We’re big fans of split keyboards and the ergonomic typing experience they promote. They’re especially helpful for folks who have begun to feel the effects of the unnatural posture we take when working on a computer. The Mobile Pixels Tetra Keyboard takes the standard two-part split keyboard and reinforces it with a third component to enable a whole new set of functions.
Instead of simply splitting a keyboard in half like your usual design, the PC peripheral throws in an eight-inch touchscreen display as a third modular component, which you can use as a secondary screen, whether for extending the desktop or putting customizable controls within easy reach. All three components can be positioned anywhere you like, as well, allowing you to find the most comfortable working angles, depending on your personal preferences.
The Mobile Pixels Tetra Keyboard consists of three components: the left side of the keyboard, the right side of the keyboard, and the eight-inch touchscreen, which is mounted on its own adjustable stand. It uses a compact keyboard layout split right down the middle, allowing you to place each side in perfect alignment with your shoulders for a more comfortable typing experience. Each half of the keyboard, by the way, gets its own 1,200 mAh battery and Bluetooth radio, so you can easily pair them with whatever device you want to type on. As far as ergonomic benefits go, by the way, the outfit claims using their split keyboard can reduce forearm pronation, eliminate ulnar deviation, and reduce mouse reach.
The eight-inch touchscreen, on the other hand, has a 1,280 x 800 resolution, a 60Hz refresh rate, and a 30ms response time, which makes it viable enough for any productivity tasks. Other features of the IPS panel include 300 nits of brightness, a 700:1 contrast ratio, and an 80-degree viewing angle (from the sides, above, and below). Do note, the display will need to be plugged in to both a PC and a power source, with support for passthrough charging, so it can charge your laptop while connected to it via USB-C.
The Mobile Pixels Tetra Keyboard uses scissor switches, so it’s quiet and compact with short key travel, which should allow it to fit in nicely with most computing setups. Each side has two-key rollover, chamfered backlit keycaps, and LEDs at the bottom to give it an underglow, along with adjustable tilt angles, so you can find the perfect working position. It has DeX support, too, so you can use it with compatible phones (mostly Samsung devices) to create a desktop-like experience. According to the outfit, it’s compatible with Windows, macOS, ChromeOS, and Linux.
Mobile Pixels also has a downloadable software called the Tetra Board App if you want to use the eight-inch touchscreen as a control dashboard (like a touchscreen version of a Stream Deck). Using the app, you can create custom touch controls for apps, shortcuts, macros, and all sorts of other actions.
A Kickstarter campaign is currently running for the Mobile Pixels Tetra Keyboard. Pledges to reserve a unit starts at $249.