Asus ROG Strix Morph 96 Wireless review

Asus took the opportunity at CES 2026 earlier this year to unveil two shiny new keyboards: the fast, Hall effect ROG Falchion Ace 75 HE that’s focused squarely at gamers; and the one I’ve had in front of me for the last couple of weeks, the ROG Strix Morph 96 Wireless.

This is a keyboard that’s designed to appeal more to the enthusiast end of the mechanical keyboard market, an area we’ve seen a burgeoning interest in from a range of mainstream manufacturers over recent years. I’d wager Asus has been the one out of all of them to walk the fine line between ‘gaming’ and ‘enthusiast’ the best, especially since the Asus ROG Strix Scope II 96 Wireless has sat atop our best gaming keyboards list virtually since its release.

The fact is that the ROG Strix Morph 96 Wireless feels like a strange product when the Strix Scope II 96 Wireless exists. After all, the two share a lot of features. You’ve got the same 96 percent, or 1800 layout, that squishes up the number pad and moves the nav cluster to provide a full-size keyboard in a reduced footprint, a similar choice of switches, dual wireless connectivity and some very similar physical touches that make this a bit of a head-scratcher to me.

I’ll return to this point a little later on, but let’s have a gander at what’s in front of me. Well, um, it’s a keyboard. There you go. I’ll take my commission now, please, editor, and be off to the bank to cash my cheque (if I had a physical bank to go to—I guess my phone’s banking app will have to do).

Oh, you want more? Oh, alright. I may have to work a little harder to earn a living, I suppose. As I say, we’ve got the same 96 percent layout as the Strix Scope II 96 Wireless that provides a full-size layout, complete with number pad, arrow keys and nav cluster, in a smaller footprint to save desk space. It’s also known as the ‘1800 layout’ after the Cherry G80-1800 keyboard that has been around for at least the last twenty-five years, if not longer by this point, which is where this configuration of keys originated.

It’s a functional choice, and one I wish we’d see a little more from manufacturers, being very easy to live with if you’re used to a full-size board. You’ll just need to remember to find some of the nav keys above the number pad, rather than next to it.

Physical touches include doubleshot keycaps with a pleasant texturing to them that aids grip when typing, although I am quite sad to report they’re ABS rather than PBT. This is a marker of a cheaper keyboard, even though PBT has made its way down the price ladder to more wallet-friendly options in recent years, such as the Gamakay x NaughShark NS68. There’s potential for the ROG Strix Morph 96 Wireless’ keycaps to shine after not too long if you’re a heavy user—the Strix Scope II 96 Wireless instead has good old PBT. I am pleased about the dual Windows/macOS legends, though, which is very thoughtful.

The casing here is different to its older brother, too, with a closed shell rather than a skeletal one, which is better because you won’t get any ingress of crud, and it keeps the RGB lighting from spilling out. The top case is metal with the underside being plastic, and at 1.125 kg, there’s some decent heft here. Unfortunately, I did notice some flex at the corners under some pressure, which leaves a bit of a sour taste. You can also take this keyboard apart with screws in each corner of the top casing, saving the task of turning it over to disassemble. For modders, that’s a small but important addition.

(Image credit: Future)

On the left, you’ll find a multi-function dial that can do everything from controlling volume to changing the RGB lighting brightness level and even scrolling a webpage right out of the box with the function changed by pressing the button further up the left side.

Both sides are home to additional RGB light bars, while the top side houses a USB-C port for wired use, a toggle switch for connectivity and a cubby for the USB-A receiver. The ROG Strix Morph 96 Wireless also comes with some grippy two-stage feet on the underside for added flexibility of typing angle.

Inside, you get a choice of switches, with V2 variants of Asus’ linear ROG NX Snow or audibly tactile RX Storm switches; my sample shipped with the former. These are a light and responsive 40 g linear switch that benefits from factory lubrication for no scratchiness under finger. To help their gaming credentials, the ROG NX Snow switches have a slightly higher actuation point and a shorter travel than other switches, for a snappier feel.

For gaming, the ROG NX Snow V2s work well given their lighter force, and have what Asus calls ‘Speed Tap’, which is their version of the SOCD tech found across a lot of manufacturers’ keyboards for unnaturally brisk movement. It is more of a novelty than a feature, given it’s been banned in Counter-Strike 2 online play, for instance.

Beyond this, though, the ROG Strix Morph 96 Wireless lacks the advanced rapid trigger or analog features that are found on similarly priced gaming keyboards with their Hall effect switches, such as the Keychron Q5 HE.

(Image credit: Future)

If you don’t like the pre-installed switches inside this keyboard, then it is hotswappable, and surprisingly easy to swap out switches and keycaps with the pullers included in the box. To help its enthusiast credentials, this board also comes with a range of foam and such inside for sound dampening, and there isn’t any case rattle or ping in my experience. The ROG Strix Morph 96 Wireless is also gasket-mounted, leading to a slightly bouncier feel under finger.

Connectivity is versatile, with both Bluetooth and 2.4 GHz supported for wireless flavour. As is typical, it’s essentially plug and play, and I had no issues pairing to Bluetooth on my MacBook Pro and using the 2.4 GHz receiver on my main Windows gaming PC. There is also a USB-C port for wired connectivity and charging. The receiver included with this keyboard is the ‘Omni’ receiver, which can also handle a 2.4 GHz gaming mouse connection for a potent wireless desktop combo over one receiver, freeing up a valuable USB-A port on your PC.

(Image credit: Future)

As for battery life, expect to get around 100 hours of battery life with the RGB lighting set to its default state, and virtually 600 hours if you don’t want the RGB on. It is more of a subtle underglow than a full-on Pink Floyd gig, given that the keycaps here have solid legends, so it isn’t as much of a sore miss to turn it off as you might expect.

I’m also pleased to report Asus has given the ROG Strix Morph 96 Wireless support for its web-based Gear Link software, which replaces the frankly shoddy Armoury Crate suite. This is only accessible when you have the keyboard plugged in via a cable or the 2.4 GHz receiver, but it provides a much lighter and easier-to-use alternative that gives you a decent amount of customisation.

Here, you can remap keys, fiddle around with the keyboard’s wheel, and mess around with the RGB lighting. Granted, you don’t get as much functionality as you would with a Hall effect keyboard, but for the reasons you’re likely to dive into software, it’s adequate.

FutureFutureFutureFuture

Returning to the point posed at the beginning of the article, the ROG Strix Morph 96 Wireless feels too similar to the Strix Scope II 96 Wireless in some respects to the point I have considered putting the “They’ve rebadged it, you fool!” quote from Alan Partridge (British reference, sorry) somewhere in here and therefore gets more of a half-hearted recommendation.

This isn’t least as it’s possible to get the Strix Scope II 96 Wireless with PBT keycaps, a wristrest and a longer maximum runtime for less than the $140/£135 asking price for this new model.

At this price point, you can also begin to consider the likes of the Ducky Zero 6108, which offers a sublime core experience with a full-size layout, enthusiast-grade touches and proper Cherry MX2A switches for the sub £100/$100 mark. You do have to make do without any software customisation there, though.

It leaves the ROG Strix Morph 96 Wireless in a bit of a funny position. Yes, this is a really lovely keyboard that’s cheaper than the Strix Scope II 96 Wireless if we’re going on retail price alone with newer switches, a different design and a few other extras, but as I can get other mechanical boards with similar feature sets for less than this, it’s a harder sell than you might think.