Keyboard Builders' Digest / Review
NPKC RO75 review
The NPKC RO75, NPKClub's first self-developed model, is a bang-for-your-buck 75% wireless keyboard in a hefty alu case, with cool matching keycaps.
Published July 18, 2025
This cool NPKC RO75, designed by NPKClub and sent to me by Apos Audio, is a wireless 75% aluminum keyboard coming in various tasty colorways with matching keycap sets, featuring quick detachable ball structure, and supporting VIA/Vial (I tested only VIA). Price starting at just $104.
TLDR; The tri-mode wireless NPKC RO75's hefty CNC-alu case makes it feel a premium product despite the competitive price. This very well-built keyboard features the handy and lightning-fast screwless "ball catch" disassembly method we've seen earlier from e.g. KiiBOOM. The layout is the popular 75% with 81 keys. The hotswap PCB, MX compatible switches, and programmability make it highly customizable. Nice dye-sub Cherry profile keycap set with elaborated legends and some translucent accented keys. Gasket mounting and lots of sound dampening layers ensure a pleasant out-of-the-box typing experience. Prebuilt, with linear or tactile switch options – for a pretty unbeatable price. I can recommend it as-is, or as a great starting point for a custom build tailored to your switch and keycap preferences.
Disclaimer
Apos Audio was kind enough to send me this review unit for free, which may introduce all kinds of biases – both negative and positive in my experience. Take everything I write with a grain of salt.
About NPKC
If you haven't heard of NPKC, the design studio behind this keyboard, that's because the RO75 is their very first self-developed product. That said, they have been around since 2016 as an OEM/ODM manufacturing partner for some well-known keyboard brands.
We have decided to launch our own brand, focusing on designing mechanical keyboards that combine performance, aesthetics, and practicality – NPKClub.
A design studio branched off of an experienced manufacturer, a sibling of Idobao by the way. Both Idobao and NPKC are subsidiary brands under the same manufacturing group, just with different design philosophies.
Variants
The NPKC RO75 comes in five classy colorways: (Mica) Silver, Space Gray, (Star) Black, (Chinese) Red, and Ivory White – the variant you'll see in this review.
These colors mean various finishing methods: 180 or 220 mesh anodized (silver+gray), powder coated (black), or ink-sprayed (ivory white+red).
The most affordable silver one comes with black PC plate, while all the others with FR4. In addition, the silver one doesn't have the ABS backlit accented caps (non-accented keycaps are dye-sub PBT for each variant).
Unboxing & Contents
The NPKC RO75 came in a no-frills black cardboard box, with some specs on the back which are pretty outdated I guess, probably referring to a previous iteration:
Contents: The pre-built keyboard itself with keycaps and switches mounted, a matching braided cable, basic combined tool to remove keycaps and switches, wireless dongle, manual, dust cover (!), spare screws, and some spare switches in both the linear and tactile flavor on offer – which is just a small thing but pretty nice!
First impressions, design language
I love the harmony of the spray-painted case and matching keycaps. A lot of effort went into the keycap set design: color groups, Greek secondary legends, and some sci-fi vibe only on closer inspection. The finishing of this ivory white variant is shiny, which I'm not a big fan of in general, but it isn't annoying at all in this case, at least under the lighting conditions of my office. The keyboard is a nice massive CNC alu one: heavy, sturdy, and the out-of-the-box sound and feel is nice – however, in my experience, this may be heavily influenced by the thickness (or lack) of your deskmat.
The case design is clean and simple, including the mirror finished bottom/weight. Nothing extraordinary. The original renders and prototype featured a colorful weight with a nice image, but there's no sign of this variant currently. In addition, there's no visible branding on this board, which I'm really thankful for. :)
All in all, the keyboard lives up to messages I've seen e.g. on the NPKC product page, like "retro cyber", and "The combination of science fiction and simplicity". The case is definitely the retro and simplicity part, the keycaps the cyber and sci-fi – but with different caps you can turn this neutral case into anything you want.
Specs (Ivory White)
- Layout: 75%, 81 keys
- Keycaps: dye-sub PBT Cherry with translucent ABS accents
- Switches: unbranded linear or tactile
- Typing angle: about 7 degrees
- Structure: detachable ball
- Mount: PCB gasket-mounted with FR4 plate
- Stabilizers: plate mount (screw-in stab support)
- PCB: hotswap, south-facing per-key RGB, 1.2mm, flex cuts
- Software support: the claim is QMK/VIA/Vial support (couldn't connect)
- Connectivity: wired, 2.4G wireless, Bluetooth
- Battery 6000mAh
- Material: 6063 aluminum
- Dimensions: 312x135x(19.7-34.5)mm
- Weight: 1.68kg (3.7lbs)
Layout
With its relatively compact 75% design (ANSI), featuring 81 keys, the NPKC RO75 optimizes space while ensuring that all essential functions are easily accessible for new users transitioning from e.g. a fullsize layout. The F13-ish layout, while retaining the gap between the F-groups, makes the overall layout more symmetric.
Many 75% keyboards feature 2-3 less keys, only 79-80. This 75% variant, despite 81 keys, is not cramped at all: the arrow cluster is still easy to locate when touch typing due to the little gap on the left (to the right of the spacebar there are only two modifiers) – so you don't get lost when changing between the home row and arrows. The extra column on the right consists of four keys, or five – if we count the F13 to this group.
75% means no numpad and no classic navigation cluster layout either, however, you have arrows, function keys, full number row, and most of the classic navigation keys.
Build quality, structure, case
Solid build quality. The whole thing has a decent mass and feels heavy duty. The mounting relies on the ball release mechanism with gaskets, and the case, at least my ivory white one, looks fingerprint-resistant.
Typing angle: fixed, about 7 degrees.
I like the screwless disassembly method, referred to as "ball catch" by KiiBOOM, called "quick detachable ball or ball-catch structure" by Apos and NPKC. Taking apart the board only takes a few seconds this way, however, I did slightly hurt myself with both keyboards, so take care and do the disassembly slowly.
Structure & Mounting
Gasket mounting. The plate/foam/PCB sandwich features silicone gaskets, which sit on the bottom case. This design allows for some extra flex and cushioning, which usually results in a softer typing experience.
Plate
FR4 for the Ivory White and most other variants. It's a flex-cut plate with practically per-key flex cuts, enhancing the board's flexibility and resulting in an even softer touch and also altered acoustic properties with relatively quiet key presses – but this depends on the switch type and your typing style too, of course.
Plate-mount stabilizers by default.
PCB
The screwless build makes the disassembly process very easy, so you might get to the PCB more often than usual. The PCB is sandwiched between thick layers of foam. It features hotswap sockets and south-facing LEDs. Again, lots of flex cuts.
Additionally, while the defaults stabs are plate mounted, the PCB of this keyboard supports screw-in stabilizers too.
Switch
I had a really hard time to confirm the exact specs of the available switches and I'm still not sure about them. They are definitely unbranded, without any specs on the NPKC product page or packaging.
The NPKC product page calls them Blush Pink (linear) and Mirage (tactile), while Apos uses the Pink Robin (linear) and Fantasy Dream (tactile) names. The packaging: Pinkmo and Fantasy. I'm not even sure these are the same switches.
Anyway, my board came with the Blush Pink switches, the lightly colored ones in the photo above, which are mid-weight (48gf) linears.
- Actuation force: 48gf
- Bottom force: ?
- Total travel: 3.5mm
- Pre travel: ?
- Housing material: Well, multiple sources insisted – despite being asked multiple times – that the housing is made of ABS, which I find very hard to believe. It feels simply Nylon.
- Stem material: POM
It's an unexpected touch, but there was a tactile Fantasy Dream switch sitting beneath the spacebar:
- Actuation force: 67gf
- Bottom-out force: ?
- Total travel: 3.2mm
- Pre-travel: ?
- Top housing: PC
- Bottom housing: Nylon
- Stem material: POM
Both of these switches feel decent, but the PCB features hotswap sockets, so you're not restricted to the factory setup as you can easily swap switches. Feel free to use your personal favorites, or some of the recently trending fancy community-favorite switches.
Keycaps
The keycap set is a nice original design if I'm right, with Cherry profile. I love the muted, pastel colorway of the Ivory White, but the accents of the Space Gray and Red variants are gorgeous too.
A semi transparent dual panel keycap design that combines mecha, sci-fi, and Greek fonts, with a thickness of 1.6mm – NPKClub.
The set is dye-sublimated PBT by the way, meaning not the most coveted doubleshot, but pretty nice and thick. As already mentioned, the set features Greek secondary legends and distinctly colored groups with five base colors, including 8 translucent, frosted accented keys.
With regards to keycap compatibity, the 75% layout should be widely supported if you opt for a premium keycap set.
Weight
The original renders and prototype photos featured probably the "Robot Girl" or "Mechanical Princess" motif, but the currently available options include only the mirror-polished 304 steel weight.
Well, we are talking about the bottom of a keyboard, never really seen, however, I liked the original design which was said to be backlit glass combined with UV printing.
Sound dampening
PORON sandwich foam, IXPE switch pad, PET noise cancellation pad, EPDM dampening pad. Together with its gasket-mounted structure and all the flex cuts of the plate and PCB, the NPKC RO75 ensures a soft and cozy typing feel while delivering a nice out-of-the-box sound quality.
Lights
This keyboard is equipped with south-facing RGB backlighting with plenty of available colors and patterns. The 8 cool translucent caps are the icing on the cake.
Wireless
The NPKC RO75 is a tri-mode wireless keyboard (Bluetooth 5.0, 2.4GHz wireless, and USB Type-C wired connections) with 2x3000mAh battery. (This is what's inside my review unit. Some sources mention 4000/8000mAh batteries.)
If you use your keyboard permanently connected, please read this article about built-in keyboard batteries and how to avoid fire – for details, tips, an horror stories.
Basically, keeping the board plugged in constantly leads to accelerated degradation of the lithium battery. You have to follow proper battery care practices, so you should remove, disconnect or switch off the battery if you don't need wireless functionality.
The RO75 provides a battery on-off switch, hidden beneath the right Shift key. This is not an on/off switch for everyday use. The inconvenient placement is justified by the fact that this is actually a battery toggle switch: disconnecting the charging circuit, effectively isolating the battery from the PCB. (The keyboard automatically turns off (enters deep sleep) after a period of inactivity.) That said, the lightning-fast, screwless disassembly makes it easier to access the PCB directly from the back – without needing to grab a tool to remove the cap.
Even disconnected or removed, please check the battery for swelling regularly.
Software
The RO75 specs claim QMK/VIA/Vial compatibility. Well, having these options is always reassuring. No need to install any custom software.
The necessary json file is still missing from the product pages, but I can confirm VIA compatibility now as I've received the file from Apos (this way).
If you're a real keymap wizard, you can't live without SpaceFN – a single handy layer that could be a real game-changer putting arrows, navigation and numbers under your fingertips. Now you can have it with the RO75 too.
If the keyboard is paired but won't connect:
- Make sure the board is in USB mode (Fn+U).
- Go to usevia.app.
- Turn on the Show Design tab option in Settings if needed.
- On the Design tab, upload the ro75_via.json.
- Now you can connect your device, and the actual layout should appear on the Configure tab.
Portability
The NPKC RO75 is a great board for your desk, but if mobility is your main concern, I would choose something lighter. Much lighter to be frank. :) Sure, its wireless features make it portable in theory, the relatively compact footprint helps too, however, maybe something less than 1.68kg is better suited for on the go. ;)
Conclusion
The 75% wireless NPKC RO75 is a real bang-for-your-buck offer from NPKClub, a new design studio related to Idobao. A clean and simple looking aluminum keyboard case with a nice sci-fi keycap set without the often lame gamer aesthetics. Cool screwless disassembly, nice out-of-the-box typing experience, hotswappable switches, MX compatible keycaps, gasket mounting, and five cool colorways. VIA compatibility is now confirmed too! I can recommend this board as the prices indicated at Apos are very competitive.
Pros
- sturdy aluminum case, excellent build quality, nice colorways
- nice keycap set design
- highly customizable (hotswap, MX, VIA/Vial)
Cons
- Confusing specs and manual full of typos and factual errors (probably outdated info referring to earlier versions)
Price & Availability
For some reason, Apos lists much better prices than NPKC, and they accept the KBDNEWS coupon code (5% off) as well, so the NPKC RO75 is available for a price starting at just $109 $104 now. This is the cheapest, silver color variant, with other colors and finishing priced at up to $149 $142. Still worth it I'd say.
Don't forget to use the KBDNEWS coupon code to claim your 5% discount!
- NPKC RO75 product page at Apos Studio
- NPKC RO75 on Amazon
- NPKC RO75 product page at NPKClub.
- Original IC on Geekhack.
Published on Fri 18th Jul 2025. Featured in KBD #195.
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