Image: Michael Crider/Foundry
At a glance
Expert’s Rating
Pros
Great form factorCheapMechanical switches
Cons
No adjustable feetNo per-game profiles
Our Verdict
The Lemokey X0 is a great entry point into a fantastic, but sadly neglected, one-handed keypad form factor. Give it a shot if you’re curious, or you’re on a budget and want to experiment before upgrading to a pricier design.
Price When Reviewed
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Best Pricing Today
Best Prices Today: Lemokey X0 Keypad
RetailerPrice
$32.99View DealPrice comparison from over 24,000 stores worldwideProductPricePrice comparison from Backmarket
The keyboard that’s best for typing is rarely the one that’s best for gaming. That’s why I love little side keypads, like the Razer Tartarus. I love them so much that I chopped a GameSir one up so I could add in better switches and a bigger battery, because there aren’t any decent wireless options.
But more than 100 bucks for what’s essentially half a keyboard is a lot, especially if you’re not sure that you’ll be as obsessed with the form factor as I am. Enter the Lemokey X0, a budget option that’s quickly become one of my favorite gadgets of the year.
I’d recommend the X0 for just about any PC gamer who uses a keyboard on a regular basis.
As I said, this is basically half a keyboard, meant to be used with your left hand only. It’s also rather cheap — and I say that without any insult — at $33. But at that impulse-buy price, I’d recommend it for just about any PC gamer who uses a keyboard on a regular basis.
Single-hand design
The X0 includes six rows of keys cutting off at the F5 column. It adds a couple of modifiers and an oversized, cross-shaped Space key. Under all of that it has a big, solid, rubberized pad for your palm. It also features mechanical switches (again, rather cheap ones) and keycaps (ditto), something that’s a little hard to find in this extremely niche form factor. A non-removable USB-A cable, red LED lights, plus compatibility with Lemokey/Keychron’s online programming tool round out the features.
Michael Crider/Foundry
The utility of this kind of gadget should be obvious. They’ve been around in one flavor or another for over 20 years — I think the Belkin N50 SpeedPad was the original, eventually morphing into the Razer Tartarus I mentioned earlier. They’re a dedicated left–hand-only keyboard, intended to be a more focused and ergonomic tool than your typical full-sized keyboard, while still letting your right hand handle mouse duties.
(Sadly there’s really no way to make this work if you use your left hand for the mouse, and I say that sincerely, since I’m a lefty. Maybe try a full split keyboard design and a wrist rest.)
Michael Crider/Foundry
I genuinely love this layout, and I’ve been using something like it since I transitioned from console to full PC gaming in college. Not only is it much easier to position a smaller gamepad for more comfy and ergonomic gaming, it lets me keep a full dedicated keyboard that’s focused on typing. Which, as someone who writes all day long to put food on my table (usually next to the keyboard), is a big deal.
Not much competition
I’ve tried many of these things. I wouldn’t say that the X0 is the best — that goes to my customized GameSir pad, with the mechanical (and discontinued) Razer Orbweaver in a distant second. But among the cheap ones I’ve tried, the X0 shines bright as the best of the bunch.
In terms of layout it’s exactly what most PC gamers want, a faithful reproduction of all the keys you’re likely to reach with your left hand. The only exception is the double Fn buttons to expand programming options, and the space bar, which isn’t really a bar. Like the Tartarus and the ancient Logitech G13, it repositions the space input to more naturally fit the positioning of your thumb.
There is an important omission here: a D-pad. That’s a feature that originally drew me to the Belkin-slash-Razer designs, as a way to wean myself off of console-style movement. And it still persists in some modern offshoots, like the Azeron. But speaking as a big fan of this category I’m okay with its omission, especially on a budget device. If you’re used to the far more flexible WASD input for most shooters and first-person games, I think you’ll agree.
Michael Crider/Foundry
Lemokey (nee Keychron, for its non-gaming parent company) went with brown tactile switches on my review unit. They’re not the best in the world, but they’re light and snappy, certainly good enough for me to get up to speed in Fortnite right away.
Note that the X0 is also available with red linear switches, though you won’t be swapping them out. That’s an okay sacrifice for a budget device, especially when pretty much everything else in this price range omits mechanical switches entirely. You can also use standard mechanical keycaps on this pad, though sizing might be tricky for the extended T, G, and V keys. If you’re okay with legends not matching up, it’s easy to find them on a full-sized set.
Michael Crider/Foundry
Long sessions with the X0 were comfortable, far more so than a standard gaming keyboard — though again, I should point out that this is a form factor I prefer anyway. I could use a little more cushion in the palm rest, and I wish there was a way to adjust the angle (I lifted up the right side of my custom board with keyboard feet), but it’s still far more comfortable than anything else I’ve used in a while.
Programmable…but not much
The X0 can be programmed with Keychron’s browser-based GUI, which I recommend, or QMK, which I do not. (Yes, mechanical keyboard fans, wag your finger of shame at me.) It’s straightforward and blatantly inspired by VIA, which is not a bad thing, covering just about everything you could need without overcomplication. This includes up to three sub-layers, though none are actually programmed with any alternates from the get-go. You can adjust the keypad’s red-only lighting…though I don’t really see the appeal. My only big change is remapping Caps Lock to M for easily bringing up a map in shooters.
Here I’ll point out the only big problem with the X0 from my perspective: Both QMK and Keychron’s online tool lack the ability to bind specific layout profiles or macros to the running game or program. You could conceivably program the four layers for four different games, and then manually switch between them. But that’s a lot of work and tweaking, for something that’s still fairly limited — for example, the Keychron tool has no way to program in mouse buttons or scroll wheel commands.
Michael Crider/Foundry
This is, frankly, a bummer, and I’ve pointed it out on previous gaming keyboards from Keychron and Lemokey. Program-based presets are one of the core features I consider essential for a gaming keyboard, and it would make sense to offer them here. But I’m inclined to forgive the absence, if not forget it entirely, for a budget-focused design. I made the same concession for the G.Skill KM250, which remains my go-to pick for a budget gaming keyboard.
If you must have programable profiles that activate with a game or program, the Razer Tartarus is right there…for more than triple the price, and with far fewer keys. And it’s worth pointing out that none of the other alternatives below the $100 mark offer that game profile option.
A great impulse buy for PC gamers
So yeah, I’d be happy to recommend this little gadget for anyone who wants a primary typing keyboard and a gaming keyboard, and can’t find one that works for both of them. Note the limitations of the software and the form factor — I doubt a Starcraft pro would be okay essentially cutting their immediate keys in half, for example.
The Lemokey X0 with my modified Gamesir pad.
Michael Crider/Foundry
But even as an experiment, it’s definitely worth the $33 asking price. If you like it and want to go further you can step up to the Tartarus, or consider the ReDragon K585 if you want something wireless.
Even as an experiment, The X0 is definitely worth the $33 asking price.
In the meantime, I’ll wait patiently for someone (Lemokey, maybe you folks?) to make a wireless version of this gadget that comes with a big battery, a nice metal body, and hot-swap switches. Something tells me I’ll be waiting for a long, long time.
Best Prices Today: Lemokey X0 Keypad
RetailerPrice$32.99View DealPrice comparison from over 24,000 stores worldwideProductPricePrice comparison from Backmarket
Author: Michael Crider, Staff Writer, PCWorld
Michael is a 10-year veteran of technology journalism, covering everything from Apple to ZTE. On PCWorld he’s the resident keyboard nut, always using a new one for a review and building a new mechanical board or expanding his desktop “battlestation” in his off hours. Michael’s previous bylines include Android Police, Digital Trends, Wired, Lifehacker, and How-To Geek, and he’s covered events like CES and Mobile World Congress live. Michael lives in Pennsylvania where he’s always looking forward to his next kayaking trip.
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