Epomaker Cypher 96

SCORE

9.0/10

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Epomaker Cypher 96

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Epomaker Cypher 96, part of the newest models of larger keyboards from the brand.

The Epomaker Cypher 96 becomes one of the biggest keyboards on the Cypher series and also of other lines like the Epomaker TH99.

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Epomaker Cypher 96 Review

Tests & Scores

Scores

Epomaker Cypher 96 Scores

Accessories - 8.5/10
8.5/10
Design - 9.5/10
9.5/10
Ergonomics - 9/10
9/10
Construction & Build - 9/10
9/10
Keycaps - 10/10
10/10
Switches - 8/10
8/10
Connectivity - 9.75/10
9.8/10
Customization - 8.75/10
8.8/10
Typing - 10/10
10/10
Gaming - 8/10
8/10
Productivity - 9/10
9/10
Office - 9.5/10
9.5/10
Tablet-Mobile - 8/10
8/10
Programming - 9/10
9/10
Sound - 10/10
10/10
Durability - 8.75/10
8.8/10
Lighting - 9/10
9/10
Display - 8/10
8/10
Software - 8.75/10
8.8/10
Battery - 9/10
9/10
Value for Money - 10/10
10/10

Summary

Pros

✅ Optimized custom 1800 layout

✅ Nice design

✅ Backlit screen

✅ Switch mode position

✅ Big battery

Cons

❌ Screen could make better use of the available space

❌ No knob

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9/10

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ACCESSORIES & PACKAGING
^4.25^_/5

The Epomaker Cypher 96 comes in the standard cardboard packaging seen in 90% of Epomaker keyboards (like the Epomaker HE75 Mag, Epomaker HE75 Tri)

With the keyboard you also get:

• USB-C braided cable
• 3x switches
• 2-in-1 switch/keycap puller

DESIGN
^4.75^_/5

The Epomaker Cypher is a 1800 ANSI US layout mechanical keyboard with 96 keys but no knobs.

The keyboard adopts a new approach to the bigger sized layouts, with an uncommon design choice where the space between the F row numbers is removed. This has a significant consequence over the final effective size of the keyboard, resulting in a noticeably reduction of the width and footprint when directly compared with other keyboards with full-sized and 1800 layouts.

This might or might not be too relevant to some but we find it to be one of the strongest features on this keyboard and a important key factor to choose this one over other large keyboards.

On the upper right corner you can find a wide display screen positioned above the numpad and with a slightly angled alignment to make it better directed to the sight of the user.

Sitting between the main keys and the numpad, you will find 4 independent status LEDs vertically aligned, which inform: Caps Lock, Num Lock, Win Lock and Battery charging.

On the bottom you will find 2 adjustable feet and the 2.4G dongle in a dedicated storage compartment hidden next to one of the feet – the dongle is secured in place by a magnetic attaching system.

The Epomaker Cypher 96 is available only in 1 color and theme option. This seems to be a tendency that the brand is applying on their newer keyboards, as we have seen the exact same thing with most of the models that we have recently reviewed (for example, Epomaker P87)

DISPLAY SCREEN
⁴^_/5

As you can see from the photos and we mentioned, the Epomaker Cypher 96 includes a display screen; this is not the typical color, LCD or TFT panel that you see in most modern keyboards, but a battery efficient panel in a similar style of calculators. In fact, the this screen includes the “hidden” feature of full, independent calculator that transforms the numpad and screen into a classic calculator controlled by the numpad.

Switching from calculator mode to numpad mode can be done instantly and on-the-fly with Fn+Num shortcut – also a buzzer per keypress can be activated or turned off with Fn+M.

On the pro side, the screen is backlit, extends vastly with the same extension of the numpad and offers sharp and bold fonts for the time and calculator functions.

In spite of this, the screen has 2 weaker details; firstly, all the rest of the indicators of the screen are tiny and have non-bold fonts which make them less friendly to see. Finally, the second “flaw” is the fact that the screen does not make the most efficient use of its available screen space; for example when not in calc mode, the screen uses just 30% of the space to show only the time and some status while in calculator mode it uses a single row and fits 10 digits when, truly, it could show up to 15 or 16 digits.

Rant aside, the screen is, in part, better than the screen on other large keyboards with similar displays that offer also calculator functions – for example, the Skyloong GK104PRO, Keydous NJ98 and Keydous NJ98-CP.

Of course, if your thing is animated GIFs and color screens, this will not fit your needs, yet the screen will display useful information such as:

• Win/Mac mode
• Connection mode
• Num Lock
• Caps Lock
• Win Lock
• Wireless bank in use
• Battery charging

CONSTRUCTION & BUILD
^4.5^_/5

The case of the Cypher is made of ABS plastic, but, to be honest, it has an overall feel substantially more rugged and not as flimsy and cheap as other plastic keyboards.

As soon as you see the internals of the Cypher 96, you start to understand from where the quality feel comes from; in fact, the keyboard is equipped with 5 layers of dampening materials (Poron sandwich foam, IXPE switch pad, Poron sockets foam, PET film, and silicon pad), a gasket mount structure design, polycarbonate plate, plate-mount stabilizers and 2 hefty batteries.

On top of that, the PCB is hot-swappable with most mechanical switches on the market with either 3-pin or 5-pin design and needing no involvement in the risky and tedious process of desoldering and resoldering.

KEYCAPS
⁵^_/5

The keycaps set of the specific variant of the EPOMAKER Cypher 97 that we are reviewing have nearly the same theme as what we have seen on the LEOBOG Hi75, EPOMAKER TH99 and a more or less similar style with the Epomaker DynaTab 75X, AJAZZ AK870.

Also they are made of similar quality with the use of double-shot PBT to ensure fade-free life and oil resistance.

Moreover, the keys have a non-textured, buttery smooth finish that is as gentle as it gets to the touch.

The color model that we are reviewing has Cherry profile and a light colored combination that not only feels refreshing but it is also much more usable than some dark keycaps set (like in the Epomaker Hack 59), as the purple, white and light-blue combinations make them easy to read and see on bright and dark environments.

SWITCHES
⁴^_/5

Similar to what we mentioned regarding color options in recent Epomaker keyboards, the brand seems to be also following a similar path regarding the standard switches options on many of their newer mechanical keyboards, offering users the choice of 2 exact linear switches, the Epomaker Flamingo or Epomaker Wisteria switches.

The variant that we are reviewing came with Epomaker Wisteria switches and despite being the exact same switches that were equipped in our Epomaker Alice 66, the typing sensation, feedback and precision with this Epomaker Cypher 96 feels way better and more accurate – also no single double inputs were ever seen.

The Wisteria are linear switches that we have seen on plenty of keyboards reviewed from the brand and has become almost a classic default with excellent balance, performance and versatility.

CON

CONNECTIVITY
^4.75^_/5

The Cypher 96 is a triple-mode keyboard, meaning that it can be used wired and extending its wireless options to be paired through Bluetooth or using a more efficient 2.4G wireless system by matching it with the, included, dongle.

To set the connection mode of the keyboard you will need to set the switch mode placed on the left edge of the top panel, which we found to be significantly better than the usual tiny and cumbersomely hidden switches seen on nearly all other keyboards on the market – or even the absurd switch positioning seen on many Akko keyboards like the Akko MU02, Akko MU01, Akko MOD007B PC HE and Akko MOD007 Anniversary Edition.

P&E

PERFORMANCE & USE

TYPING
⁵^_/5

The typing experience with the Cypher 96 was stress-free with a natural feel and complemented by the superb PBT keycaps, performing switches and sound profle.

Moreover, we found that the unique compressed layout provides nearly all the benefits of a full-sized keyboard but remaining substantially

GAMING
⁴^_/5

With 1000Hz of polling rate, 12ms of latency and a significantly larger than 60% layout, the Epomaker Cypher might not dethrone class-leading gaming keyboards or models with magnetic switches (like the Epomaker HE75 Mag) but these specs are more than better for gaming purposes.

At the same time other gaming features include:

• N-Key Rollover
• Quality stabs, switches and keycaps
• Hot-swappable
• RGB lighting
• Programmable
• Wired and 2.4G wireless

PRODUCTIVITY
^4.5^_/5

For productivity and office tasks, the Epomaker Cypher 96 offers many specs and design elements to become a smart choice, like:

• Triple mode connection
• Large battery
• On-board memory
• Excellent performance
• Full numpad
• Calculator built-in
• F number row

TABLET/MOBILE
⁴^_/5

If you do not mind the extra footprint by the 1800 layout and some additional weight over low-profile and compact keyboards; the Cypher 96 can be a more versatile companion with your mobile setup than smaller keyboards.

Also, offering Bluetooth connectivity, there will never be compatibility issues with any kind of smartphone and tablet.

LIGHTING
^4.5^_/5

The south-facing RGB LEDs and light-colored theme result in a nice embellishment of the visuals.

On top of that, the keyboard includes one side, strip-light on the left and right edge of the case – the main board and side lights can be controlled and edited independently.

If any, the only “issue” that we noticed was that the brightness and intensity of the LEDs was not as strong as what we have seen in some other keyboards reviewed..

SOUND
⁵^_/5

The specific Epomaker Cypher 96 with Wisteria switches offered a refined poppy sound personality with some thock seasoning without any needed mods, tuning nor manual lubing.

The plated-mounted stabs and lube from factory presented pristinely clean performance and noise free operation with no rattling ever.

Moreover, the keyboard never exhibited pinging, resonance, echo effects nor hollow sensation.

SOFTWARE
^4.25^_/5

The software used for the Epomaker Cypher 96 is the standard one used on most Epomaker keyboards, thus, if you own more than one Epomaker model you might not need to install separate software per keyboard.

The PC software allows all expected customizations, lighting control, reprogramming, macros and even gives access to the settings of the display screen.

BATTERY
^4.5^_/5

Keyboard manufacturers tend to be a bit cheap when packing batteries inside their units, placing small batteries with poor capacity; instead, Epomaker has placed not one but two 4000mAh batteries inside the Cypher 96.

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Epomaker Cypher 96 Technical Specifications

Brand
EPOMAKER
Model
Cypher 96
Layout
1800 ANSI US Layout
Number of Keys
96 keys
Battery
2 x 4000mAh
Connectivity
Cable Wired, 2.4GHz, Bluetooth 5.0
Compatibility
Mac/WIN/Android/Linux
Case Material
ABS Plastic
Position Plate
PC
Stabilizers
Plate-Mount Stabilizer. (Compatible with Screw-in Stabilizer)
Mounting Structure
Gasket-Mount
Keycaps Profile
Cherry Profile
Keycaps Material
PBT Plastic
Keycaps Manufacturing technique
Double-Shot
Hot swappable
Yes, 3/5-pin mechanical switches
RGB
South-facing, per-key RGB
Polling Rate
1000Hz (USB, 2.4Ghz), 125Hz (Bluetooth 5.0)
Latency
12ms (USB), 13ms (2.4Ghz wireless), 20ms (Bluetooth 5.0)
Anti-Ghosting
N-Key Rollover
Keyboard Dimensions
394*145*42.5MM
Screen Size
69.88*15.45MM
Front Height
32.81MM
Back Height
21.35mm
Keyboard Weight
1.6kg