Astrohaus will be shipping its cheapest Freewrite digital typewriter in January

The Freewrite Alpha is the follow-up to the original $649 Freewrite and the $499 portable Freewrite Traveler from 2020. Like its predecessors, the Wi-Fi-enabled typewriter is free of distractions like web browsers and emails to help you focus on writing. After you’re finished, the gadget wirelessly syncs documents with software services like Google Drive and Dropbox so you can edit and share your documents.

However, the Alpha drops the E Ink display in favor of a reflective monochromatic LCD screen, thus keeping costs down. It also now comes with just one screen instead of two and — while about half the weight of the original — is heavier than the Traveler.

On the flip side, though, Astrohaus promises the Alpha should have a much longer 100-hour battery life while continuing to support USB-C. The Alpha also brings back the mechanical switches the Traveler lacked, offering Kailh Choc V2 low-profile switches that are slimmer than the Kailh Box Brown switches found in the original model. The new typewriter also lets you move your cursor around a document in the same way that the Traveler does, a capability lacking in the original model.

News of the Alpha’s shipping date comes after Astrohaus raised $446,742 via an Indiegogo crowdfunding campaign launched in 2022. The company began fulfilling orders earlier this year and gave early backers an $80 discount.