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The mechanical keyboard market has been flooded with pre-built keyboards featuring magnetic switches over the past year — it seems like a new 75-percent magnetic switch keyboard boasting Rapid Trigger and Snap Tap comes out every week. But because magnetic switches are largely aimed at gamers, we haven’t seen a lot of magnetic switch gaming keyboards that are larger than 75-percent.
We’ve seen some — like Glorious’ wildly-expensive custom-built GMMK 3 series. And now, the Keydous NJ98-CP V2 HE, which is a much more budget-friendly option. This almost-full-size keyboard (96-percent layout, or 98 keys), may not have a full aluminum case, but it’s got a numberpad that turns into a calculator, a programmable rotary knob, and a programmable, detachable screen. (Just because.)
It’s wireless and features a hot-swappable PCB that accepts both magnetic switches and mechanical switches, which is handy considering the lack of standardization in the magnetic switch market at the moment — you can always fall back on your favorite mechanical switches.
Designed to compete with the best mechanical keyboards, the NJ98-CP V2 HE is available now for $150 — not exactly budget-priced, but less than half the price of other full-size options.
Design and Construction of the NJ98-CP V2 HE
The NJ98-CP V2 HE is a wireless magnetic switch keyboard with a 96-percent layout — it’s designed to give you almost all of the functionality of a full-size keyboard in a more compact form. The keyboard has a full function row and a full numberpad, as well as three of the navigation keys (Delete, PgUp, and PgDn), as well as a dedicated calculator key. The numberpad is also squeezed closer to the arrow keys, and has a 1u 0 key to fit. The keyboard also features a volume knob (programmable) in the upper right corner, which is next to a detachable magnetic docking screen.
By default, this screen displays a number of stats (Num lock, Caps lock, battery life, connection, and time), as well as a gif of a cat (which is cute, I guess). You can customize this screen with your own images or gifs using the keyboard’s companion software, similar to the screen seen on the Asus ROG Azoth and ROG Azoth Extreme.
This screen also acts as a screen for the keyboard’s built-in calculator function, which you can access by hitting Fn + Numpad Enter. I’ll admit this is pretty handy if you… well, frequently need a calculator, though I wish the shortcut was easier to hit one-handed (I can hit it one-handed, but it’s not convenient). Also, the dedicated calculator key, which opens up your PC’s onscreen calculator, seems like overkill in addition to this feature (how many calculators do you need?!).
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The screen is easily removable — it just pulls off, though the magnet is strong enough that you shouldn’t have to worry about accidentally knocking it loose. I’m not sure why the screen is removable, as it doesn’t work on its own, but Keydous does sell replacement screens in different colors (light pink, light green, and khaki) on its website for $20, so I suppose it’s just another way to customize your build.
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The keyboard is housed in a plastic chassis with a slightly textured matte finish, which is not the fanciest-looking (or feeling) chassis material. The keyboard comes in six colorways: white (white case, white keycaps, light blue and orange accent keys), black samurai (black case, black keycaps, yellow accent keys), pale green (white case, cream keycaps, green accent keys), star dream (white case, gray-to-black ombre keycaps, translucent teal accent keys), and shadow (gray-to-black ombre keycaps with shine-through side legends) with either a white or a black case. Our review unit was in star dream, which has dye-sub PBT keycaps in a Cherry keycap profile.
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The keyboard measures 15.87 inches (403mm) wide by 5.43 inches (138mm) deep, and is approximately 1.57 inches (40mm) thick at its thickest point (including keycaps). It’s slightly larger than the Asus ROG Strix Scope II 96 Wireless (14.84 x 5.16 x 1.57 inches / 377 x 131 x 40mm), because it adds the navigation keys in a column next to the numberpad (instead of along the top, like the Strix Scope II 96 Wireless does).
The roomier layout is nice for those who frequently use the numberpad, though the overall compact layout will still take some getting used to if you’re moving from a full-size keyboard. You can get this keyboard with either an aluminum or a brass positioning plate (brass costs $15 more); our review unit with its aluminum plate weighed in at 2.52 pounds (1,144g) — solid, but not particularly heavy.
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On the back of the keyboard, you’ll find four small anti-slip rubber pads, as well as a set of flip-out feet to change the keyboard’s typing angle. This is a nice feature, as a lot of the magnetic switch keyboards we’ve been looking at recently have had aluminum cases and no angle adjustment. The power switch is also located on the back of the keyboard, which is a little inconvenient if you frequently turn your keyboard on and off — but at least the keyboard is fairly lightweight and so the switch is not too much of a hassle to get to. Finally, there’s a little slot for the keyboard’s 2.4GHz wireless USB-A dongle, which is small and unassuming (a little too unassuming — there’s no label on the USB dongle at all, and I immediately forgot what it belonged to).
In the box, the keyboard comes with a keycap puller, a switch puller, and a 5-foot (1.5m) rubber USB-C to USB-A cable. It also comes with extra keycaps (Mac keys and accent key replacements), a 2.4GHz wireless USB-A dongle, and a USB extender.
Specs
Size | 96-percent |
Number of keys | 98 |
Switches | Kailh Ice Cream Magnetic Switch V2 (linear) |
Backlighting | Yes |
Onboard Storage | Yes |
Dedicated Media Keys | Yes |
Game Mode | Yes |
Additional Ports | 0 |
Connectivity | 2.4GHz, Bluetooth, wired (USB-C) |
Cable | USB-A to USB-C |
Keycaps | Dye-sub PBT |
Construction | Plastic chassis Anodized aluminum top plate |
Software | Keydous Driver |
Dimensions (LxWxH) | 15.87 x 5.43 x 1.57 inches / 403 x 138 x 40 mm |
Weight | 2.52lbs / 1,144g |
MSRP / Price at Time of Review | $149.99 |
Typing and Gaming Experience on the NJ98-CP V2
The NJ98-CP V2 HE comes with magnetic switches, but the hot-swappable PCB supports both magnetic and mechanical switches (3- and 5-pin) — like Glorious’ magnetic GMMK 3 — and you can mix magnetic and mechanical switches.
It comes with Kailh Ice Cream Magnetic Switch V2 switches, which are linear magnetic switches with an initial force of 30gf and a total travel of 4mm. They have all the features that magnetic switches have: adjustable actuation (between 0.1 and 4.0mm), Rapid Trigger, Dynamic Keystrokes, and SnapTap, which you can set up and configure in the Keydous Driver companion app.
Typing on the NJ98-CP V2 HE feels and sounds quite good — the switches are smooth, consistent, and stable, and the stabilizers are well-lubed. The case comes with three layers of foam inside, which do a very good job of dampening sound and absorbing any case ping.
While it’s not the absolute best-sounding keyboard we’ve tested, the aluminum positioning plate combined with the sound-dampening foam makes for a nice, crisp, consistent overall sound — except for the space bar. The space bar has a deeper, somewhat out-of-place “thock” to it, which is noticeable but not so much so that it’s overly distracting.
The keycaps that came with the star dream colorway are made of dye-sublimated PBT and have a Cherry keycap profile. The Cherry keycap profile is relatively low-profile with sculpted rows, for a comfortable, easy-travel typing experience. These keycaps have slightly curved tops and a lightly-textured finish that’s just slippery enough for speedy typing — I was able to consistently hit around 130 wpm with 99% accuracy on this keyboard right out of the box.
The keycaps vary slightly depending on which colorway you get — the star dream, pale green, black, and white colorways have Cherry profile keycaps, while the two shadow colorways have OEM profile keycaps.
For productivity, this keyboard’s built-in calculator does seem to be pretty handy. However, when you go into calculator mode by pressing Fn + Numpad Enter, you can’t enter any input on the keyboard until you leave calculator mode — so you can’t enter the numbers into your PC without exiting calculator mode, and exiting calculator mode clears the calculator. I suppose maybe that’s why there’s also a dedicated calculator button on this keyboard — in case you need to enter in your numbers on your computer.
But, of course, this is a keyboard — how often are you not going to be using your computer when you’re using this calculator? While I did think this feature was pretty neat at first, I now think you probably don’t really need it alongside a dedicated calculator button. But maybe there’s some use case I’m not considering.
For gaming, the NJ98-CP HE V2 is as solid as any other magnetic switch keyboard. It has a solid, 1,000 Hz polling rate over both its 2.4GHz wireless connection and its wired connection, and game mode (Fn + Windows Key) is built in.
It also offers adjustable actuation, which lets you adjust the point at which the key actuates (individually for each key, if you like), as well as Rapid Trigger, which matches the key’s actuation point to its de-actuation point, so you can press it down as soon as you let go of it, without having to wait for it to pass a specific de-actuation point. The keyboard’s low,
Cherry profile keycaps and linear magnetic switches make it easy to quickly glide across the keyboard, but the keyboard itself is perhaps a little too big for most gamers. However, if you’re a gamer like me and you need all the buttons, the NJ98-CP V2 HE is probably one of your only options on the market.
Features and Software of the NJ98-CP V2 HE
You can configure the NJ98-CP V2 using the Keydous Driver, which is available both as a download and a web app. It is pretty clearly translated from Chinese, and all the documentation is also translated from Chinese, which makes it a little confusing and convoluted at times.
You can turn on and adjust the keyboard’s magnetic switch settings — actuation point, Rapid Trigger, Dynamic Keystrokes, Toggle Keys, Snap Tap, etc. and also calibrate the switches when you’ve swapped in new magnetic or mechanical switches. The software also lets you remap and configure keys (on multiple layers) and the rotary knob, and includes a built-in macro recorder.
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You can also customize the screen with your own pictures or animations. The software is actually pretty impressive here, if perhaps a little unnecessarily detailed — you can upload your own images or gifs, or you can draw things on the “draw board” and save them to the hardware — and your drawings can have colors and multiple frames.
I didn’t spend too much time exploring this, but it is kind of neat if you love customization. You can also upload and share your presets — whether they’re keymaps, drawings, or lighting effects — with others in the Keydous Driver community.
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The keyboard has bright RGB lighting with per-key configuration using the app. It comes with several presets (and you can also do some limited customization directly from the keyboard using shortcuts), but you can also change each individual key’s lighting (if you like) and you can save lighting effects to different layers (so, for example, you know what profile you’re currently using).
Wireless Performance and Battery Life of the NJ98-CP V2 HE
The NJ98-CP V2 offers three forms of connectivity: low-latency 2.4GHz wireless, Bluetooth, and wired via USB-C. It offers a solid 1,000 Hz polling rate over both 2.4GHz wireless and wired connections, which is the standard for gaming keyboards — though we’ve recently seen a few magnetic switch keyboards with ultra-high polling rates (such as the Luminkey Magger 68 HE and the Lemokey L5 HE 8K).
Keydous rates the NJ98-CP V2 HE’s battery life at around 800 hours in power saving mode — that is, with the screen and the lighting turned off. With the screen and the lighting set to “always on,” the keyboard gets just 29 hours (which is pretty respectable considering “always on” means never sleeping). The screen displays the battery life by default, but if you change the screen or turn it off, you’ll still get a low battery warning at less than 10% thanks to a red light under the F12 key.
The Bottom Line
There really aren’t very many full-size magnetic switch gaming keyboards on the market — and this technically isn’t even full-size, either. So if you’re the kind of person who needs a numberpad or just a lot of extra keys, your options are pretty limited.
Luckily, the Keydous NJ98-CP V2 HE is such a solid contender that you may not even want to look further — it’s wireless, with smooth magnetic switches and great out-of-the-box performance and sound, and its hot-swap PCB accepts both magnetic and mechanical switches. At $150, the NJ98-CP V2 HE isn’t dirt-cheap, but it costs quite a bit less than most mainstream full-size gaming keyboards (let alone magnetic ones) — Glorious’ full-size GMMK 3 magnetic switch keyboard currently starts at $191 for the wired version and $320 for the wireless version.
