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MonsGeek FUN60 Ultra: one-minute review
The MonsGeek FUN60 Ultra is a compact wireless gaming keyboard with TMR switches, which claim to have greater precision than other analog varieties. It certainly makes a good first impression, with its sleek yet minimal looks, which are accentuated in the white colorway, and makes the RGB appear even more vibrant.
The build quality is also excellent. This is quite a heavy board for the size, which may be a positive or a negative depending on your preferences. But the overall construction is hard to fault.
Thankfully, the FUN60 Ultra isn’t too thick, which makes it more comfortable to use – although, as with most keyboards I’ve tried, some wrist support still would’ve been welcomed for extended sessions.
The PBT keycaps are similarly premium, and feel just as satisfying as you could wish for from any of the best gaming keyboards around, thanks to their smooth texture that offers just enough grip.
However, perhaps the worst aspect of the FUN60 Ultra’s design is the switch for toggling between Windows, Mac, and wired modes. It’s located underneath the Caps Lock, which means removing this keycap every time you want to change modes. What’s more, this switch isn’t labelled and has a different orientation to the manual illustrations, all of which makes knowing which position to select harder than it should be.
The FUN60 Ultra can be customized using the MonsGeek Driver, which offers all the usual gaming keyboard adjustments, alongside plenty of analog-related tweaks. It’s very versatile in this regard, but there are a few issues with it, such as the cumbersome actuation adjustment process, and the uninformative visualizer that accompanies it.
When it comes to performance, however, I found little wrong with the FUN60 Ultra. The keys are snappy and very satisfying to use, with plenty of bounce but enough dampening for enhanced tactility, which is a boon for typing as well as gaming.
Connecting the FUN60 Ultra via the 2.4GHz dongle and Bluetooth proved easy enough, with no discernible dips in performance over wired play. Switching between wireless and wired modes, though, was more hassle than it should have been.
Battery life seems quite good, with the RGB indicator staying green after a couple of days of varied use. Unfortunately, the software doesn’t provide a percentage, so I wasn’t able to get a precise read on how much remained.
When you consider its relatively low price, the FUN60 Ultra represents great value for those after a high-end analog keyboard experience, as it punches far above its class in terms of performance. It’s slightly cheaper than the Gamakay TK75HE V2, which is one of its closest rivals, although this has a slightly larger layout and is wired only.
For a more luxurious alternative, the SteelSeries Apex Pro TKL Gen 3 is one of the best analog keyboards around, but is considerably more expensive than the FUN60 Ultra, and doesn’t outstrip its performance by as much as the price difference might lead you to believe. So if you’re looking to get into the analog gaming keyboard world, the FUN60 Ultra is a great place to start.
MonsGeek FUN60 Ultra review: price and availability
- $89.99 / £75.59 / AU$142.54
- Available now in black and white
- Very well priced
The FUN60 Ultra costs $89.99 / £75.59 / AU$142.54 and is available now in white and black finishes. It comes with a keycap puller, a switch puller, a 2.4GHz USB-A dongle, and a USB-A-to-C cable. You can also configure it with PBT or PBT-SP keycaps. Wired and Hall effect variants are available as well, with cheaper price tags.
This makes the FUN60 Ultra one of the cheapest analog keyboards you can buy, and has the potential to be one of the best cheap gaming keyboards around. Other budget-friendly examples include the Gamakay TK75HE, which is slightly more expensive and is wired only but has a larger 75% layout. It performs similarly to the FUN60 Ultra, although the keys don’t feel quite as bouncy and therefore satisfying in my view.
If you want something more premium, the SteelSeries Apex Pro TKL Gen 3 is one of the best analog keyboards I’ve experienced, offering very responsive and accurate presses. This also has a larger layout, but is considerably more expensive than the FUN60 Ultra, and the difference in performance isn’t as great as you might expect. However, the FUN60 Ultra is probably the easier board to live with, and the software, while not featuring quite as many tweaks, is still better to use.
Value: 5 / 5
MonsGeek FUN60 Ultra review: specs
|
Layout |
60% |
|
Switch |
Analog (TMR) |
|
Programmable keys |
Yes |
|
Dimensions |
Not stated |
|
RGB or backlighting |
Yes (customizable) |
MonsGeek FUN60 Ultra review: design and features
- Great build quality
- Bizarre selector switch placement
- Software isn’t the best engineered
The FUN60 Ultra has a neat and minimalist design, with a few design quirks that hint at its intended audience, such as the (rather pointless) side hook and diagonally cut corners. It looks sleek, and in its white finish, quite vibrant, which is emphasized further by the RGB backlighting.
The overall build quality is excellent, with the chassis feeling reassuringly solid, although it’s quite heavy despite its compact size. There isn’t much tilt angle, and the lack of feet means you won’t be able to adjust this.
Thankfully, though, the body isn’t too thick, so I found it comfortable to use, even without wrist support – although for longer sessions I would benefit from using a rest, and I suspect others would too.
The keycaps feel very premium, as you would expect from their PBT construction. It’s a shame, though, that they’re not labelled with their Fn shortcuts, so you’ll have to keep the manual close by.
One very annoying aspect of the FUN60 Ultra is the fact that the switch for toggling between Windows, Mac, and wired connectivity is located under the Caps Lock, which means you have to remove this keycap every time you want to switch between them.
Why MonsGeek chose this location is beyond me. What’s more, the switch isn’t labelled, and runs vertically rather than horizontally as pictured in the manual, so there’s no way of knowing which side is Windows and which is Mac (for your information, down is Windows, up is Mac).
The FUN60 Ultra can be customized using the MonsGeek Driver. Here you’ll find the typical gaming keyboard features, including a macro creator, a section for altering the RGB backlighting, and key remapping.
The latter offers a reasonable selection of media and system shortcuts, although these aren’t as copious as some gaming keyboards provide. You can bind mouse movements to keys, though, which isn’t a function that’s always present in customization software.
As you’d expect given its analog switches, there are also plenty of actuation adjustments available. You can set the actuation and reset points independently, with a range between 0.1mm and 3.4mm, and there are various modes and features you can use too.
These include a non-stop rapid trigger, continuous trigger and snap tap modes, as well as the ability to bind up to four inputs to a single key, depending on its actuation point and direction of travel. There’s also a rapid trigger stabilizer setting, which prevents unintended inputs when setting very short actuation points.
This makes it a versatile piece of software, with more actuation tweaks than some other software provides. However, the tool isn’t the easiest to use, and I experienced a number of issues with it.
The window can’t be resized, and there are relatively long loading times after making certain changes. I also experienced an issue where the drop-down menus wouldn’t work, requiring a full restart of my PC to rectify – although admittedly, this might’ve been an issue with my particular system rather than with the software itself.
What’s more, while there’s a visualizer to simulate key actuation in real time, this can lag at times, and the color-coded bar representing presses and releases fails to change with the actuation points you set, so its usefulness is somewhat limited. More frustration comes in the form of having to hit a confirm button every time you make these tweaks – and doing so when multiple keys are selected deselects them all (bar one), which only makes the process more cumbersome.
Design & features: 3.5 / 5
MonsGeek FUN60 Ultra review: performance
- Bouncy keys
- Short yet controlled travel
- Great for typing and gaming
The overall performance of the FUN60 Ultra is very good. The TMR magnetic switches I had in my review unit promise a lot, claiming to be even more accurate than Hall effect ones.
In practice, I can’t say I noticed a huge improvement in this regard, but that’s certainly not to disparage them. They are very snappy and tactile, with just enough dampening to make them very satisfying to hammer away on. In terms of feel, they come close to giving some of the best mechanical keyboards a run for their money. And despite the short travel of the keys, there’s enough resistance to make for controlled presses.
The typing performance is also excellent, largely thanks to the fast rebound of the keys. And while it has a clicky sound, it’s not as loud as some other analog keyboards. I would label the FUN60 Ultra as a great keyboard for productivity, if it wasn’t for the compromised layout, which doesn’t even include arrow keys or a dedicated F row.
Connectivity is mostly great, with no dropouts of noticeable lag when using wireless modes. Switching between Bluetooth and 2.4GHz modes on the fly using the relevant Fn shortcuts also proved responsive enough.
However, switching between wireless and wired modes isn’t the easiest, due to the aforementioned location of the selector switch under the Caps Lock. Worse still was the fact that on occasion, the FUN60 Ultra wouldn’t connect to my wired device even with the selector in the right position, requiring me to remove the 2.4GHz dongle from my other device before it would, which only adds to the inconvenience of switching between devices.
Battery life on the FUN60 Ultra seems quite good. After using it for a couple of days, the backlight indicator remained green, which means it at least remained above 90%. However, I can’t be more accurate than this, since there’s no percentage readout in the software.
Performance: 4.5 / 5
Should I buy the MonsGeek FUN60 Ultra?
|
Attributes |
Notes |
Rating |
|---|---|---|
|
Value |
There aren’t many cheaper analog keyboards than this, especially those with TMR sensors. |
4 / 5 |
|
Design and features |
The FUN60 Ultra is solid and premium feeling, although the decision to place the connectivity toggle under the Caps Lock key is baffling. The software offers plenty of tweaks, but it’s not the easiest to use. |
3.5 / 5 |
|
Performance |
The FUN60 Ultra is snappy and with plenty of bounce, with just enough dampening to make it satisfying. Great for gaming and typing. |
4.5 / 5 |
|
Overall rating |
The FUN60 Ultra offers a very compelling package, with top-tier analog switches and build quality at a relatively low price. A few usability issues aside, it’s a great value gaming keyboard all the same. |
4 / 5 |
Buy it if…
Don’t buy it if…
MonsGeek FUN60 Ultra review: also consider
| Header Cell – Column 0 |
MonsGeek FUN60 Ultra |
Gamakay TK75HE V2 |
SteelSeries Apex Pro TKL Gen 3 |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Layout |
60% |
75% |
TKL |
|
Switch |
Analog (TMR magnetic) |
Analog (Hall-effect magnetic) |
Analog (Hall-effect magnetic) |
|
Programmable keys |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
|
Dimensions |
Not stated |
12.8 x 5.4 x 1.1 inches / 325 x 136 x 28mm |
14 x 5 x 1.7 inches / 355 x 129 x 42mm |
|
RGB or backlighting |
Yes (customizable) |
Yes (customizable) |
Yes (customizable) |
How I tested the MonsGeek FUN60 Ultra
- Tested for a few days
- Used for gaming and typing
- Plentiful PC gaming experience
I tested the FUN60 Ultra for a few days, during which time I used it for gaming and typing. I also made use of its various connectivity modes, and used it on both Windows 10 and Windows 11 machines.
I played Counter-Strike 2, which is a great test for peripherals given its need for fast and accurate inputs. It’s also ideal for putting analog switches through their paces, with counter-strafing and other player movements revealing the effectiveness of rapid trigger modes.
I’ve been PC gaming for over a decade, and I’ve experienced plenty of keyboards in that time. I’ve also reviewed a number of them, ranging in manufacturer, switch type, and price.
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lewis.maddison@futurenet.com (Lewis Maddison)
