Of all the keyboard form factors available, switching to a 60% size was one of the most impactful choices I made recently. If you don’t know what a “60%” form factor is, it is essentially a chipped-down regular or full-sized keyboard that retains 60% of the keys found on the former.
While I have used several form factors before, most form factors apart from full-size like TenKeyLess and 75% keyboards felt like trimming off a small section while maintaining a familiar structure.
The keyboards didn’t feel like a big change, even though they did help me regain some of the important space for my mouse movement. As for keyboards smaller than those, particularly the 60% one, I never tried one for years because it lacks the directional keys. These keys are definitely a deal breaker for many, including me, but there is something to the 60% form factor that you only understand once you start using it.
I didn't switch to a 60% keyboard purely because it has a more "compact" design that takes up slightly less space than other form factor keyboards. I made it out of curiosity, and even though it took me some time to adjust, there are several reasons why I now prefer a 60% keyboard over a full-size one.
Whether you're in the market for a new keyboard (check out the best keyboards), or you have a smaller one you want to give a second try, I'm happy to evangelize the Small Keyboard Life.
Getting significantly more space on the desk is a deal-maker
You will understand this only if you actively play computer games, especially competitive first-person shooters like Counter-Strike, Valorant, and similar fast-paced games. I love CS and know that, unlike how we usually set our mouse DPI to a higher value for basic tasks, CS requires higher precision, forcing us to lower the DPI.
With lower DPI (Dots per Inch) or sensitivity, you need more space on your mousepad and a full-sized 104-key keyboard leaves very little space on your desk. Unless you don’t care how wide the gap between your arms is, this puts you in an uncomfortable position if you shift your keyboard further away from your mouse to create more space for mouse movement.
A 60% keyboard is so small on your desk that you don’t need to reposition it any further. While you will hear people saying that a 75% is also pretty compact on the desk, you can see yourself that a 60% form factor is noticeably smaller in footprint.
This allows greater mouse movement without drastically affecting ergonomics. Well, this is just one of the advantages of being small. Since most keys are within the reach of your fingers, you will hardly need to move your hand to reach the top row or the keys on the edges of each side.
Easier to carry as much as a low-profile keyboard
The easier portability of a 60% keyboard is unparalleled. Even though 75% and TKL (TenKeyLess) share better portability than full-sized keyboards, the absence of the top row, additional keys on the right, and lightweight design of 60% of keyboards make them as portable as some low-profile keyboards.
Undoubtedly, the thickness isn’t reduced with the form factor, but its length and width matter most when putting the keyboard into a backpack. Without compromising functionality, the 60% keyboard can be carried anywhere easily, making it a perfect companion for travel.
My 60% keyboard is much more versatile for work and gaming than other form factors at home and outside. Of course, you can have plenty of options in the market when buying 60% keyboards just as you would find on full-sized keyboards, including types of switches, customizability, lighting effects, and core features.
So, the form factor isn’t limiting your keyboard’s features in the slightest, except for some missing keys that are readily replaced by key combinations that allow you to perform all the actions you can usually perform on a full-sized keyboard.
A bit challenging at first, but once you get used to it, you will love it
Unsurprisingly, transitioning to a smaller form factor like 60% from a standard 104-key keyboard introduces some difficulty initially. I missed the arrow keys the most and they are still one of the most handy buttons on the keyboard you can have.
However, a single “Function” button changed everything. This function button isn’t the regular control switch you usually find on larger keyboards, which will allow you to perform five more operations. On 60% keyboards, the FN button gives access to another hidden layer of operations you generally find on dedicated keys on full-size keyboards.
Since the top row for the F1-F12 buttons is missing on 60% keyboards, you can access them through the FN button via the numeric key row. The top Function keys row is one of the least used on regular keyboards. By eliminating it, the 60% keyboards can save quite a lot of space while offering you the option to activate them whenever needed.
Since the 60% form factor lacks direction or arrow keys, they are activated through the WASD keys by pressing the FN key. Initially, this was tough for me, but it didn’t take much time for me to get used to it. However, I still think that 65% and 75% keyboards have the edge over 60% keyboards in this regard.
The real potential of 60% keyboards lies in their keymapping ability
Nonetheless, the customizability of 60% of keyboards is unparalleled in some instances. This will vary from keyboard to keyboard, and I recommend going with good ones if you don’t want to limit yourself. Apart from offering customizable RGB lighting (if it has any), which can be tweaked right from key combos, many 60% keyboards also offer dedicated software support, allowing you to control the lighting effects to a great extent.
But the real potential of 60% keyboards lies in their keymapping ability. For instance, my Redragon K617 keyboard has excellent app support, allowing me to assign various functions to each key and configure the combinations and macros as needed. There is so much to tweak from the app, which can sometimes be overwhelming.
Keep in mind that in my case, all of this is offered at less than 30 bucks. Since most 60% keyboards are noticeably cheaper than their bigger-sized variants, you also save some cash apart from the desk space.
Ergonomics are excellent, making it ideal for productivity
Since every key is within your fingers’ reach, you will never have to move your arm to reach the far left or far right, which is excellent for increasing productivity. Once you get used to it, you will see yourself getting quicker at work, and I also found the overall keyboard mouse setup much more comfortable for my posture.
Placing the mouse closer to the keyboard allowed me to reach the mouse quickly and transitioning to typing with both hands frequently became naturally faster. These little adjustments are incredibly impactful in the long run and you can only understand it when you try it yourself.
With some tradeoffs compared to larger keyboards, the 60% keyboard does not feel a downgrade. While it isn’t necessarily the best choice for everyone, I think we can all agree that it is one of the most versatile form factors of all.
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