u/defyjedi

Purchased the Pomera 250 US model a few weeks back and never wrote a real review.
The purpose for this writer is purely travel. I fly a lot. Like, a lot. I needed something I could actually write on that would live comfortably on an airplane tray table or on my lap. That automatically put the BYOK out for this particular role, though I still purchased one for around the house, outside, and local coffee-shop days when I don’t want to drag my laptop along.
Back to the Pomera: main mission — travel companion.

Pros:
Build quality. Full stop. Feels like someone shrunk my ASUS Zenbook.
Screen. Fantastic. Sharp, clean, easy on the eyes.
Speed. Exceptional. Everything feels immediate. No waiting around for the machine to catch up with you.
Size and weight. ++ Drop it into a messenger bag like a Kindle Paperwhite and you’ll forget you’re carrying it.

Cons:
That keyboard is tiny. I’m an adult male with pretty average-size hands, and my first reaction was basically, Yikes. Maybe it feels completely normal in Japan or elsewhere in Asia, but coming from full-size Western keyboards, it definitely feels cramped.
That said, I’m already adapting. After only a few minutes of actual writing, my fingers started figuring it out. So I’m not ready to call the keyboard a deal-breaker yet.

Recommendation so far:
If you travel a lot and want a true grab-it, open-it, and start-writing machine, I’d recommend giving the Pomera a serious look. It feels much more like a tiny purpose-built laptop than a novelty writer deck.
If you have large hands or absolutely need a great keyboard, though, I’d try one before buying if you can. The keyboard is clearly the compromise King Jim made to get this thing this small.
For me, the jury is still out—but after my first real session, I’m leaning keep. The portability, screen, speed, and build quality are that good.
More to come after I put some real miles—and words—on it.

It is with great sadness, my fellow writer-deck people and strange little keyboard addicts, that I announce the Freewrite Alpha is going back.
And that actually pains me a little because the Alpha is a great drafting tool. It really is. The concept is damn near perfect. Open it, sit down, and write. No internet rabbit holes. No pretending you’re working while spending twenty minutes researching something you absolutely did not need to know. The screen is excellent. The software is fast and intuitive. Postbox is fantastic. I put real words through this thing, and for pure drafting, I understand exactly why people fall in love with it. Unfortunately, there are a few things I can’t get past. And the murderer here is the price point.

First, the keyboard.
It’s completely flat across the top, very laptop-style, without that little dish or depression I like in a keycap. That’s personal preference, obviously, but on a machine whose entire reason for existence is typing, the keyboard has to feel exceptional. This one doesn’t. I’ve used NuPhy and Lofree keyboards extensively, and the Alpha isn’t playing in that league.

Yes, I know I can change the keycaps. I can modify things. I can buy this and swap that.
No. I won’t do that.
I just paid nearly $400 for a machine whose entire purpose is putting words onto a screen. I don’t want to immediately start buying parts to make the keyboard feel the way I think a $400 writing device should have felt when it came out of the box.

Then there’s the noise.
Holy hell, this thing is loud.
I actually like the sound. There’s something satisfying about that mechanical clatter when you’re in the middle of a scene and the words are moving. Unfortunately, civilization continues to exist around me.

Part of my plan was taking the Alpha somewhere quiet during lunch—a coffee shop, library, little corner somewhere—and knocking out a scene. I’m not sure I could do that without becoming that asshole with the keyboard.
Late-night writing is worse. I’ve had my kids come over from the next room more than once and basically tell me, Dad. Enough.
Fair.

The ergonomics never quite made peace with me either. On a desk, that low screen had me looking down enough that after a while my neck was basically telling me to go to hell. I kept trying different positions because I genuinely wanted the Alpha to work. Eventually, I found one that did: slightly reclined on the couch, knees folded up, Alpha sitting on a pillow across my lap.
Honestly, it was comfortable as that way.
And for pure drafting, I actually liked it. I could lean back, stop staring at every sentence as it appeared, and just let my hands work. There is something almost liberating about writing that way.
Then I realized what I’d done.
I’d turned a nearly $400 portable writing deck into a couch device .
Again, at $200? Fine. I’d probably keep the weird little bastard around specifically for that. At $400, I need to be able to use it comfortably at a desk, in a coffee shop, during lunch, late at night, wherever the urge hits. Once you add the ergonomics to a keyboard that already doesn’t feel remotely premium enough for the price, the argument gets difficult.

So here’s what I think Freewrite needs to do with the next Alpha.
Give us keyboard choices. NuPhy already understands this. Some writers want that glorious click-clack. Others want something nearly silent. Some like a heavier keypress; others want something light and fast. Give me two or three switch options when I order the device, or figure out some clever way of offering a genuinely quiet version.
And give my hands somewhere to live.
The palm-rest area needs maybe another half inch. I don’t have enormous hands, and even mine feel slightly crowded. The whole thing is just a little too compressed for something designed around long writing sessions.
None of these things make the Alpha bad.
That’s important.
At $200, I’d probably keep it.
At $250, we’d have a serious conversation.
At almost $400 after tax, shipping, and the extended warranty, the conversation changes completely.
At that price, I don’t want to forgive the keyboard. I don’t want to modify it. I don’t want to explain away the ergonomics. The keyboard should be one of the reasons I bought the damn thing.
That’s ultimately where the Alpha lost me.
The display surprised me in the best possible way. I expected to tolerate it and ended up genuinely liking it. The software is excellent. Postbox may be my favorite part of the whole ecosystem. The Alpha is fast, quirky, focused, and genuinely good at getting words onto the page. And that’s why sending it back actually irritates me.Because underneath the cheap-feeling keyboard, the noise, and the ergonomic compromises, there is a damn good drafting machine trying to get out.

For some writers, none of this will matter. If you love the flat keycaps, enjoy the click, have a writing position that works for you, and want perhaps the purest dedicated drafting experience available, I can absolutely understand loving this strange little device .
I almost did.
But $400 buys the Alpha entry into a different weight class, and once it’s there, I have to judge it accordingly.
It didn’t check enough boxes.
So, with genuine sadness, the Alpha goes back.
At $200, I forgive the plastic, the noise, and the compromises. At $400, I don’t. Add a keyboard that never quite felt worth the money, and sadly, I’m out.

Background - I’m a published author. To date all non-fiction for several well known platforms. My first article was published in 2015 and my last one—3 days ago. I’m using this as a trial run along with a Pomera for my first fiction project. I ordered the BYOK weeks ago but hasn’t shipped. In a perfect world I find usage for all 3. Most likely will keep 1, maybe 2 :)

First day with the Alpha. 1,500 words. So let’s start there because that bastard of a number complicates everything else I’m about to say.

Conceptually, I love this thing. I really do. There is something almost absurdly satisfying about opening it and just writing. No apps. No tabs. No research rabbit hole because I suddenly need to know something. You sit down and type. That’s it. And the Alpha is fast. Typing is instant, menus snap open, moving around the software takes seconds. Nothing gets between you and the words. I love that!

The screen surprised me. I thought I would tolerate it. I actually like it. Clear, sharp enough, easy on the eyes. It shows me what I need and then mostly stays the hell out of my way.

Build quality? Good. Not great. It doesn’t feel cheap, but it sure doesn’t feel premium either. At $340, I expected to pick it up and feel something. Instead, I picked it up and thought, Yeah, this is ok.

That brings me to the keyboard.
Freewrite, what the hell?
It’s tactile. It clicks. I can type fast on it. There is nothing objectively terrible about it. But I own a NuPhy and a Lofree, and those keyboards make this one feel painfully average. On a $150 device, I would probably praise it. On a $340 device built almost entirely around the experience of typing, the keyboard should be the star of the show. It isn’t. Not even close. This was truly disappointing . I mean you built this for writers , but a 75$ Nuphy feels better. For record I use the Nuphy kick 75. Plush and fast. It’s a vibe for sure. I can’t recall my
Lofree model - but it’s also plush and fast and just great.

Moving on.

The ergonomics may still kill the entire relationship. On a desk, the screen sits low enough that I keep dropping my head to look at it. My neck has already filed a formal complaint. Maybe I’m using the Alpha wrong. Slightly reclined, Alpha on my lap, eyes mostly forward—that feels much better. And maybe that’s actually the point. Stop watching yourself write. Look out the window. Close your eyes sometimes. Let your fingers go and check the screen when you need to.
There is something strangely liberating about that. The typos that followed are not liberating.

The software is excellent. Postbox is excellent. This is the part where Freewrite clearly understands writers. Everything feels designed around getting the words out of your head— it does this great.

I also noticed by writing was slightly different than how I write on a laptop. Dare I say deeper ? Maybe more layered ? I dunno, but the words flowed different for sure.

So my Day One verdict is wonderfully contradictory.
I like it.
I also kind of hate it.

I’m nowhere near returning it tomorrow, but I’m also not looking at it thinking, Oh yeah, you’re staying.
The price bothers me. The keyboard really bothers me. My neck may eventually issue the final verdict.

But then there are those 1,500 words.
I sat down with this funny-looking little machine on Day One and wrote 1,500 words.
Which is irritating, because now the Aloha has evidence in its defense.

Few notes for Team Freewrite:
1- make the keyboard better . Please no laptop style flat keys. Kills the whole vibe. Seriously study Nuphy and Loffree and maybe then you can justify $340 but the pricepoint and the current Keyboard—man its just not adding up.

2- could use another 1inch where your hand rests. I have average sized hands and they had a hard time fitting. Snug - not comfy.

3- software is legit . Great work.

Verdict to keep—TBD

Note—Em Dash’s are human generated 🤓

Just showed up about 10min ago. Battery is fully dead, so charging. Can’t wait to start.

All cleaned up. 2024 s650 Dark Horse . Almost the perfect car. Wish it was 400lbs lighter and 100 more HP 😎😎😅😅💪💪💪💪