When the Drop Sense75 was announced last fall with some reviews of the prototype version of the board going live from well-known keyboard enthusiasts, it did not go well. Priced at $350 for the black colorway or $400 for the Polar White that we have here, the sound didn’t live up to the ultra-premium price point. Since those early prototypes, Drop has tweaked the design to address that feedback. So is the Drop Sense75 now worth that premium price? Be sure to hit the video below to see all of the details.
Overview
Drop isn’t new to the hot-swap custom or prebuilt keyboard markets. It carries third-party boards on its website, offers plenty of switches, and has released its own keyboards. We went hands-on width the 65% Alt a few years ago.
The Sense75 is Drop’s premium 75% layout keyboard, which includes a function row, navigation and arrow keys, and a rotary knob in the upper right. Under the keycaps and under the keyboard is RGB lighting that can be customized.
It also packs premium keyboard features like gasket mounting, hot-swappable switches, and a hefty aluminum chassis that feels and looks very well-built.
Drop missed the mark with its early prototype units but has since implemented some changes to improve the overall experience.
The updates
In October of 2022, Drop released an update on its website with the announcement of the barebones (no switches or keycaps) version of the keyboard available for $250. Additionally, Drop described new features of the board that were directly in line with feedback from some of the prototype reviewers like Badseed Tech.
In that list of updates are two millimeter-thick “force-break” points on each corner of the board to help absorb sound and foam between the PCBA and switch plate. Two separate layers of foam sit between the PCBA and the bottom of the case that can be left in or removed to tweak the sound and gasket feel of the keyboard.
Drop also now includes a pre-cut fitted sheet of PCB tape for those who want to mod the board even more.
Drop Sense75: Video
Drop Sense75: Specs
- 84 keys
- Layout: 75%
- 6000 series aircraft-grade aluminum case
- Case coating: electrophoresis (Polar)
- Case angle: 5°
- Keycaps: Drop DCX Black-on-White (Polar)
- Switches: pre-lubed Drop Holy Panda X Switches
- Stabilizers: PCBA-mounted Drop Phantom Stabilizers
- South-facing, hot-swappable switch sockets
- Gasket-mounted
- Gasket material: BISCO (elastopolymer)
- Custom case dampening (EVA foam)
- Plate material: Aluminum
- Rotary encoder: Premium Alps encoder, aluminum knob
- Per-key RGB LED lighting
- RGB underglow with underside acrylic diffuser
- QMK firmware, VIA/VIAL support, programmable with Drop Keyboard Configurator
- Weight material: Aluminum
- Connectivity: USB-C
The design
Drop kept the design simple, but that’s what you get with most premium-focused boards. The bottom of the board might be one of the best-looking parts.
On this polar white colorway, there is a black Drop Sense75 logo and a large bronze accent that looks sharp. The board is also pretty hefty, weighing in at 1,422g. Weight doesn’t always equate to quality, but my mind always correlates the two and I prefer a heavier board.
The DROP DCX black-on-white keycaps are great in my opinion. There isn’t any RGB shine-through so they can be a bit hard to find at night if you’re hunting for a specific key, but the legends are crisp and the keycaps are made from a thick doubleshot ABS plastic.
Drop Sense75: In-Use
Now, I’ve used quite a few keyboards, but I’ve never built one from scratch. For me, though, the Drop Sense75 is one of the best-sounding and feeling boards I’ve ever used. Tactile switches are my favorite type – I like the feel of them when gaming. I would prefer a bit of a lighter switch than the Holy X Pandas from Drop, but in my opinion, they sound and feel very good.
Thankfully, the Sense75 is hot-swappable so you can easily change out the switches to something that you like better.
I still feel like there is a bit of scrathiness to this keyboard, but it’s nothing compared to other pre-built off the shelf board that I’ve tried in the past. In the video you’ll hear I compare it to the NZXT Function keyboard with Aliaz Silent switches as well as my previous favorite keyboard, the HyperX Alloy Origins 65 with aqua tactile swtiches.
What I don’t like
I’ve been spoiled by bigger name-brand keyboards from marks like Corsair and Razer that are very easy to customize. While Drop does have a Keyboard Configurator app, it’s more cumbersome than the more mainstream boards and wasn’t as fluid as it should be.
Following Drop’s own setup guide didn’t work for me to be able to customize the keymap. I had to download QMK Toolkit, create custom firmware from this tutorial, flash the board, and only then did the board show up in the Drop Keyboard Configurator like Drop said it would in the Setup Guide. It’s pretty frustrating having to troubleshoot a $400 keyboard right out of the box.
Once that was sorted, though, the keyboard was easy enough to configure through the Drop Keyboard Configurator app.
Drop Sense75: RGB
The RGB is teetering on a dislike as well. Drop kept it pretty subtle compared to most keyboards, which I like, but the implementation leaves something to be desired.
There is an RGB underglow around the entire keyboard but due to the proximity of the front of the board to the desk, the lighting is spotty and not a soft diffused light where it is most visible. It gives more of a Christmas tree light effect than a soft seamless underglow look.
Here’s the issue
The issue here remains that the keyboard space is growing and plenty of great boards are available for far less than the asking price of the Sense75. Most aficionados recommend going with something more affordable like the Keychron Q1.
Drop’s upgrades to the typing experience, though, do get the keyboard closer to what I would consider a premium keyboard. Again, I’m not a custom board nut, but this is one of the best typing experiences I’ve ever had with a keyboard. Going forward I see myself using the Drop Sense75 quite a bit.
9to5Toys’ Take
When it comes down to it, the Drop Senes75 is a really great keyboard in my opinion. But, at that price point, it needs to be the best. It should be just about perfect, and with issues like the configurator not working for me right out of the box and the spotty RGB detract from the premium experience of this keyboard.
Buy Drop Sense75
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