Ganss ALT-71 Bluetooth keyboard has a 70% layout which enjoys a perfect balance between size and usability. It is equipped with additional [Insert], [Home], [End], [`/~], [Delete] [Page Up] and [Page Down] keys than some smaller 60% layouts; especially the [`/~] and [Insert] keys are very useful in Linux and Latex environments.
Other advantages of this model include:
- Easy shortcuts to change between USB Type-C to USB Type-A wired or Bluetooth wireless modes;
- The Bluetooth connection is very stable and never interferes with other 2.4GHz devices, e.g. iPhone XR, Apple Magic Mouse 2 and Bose QuietComfort 35 II.
- Cherry MX switches and PBT keycaps;
- Generally acceptable build quality and competitive price (RMB 399 on JD.com and Tmall.com).
There are some minor issues not commonly mentioned in other reviews but needs to be noted:
- Attempts to change the Bluetooth device name is always unsuccessful in macOS 10.15 Catalina; it will always be changed back to the default name "ALT-68/71 Bluetooth Keyboard";
- LEDs on both sides occasionally flashes in red colour and cannot be turned off by shortcuts. This looks like a kind of alarm but not mentioned in the user manual. The only way to fix this is to connect the keyboard by wire and do a factory reset by pressing [Fn] + [Sapce], but sometimes the error will be back soon;
- No driver or application for macOS;
- macOS Mode can not be remembered after switch off, so Windows Mode is always activated when turned on each time, and there is no light or indicator tell which mode is on;
- Two different hardware versions carrying the same ''Ganss ALT-71" are being sold in the market, but it is hard to tell which is which. The only way to check is to read the Hardware ID in Windows Device Management;
- Buggy and faulty official Ganss website with HTML code errors.
The product design is more than expected and the company is young, so advantages are remarkable and minor flaws are easy to notice. Some critics said, "if this model had been released two or three years earlier, the ALT-71 would have been a huge success."
