Although there are many mechanical keyboards out there, 95% of them are designed for gamers and were not designed to be portable. If you're looking for a thin, portable, and wireless mechanical keyboard, the choices are limited. But Keychron has built a mechanical keyboard that's thin, can connect wirelessly, and is packed with features. It first started as a Seed Project where it raised over $300,000, and now the product is ready to ship. Let's see how the Keychron Wireless Mechanical Keyboard performs.
ContentsFirst impression:thin and beautifulFeaturesPerformanceBluetooth connection works well, except for LinuxBacklightingTypingProsConsConclude
The keyboard connects wirelessly via Bluetooth, so no separate adapter is required. It can also connect by cable. There are two switches in the top left corner of the keyboard:one toggles between Cable/Off/Bluetooth, while the other alternates between Windows/Android and iOS/Mac.
The charging (and cable) port is a USB-C port and is located at the top center of the keyboard. Looking at how USB-C has grown in popularity over the years, it's a good decision for Keychron to use a USB-C port instead of the old micro USB port.
The keyboard layout remains largely the same, except for a few keys that have been replaced. For example, the right "Ctrl" has been removed and replaced with the Backlight key, while the scroll lock and pause button (in the upper right corner, you probably rarely use them) has been replaced with dictation and l assistant (Cortana or Siri) buttons. A media key set shares the same button set as the FN keys. There are two variations of the keyboard:one for Mac and the other for Windows. The only difference between the two variants is the Option and Order keys instead of Alt and Win keys.
The keyboard specifications are as follows:
There are some aspects of the keyboard that I like and some that I don't. The following is what I found after using it extensively for two weeks.
If you go for the wireless connection and you are using Linux, you will be disappointed because the Bluetooth connection does not work well with Linux. While you'll have no trouble pairing it with your Linux computer, the key mapping isn't saved (meaning nothing shows up when you type on it). And for the few keys that work, they are mismapped. For example, button "u" is mapped to 4, "I" to 6, etc. In short, the wireless mode does not work under Linux. The wired connection will work fine, but it will render the wireless connection unnecessary and defy the purpose for which you are getting the keyboard in the first place.
For Windows/macOS/Android/iOS, the Bluetooth connection works perfectly.
The Keychron mechanical keyboard supports three simultaneous Bluetooth connections, which means you can connect it to your PC and phone at the same time and switch between devices with a quick keyboard shortcut FN + 1 , FN + 2 or FN + 3 .
There are eighteen backlight options for the keyboard, so you'll never run out of flashy backlight options. The backlight is controlled by the "Bulb" key (instead of the right Ctrl button). A simple touch will cycle through the different backlight profiles. It can be a constant, disturbing flickering of rainbow lights or a static green or blue backlight. If you want to save battery, you can also turn it off. Additionally, you can also adjust the backlight brightness level by pressing the F5 button or F6 button.
Typing on the keyboard gives a mixed experience. While the understated blue switch makes it easy to press each key, the flushed surface makes it difficult to type fast without errors. Also, the nearly flat surface is not ergonomic and your palms have to rest on the table with all fingers curled in order to type properly. (I have big hands and long fingers, so this might be an issue that only happens to me.) There's no distinct feel between each key, and that prohibits typing quickly.
When it comes to design, the Keychron mechanical keyboard is gorgeous. It also comes with lots of thoughtful features like Bluetooth connection, USB-C port, multiple backlight options, etc. As for the typing experience, I don't really like it because I have big hands and long fingers, and the almost flat surface didn't work well for me. You will be fine if you have smaller hands and shorter fingers.
As for things, hopefully it can improve:Bluetooth support for Linux, and more spacing and distinction between each key for easier typing. Other than that, it's a great keyboard. The Keychron Wireless Mechanical Keyboard is available for $84-$94 from its website.
