distinctive slope that descends toward the back.

Rather than having a different angle for each row, they all share the same slope.

This feel is likely to divide opinion.

Kawamura

On a keyboard with a conventional typing angle, I would expect the keycap tops to tilt upward in a way that complements this slope. But when mounted on the Orca echo, they seemed to slope away from me.

Compared with the Jezail Funder LAK and LCK that I use, these keycaps are thinner, and they felt less rigid while typing.

On the other hand, this feel may suit those who prefer a lighter typing feel.

The keycap tops have a fairly shallow dish, so their shape may make them less likely to catch the fingers of people who type by gliding them across the keys.

About the switches

The Orca echo uses newly developed Keychron Apex POM low-profile switches.

Although the newly developed switches are low-profile, their footprint is compatible with the widely used Cherry MX-compatible switches for standard-profile keyboards.

However, the switch’s mounting tabs are at a different height from those on Cherry MX-compatible switches.

To use standard-profile switches, you’ll need to replace the plate with the “switch plate for standard-profile switches,” which is planned for release.

Kawamura

I’ll compare it with Gateron LP 3.0 in a separate article.

Benefits I Found in Actual Use

Here are the benefits I noticed after using it.

A niche-spec keyboard available as a “finished product”

The biggest benefit for the keyboard scene is surely that this “niche-spec” keyboard is available as a “finished product” rather than something you have to build yourself.

As I mentioned at the beginning, keyboards with a “column-staggered layout, split design, and trackball” have their roots in the custom keyboard community.

Since the Keyball appeared, custom keyboards incorporating all kinds of clever ideas have emerged, and they have increasingly caught the attention of mainstream gadget users.

At the same time, soldering requirements can be a significant barrier, and individual builders can only produce so many units. As a result, demand is high, but supply often falls short.

I feel that the Orca echo removes the assembly barrier and makes this category more accessible.

Whether first-time users can learn to use it without difficulty is another matter.

I’d also like to see how it is received once it reaches general buyers.

Complete tasks without leaving the home position

One advantage of the Orca echo is that you can type and control the cursor with your shoulders open, all while keeping your hands at the home position.

With a conventional keyboard, you’re constantly moving your hands a long way to type on the number row, reach symbols and Enter on the right, or use the arrow keys, numpad, or mouse.

Many people have likely experienced how much busier the right hand is than the left.

With the Orca echo, there are fewer situations that require large hand movements, such as switching to a mouse, making it easier to move between typing and pointer control.

In other words, it can create an environment where you can focus on typing.

That said, it’s worth remembering that you’ll need to adjust the controls to suit you—including deciding where to place mouse clicks and getting used to the column-staggered layout—and then learn to use them.

Broad Hardware and Software Customization Options

Another advantage of the Orca echo is the wide scope for hardware and software customization.

On the hardware side, design files for components such as the case and plate are publicly available and can be used to make custom parts and compatible accessories, subject to the license terms.

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These files can be used not only to inspect the case and plate construction, but also to make custom parts for personal use and design compatible accessories.

The idea of users making the keyboard their own is familiar to the DIY keyboard community.

There is also plenty of room for software customization.

You change the keymap using Keychron Launcher, a web app.

You can do more than make simple keymap changes: advanced settings let you change key bindings for tap and hold, and customize the rotary encoder, trackball, and touchpad controls.

At the same time, the wide range of options may leave users wondering which settings to choose.

The current software also has settings that may feel out of reach to DIY keyboard users: Tapping Term can only be set from 200 ms to 500 ms, for example, and Tapping Term Option cannot be configured.

The Built-In Tenting Legs Make It Easier to Type

The Orca echo comes with tenting legs.

With a conventional keyboard, you can generally only adjust the angle front to back, so few people will have experience with one that tilts from side to side.

There are aftermarket parts that add tenting, but the adjustment can be surprisingly finicky, and the keyboard may wobble while typing.

In that respect, I was very impressed that the Orca echo comes with tenting legs already installed.

Of the 5° and 12° angles, I found 5° easier to use.

With the keyboard tilted, my hands felt as though their center of gravity shifted toward the little-finger side, making it easier to move my index fingers, which handle many of the keys.

Being able to try the keyboard flat or tilted without buying a separate stand is a major advantage.

I recommend trying each angle and finding the position that feels easiest to type in.

Highly Portable

The Orca echo’s two halves can be joined back-to-back with magnets to form a single unit.

Portability is another advantage worth appreciating in a split keyboard.

However, because the keyboard is split in two, it could take up a lot of space in a bag if carried as is.

Joining the halves makes it thicker, but it is convenient to be able to carry them together in a single case.

Things to Keep in Mind Before Getting Started

The main question, of course, is where users might run into difficulties.

Here are 3 things that new users are likely to find challenging.

The Key Layout and Input Methods Differ from Those of a Typical Keyboard, So You Will Need Time to Get Used to Them

The biggest challenge is undoubtedly the switching cost of its unusual layout.

When switching from a regular keyboard, not only is the keyboard split in two, but the key arrangement itself is different.

The column-staggered layout used by the Orca echo offsets the height of each column along the vertical axis.

It feels different to move your fingers on this layout than on a conventional row-staggered keyboard.

Kawamura

If typing on a row-staggered layout feels like moving diagonally from the upper left to the lower right, typing on a column-staggered layout is more about moving up and down. In particular, when typing “Z” from the home position, consciously thinking of the movement as going straight down may help you get a feel for how to move your fingers.

Since the number row and other keys are omitted, keys that aren’t on the main layer are entered by switching layers.

While you hold down a designated key, the other keys take on different functions.

Because both the layout and the input method change at once, even typing a single character takes more thought at first.

You’ll probably find yourself thinking, “I could type this right away on my usual keyboard.”

Even though there’s no assembly required, you still have to learn how to move your fingers and enter characters. It helps to separate ease of getting started from how quickly you can type as usual.

I think it’s helpful to distinguish between how easy it is to get started and how quickly you can type as usual.

Kawamura

Don’t think of it as a keyboard; think of it as an “input device.”
Place your usual keyboard in the middle, with the Orca echo on either side.
If you get tired of practicing, switching back to your usual keyboard may help you avoid the frustration of not being able to type the way you want.

Changing the keymap can make the key legends differ from the keys’ actual functions

Naturally, changing the keymap can make the legends differ from what the keys actually do.

There’s no way around that.

That said, I can say unequivocally that you don’t have to stick with the default keymap just because you don’t want the legends and key functions to differ.

On keyboards with a 60% layout or smaller, you’ll inevitably need to put the keys that don’t fit on a “lower layer” and enter them while holding a layer key.

But where to put those extra keys on the lower layer is up to you; there’s no fixed rule.

One of the pleasures of small keyboards is refining the keymap to suit your own needs.

Kawamura

After checking the Orca echo’s default keymap, I changed it to the keymap I normally use.
I use even fewer keys in my typing videos, but I don’t use the default keymap.

For me, a horizontal number row like the one on a regular keyboard is easier to remember, so I arranged 1–0 on a layer I switch to with my left thumb.

If the default arrangement works for you, there’s no need to change it.

If you keep getting stuck on a particular key, you can change that part of the layout.

Some custom keyboards now include a feature that displays your custom keymap on screen and highlights the keys you’re typing.

I’d also like to see Keychron Launcher add this kind of learning aid in the future.

Kawamura

Once you’ve settled on a keymap, print it out and keep it nearby.
Typing while looking at your own keymap cheat sheet is a shortcut to getting better.

A separate article proposing a 40% keymap covers number and symbol placement and how to configure it.

The tactile model felt somewhat heavy to me, as I prefer light linear switches

As a matter of personal preference, I like linear switches more than tactile switches—and I prefer them light.

Given my preferences, the Samurai tactile switches used in the Orca echo had a somewhat pronounced tactile response right at the start of the press.

Kawamura

I replaced the switches in the thumb cluster with Ninja switches, which had been provided separately.

Finding what does and doesn’t suit you is one of the great pleasures of customizing a keyboard.

You can first try the switches you ordered, then swap them for a different type*, which is one of the ways to enjoy a customizable keyboard.

At the time of writing, the only replacement low-profile switches for the Orca echo are Keychron Apex POM low-profile switches (Ninja/Samurai). For normal-profile switches, however, you can use 3-pin or 5-pin Cherry MX-compatible switches by replacing the switch plate with the dedicated plate.

Conclusion

That concludes my short review of the Keychron Orca echo.

There’s no question that the Orca echo is a real outlier in today’s world, where row-staggered layouts dominate.

On the other hand, I strongly feel that its boldly distinctive character is wonderfully spicy for gadget enthusiasts and makes it a lot of fun.

In my case, once I adjusted the keymap to one I was familiar with, I could handle both typing and cursor control right at my fingertips.

I think the Orca echo’s appeal lies in letting you enjoy this spaceship-cockpit-like experience in a prebuilt keyboard.

If you placed an order, I think you have good reason to be excited.

It seems that sales of replacement keycaps and a switch plate for normal-profile switches are also being considered. Greenkeys will continue to follow developments on these fronts.

View Orca echo product information on CoSTORY (presale ended)

Orca echo global prelaunch page

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