Review: Kwumsy K3 keyboard with touchscreen display

Review unit provided by Kwumsy

Kwumsy has just released the Kwumsy K3, a keyboard with display, an update to the Kwumsy K1 I reviewed in 2022.

I like the idea of Kwumsy K1 but its main is the inability to tilt the display. This new keyboard has several improvements and is a much better product. The display now has tilt adjustment, it's using a mechanical keyboard, and it has a NVMe SSD enclosure. The touchscreen display is also larger at 13 inches and has higher resolution.

The price is USD 389 at the time of review. By the way, Kwumsy K1 was USD 359 when launched.

A keyboard with a monitor? Is this a gimmick?

That ultrawide display is a productivity tool and not a gimmick. I have used such a display before on the ASUS Zenbook Pro Duo 15 and I knew instantly the utility. The secondary display can be used to show videos, chats, file browser, music player, etc.

Bottom line
Dual display setups are always great for productivity. The 2-in-1 design doesn't take up much space on the table but still gives you the additional desktop space for multitasking. Typing experience with the mechanical keyboard is satisfying. Having a smaller secondary display beneath the main display is very useful.

The keyboard can work with MacOS but MacOS has lousy touchscreen support. Windows has more touchscreen features. For quick window placement with MacOS, you can use the Rectangle app.

The keyboard pairs better with desktops than with laptops although it certainly can be used with laptops. Make sure your desktop or laptop has two video ports (HDMI and or USB-C).

Downsides? The stereo speakers are loud but sound hollow. There's one NVMe SSD enclosure but it was designed without heat dissipation in mind, and I wasn't able to install my NVMe SSD because of some measurement problem with NVMe interface, and I'm pretty sure it's not a problem with my SSD.

Key specifications

• Display size: 13-inch IPS touchscreen
• Display surface: Glossy
• Display adjustment: Tilt
• Resolution: 1920 x 720, 60Hz, 157PPI
• Brightness: 300 nits
• Keyboard: Mechanical with 82 keys and volume dial
• NVMe support: B key, B+M key
• Ports: 60W PD USB-C, USB-C to host, 2x USB 3.0 type A, MicroSD and SD card slot
• Foldout feet with two heights
• Weight: 2.12kg

Things included

• Keyboard
• Keycap and switch puller
• Disassembly tool for keyboard
• USB-A to USB-C charging cable
• USB-C to USB-C video cable
• 3-to-1 cable with HDMI
• 3x rubber stopper for NVMe SSD
• USB-A power adapter
• Screen protector
• User guide

Design

That's how the keyboard looks in the box. It comes with a slip-on cushion screen protector made with PU leather. The keyboard even bigger than my Macbook Pro 14 since there's a monitor. The weight is 2.12kg. Build quality is solid.

The screen protector can be used as a wrist rest too and it's quite comfortable.

This keyboard has a 13-inch touchscreen IPS LCD with 1920 x 720 resolution @ 60 Hz. The display is very reflective but you don't have to worry about reflections because your body will block most light sources from reaching the display.

I measured coloured support for 86% sRGB, 66% AdobeRGB, 65% P3, 63% NTSC and a maximum brightness of 153 nits. Colour support isn't great but colours look alright for a secondary display. 153 nits brightness is quite far off from the advertised 300 nits, but still sufficient for use in a bright room as long as you draw the curtains slightly.

The OSD does not have much colour adjustments except for brightness and colour temperature (warm, cool, sRGB).

The mechanical keyboard has 82 keys and a volume dial.

There's also RGB backlight, and you can choose from 20+ lighting effects.

Typing experience is satisfying. Typing sound isn't considered loud.

There are many function key shortcuts to learn so don't throw away the manual. To switch Mac and Windows keyboard layout, it's Fn + V.

Most of the keyboard is made with plastic except for the back plate which is metal. There are three pieces of rubber feet with good grip on the table.

The foldable feet can be set to two heights. Unfortunately there are no rubber pieces beneath the foldable feet.

The ports behind are, from left to right:

• MicroSD card
• SD card
• USB-C for host
• 60W PD USB-C
• 2x USB 3.0 type-A
• OSD button and toggle

There are cable holders at the top for cable management.

The included L-shape USB-C cable will block the card reader which are in a bad location. Anyway, the card reader located at the back is difficult to reach.

These are the two locked positions for the display. It's possible to tilt to other angles, and the hinge is stiff enough to hold other angles.

There are two speakers by the side of the keyboard and the audio sounds hollow.

It is very important to push the lock button by the side before pushing the display down. It is extremely tempting to just push the display down without releasing the lock but that will likely damage the lock.

The NMVe SSD enclosure is located behind the display. The NVMe SSD interface supported are B key and B+M key. Having expandable storage is always useful. The enclosure cover is made with plastic and other parts around it are also plastic so I'm not sure how effective heat dissipation will be.

It may not be clear from the photo above but my Corsair MP510 NVMe SSD was not able to fit into the slot. The slot is almost one or half a mm less width.

Driver

The driver is only available for Windows at the time of review.

With the driver, you can customise function key shortcuts, adjust lighting effects (20 to choose from) and create macros.

Connection

The keyboard display is meant to be a secondary display, it means you should already have a main display. And since you'll be using two displays, you will need two video ports on your computer which can be a mix of USB-C video and HDMI ports.

The keyboard display is meant to be positioned below the main (and higher) monitor so that you can get a top-down extended desktop. With a top down setup, you can see both displays without having to tilt your head.

The setup shown above with my laptop is not ideal and doesn't make sense because it's a side by side setup where you have to turn your head to see the displays. If you want a side by side setup, it's best to get a proper display.

This keyboard is best used with desktops. If you want to use it with a laptop, make sure your laptop has two video ports for external displays. I think it's better to use the laptop in clamshell mode in a vertical dock because otherwise you'll have two keyboards on the table.

Touchscreen setup

The touchscreen requires setup through Windows settings. Open Control Panel and do a search for "touch", open Tablet PC Settings and go through the setup which involves tapping on the touchscreen so that Windows knows that there's a touchscreen. After setup, touch will work.

Useful shortcuts to move windows into specific locations would be to use the WinKey and arrow, or drag the window to the top edge and options will appear for you to drop the windows into position.

MacOS touchscreen support is lousy and does not support gestures. Touch support is limited to whatever your mouse can do.

Conclusion

Using a dual display setup is great for productivity. A top down dual display layout is more ergonomic because you can see everything without having to tilt or turn your head. The advantage of a side by side setup is if you want to use a larger display. I also like that it doesn't take up much space on the table. You just have to make sure your display has space beneath to fit the keyboard.

There is enough space to fit three windows onto the secondary display and for me, I usually have either the file browser, email, music player, messaging apps there. Whenever emails come in, I can see the email and respond instantly.

The utility of the secondary display gets an easy 5 out of 5 stars.

The main downside of this product is I wasn't able to use my NVMe SSD because the NVMe SSD slot is slightly smaller. I hope it's a problem that's specific to my review unit but I cannot confirm. Anyway, the keyboard and display combo works well even though the SSD storage expansion.

Pros and cons at a glance
+ Good looking design
+ Solid build quality
+ Dual display setup is great for productivity
+ Display has tilt adjustment
+ Satisfying typing experience with mechanical keyboard
+ Keyboard has backlight
+ Storage expansion possible with NVMe SSD (see problem below)
+ Foldable feet
+ Screen protector can be used as wrist rest
- Colour support could be better
- Foldable feet has no rubber beneath
- Audio sounds hollow
- No proper heat dissapation for NVMe SSD
- Wasn't able to install my NVMe SSD because the SSD interface is smaller (manufacturing fault?)
- Using the USB-C port with L-shape cable will block other ports
- Card reader located at the back is difficult to reach

Availability

The Kwumsy K3 keyboard with display is available from the Kwumsy online store and Amazon US | CA | UK | DE | FR | ES | IT