System76 has announced the Launch Lite, a smaller version of the Launch keyboard. The new open-source mechanical keyboard has no separate F-keys and also lacks the Launch’s USB hub. The Launch Lite costs $199, $86 less than the large Launch.
The Launch Lite (above) and the Launch
The LaunchLite has 70 keys, 14 fewer than the regular Launch, which System76 announced last May. The top row, including the F keys and the escape button, is incorporated in the row below. The Lite also doesn’t have the two USB-C and USB-A ports that the regular Launch does have.
Due to the lack of keys and USB connections, the Lite is 27.8mm shorter than the regular Launch at 107.5mm. The width and height have remained the same at 306.5 and 30.25 mm. At 816.46g, the Lite is also 131.6g lighter than the normal Launch.
The other specifications are the same. So both keyboards are open source, both the hardware and the firmware. The designs of, for example, the housing and the pcb can be found on GitHub. The keyboards also have split spacebars, allowing users to map one of the two spacebar buttons as the other button. The keyboard layout is customizable and is stored in the keyboard’s firmware.
The keyboard comes with several keycaps of different sizes and colors. These are made of pbt plastic and have an xda profile. Buyers can choose from four Kailh Box switches upon purchase: Jade, Royal, Pink and Brown.
System76 delivers in the Netherlands and Belgium. The Lite keyboard costs the equivalent of 198 euros. The American company sells laptops and desktops in addition to keyboards. System76 also develops its own Linux distribution Pop_OS. Tweakers previously spoke with principal engineer Jeremy Soller of System76.