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Most keyboards don’t come with a screen. The Epomaker RT100 does — a small detachable display tucked into the top corner of a keyboard that otherwise looks like it wandered out of a 1980s office catalog. That combination of retro styling and a genuinely unusual gadget feature is the whole reason people ask about this board specifically, rather than just picking any keyboard from Epomaker’s RT series. This review breaks down whether the display, the layout, and the rest of the hardware add up to something worth buying, or whether the screen is carrying more of the marketing than it should.
What the RT100 Actually Is
Strip away the retro paint job and the RT100 is a 96%-ish layout board — 97 keys on US ANSI, 98 on ISO — with a numpad, a full function row, and a dedicated multimedia knob tucked into the top-right corner. It’s part of Epomaker’s RT series, which we’ve already covered in our broader Epomaker brand review as the line built around wireless reliability and eye-catching design rather than the acoustics-first approach of the TH series. The RT100 is the flagship expression of that idea: same gasket-mounted, hot-swap foundation as the rest of the lineup, wrapped in a case that leans hard into a nostalgic aesthetic most modern boards don’t attempt.
Design and Build Quality
The case comes in a handful of two-tone retro colorways, and the details back up the theme — a slightly rounded silhouette, warm accent colors, and keycap legends that look pulled from an old terminal rather than a gaming peripheral. Underneath the styling, the construction is more conventional: a gasket-mounted plate that isolates the switches from the case for a softer landing on each keystroke, and adjustable two-stage feet wrapped in silicone that add some grip and a couple of typing-angle options without the rattle that cheap flip-feet tend to develop.
PBT keycaps in an MDA profile round out the package — thicker-walled than the ABS caps you’ll find on cheaper boards, with a rounded top that splits the difference between the flatter OEM profile and taller SA-style caps. It’s a comfortable, unfussy profile that doesn’t demand any adjustment if you’re coming from a standard keyboard.
The Smart Display: Gimmick or Genuinely Useful?
The RT100’s signature feature is a small detachable screen built into the case, and it’s worth being direct about what it does and doesn’t do. Through Epomaker’s companion software, you can set it to show the time, basic system stats, a weather readout, or a custom image or short GIF. It’s genuinely fun to set up once, and it’s a reasonable conversation starter on a desk setup.
What it isn’t is essential. You will not miss any core keyboard functionality if you never touch it, and readers who found Epomaker’s other GIF-capable displays more novelty than utility in our brand review will likely feel the same way here. Treat the display as a fun extra bundled into the price, not a reason on its own to choose this board over a cheaper RT-series alternative.
Switches and Typing Feel
The RT100 ships with a choice of stock switches, including Epomaker’s own Sea Salt Silent — a dampened silent linear — or Gateron Pro Yellow, a smoother, slightly heavier linear option. Either way, the 5-pin hot-swap sockets mean the stock switches are a starting point rather than a commitment: standard 3-pin or 5-pin switches from any brand will drop in without soldering, so readers already invested in a favorite switch from our switch guides can swap freely.
Combined with the gasket mount, the typing feel lands somewhere in familiar Epomaker territory — cushioned, a little quieter than a rigid-mounted board, and consistent enough that most typists won’t feel a need to mod anything before they’re comfortable using it daily.
Connectivity and Wireless Performance
Three connection modes cover most use cases: Bluetooth 5.0 for casual multi-device use, a 2.4GHz wireless dongle (with a storage slot built into the case, so it’s not the first thing you lose) for lower-latency wireless, and USB-C for a fully wired connection. Bluetooth mode can pair with up to three devices and switch between them, which is genuinely convenient if you’re bouncing between a work laptop, a personal machine, and a tablet over the course of a day.
Battery capacity is generous enough to go several days between charges under normal use with the backlighting on, longer with it off — in line with what we’d expect from a board in this class rather than a standout in either direction.
Gaming Performance
Full anti-ghosting and N-key rollover mean the RT100 won’t drop inputs even when you’re mashing several keys at once, which covers the baseline requirement for any keyboard marketed toward gamers. That said, this isn’t a competitive-first board: Bluetooth introduces enough latency that fast-paced shooters are better played wired or over the 2.4GHz connection, a pattern consistent with what we found across Epomaker’s wireless boards generally. For casual and mid-intensity gaming, wired or 2.4GHz mode is plenty responsive.
Software
Epomaker’s companion software handles key remapping, macro creation, RGB customization, and configuring the smart display’s content. It gets the job done without being especially polished — consistent with the software critique in our broader Epomaker brand review, where we noted the driver is functional but dated-feeling. Once your lighting, macros, and display settings are saved, though, there’s no need to keep the software running in the background.
Who Should Actually Buy This
The RT100 makes the most sense for readers who want the retro look and the smart display specifically — if that combination doesn’t appeal to you, a plainer RT-series board or the TH80 V2 Pro will get you the same hot-swap, gasket-mounted foundation for less money. Where the RT100 earns its price is in the details that don’t show up on a spec sheet: the tri-device Bluetooth switching, the case-mounted dongle storage, and a typing feel that doesn’t need any modding to feel finished.
Skip it if competitive gaming is the priority — the wireless latency profile isn’t built for that — or if the retro aesthetic isn’t your style, since it’s central to the board’s identity rather than incidental to it.
Check current Epomaker RT100 pricing on Amazon →
Frequently Asked Questions
Is the Epomaker RT100 hot-swappable?
Yes — 5-pin hot-swap sockets accept both 3-pin and 5-pin switches without soldering.
What is the smart display on the Epomaker RT100?
A small detachable screen that shows the time, system stats, weather, or a custom image/GIF via Epomaker’s software. It’s a fun extra, not a core feature.
Does the Epomaker RT100 work well for gaming?
It’s fine for casual and mid-intensity gaming wired or over 2.4GHz. Bluetooth’s added latency makes it a weaker choice for competitive, fast-paced titles.
How does the RT100 compare to the rest of Epomaker’s lineup?
It’s the design-forward flagship of the RT series, prioritizing retro styling and the smart display over the acoustics-first TH series or the tinkerer-focused F series.