I recently picked up the new Launch Heavy keyboard from System76, opting for the brown switches, and after some time to put it through its paces am happy to report back.
Most importantly, the key travel feels great. There’s a satisfying depth here that makes long typing sessions feel deliberate without being fatiguing. If you’re coming from something shallow (laptop keyboards especially), this is a noticeable upgrade. The brown switches hit a nice middle ground. You get tactile feedback without the full-on noise of blues, which makes this a solid choice for a shared office, home office, or late-night coding sessions. It’s that “just enough feedback” sweet spot.
Design-wise, this is where things get a bit subjective. The new Launch Heavy leans into a sleeker, more minimal, almost stark black Chris Nolan Batman-like aesthetic. It looks clean, but I do think it loses a bit of the original Launch’s quirky charm. That said, plenty of people are going to prefer this more refined look. Along the same line, I do miss: the packed-in colored keycaps. The originals had a bit of personality baked right into the box, and it was fun to customize without buying extras. The new version feels a little more “serious” out of the gate.
Overall, this is a great keyboard. Like its predecessor, the Launch Heavy feels purpose-built for people who actually spend their day at the keyboard. If you’re into mechanical keyboards—especially if you’re already in the Linux or System76 ecosystem; side note, it of course works great for macOS and Windows as well.
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