The function row comes off and a pixel screen snaps in its place

· The Gadgeteer

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Dareu’s Ultra 68 starts as a compact aluminum keyboard with a function row across the top. Lift that row away as one magnetic module and the same board becomes a 68 key deck, with a pixel display glowing where the F keys sat.

The swap is physical, not a software profile. That distinction runs through everything else on this board.

MelGeek MADE68 Ultra+ Wired Hall Effect Magnetic Gaming Keyboard
68 keys in an aluminum case · Hall Effect magnetic switches · Rapid Trigger with adjustable actuation · RGB lightbox · Hot swap magnetic sockets · Wired USB connection for FPS desks · Orderable today while the Dareu global store sits sold out
Price: $169 at Amazon
Where to buy: Buy on Amazon

Two layouts from one top module

With the module fitted, the Ultra 68 runs as a 75 key board, its function row in place for spreadsheets and the shortcuts people reach for without thinking. Pull the module away and the count drops to 68 keys, the freed strip carrying the display instead of F keys.

Dareu’s Ultra 68 in Silver and Hive Pink, with the swappable top module shown between the two boards

Dareu builds the joint between module and body as a magnetic snap on fit, so changing forms is a parts swap, not a rebuild. There’s no cable to reroute and no case to open.

The board keeps its arrow keys and its small navigation cluster in both forms, which is the detail that keeps the smaller layout usable for text work. Losing the F row stings in some games and in heavier shortcut workflows. Keeping arrows and navigation keys softens that loss a great deal, and it keeps the smaller form practical on office days as well as game nights.

One board covers both desk habits, and the choice between them stays open every time the board is picked up. A player can run the display during a game session, then snap the F row back for a morning of spreadsheet work without touching a setting. That’s the pitch, stated plainly.

A 335 LED strip where the function keys sat

The module that replaces the F row carries 335 LEDs in a matrix strip, and Dareu gives that strip its own lighting control chip. It isn’t a second screen for reading text or watching anything useful. It’s a pixel canvas for patterns and personal visuals above the keys.

The 335 LED matrix strip runs the full width of the board, above the number row

Dareu says owners personalize the screen with visuals that match their own setup, and the strip runs separately from the per key backlighting below it. The keys stay lit for work while the strip does something louder. Two lighting systems also age differently, since a strip that runs on its own chip can be set once and left alone for months.

The trade is plain. While the display module sits on the board, the F keys are in a drawer, and anyone who leans on F shortcuts will feel that absence fast. The module swap takes seconds, so the display is a session choice, not a permanent one.

Magnetic for wired speed and inductive for wireless

Two switch versions split the range by connection. The Luban Magnetic version runs wired only, while the inductive version adds a 2.4G wireless mode beside its cable, with an 8,000mAh battery on the spec sheet. Both versions poll at 8K over the cable.

The inductive switch build runs wired and 2.4G wireless, while the Luban Magnetic build stays wired

The published switch figures are close enough that desk feel, not paper speed, should decide between them. Dareu lists the inductive switch at 35gf initial force with 3.5mm of total travel, and the Luban Magnetic at 38gf initial force with 3.6mm of travel. Each carries a 100 million keystroke lifespan rating. Bottom out force is listed at 48gf for the inductive switch and 53gf for the Luban Magnetic.

Dareu lists key latency at 0.125ms for the wired connection, with Rapid Trigger accuracy at 0.01mm.

Settings run deep for a board at this price. Dareu describes fully adjustable key parameters across the deck, so actuation can be tuned per game instead of accepting one factory setting.

Aluminum shell and a desk weight to match

The case is full aluminum alloy over an FR4 plate, and the inside stacks four padding layers in a Poron layer, an IXPE switch pad, a PET sound pad and bottom Poron foam. The footprint measures 319 by 133 by 46mm. Weight lands at approximately 1,830g, which is substantial for a board this small.

Metal caps, a layered acoustic stack and the board’s controller sit inside the aluminum case

That weight cuts both ways for a buyer. On a home desk it plants the board, keeps it still under hard typing and gives the metal shell something solid to sound against. In a backpack it’s simply heavy. This is a desk keyboard that can travel, not a travel keyboard that happens to work at a desk.

Dareu sells the board in Silver and in Hive Pink. Pink is the louder choice.

Price stock and the board to buy instead

Dareu’s global store lists the Ultra 68 at $169.99 in both finishes, and the store showed both as sold out when checked on November 13. There’s no Amazon listing for the Ultra 68 in the US, so the maker store is the route to watch for a restock.

In the box, Dareu includes the board, the spare top module, a keycap puller, a switch puller and a USB cable

Anyone who needs a 68 key magnetic board this week has a close stand in already selling. The MelGeek MADE68 Ultra+ pairs Hall Effect magnetic switches with an aluminum case and an RGB lightbox at $169 on Amazon, the same money Dareu asks, and it can be ordered today. It gives up the swappable screen entirely. In exchange, it can actually be ordered today. Dareu’s store showed both finishes sold out that same day.

Dareu Ultra 68 Dual-Mode Gaming Keyboard
Swappable 335 LED display module · Luban Magnetic or inductive switches · Full aluminum alloy case · 8K polling over the cable · 8,000mAh battery on the inductive build · FR4 plate · Silver and Hive Pink finishes
Price: $169.99 at Dareu
Where to buy: Buy at Dareu

Wait for the Ultra 68 at $169.99 if the swappable screen is your reason to buy. That module swap is the feature the whole board is built around, and the aluminum shell, the switch choice and the 8K wired polling all sit underneath it. Skip it while the global store sits sold out if your desk needs a keyboard this week, and take the MelGeek instead.

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