Today we are looking at the HE68, the magnetic keyboard with hall effect switches and a sleek 65% layout by Epomaker.

The HE68 is part of Epomaker’s recent entry into the world of magnetic keyboards, offering both premium and affordable products in equal measure that allow users to experience new cutting edge technology without breaking the bank.

If you are simply curious about the world of magnetic keyboards or are looking for an affordable entry into it, then keep reading our review for the HE68 and find out if this is the product for you.

HE68 Magnetic Keyboard
Manufacturer: Epomaker
Price: $59.99

When it comes to its shell, the HE68 is housed in an ABS plastic case that has a smooth finish, black or white depending on the model chosen. Despite not being made of the almighty aluminum, the plastic shell still has a quality feel to it and looks quite sleek, setting the mood for the keyboard’s entire aesthetic.

The keyboard’s almost entirely monochromatic look is accentuated by a couple of colorful keycaps, although the look varies depending on the color chosen. The model that I picked, which is fully white, has white keycaps with purple letters, with a fully purple Enter and Esc keys to provide a little color.

The HE68’s keycaps are made of high quality double-shot PBT, and are not only stylish but also feature a very unique texture, which contrasts well with the entirely smooth shell of the keyboard. The slightly chalky keycaps grip to your fingers nicely, providing an interesting texture while typing.

The HE68 comes equipped with the hot-swappable Epomaker Magnetic Pink switches, which feature 45±5gf of travel force and 3.5±0.1mm of total travel. This set of switches already comes pre-lubed, which is immediately felt when typing on them, and despite being 3-pin, they happen to be quite stable.

Needless to say, the switches are the star of the show, not only being incredibly durable, but also providing users with a wide variety of customization options. They are firm, stable, hyper-accurate, and provide a nice, smooth typing feel.

The HE68 only supports 3-pin switches, which is not something I personally consider a negative point. Magnetic switches so far seem to be almost entirely 3-pin, so while I do get that there’s less customization options, buying a magnetic keyboard to slap mechanical switches onto it feels absolutely redundant.

The HE68 is very impressive as far as its specs go, providing users with wired 8K polling rate, but might not be everyone’s cup of tea in the sound department. It’s undeniable that the keyboard has a “plasticky” sound, which might not be very popular with people looking for a smoother auditory experience.

The keyboard’s acoustics feel like they are heavily determined by its plastic case, as it sounds vaguely similar to a vintage keyboard, of course with no rattle and offering much smoother key presses due to the high quality lubed switches.

As someone whose first exposure to mechanical keyboards was through unlubed Blue Outemus, this is a more than acceptable sound, but we also can’t ignore the modern alternatives available, lots of them by Epomaker themselves. The way I’d describe it is a 60% clacky and 40% thocky, something that has a very “default” but not necessarily premium sound. You can give it a listen below:

The keyboard’s software shares a layout similar to the one we’ve seen used by the Monsgeek FUN60 Ultra, featuring the same impressive list of customization options, but this time without pushing a confusingly inferior online version of its driver onto users.

The software allows for the expected basics like changing RGB patterns and customizing the function key shortcuts, but also allows users to fully set each key’s actuation settings and even enable SOCD functions, which are useful for strafing in online FPS or for movement in fighting games.

There are lots of niche and advance settings available, like being able to set multiple action triggers depending on how far a key is pressed, as well as if those actions will trigger on the key’s way up or down. It’s quite clear that Epomaker has thought of every possible use situation with their software, giving users as much control as possible over the HE68 through its software.

The HE68 is a solid hall effect keyboard for someone who wants to test out the technology and all the functions that come with it without spending too much. Epomaker has made sure that despite this being an entry level product, it has all the needed functionality to feel cohesive and even a little premium in some aspects.

The keyboard may pale a little when it comes to its acoustics, especially due to the plastic case, but that’s an understandable aspect that is needed to keep it affordable. The HE68 thankfully more than makes up for that in quality and features, as well as customization through its very in-depth software.

Despite being a “budget” product, there are some nice flourishes here, like the inclusion of a strap on its left, which helps give it a little more color, as well as the very high quality keycaps. The bar for what is expected of a budget product has been raised quite high, and we have Epomaker to thank for it.

You can find the HE68 on Epomaker’s official site, currently on sale for $50.99 USD as of writing this review.

The HE68 was reviewed using a unit provided by Epomaker. You can find additional information about Niche Gamer’s review/ethics policy here.