Asus ROG Strix Morph 96 review: wants to be fully disassembled, but with the way it runs right out the box I'm not sure you'll need to

I've been saying it for years, Asus knows how to sound dampen a keyboard - probably more so than any other mainstream gaming brand putting out "enthusiast-grade" devices. The Asus ROG Strix Morph 96 Wireless is no exception.

This cheaper entry (coming in at $139.99 / £134.99) is a sight for a set of sore eyes that have spent a little too long poring over $250+ decks to find the best gaming keyboards. You're still getting the wireless connection, solid battery life, and functional 96% layout of more premium options, though. The dampening, foaming, and gasket mounting make for one of the most tactile-feeling linear experiences I've had so far, energetic, bouncy, but with a nice sense of texture to every press.

Where it steps slightly outside of the mainstream is its modding potential. The Strix Morph features a fully removable top plate held in position by five screws. Removing this allows for in-depth personalization underneath the PCB, as well as on top of it with hot-swappable switches.

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Wireless mechanical keyboards aren't as expensive as they used to be, and you'll find plenty of two-figure options out there from budget brands. If you're going for a slightly more refined typing feel, though, the Asus ROG Morph 96 is a solid option - especially if you want to crack open that case.

What I love

A bouncier linear experience

There's something about these Asus ROG NX switches, in a chassis this well mounted they simply spring off the board. I've been testing a set of ROG NX Snow V2 clickers, but the Morph is also available with the brand's Storm V2 switches as well.

Asus itself classes Snow as thocky, and if that's the case I'd be interested to see how 'clacky' the Storms really are.

This isn't a simple linear experience like the majority of the market, but rather one that has a little more texture to it. The best way I can describe it is somewhere between a very light brown and a heavy red, with something of the sound of a well-dampened blue. That's to say smooth and streamlined, but with more of a clack sound than a thock.

The clackers themselves use a walled stem design to keep dust out before each switch gets a good factory lubing to keep things smooth and steady. With a 1.8mm actuation point and 40gf initial force, they're pretty light under the hand, but I rarely mis-pressed adjacent keys.

Straight out the box I was surprised to find ABS toppers on here. Aside from the slightly below average price for a wireless Asus gaming keyboard, there's nothing else in here to suggest this is a budget offering. While some will take umbrage in the lower quality cap build, though, I take some solace in the fact that they're particularly well textured and feel sturdy under the fingertips.

Far more room for customization

Very few mainstream decks will let you break into the main chassis without clocking your warranty. Even the best hot-swappable keyboards from gaming brands like Razer, Corsair, and SteelSeries make their cases almost impossible to break into, but the Asus ROG Strix Morph 96 Wireless can be fully disassembled from the top down.

It's a shame a screwdriver isn't included in the box. If you're used to tearing down tech you'll likely have a torx driver to hand, but without one you'll be stripped these screws in an instant. Still, as a companion to the hot-swappable design and south-facing LEDs, it's a nice touch that opens the door to even heavier dampening mods.

Compact but functional design

The 96% form factor is picking up across the industry, after spending a few too many years in the shadows. It's by no means new, but with the Corsair Vanguard Pro 96 and Asus ROG Azoth HE 96 both opting for the compact layout in the last few months it feels like a resurgence is heading our way.

Unlike the former, there's a good amount of spacing between the main keys and the 'num-pad zone,' which keeps things nice and accurate in every day usage. I did find myself accidentally hitting the slightly squished arrow buttons, but it's easy enough to get used to.

With no need to drop your num-pad for extra mouse room the Asus ROG Strix Morph 96 Wireless keeps all your main controls front and center, with a row of nav keys maintained above the main numerical pad as well. All that sits in a chassis only slightly longer than a larger 75% keyboard.

Dropping the OLED display of devices like the Azoth means you've got more space for keys (though Asus does do a lot more with these panels than its competitors), while dedicated media controls are housed on the left hand side of the deck. A volume dial and multi-function button sit on the edge of the left lip, with their own RGB flair, in a similar to design to that of the Asus ROG Falcata. It's functional without taking up too much space, and that's exactly the balance I like to see.

What to consider

No magnetic functionality

You'd be hard pressed to find one of the best Hall effect keyboards at under $140 these days, so I'm not knocking the Asus ROG Strix Morph 96 Wireless too hard for sticking to mechanical clackers. However, models like the Logitech G Pro X TKL Rapid will net you the extra features of a magnetic board at only a little further up the price scale. That particular model comes in $50 more expensive at MSRP, but is often on sale at Amazon for between $140 and $160.

What specifically are you sacrificing? Adjustable switch actuations can come in pretty handy for fast-paced FPS and other competitive genres. Setting certain keys to a feather-sensitivity while making sure the keys around them are at their dullest settings improves speed while reducing accidental presses. On top of that, you're getting rapid trigger (to make repeat presses register faster) and multiple actuations per key (a more advanced feature that can trigger different inputs based on how far down a keypress you are).

You'd be looking at the cheaper end of the Hall effect scale to pick up a keyboard close to this MSRP, though, and typing experience can take a hit when the numbers are this low. I find magnetic decks have a propensity to feel a little woolly under the hands with too much tension in their actuation compared to mechanical clickers. If you're typing for longer periods of time, I'd steer clear of sub-$200 models.

Budget brands can go cheaper

The Asus ROG Strix Morph 96 Wireless manages to hold its position against slightly more expensive Hall effect decks based on its typing feel, but it's still got to justify itself against the low end of the market.

As I found in my Newmen GM326 review, budget mechanical keyboards have come a long way in a few short years. While super cheap options won't net you the same kind of sound dampening and gasket mounting prestige as this Asus model, you'll still find largely the same features, feel, and overall functionality for far less.

Brands like Redragon, RK Royal Kludge, and Womier specialize in producing low-budget decks that still look and feel great - and they're often half the price of Asus's entry. Only some of these options (and largely the more expensive ones coming in only slightly below $139.99) offer the same 2.4GHz / Bluetooth wireless connections, though, and few use a CNC milled aluminum main chassis.

If you just want to get the job done and don't mind dropping some fancy high-speed connection features, a sturdier build quality, and (generally speaking) dedicated media controls, you can still get a solid deck for between $50 and $80. Of course, buying from these smaller 'Amazon' brands doesn't net you the same kind of warranty guarantee.

Azoth still wins on battery life

It's a small point, but it bears reminding as I've been testing the Morph directly against the Asus ROG Azoth over the past couple of weeks. This is certainly a sturdy battery, running for up to 100 hours with RGB on and 590 hours in its most power-economical state.

It can't hold a candle to the 100+ hours I regularly manage to squeeze out of the Azoth with both the RGB and OLED screen on. Whether or not the old girl can still hit that 2,000 hour max charge three years later, I'm still surprised by just how much juice is in this keyboard whenever I get it back on the desk. Considering the Azoth is the best wireless gaming keyboard (thanks in no small part to this endurance), it's pertinent to mention.

Should you buy the Asus ROG Strix Morph 96 Wireless?

Compared to the rest of the mainstream gaming market, the Asus ROG Strix Morph 96 has a remarkably fair proposition. Its $139.99 price tag isn't outrageous by any means, coming in much cheaper than I would have expected a wireless mechanical keyboard to have done just a year or so ago. Hell, even the 2023 Asus ROG Azoth is still regularly going for $199.99 these days.

In a time when the shelves seem to be filling with $200+ Hall effect powerhouses, it's nice to see a deck that focuses on high-end customization, typing feel, and build quality. I'd be comfortable recommending the Morph to anyone for whom personalization and a wireless connection are must-haves, especially if you don't like to leave your media controls out of the equation.

In fact, the only reason it doesn't quite topple the Azoth in the wireless category is its battery life. Without that superior charge, the similar typing feel, excellent design, and connection versatility (not to mention the much lower price point) would have seriously threatened pole position. At $139.99, the Asus ROG Strix Morph is certainly up there, it just depends on how much you hate plugging in.

How I tested the Asus ROG Strix Morph 96 Wireless

I ran the Asus ROG Strix Morph 96 Wireless as my main keyboard for a period of two weeks before completing this review, comparing it directly against the Asus ROG Azoth, Corsair Vanguard Pro 96, and Newmen GM326 in that time. More dedicated testing time was spent in Apex Legends and CS:2, with additional play in Planet Coaster and Doom: The Dark Ages. For more information on how we test gaming keyboards, check out the full GamesRadar+ Hardware Policy.

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