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I’ve been on a Logitech Ergo K860 for years now, and it’s been a genuinely solid daily driver. So when I sat down with the ProtoArc EKM01 Plus, I wasn’t expecting to walk away as impressed as I did. This is a full-size, split ergonomic keyboard and mouse combo, and after spending real time typing on it across multiple machines, the keyboard in particular has become one of my favorite pieces of desk hardware this year.
The Typing Experience
The keys themselves smooth. They’re mostly quiet — no clacky, distracting switches here — and the actuation feels light and consistent enough that it’s genuinely easy to slip into flow while typing. That’s not a small thing. A lot of ergonomic keyboards get the wrist geometry right but botch the actual key feel, and that trade-off just isn’t present here. Whether I was banging out a quick email or working through a long writing session, the EKM01 Plus was a supporter of my work. I’d be interested in a mechanical, split keyboard, but outside of the Alice layout, I can’t find an option I’m interested in testing.
A Smarter Use of Dead Space
My biggest, longest-running gripe with the K860 has always been the placement of its media keys. ProtoArc has quietly solved this. Above the spacebar — space that’s normally just wasted on most keyboards — the EKM01 Plus places a dedicated cluster of media keys: play/pause, volume, and track controls, all within easy reach without forcing your hand up to a function row. The main reason this has bothered me is the lack of backlighting on the K860. In the dark, it’s hard to see the media keys.
Even smarter, in the spot where Logitech puts its media keys, ProtoArc has swapped in quick-access buttons for select all, copy, cut, and paste. It sounds like a minor layout tweak, but in practice it’s the kind of change you don’t fully appreciate until you’ve used it for a few days and then have to go back to a keyboard without it.
Multi-Device Connectivity
Both the keyboard and mouse share a single USB-A wireless transmitter, and beyond that primary connection, each device can pair with two additional machines via Bluetooth, with quick-select buttons to jump between them. In practice, that means I can bounce between my desktop, laptop, and a iPad without re-pairing anything — just a button press and I’m on the next machine. For anyone juggling more than one computer during the day, this is exactly the kind of feature that pays for itself within the first week.
The Mouse: Good, NOT GREAT
The combo’s value proposition gets even stronger when you factor in that it includes ProtoArc’s ergonomic sculpted mouse, not just the keyboard. It’s a genuinely helpful addition, and I don’t think it’s fair to treat it as filler — it’s a real mouse with real thought put into the shape.
That said, I’ll be honest: I don’t find it quite as comfortable as my Logitech MX Master 3S. It’s the sharp edge on the thumb rest. It’s a shorter thumb rest than I’d like, so my thumb rubbed against the sharp edge a few times. Otherwise, the buttons are quiet and responsive. But I want to caveat all of my feedback because I lean toward preferring vertical mouse designs in general, so take my comparison with a grain of salt — I may not be the most neutral judge here. If you’ve never used a vertical mouse before, my advice is to commit to at least a full week with one before deciding to go back to a traditional shape. The adjustment period is real, but so is the payoff for a lot of people once your hand and wrist settle into the more natural grip angle.
Technical Specifications
- Keyboard type: Full-size curved split ergonomic layout with cushioned memory foam wrist rest and adjustable tilt legs
- Key switches: ProtoArc Scissor Key Switch technology
- Mouse: Ergonomic sculpted design with palm and thumb support; ProtoArc Advanced Optical Tracking, 2000 DPI; forward/backward navigation buttons
- Connectivity: USB-A wireless receiver plus Bluetooth Low Energy; supports up to 3 total devices with one-touch switching; wireless range up to 10 m (33 ft)
- Battery: Rechargeable Li-Po, 500 mAh in both keyboard and mouse; up to 100 hours per charge; USB-C recharging; auto-sleep power saving
- Compatibility: Windows, macOS, and Android
- Keyboard dimensions: 18.9 x 9.6 x 1.0 in (480.1 x 244.4 x 25.6 mm)
- Mouse dimensions: 2.0 x 3.3 x 4.9 in (50.4 x 83.6 x 124.6 mm)
- In the box: EKM01 Plus keyboard, EKM01 Plus mouse, USB receiver, USB-C charging cable, user guide
- Warranty: 2-year limited hardware warranty
- Price: $84.99 (regularly $109.99)
- Available colors: Black, Silver, Green, Blue, Gray, Red
Final Thoughts
The ProtoArc EKM01 Plus earns its spot on my desk primarily on the strength of its keyboard — it’s quiet, comfortable, and that media key cluster above the spacebar is a small design decision that solves a real, long-standing annoyance for anyone coming from a Logitech layout. Bundling in a capable ergonomic mouse and triple-device connectivity, all through a single transmitter, makes this an easy recommendation at its price point. The mouse won’t dethrone the MX Master 3S for me personally, but that’s as much a matter of my own preference for vertical designs as it is a knock on ProtoArc’s execution. If you’re on the fence about ergonomic hardware, this combo is a well-priced way to find out what you’ve been missing.