Keychron keyboards Buyer’s Guide: K6, K4, K2, K3, and more

K6, K2, K4, K10 etc etc. This Keychron keyboard buyer's guide will stop the konfusion

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Mechanical keyboards are all the rage these days, regardless of whether you’re a gamer or not, at some point you’ve been tempted by a mechanical keyboard right? One of the more well-regarded purveyors of mechanical tactile goodness is Keychron, a Hong Kong-based company that produces some of the best mechanical keyboards covering all form factors. If you’ve landed on this page in preparation for buying a Keychron keyboard you’re in luck! We’re going to break down all of Keychron’s more popular products, and what they’re about, and give some recommendations too.

Keychron Q1

Possibly the most premium of the Keychron lineup is the Keychron Q1, a 75% form factor mechanical keyboard that is part of their ‘custom’ series of boards. The ‘Q’ prefix designates it as both one of the more bespoke options and as being compatible with QMK, an open-source firmware than can be customized as the consumer sees fit. It’s available either fully-built or barebones, Barebones meaning you receive only the frame and the PCB, so you’ll have to buy key switches and keycaps separately and build it yourself. Some of the tech specs are listed below for your convenience.

Keychron K6

The K6 is one of the most attractive value-for-money propositions when it comes to Keychron’s lineup. With all the customizability and expansion you could want, in the popular and inarguably compact 65% form factor, It’s no wonder why this board has retained its popularity since its initial release. Also, the prices of the Keychron K6 regularly drop below $70 so if you wait around and pay attention, you can get this board for a scarily small amount of money.

Keychron K2

The Keychron K2 is probably one of the most heavily reviewed and talked about keyboards they produce. While on the surface almost identical to the K6, there are a few important differences that you should consider when deciding between the two. Most notably, the K2 features a dedicated row of function keys, whereas the K6 relies on using the ‘fn’ key to access the function row. The dedicated function keys make the K6 less gaming-focused and more productivity-oriented. Additionally, Rtings noticed higher latency on the K2 vs the K6, so that’s worth keeping in mind.

Keychron K10

Of course, not everyone wants a small form-factor keyboard, if you’re not a gamer, chances are you value a dedicated function row and Numpad. Luckily, Keychron has you guys covered too with the Keychron K10. Despite having a full-size layout with the full complement of productivity essentials mentioned earlier, it retains hot-swappable switches, wireless connectivity, and mac/windows modes. Additionally, it features Keychron’s largest battery, a terrifyingly large 4000 mAh that can last up to 240 hours without the backlight.

Things to consider

So we’ve covered the most popular models from Keychron’s lineup, but there are variations within each model that you’ll need to think about as they affect the price, experience, and customizability of the Keychron keyboard in question. Let’s have a look at these variations.

Hot-swappable key switches

If you’re willing to pay a slight premium, you can get your Keychron of choice with hot-swappable key switches. This means you can simply yank the switches out and change them for any compatible switch of your choice. In our opinion, this is totally worth the extra cost as changing the switches is the most effective way to totally change the feeling of a keyboard, and replacement switches rarely cost more than ~$25. this will increase the life of the board and will result in less e-waste over time as you won’t need an entirely new keyboard when you fancy a change.

Barebones or fully assembled?

If you opt for one of Keychron’s Q-series boards, you have the option of going for a ‘barebones’ version for a lower cost. This simply means that you only receive the frame of the keyboard, no switches or keycaps. This is ideal if you’re experienced and want switches and custom keycaps that aren’t offered on Keychron’s website. However, it will results in a little bit of setup time, especially if you want to lube the switches or clip the stabilizers.

Keychron keyboards Buyer’s Guide: Final word

We didn’t get around to covering all aspects of Keychron’s lineup as they offer a lot of different stuff. But now you’ve had a lowdown of their most popular offerings and what choices you’ll have to make when it comes to the final purchase. Given Keychron’s reputation, you can’t go wrong, regardless of your specific choice, but hopefully, we’ve equipped you with the knowledge you’ll need to buy with confidence.