I really wanted to like the Naya Create. It’s an incredibly stylish split keyboard with a lot going for it, offering great customization and a novel shape that’s supposedly sculpted for efficiency and comfort. It’s as if Apple tried its hand at an ergonomic keyboard. But during my testing, I found holes in the design. A lot of them. Even after software updates, extensive troubleshooting, and a second review unit, this keyboard simply didn’t want to work properly.
The Naya Create starts at $500 without any modules. But quite a bit of the keyboard’s functionality relies on the modules, including the batteries for wireless connectivity. For a full kit with two keyboard halves, three interchangeable modules, a USB-C cable, and a hard carrying case, the total package is $825. For something with such a smooth and streamlined, Apple-like design (with an Apple-like price), it really should just work. There are some great ideas here, and the keyboard itself is well built, but the software falls short.
Making the Switch
Photograph: Henri Robbins
Conceptually, this keyboard does a lot of really interesting things. It’s a low-profile split keyboard (the entire keyboard, ignoring the detachable modules, is anywhere from 16 to 19 millimeters thick) with detachable magnetic modules. The split nature allows your hands to be farther apart, reducing shoulder strain. Two hinges on each half allow for the keyboards to be angled when typing, which can reduce wrist strain as well. The switches are hot-swappable, and the keyboard is meant to be extensively programmable using Naya’s built-in software.