Lofree Flow Lite Review: One of the most popular low-profile keyboards finally comes with ISO layout

If you are interested in low-profile keyboards and take a look around on YouTube, you will find two manufacturers in particular that offer convincing keyboards. Nuphy and Lofree. Both have impressive low-profile keyboards in their portfolio, but there is one problem, especially for German users: neither manufacturer offers their keyboards with a German ISO-DE layout. Until now. This is because Lofree is (finally!) making a move and is finally launching the Lofree Flow Lite mechanical low-profile keyboard in a German ISO layout. Reason enough for us to test it extensively. And, this much can already be revealed: We are thrilled.

Technical data

Product name	Flow Lite
Switch type	Mechanical
Button switch type	Lofree x Kailh POM Switches
Switch types offered	Linear
Switch interchangeable	Yes
Keycaps interchangeable	Yes
Material	ABS plastic
Material keycaps	PBT doubleshot
Dimensions (L x W x H)	316.8 mm x 138 mm x 23.5 mm
Onboard memory	2 profiles
Cable connection	USB type C
Operating modes	Typing; Gaming
Sampling rate	1,000 Hz
price	99.00 US dollars

Lofree Flow Lite Review: Noble, flat and light

• Elegant retro design; high-quality rotary dial
• Housing only made of plastic
• Pleasantly light and flat

I can’t tell you how long I’ve been hoping that one of the classy Lofree low-profile keyboards would finally be available with a German layout. It was definitely quite a long time. The new Lofree Flow Lite marks the beginning and is the manufacturer’s affordable entry-level model.

Presumably a test run to see how big the demand for an ISO-DE keyboard is. And hopefully just the beginning, thanks to which the more expensive and higher-quality models will also make it to Germany.

Be that as it may. The Lofree Flow Lite is a flat keyboard with a modern 75 percent layout. This means it has an F-key row and additional buttons on the right-hand side. Our test model comes in the appealing “Marble” color scheme, which is a slightly darker shade of beige.

The whole thing has a certain retro aesthetic and looks absolutely stunning, which is also due to the golden metal rotary wheel that can be used to adjust the volume or mute the sound. Alternatively, the Flow Lite is also available in pink (flamingo) or white (off-white).

Compact and lightweight

The first thing that catches the eye is how compact the Flow Lite is. With dimensions of 316.8 mm x 138 mm and a height of just 23.5 mm, it is pleasantly small without sacrificing important buttons. The weight of 550 grams also makes it very versatile, making it a great companion when traveling.

A direct comparison with other low-profile keyboards shows just how compact the Lofree Flow Lite is. Here I used the ASUS ROG Falchion RX Low Profile for comparison on the one hand and the recently released Razer BlackWidow V4 Low-Profile (our test) on the other.

Surprising: Despite its 75 percent layout, the Lofree is only slightly larger than its ASUS ROG counterpart, which has a 60 percent frame and no F-key row, for example.

Thanks to its TKL design, the BlackWidow V4 Low-Profile is of course significantly larger, but also barely higher than the Flow Lite. In my opinion, this makes the Lofree Flow Lite the perfect choice if you are looking for a very flat and compact keyboard without having to do without additional keys.

Lofree Flow Lite: Inexpensive doesn’t mean cheap

• Attractive price
• high-quality keycaps
• white illumination; but uneven

With an RRP of 99 US dollars (the euro price is not yet available), the new Lofree Flow Lite is also noticeably cheaper than both of the competitors mentioned above. However, this is not really noticeable in terms of workmanship and features.

Lofree uses matt and high-quality ABS plastic for the housing. Although this is not quite as robust and elegant as metal, it keeps the weight pleasantly low. Thanks to the matt housing and attractive color, fingerprints don’t stand a chance on the housing.

The keycaps, on the other hand, are made using the high-quality Double Shot PBT process. This means you get really elegant, easy-to-grip and very durable keycaps that shouldn’t show any signs of wear even after hundreds of hours of use.

The only point of criticism I have at this point is the illumination of the white key illumination. This is rather uneven, which means that larger lettering such as the F-keys or Enter are not fully illuminated. This can hardly be seen in the photo, but is definitely noticeable in real use.

Keyword lettering: I really like the lettering and it looks very high-quality. There is also a double assignment for Windows and macOS, which already reveals that the Lofree Flow Lite can be easily paired with both operating systems. Changing the OS is also done at the touch of a button using the FN key combination.

The Flow Lite not only connects via 2.4 GHz radio – whereby the receiver can be conveniently plugged into the back of the keyboard – but also via Bluetooth (with up to three end devices) or the classic wired connection.

A polling rate of a whopping 1,000 Hz is available via wireless, which puts the keyboard on a par with the big names and also makes it ideal for gaming.

Good battery life in the Lofree Flow Lite

• Up to 80 hours runtime
• three hours charging time

Lofree equips the Flow Lite with a 2,000 mAh battery. With the light deactivated, this provides a good runtime of 80 hours. A good, but by no means outstanding value. By comparison, the Razer BlackWidow V4 Low-Profile lasts more than ten times as long at up to 980 hours.

Nevertheless, the battery of the Lofree model will get you through a long working week without any problems. Charging is done via USB-C cable, with a full charge taking around three hours. Unfortunately, the Lite model lacks a quick-charging function.

Simple software

If you want to make a few fine adjustments to the Lofree Flow Lite, you can use the accompanying software called Lofree Key Mapper. This has a simple interface and offers a manageable range of functions.

In addition to the option of individually reassigning all buttons, the backlighting can be customized with various effects. Macros can also be created and saved, while firmware updates and the option to adjust the sampling rate round off the range of functions.

The software is not really extensive and not all menu items have been translated into English, but it serves its purpose. However, with two storable profiles, the Flow Lite offers fewer customization options than the more expensive competition.

Smooth and convenient: Lofree Flow Lite in a practical test

• incredibly smooth tip feel
• outstanding, pleasant sound
• excellent ergonomics

One of the reasons why Lofree keyboards are so popular in the low-profile segment is the typing feel. And this is also outstanding with the Lofree Flow Lite. This keyboard sounds incredibly creamy and pleasant and offers excellent ergonomics.

The manufacturer equips the keyboard for the German market with Specter low-profile switches from Kailh. These rely on a release force of 40 gf, a linear characteristic and a key travel of 2.8 mm.

Alternatively, the manufacturer also offers Hades switches, which have the same characteristics but trigger noticeably more quietly thanks to silicone damping. But there’s no need for that, because the Lofree Flow Lite really does sound incredibly pleasant.

If you prefer creamy, pleasant-sounding keyboards, the Lofree Flow Lite is the perfect choice. This is definitely one of the nicest sounding keyboards I’ve had the pleasure of testing so far, which Lofree also achieves thanks to well thought-out damping including several silicone pads, foam and gasket pads.

The typing feel is really incredibly soft and yet very precise. I was particularly impressed with the Flow Lite when writing longer texts, but also when gaming.

For me, these are undoubtedly the best low-profile switches that I have been able to test so far. If you’re still not satisfied with the typing feel, you can easily swap them out and use other keycaps thanks to the hot-swap functionality.

There are also plus points for the ergonomics. Thanks to the frame, which tapers flat towards the front, the wrists are in a very natural position, which ensures a relaxed and comfortable posture even during long periods of use.

If you like, you can adjust the angle of the keyboard using the feet on the underside. The standard angle is 3°, but if you fold out the feet, this can be increased to 6°.

Lofree Flow Lite Review: Conclusion

FINALLY, yes finally, there is a Lofree keyboard in the German ISO-DE layout. And that alone is a genuine revolution. There is a good reason why the manufacturer’s flat keyboards have been at the forefront of the low-profile segment for years.

For the low price of around 100 euros, the Lofree Flow Lite really does offer a lot of features. The design is absolutely elegant, the ergonomics are excellent and the typing feel and noise are second to none.

There is also triple connectivity, outstanding mechanical switches and a really pleasant volume dial as well as a polling rate, thanks to which the keyboard can also score points in gaming use.

Of course, you also have to accept a few compromises for the comparatively low price. The casing is made entirely of plastic, the software is very rudimentary and the illumination of the white backlight could be better, but I can get over that in my opinion.

In terms of acoustics and typing feel, the Lofree Flow Lite is the best I’ve been able to try out in the low-profile segment. If you’re looking for a flat keyboard with a great typing feel and incredibly pleasant sound, you won’t find anything better at the moment.

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