The 3 Best Keychron Keyboards of 2023: Reviews

1. Table of Contents
2. Intro
3. Review Updates
4. Best Keyboard
5. Best Mid-Range
6. Best Budget
7. Comparison
8. Lineup
9. Page Updates
10. Conclusion
11. Discussions

Updated Apr 14, 2023 at 12:34 pm

By Gregory Vodden

Keychron makes various mechanical keyboards across several different lineups, from the premium Q Series to the more budget-friendly, wireless K Series. Within each lineup, you’ll find a variety of sizes and configurations, from tiny 40% boards to full-size 100% units, and they even offer a choice of ANSI and ISO layouts. At the heart of many of their designs, Keychron keyboards are meant to be customizable and give users the freedom to create a typing experience tailored to their own preferences. Certain models also include toolkits to allow you to fully deconstruct your keyboard and provide an excellent gateway into the custom keyboard world.

We’ve tested over 190 keyboards, with over 20 of them from Keychron. Below are our picks for the best Keychron keyboards.

Updates

• 04/24/2023

  Keychron Q Pro Series [Q1 Pro, Q2 Pro, etc.] reviewed

• 01/26/2023

  Keychron S Series reviewed

• 09/23/2022

  Keychron Q8 reviewed

• 09/06/2022

  Keychron V Series reviewed

• 08/17/2022

  Keychron Q7 reviewed

Best Keychron Keyboards

1. Best Keychron Keyboard

   Keychron Q6

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   Gaming

   8. 0

   Mobile/Tablet

   0.9

   Office

   7.6

   Programming

   7.7

   Entertainment / HTPC

   2.5

   Size

   Full-size (100%)

   Connectivity

   Wired

   Switch Type

   Mechanical

   See all our test results

   The best Keychron keyboard you can get is the Keychron Q6. This full-size board is from Keychron’s premium Q Series lineup, a range of products with an aluminum case, durable PBT keycaps, and a gasket-mounted design for a softer typing experience. The Q6 is the largest model in Keychron’s extensive Q Series lineup and includes a full Numpad, navigational cluster, and function row. However, there are plenty of other sizes in the Q Series that you may want to look into, from the programming and writing-friendly Keychron Q2 to the tiny Keychron Q4 and even the more ergonomically focused Keychron Q8.

   While the typing quality is excellent, the standout feature of the boards is their range of customization. You can alter or replace any component of this board, including the top plate, the switches, the keycaps, and even the case foam within the board. It’s a great starting point for people looking to get into the keyboard modification hobby or just if you want something to tinker with on your desk. Each keyboard also comes with an included toolkit to make alterations easier.

   See our review

2. Best Mid-Range Keyboard

   Keychron V1

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   Gaming

   8. 3

   Mobile/Tablet

   1.7

   Office

   7.7

   Programming

   7.8

   Entertainment / HTPC

   3.1

   Size

   Compact (75%)

   Connectivity

   Wired

   See all our test results

   Combining the features of the premium Q Series and the budget-friendly K series keyboards, the Keychron V Series keyboards are well-built, customizable units that fall squarely in the mid-range point of Keychron’s offerings. We’ve singled out the Compact (75%) Keycrhon V1 size as our recommendation, but there are plenty of other sizes, including the slightly larger TenKeyLess V3 or the full-size V6. These keyboards are available in two colorways: a solid Carbon Black and a translucent Frosted Black with a nostalgic Y2K aesthetic. Both colorways are made of durable plastic rather than solid aluminum, making these boards physically lighter than the Q Series boards but slightly less premium-feeling. Otherwise, the V Series features the same PBT keycaps and range of customization as the Keychron Q6 and the rest of the Q Series, so you can easily replace the case foam, stabilizers, switches, and keycaps.

   These keyboards are compatible with VIA companion software, meaning you can create profiles with customized RGB lighting, macros, and key assignments on any desktop operating system. These keyboards also use Keychron branded switches, which feel very similar to Gateron switches, but they have a box around the stem to help ease up any side-to-side key wobble. They feel scratchy, but a little lube helps smooth the typing experience. There are also two incline settings to help alleviate the strain from tilting your wrists upwards, though the high profile on these keyboards might warrant a wrist rest for optimum comfort.

   See our review

3. Best Budget Keychron Keyboard

   Keychron K4

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   Gaming

   7.7

   Mobile/Tablet

   7.2

   Office

   7.6

   Programming

   7.7

   Entertainment / HTPC

   6.6

   Size

   Compact (96%)

   Connectivity

   Wireless

   See all our test results

   While both the Keychron Q6 and the Keychron V1 are wired-only keyboards, the budget-friendly Keychron K4 is wireless. It connects via Bluetooth with up to three devices simultaneously, or you can use it in a wired mode if you prefer. The trade-off for the wireless connectivity options comes in at the build quality and range of customization—like the rest of the standard K Series, the K4 has somewhat lower-quality ABS keycaps and has an all-plastic build. Due to this change in the keycap material, typing feels a little less premium, as ABS keycaps are prone to develop shine from your finger oil over time. However, each K Series board has an included keycap puller, making it easy to change out these stock keycaps for more durable ones.

   As this is still part of the Keychron family, it’s still very customizable, though it doesn’t include all the tools, like a hex key and screwdriver. Keychron even offers multiple versions of the K4 on their website, with white or RGB backlighting and even an option that has an aluminum frame if you want to elevate the build quality slightly. And, like with the rest of the Keychron lineup, if you don’t like the size of the board, you’ll likely find a size and configuration within the K-lineup that best suits your needs. Regardless of the size or variant you choose, a K Series board is a reliable wireless unit with an excellent out-of-the-box typing experience, making it a rare gem in the market, especially at its budget price point.

   See our review

Compared to other brands

• Highly customizable keyboards.
  Within lineups, Keychron’s models perform very similarly, with their main difference being size. Most Series also include variants with hot-swappable printed circuit boards (PCBs) that can accept most 3-pin and 5-pin switches, allowing you to get your typing experience exactly how you want it to feel and sound.
• Windows and macOS compatibility.
  Keychron has physical switches on their keyboards to change between the Windows and Mac/iOS modes, and they have keycaps for each operating system. Unlike other keyboards, all buttons will work on macOS and Windows if you use the proper mode.

• Companion software limited to certain models.
  More premium lineups, like the Q Series and V Series keyboards, are compatible with VIA which is an open-source software program for customization that’s available on all major desktop operating systems, including Linux. However, some of Keychron’s more budget offerings, including most of their K Series models aren’t compatible with this software, limiting your ability to program macros, remap keys, and adjust the backlighting.
• Higher latency than others.
  Since Keychron keyboards are designed more for everyday use and productivity, their latency isn’t as low as dedicated gaming options. While their latency is more than adequate for casual gaming and typing, it isn’t suitable for playing competitive or reaction-based games.

Keychron vs Logitech

Logitech’s product range is significantly wider than Keychron’s as Logitech makes everything from simple, scissor-switch office models to high-end mechanical gaming keyboards. Logitech’s models also offer cross-device compatibility within their larger peripheral system, meaning you can use a single USB receiver for a mouse and a keyboard combination. However, the major difference between brands is that Keychron’s keyboards are available in a much wider variety of sizes and layouts. Many are designed more for customization, as you can easily alter almost every aspect of them.

Keychron vs Ducky

Ducky and Keychron both make a similar range of customizability-focused mechanical keyboards. However, Keychron’s got a bit of an edge since they make wireless keyboards, while Ducky makes wired-only units. Ducky’s keyboards are more versatile as they’re designed with gaming in mind, so the latency is significantly lower and better suited to competitive gaming. While both brands make keyboards with hot-swappable printed circuit boards, Keychron’s units offer slightly more customization overall, as many of their keyboards are compatible with VIA software.

Keychron’s keyboards are excellent starting points for those looking to get into mechanical keyboards to elevate their study or work environment. Most of their offerings have hot-swappable printed circuit boards compatible with most 3-pin and 5-pin switches, so you can get the typing feeling and experience you want. As a bonus, they’re one of the few keyboards that offer full compatibility with every desktop operating system and even include system-specific keycap sets. Overall, they offer an excellent entry point into the mechanical keyboarding hobby, but even if you aren’t interested in customization, you’ll still enjoy the outstanding build quality and very satisfying typing experience that Keychron keyboards offer.

Lineup

Keychron has introduced a range of different keyboard lineups they call series. Each one has a letter designator and a number. Generally, keyboards with the same letter designator share similar overall design principles and feature sets. The number designators only relate to the order in which they were released in the series and aren’t associated with the keyboard size.

Q Series: This lineup features premium wired mechanical keyboards with gasket-mounted designs that provide a more cushioned, premium-feeling typing experience. They’re designed to be fully customizable, including the switches, case foam, top plate, and all internal components. These keyboards also support QMK firmware and VIA software for further customization. All Q Series boards have distinct PBT keycaps with a tapered top and rounded edges, and they come in various sizes and three colorways.

V Series: This lineup is Keychron’s budget version of the Q Series. These models are designed to be easy to customize, but instead of an aluminum case, they have a plastic case and a tray-mounted design. There are two main colorway options: a Y2K style translucent plastic case or an opaque black plastic case. These keyboards use PBT keycaps with a tapered top and rounded edges, and they’re also wired-only.

K Series: This lineup features more basic wireless keyboards that connect with Bluetooth. They have a standard tray mount design and are mostly meant to be used out-of-the-box with little modifications. That said, some keyboards in this lineup have a hot-swappable variant, meaning you can change out the stock switches. Within this lineup, there are boards of all sizes and some low-profile variants. It’s worth noting that this lineup doesn’t have companion software and uses gray and orange ABS keycaps.

C Series: This lineup consists of two basic, wired models. They have a lower build quality than the K series as they’re entirely plastic with ABS keycaps. They’re wired only and don’t allow for much customization as they’re meant to be used right out of the box.

S-Series: The defining feature of the S Series keyboards is that they have low-profile designs and use low-profile switches. They also combine elements from other Keychron Series keyboards, including all-metal construction similar to the premium Q Series keyboards and LSA profile keycaps introduced on some Keychron K Pro Series keyboards.

K Pro and Q Pro Series: Keychron is re-releasing ‘Pro’ versions of some of their existing lineups. Essentially, these Pro series keyboards add wireless connectivity for models that lacked it previously, and they also make several smaller upgrades to things like keycaps and frame options for models that were using ABS keycaps and plastic frames.

Recent Updates

1. Apr 14, 2023:
   We’ve gone through this article and added new information about Keychron’s low-profile Series keyboards. We’ve also made some changes to the text for tone and clarity, but we’ve kept our current lineup of recommendations the same as they continue to represent the best picks for their categories.

2. Dec 15, 2022:
   Replaced the Keychron Q2 with the Keychron Q6 for better consistency across articles.

3. Sep 16, 2022:
   Overhauled article to better showcase the Keychron lineup and align with user expectations. Updated the intro and comparative texts.

4. Apr 22, 2022:
   Changed the pick for “Best Wired” from the Keychron C2 to the Keychron Q1, as the Q1 is a more versatile option.

5. Dec 23, 2021:
   We verified that all our picks represent the best recommendations at this time and that all products are currently in stock.

Conclusion

Keychron makes a large number of different keyboards aimed primarily at everyday browsing, work, and more casual gaming. Their models are available in different sizes, and some are highly customizable in switch options, backlighting, connectivity, and even frames. Keychron also includes a switch to change between Windows and macOS support, and they usually include extra keycaps for macOS. Keychron doesn’t have dedicated customization software, but many of its keyboards are VIA and QMK compatible. Altogether, Keychron offers a dizzying range of keyboards in many different sizes at different price points and with different levels of customizability, which means you’re likely to find a keyboard within their catalog that suits your needs.

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Keychron Q1 Pro review: they actually pulled it off

Until recently, Keychron was best known for its line of (relatively) affordable wireless mechanical keyboards with nice quality-of-life features like Mac compatibility. Then, in 2021, came the Keychron Q1, the first of over a dozen Q-series keyboards with a weighty aluminum construction, a customizable layout and switches, and great typing feel. They’re among the best off-the-shelf keyboards you can get for the money.

This year’s Keychron Q1 Pro feels like a marriage of these two lines. It has the same great construction, customizability, and typing feel as the Q1 but with Bluetooth connectivity that’s every bit as reliable and easy-to-use as Keychron’s more affordable keyboards. Keychron already made good premium keyboards and good wireless keyboards — now you can get both in the same device.

At $199 (or $179 with no keycaps or switches), the Q1 Pro is still relatively pricey. But considering that’s just $20 more than a similarly specced wired Q1, with no real downsides, I think it’s the obvious choice even for people who plan to use it as a wired keyboard most of the time.

Keychron was initially taking preorders for the Q1 Pro via its Kickstarter, but it’s now available to preorder directly from Keychron, with shipping expected in April.

9Verge Score

The Good

• Great typing feel
• Customizability
• Lengthy battery life

The Bad

• Battery life tanks with RGB
• No 2.4GHz dongle option

$199 at Keychron

How we rate and review products

You’d be forgiven for mistaking the Q1 Pro for the original Q1 at first glance. Both keyboards use a compact laptop-style 75 percent layout, with a programmable volume dial on the top right (on the Q1, this dial was optional, but here it’s standard). Like the Q1, the Q1 Pro weighs in at around four pounds, which means it’s far too heavy to be the kind of wireless keyboard that can be easily chucked in a backpack and used while on the go. Both have hot-swap switches, are fully customizable with VIA, and have gasket-mounted plates. 

Look closer, however, and the differences become more apparent. Around the top of the keyboard, you’ll find that the Q1’s physical Mac / Windows layout toggle switch has been joined by a second for hopping between Wired and Bluetooth modes or to turn the keyboard off entirely, as well as a small plastic-covered cutout in the aluminum frame to improve wireless reception.  

Wireless connectivity is the big new feature for the Q1 Pro, and honestly, I struggle to fault it. Throughout my month of using the keyboard over Bluetooth with a Macbook Air, I didn’t experience any connectivity issues at all. As a test, I also tried walking around my apartment typing on the keyboard, and its connection held up just fine from other rooms or even downstairs. The keyboard can save connections to up to three devices, which is ideal if you want to quickly use it to quickly type a response to a message on your phone before swapping back to your computer. It had no problem swapping between my laptop and phone in my tests.

Keycaps and switches are removable with a simple tool.

The volume knob is programmable, just like the rest of the keyboard’s keys.

The only complaint I have about wireless performance is that Bluetooth is your only option. That’s in contrast to other similar keyboards like the Epomaker TH80, which includes a small 2. 4GHz USB dongle to use as an alternative to Bluetooth. Dongles like these are useful if your main PC doesn’t have a Bluetooth receiver, and companies like Corsair, Razer, and Logitech use them to offer a higher polling rate than what’s available over Bluetooth.

But, with the Keychron Q1 Pro, Bluetooth is all you get. That means you’re stuck with a glacial 90Hz polling rate when using the keyboard wirelessly, which isn’t great for fast-paced games. Outside of games, however, I didn’t feel any lag while using the keyboard, and you can always plug it in via USB to get a more traditional 1000Hz polling rate. 

Battery life is excellent when using the keyboard wirelessly — so long as you’re prepared to live without RGB lighting. With the RGB lighting at its default setting, I got four work days out of the Q1 Pro’s 4,000mAh battery and one extra day after the lighting automatically turned off to save power. So you’re effectively looking at a week of use when using RGB. But turn the lighting off entirely, and the keyboard keeps going for over a month. I last charged this keyboard six weeks ago, and it still claims to have 20 percent battery life remaining. Keychron says the keyboard offers 300 hours of battery life with the backlighting turned off, which translates to around seven and a half weeks of use, assuming you use the keyboard eight hours a day for five days a week.

Double-shot keycaps mean these legends won’t fade. Ever.

RGB lighting and wireless keyboards are never a great pairing, but you’re not missing out on too much, given the Q1 Pro isn’t really built to show it off. It’s equipped with solid, durable, double-shot PBT keycaps that have no transparent elements to let light shine through, so the best you can hope for is to see some RGB lighting around the sides of each key. There’s no funky underglow or LED strips around the outside of the keyboard like we saw with Drop’s Sense75. Personally, I was happy to leave it turned off entirely for the sake of battery life.

In the box there’s a USB-C cable and USB-C to USB-A adapter for wired connectivity. There’s also an extra set of Windows keycaps to use if that’s your operating system of choice (the Mac caps are preinstalled but easily removed), a keycap puller, Allen key, screwdriver, and some spare components like screws, rubber feet, and gaskets. This is a keyboard that’s designed to be opened up and tweaked if you’re into that sort of thing.

The Q1 Pro’s keycaps have a chunky, retro look to them.

The stock keycaps are on the taller side.

The Keychron Q1 Pro is available with three different switches: tactile Keychron K Pro Browns, clicky Keychron K Pro Bananas, or linear Keychron K Pro Reds, which is what I had on my review board. These switches are five-pin, which means any aftermarket Cherry MX-style switches should fit in their sockets just fine, and they’re hot-swappable so you can remove them using a simple pulling tool rather than needing a soldering iron. The Q1 Pro’s switches are oriented in a south-facing direction, which is better for compatibility with aftermarket keycaps.  

It’s also available in three different colors — black, gray, and white — which each come with complimentary colored keycaps. These keycaps are in Keychron’s own KSA profile, which are slightly taller than the OSA keycaps Keychron has used in previous Q-series boards and with a chunky retro look compared to more standard Cherry-style keycaps. Personally, I could take or leave the look, but they’re perfectly functional and are constructed in a way that should keep them looking good for years to come.

And trust me when I say that you’ll want to keep typing on the Keychron Q1 Pro for years to come because this thing feels every bit as great as the Q1 that preceded it. Like the Q1, the Q1 Pro is a gasket-mounted keyboard, meaning its switch plate is effectively suspended using squishy foam inside the keyboard’s case. That allows it a significant amount of flex when you push hard on the keys, which is also helped by the more flexible polycarbonate switch plate used in this model. But what’s more important is the soft and light feeling this construction gives the keyboard while you’re typing normally. 

Here’s what typing sounds like on the Keychron Q1 Pro with Keychron K Pro Red switches:

Here’s what typing sounds like on the Keychron Q1 Pro with Keychron K Pro Red switches(opens a new window)

Not only does the Q1 Pro feel great to type on — it also sounds good while you’re doing it. Each keypress has a nice full deep sound to it, and its PCB-mounted screw-in stabilizers (which sit underneath longer keys like the spacebar to stop them from wobbling) don’t audibly rattle like with some other keyboards. There’s also no hint of any metallic pinging sounds as you type. 

Like Kechron’s other Q-series boards, the Q1 Pro is also fully programmable using VIA. It lets you change what every key on the keyboard does, set up macros, and even reprogram the volume dial. You’ll need to plug the keyboard in by USB to reprogram its layout, but I found that VIA had no problem recognizing the keyboard, and it was a simple process to get customizing.

Media controls are built into the f-row.

They keyboard is also available in grey and white, as well as the black model here.

The Keychron Q1 Pro is every bit as premium and well-made as the wired Q1 but also has the added flexibility of wireless. Even if you use it as a wired keyboard most of the time, I still think wireless is worth having as a backup for the relatively small $20 price premium.

The one reason you might want to stick with a wired Q-series keyboard from Keychron is if you’re not a fan of the Q1 Pro’s 75 percent layout. Although its wired Q-series keyboards are available in everything from a compact 60 percent layout to a full-size keyboard, if you want wireless, then 75 percent is (currently) your only option. That will almost certainly change over time, but that’s not much help if you need a keyboard right now.

The Q1 Pro also isn’t a great choice if you’re after something to use on the go with a laptop or tablet. You might want to consider a low-profile keyboard like the Nuphy Air 75 or something with a lighter plastic construction like Epomaker’s TH80 if portability is more of a concern.

Otherwise, if the Q1 Pro’s hefty construction and laptop-style 75 percent layout works for you, then it has very few downsides. It feels great to type on, its connectivity and battery life are solid, it’s customizable, and it’s not exorbitantly priced. It’s a fantastic mechanical keyboard.

Photography by Jon Porter / The Verge

Keychron K2 Gateron Brown – Fragstore

Keychron K2 is a super tactile wireless keyboard in a compact form factor that still retains all the essential function keys.

WIRELESS AND WIRED
Connect up to 3 Bluetooth devices and easily switch between them. Featuring a highly reliable and widely compatible Broadcom Bluetooth 5.1 chipset, the K2 is best suited for home, office and light gaming when connected to a smartphone, laptop and iPad. It also has a wired mode with a USB Type-C connection.

COMFORTABLE TYping
K2 is designed with users in mind when typing. The switches have a lifespan of 50 million clicks, and the same response will be felt with every click, regardless of the time of use.

FITS ALL DEVICES
Compatible with all operating systems from Mac to Android and Windows. The K2 is one of the few mechanical keyboards with multimedia keys with a Mac layout. It allows you to use all the same media keys as in regular macOS. Each K2 keyboard comes with 3 custom overlays for Mac and Windows respectively.

COMPACT BUT POWERFUL
The K2’s 84-key design retains all the essential function keys such as Page Up/Down, Home, End and screen capture (cmd+shift+4) that are essential to your productivity. Thanks to the N-key rollover function (NKRO only in wired mode), you can register as many keys as you can press at the same time without skipping characters.

18 RGB TYPES
Over 15 RGB lighting types and different styles (flashing, breathing, static, etc.) to match your mood. To do this, simply press the light bulb button or fn + right arrow.

BIGGEST BATTERY
K2 can last up to 240 hours of typing (backlight off) thanks to its large 4000 mAh battery.

Wire length:

1.3

Brand:

Keychron

Vendor code:

K2C3

Brand:

Keychron

Manufacturer’s warranty, years:

1

View:

Gaming keyboard

Key mechanism type:

Mechanical

Connection type:

bluetooth; usb

Form factor:

Short (TKL)

Keyboard type:

Playroom

Type of mechanical switches:

Gateron Brown

Connection:

Wireless/Wired

For PC:

Yes

Microsoft Windows Compatibility:

Yes

Mac OS Compatibility:

Yes

USB interface:

USB C

Number of keys:

84

Programmable keys:

Yes

Multi-color backlit keys:

Yes

Key backlight:

Yes

Key backlight color:

RGB

Ability to adjust the brightness of the keys:

Yes

Battery life:

Up to 75 hours

Wrist rest available:

Sold separately

Light indicators:

Yes

Fabric braided cable:

Yes

Wire length, m:

1. 3

Ability to record macros:

Yes

Phantom key suppression:

Yes

Body material:

Aluminum; plastic

Height adjustment:

Yes

Case color:

Gray

Overview: The Keychron K3 is a classic mechanical keyboard in a modern compact design

The Keychron K3 is a particularly well-designed mechanical keyboard with a thin body, but its main competitor is other keyboards from the same manufacturer.

If you don’t like mechanical keyboards, the Keychron K3 won’t change your mind, but it might come close. It’s larger than the chiclet type keyboard you get from Apple, but it’s thin and small compared to most other mechanical keyboards.

Then if you like mechanical keyboards, you won’t lose any feel or sound by doing this. It manages to be compact with no obvious compromises on key travel or keyboard rigidity.

Keychron’s latest keyboard follows its highly acclaimed K2 predecessor and the similar K1 before it, providing a reliable and comfortable typing experience. However, its predecessors are still available, and the addition of the Keychron K3 – plus the upcoming K4 – means it’s hard to pick.

What makes the K3 stand out is that it is designed to be compact. It’s compact enough that Keychron sells a separate travel case plus a lightweight palm rest.

L: Keychron K3. R: Apple Magic Keyboard

Design – Switches and Keys

Keychron describes this as an ultra-slim keyboard and claims it is 75% the size of a full size keyboard. In practice, it is noticeably compact, but not so much that it is noticeable when typing.

The rugged aluminum housing houses one of two types of key switches: optical or mechanical. Either one allows you to change keycaps, for example to create a Windows layout instead of a Mac layout.

If it’s hard to justify flashing backlight colors, it’s hard not to love them either.

The Keychron low-profile optical switch version goes one step further and features hot-swappable covers and keys, meaning you can change them without turning off the keyboard.

In addition, there are six more options for this version of the optical switch, each claimed to be 40% thinner than conventional switches.

These six switches include the most famous red and blue varieties, as well as brown, white, black and orange. This is really how mechanical keyboards get their flavor, as each type of switch creates a slightly different feel – and sound.

In general, the blue switches are loud and need to be pressed firmly, and you can hear a distinct click as you type. Red switches are easier to press, require less pressure, and tend to be quieter.

The rest are in between these two, and it’s hard to predict exactly what will suit you best. However, they are all noisy and require more typing pressure than the chiclet keyboard Apple sells.

This means that although there are sometimes these rather subtle differences, in general you either like a mechanical keyboard or you don’t. So if you like the sound and more pressing on the keyboard, you’ll be happy whichever type of switch you choose.

AppleInsider tested the red switches and Keychron also provided a full set of blue ones. You can buy the blue or brown switches individually and replace each key switch yourself if you have the low profile optical version of the Keychron K3.

In addition to being able to connect to up to three devices, rear panel switches allow you to select Bluetooth or cable connection, as well as PC or Mac configurations.

Design – backlight and typing angle

What you can’t do after purchase with any option is to change the backlight. You have to choose between white backlighting or what Keychron calls RGB backlighting.

This is a multi-colored backlight where, among many other options, you can set different colors to flash as you type. You can also set one color to be displayed all the time, or have moving patterns across the keys.

The backlight isn’t particularly useful when you’re touch typing, but even when you do it’s oddly soothing when those colors play on the keys. If you don’t like it, you can turn off the backlight or buy the white backlit version instead.

But where you have no choice at all is in the typing corner. The Keychron K3 has a single corner, indicated by both a slight key slope and double-height rubber feet on the back.

In normal use, this angle is good and the keyboard feels good. However, jumping to it from the low-lying Apple Magic Keyboard requires some tweaking because it’s best to position your hands a little higher than the bottom row.

A separate palm rest helps raise your hands to this level. Although note that this is indeed a separate rest – it does not connect to the keyboard, but simply sits in front. This means that depending on the surface the rest of the piece is on, it can slip.

There is only one typing angle and the keyboard is taller than the standard Apple keyboard so this separately sold palm rest is useful.

Keychron sells palm rest separately. It comes in versions made for various Keychron keyboards, but they all cost $25.

Key switch

Keychron provides a tool for removing keys and switches from the keyboard. The first time you do this, you feel like you’re breaking the cap.

But once you put the replacement in place, it looks like the new key has always been in place.

Removing the key or key switch is especially easy

You can do more than change the layout to match Windows or Mac. You can, for example, ditch Keychron’s standard orange Escape key and replace it with a simple one.

However, you cannot replace the American-style Enter key with, for example, the European-style backspace key. These keys are shaped differently, and while Keychron sells many keyboards in these various configurations, the Keychron K3 is currently only available in US style.

It may be more likely that your decision to buy will be influenced by the lack of a number pad. Obviously this is by design and part of the compact keyboard design, but it would be nice to have an additional separate keyboard.