DS Pixel Mechanical Keyboard Doubles As A Touchscreen 4K Monitor, Wait What?

The DS Pixel Keyboard, the brainchild of design firm Shenzhen Xingguohua Advanced Equipment Technology (SXATE), is an effort to combine a mechanical keyboard with a portable touch display. On the device’s Kickstarter page, the company states the case for the existence of this project by saying that “with this device, you can easily perform both keyboard input and screen operations.”

SXATE appears to be making this combination work by having designed a detachable frame that affixes the keycaps to the display. When a user presses a key, it detects “changes in capacitance due to shifts in the distance between the electrode plates. Each key provides clear tactile feedback, allowing you to precisely sense the status of each keypress.” The keycaps have a travel distance of 1.2-1.5mm.

The screen is a 14” wide IPS display, boasting a resolution of 3840x1100 with 300 nits of brightness alongside 100% sRGB coverage. Surprisingly, the display only has a refresh rate of 60Hz. Considering the asking price during the Kickstarter and the planned MSRP, it’s a bit of a headscratcher that this isn’t at least 120Hz or more.


The screen is driven by a “built-in CPU and GPU, providing powerful computing and graphics processing capabilities.” The company envisions users putting it to use for tasks like word processing, as a canvas for sketching, or as a way to display game information or chat windows. Unfortunately, there are no specifics as to what the hardware inside actually includes.

As for connectivity, users will be able to have it wired through a USB-C cable or, can go wireless with either Bluetooth or a 2.4Ghz connection. However, those looking to have a wireless experience should be aware that it only has a battery life of up to 12 hours, with charging taking between 2-3 hours.

While it certainly looks like an interesting, niche concept, it still feels poorly thought out and executed. The main pitch is that prospective buyers will save money and space by having this keyboard, yet 30 seconds into promotional video there’s a setup using a traditional keyboard from another manufacturer because the DS Pixel is being used as a secondary display. Additionally, at the 50 second mark, with it being used as a secondary display off to the side, shows a poor implementation with content being cut off to the point of being unusable.

Interested buyers who are still interested in this combination can get Kickstarter pricing starting at $349, which is a 40% discount from the planned MSRP of $580. The company aims to begin delivering keyboards to customers in February of 2025.