While I have absolutely nothing bad to say about my Surface Laptop 4, my go-to laptop’s keyboard has been through the ringer. I’ve written countless product reviews, monster stories, and silly posts on X, so it was far past time to pair it with a quality keyboard that won’t freak out when I try to type anything in and around the “q” area. Lofree’s speckled terrazzo-inspired Zero Artz mechanical keyboard grabbed my attention with its earthy core design, but its surprisingly comfy keys, extra-long battery life, and versatility has made it my new favorite keyboard for the hours I spend typing in Microsoft Word.
ZERO ARTZ Mechanical Keyboard
Specifications
- Color: Unique Terrazzo pattern.
- Connectivity: Bluetooth 5.0, 2.4GHz wireless dongle, wired.
- Battery life: 30 hours with backlight, about 2 weeks without.
- Backlight: Yes, with 3 brightness settings.
- Swappable components: Keycaps and switches.
- Gasket mount: Cushioned for a softer typing experience.
- Additional devices: Connect up to 3 devices at once.
- Device compatibility: Windows, iOS, Android.
- Weight: 971 grams.
- Price: $139.
Pros
- Attractive terrazzo finish and rounded keys.
- Lightweight and durable build.
- 3 connectivity modes.
- Extremely comfortable for marathon typing sessions.
- Multiple backlight modes.
- Hot-swappable keys and switches.
- Lightning-fast latency-free wireless typing.
- Compact without feeling “dinky”.
- Excellent battery life.
Cons
- Takes almost five hours to fully charge, but its wired mode lets you type and recharge at the same time.
The Experience
My childhood home featured real terrazzo floors, and between the nostalgia and how well the natural white beach sand and rocky grey tones (with bronzed metallic accents) perfectly accentuated the natural color palette of my Surface Laptop 4, I knew I’d enjoy seeing this compact keyboard in my office for the foreseeable future. It’s also fun to know that no two Zero Artz keyboards look exactly the same, due to the randomized terrazzo speckles.
Although not explicitly stated, I feel like the rounded keys resemble smooth river rocks held in a white terrazzo basin — the overall earthy aesthetic really sets it apart from its neon rainbow LED competition (speaking of which, its backlighting is tasteful and cool-toned, to match the keyboard’s greyscale colorway).
As someone who spends far more time behind a keyboard than the average person, I needed a model that feels comfortable to type on for hours on end. The Zero Artz delivers a pillowy typing experience that’s certainly worth the price of admission for marathon typists. Between its four layers of foam and padding, and its squishy-yet-responsive gasket switches, this device continuously feels buttery smooth — it’s like typing on a clacky cloud due to its minimal resistance.
Its compact design puts it squarely between a full-sized keyboard and a small travel-sized edition, and feels roughly the size of the laptop I’m already comfortable with. The rounded keys themselves are certainly unorthodox, but their concave tops comfortably cradle my fingertips and feel nice and slick to the touch.
Although comfort is easily the number one reason to get a Zero Artz, Lofree put an array of genuinely useful features under the hood to satisfy a wide range of typists. For example, my office setup allows me to kick back in my comfy recliner while using my TV as a monitor, so the keyboard’s Bluetooth connection isn’t just the easiest way to sync with the Surface perched on my desk — its ultra-fast latency makes it feel like I’m typing directly on my original keyboard with zero lag. The Bluetooth connection is extremely reliable and allows you to easily pair it with up to three other devices at once, but users also have the option to use the wireless USB dongle held in place on the keyboard’s back via a handy magnet, or a USB-C wired connection.
The keyboard’s dimmest backlit mode eats into the battery life far more than completely disabling it, but it feels as though its battery lasts quite a bit longer than 30 hours, even with this minimal glow. I’m sure I’ll drop it completely in the future to get the most from its impressive two-week battery life, but until I completely master its slightly different layout, I’ll stick with the illumination. It takes about five hours to fully charge the keyboard’s internal lithium battery, but the good news is that you can still use it with your PC via wired connection in the meantime.
Also of note: Lofree designed this keyboard so you could remix its keys and switches, but you’d have to be nuts to do so, because the gentle squish of its linear switches and fingertip-cradling keycaps are far too tactile to switch out.
Final Thoughts
As someone who has made it his career to spend a lot of time behind a keyboard, it feels awesome to have these cushioned keys under my fingers. It sounds odd if you’re not a writer, but the effort of pressing the keys over and over for hours takes more out of you than you may realize. The feathery light touch of this keyboard makes writing assignments fly by more quickly than I’m used to.
ZERO ARTZ Mechanical Keyboard
It’s easy to appreciate the speckled finish and unorthodox style of the Zero Artz at a glance, but this premium typing experience can be a bit difficult to appreciate if you aren’t someone who regularly spends a lot of time writing. It’s comparable to moving from a cheap mattress to a high-end edition: You may think what you have is “good enough,” but after a few days, you’ll never want to go back to a cheap bed — I mean, keyboard.
