Keychron launched their Q1 Professional keyboard earlier this 12 months. It’s a customizable mechanical keyboard designed to work nice with Macs or Home windows PCs. It’s a extremely top quality gadget, and I’ve been utilizing it as my main keyboard for a while now, so listed here are my ideas on the Keychron Q1 Professional and why it is best to think about it over Apple’s Magic Keyboard.
You might discover the “Professional” on the finish of the gadget title. That’s as a result of Keychron already has a keyboard known as the Q1, so what’s the massive distinction? Properly, it’s the wi-fi help. The Keychron Q1 is a superb wired keyboard, however the Q1 Professional has help for both wired or wi-fi connections – and sure, that’s connections, plural. You may join to a few totally different Bluetooth units concurrently and change between them with the press of a button.
This entire keyboard is constructed round a customizable consumer expertise. When you want a wired expertise, simply flip the change on the again to wired and join the included USB-C cable. That USB-C cable additionally features a USB-A adapter, so for those who don’t have USB-C ports to spare in your machine, you don’t want to search around for one. It’s additionally customizable between a Mac and Home windows structure. Proper beside the change for wired or wi-fi mode you could have the change between Mac and Home windows.
Typing expertise
The typing expertise on the Q1 Professional has been nothing wanting wonderful. With it being a customizable keyboard you may select to regulate it to your liking, however the purple switches in mine require little or no strain, and the numerous weight of the metallic chassis retains the keyboard securely in place in your desk. When you journey the total key distance, the PCB is resting on foam gaskets, so that you don’t have a harsh bottoming out of the important thing – the keyboard has a little bit of give for a extremely nice typing expertise. Whereas I’m not an enormous gamer, I did attempt some gaming on the keyboard as properly, and I had no complaints.
The included keycaps have a moderately concave high on your fingers to relaxation in, and for those who’re switching from one thing like a MacBook’s keyboard to the Keychron Q1 Professional it’s a very totally different typing expertise that may actually take a while to get used to, however it’s one I want.
Just like the Q1, the Q1 Professional is a 75% keyboard, so you could have the usual letters you’ll anticipate, a operate row up high, and arrow keys, however you don’t have a quantity pad and you’ve got a number of much less modifying keys on the fitting hand facet of the keyboard, letting the entire thing be a bit extra compact. It takes up much less area in your desk than a full dimension keyboard, and is far more handy to throw in your backpack if you wish to take it on the go.
Within the high proper nook you even have a knob, which affords distinct clicks whereas turning. Out of the field, it’s set to regulate quantity as you flip it, whereas urgent it mutes or unmutes. Connecting your keyboard to your pc with the USB-C cable and utilizing the on-line VIA software program opens up a ton of prospects for personalization. You may management lighting, macros, and a lot extra, together with reconfiguring the knob to do what you need in numerous software program.
The keyboard has 4 totally different layers, with two devoted to Mac and two devoted to Home windows, so you may change between a structure you could have enabled for typing and one you could have setup particularly for video modifying macros or one thing comparable.
Customization
After I say this factor is customizable, I imply it.
If you go to order the Q1 Professional, you can begin off with the barebones keyboard in US or European layouts, or a totally assembled keyboard. The keyboard itself is offered in shell white, silver gray, or carbon black, and it’s the carbon black model I’ve. When you go along with a barebones package, these are your choices, after which you may select your personal switches and keycaps to arrange your keyboard precisely the way you prefer it. When you as a substitute go for the absolutely assembled package, the colour of the keycap will correspond to the colour of the keyboard you select. When you go along with the white, it contains largely white keys, with some mild gray and purple accents. Going with silver brings largely gray keys with darker and purple accents, and the carbon black I’ve comes with largely greenish grey keys, with black and blue accents. The customization is extra than simply visible although, and with the absolutely assembled model you may select between Keychron’s Purple, Brown, and Banana switches.
The keyboard I’ve has the purple switches, which require little or no strain and supply constant suggestions all through the keypress because of being a linear change. They’re additionally very quiet switches, so not like another choices, they’re unlikely to bother others working close to you in an workplace setting.
When you go along with the brown or banana switches, they’ll be a bit louder, however not as clicky as blue switches. The brown switches require a bit extra pressure than the reds and supply a tactile really feel, whereas Keychron’s banana change requires much more pressure, however has much less journey distance, and affords a little bit of a tactile really feel on the very high of the keypress. As of now these three Keychron key varieties are the one ones supplied for the preassembled model, however you should use Keychron’s different keyswitches, or change over to Cherry MX or Gateron switches, or every other suitable switches, relying on the precise typing really feel you’re going for. You may undergo Keychron’s customization web page to place collectively all of the totally different items you need collectively on your supreme keyboard that you simply get to assemble your self.
You may also combine and match switches on the keyboard so you could have a great typing expertise, however you modify your WASD keys to the switches you favor for gaming. The switches are additionally simply sizzling swappable, and the instruments wanted to take action are all included within the field. Talking of, let’s speak about what’s within the field.
For the absolutely assembled keyboard, you get the keyboard itself, with the important thing switches and keycaps in place, a handbook, and a fast begin information that goes over all the pieces you’ll want to find out about pairing the keyboard, controlling the backlight, and extra. There are further keycaps so you may substitute the Mac-specific keycaps with these meant for Home windows, further foam gaskets and screws in case you lose one whereas taking aside they keyboard, and further grippy ft to interchange the pre-installed ones if one thing occurs to them. Lastly, beneath the keyboard within the field you could have 4 instruments. You might have the keycap puller, the important thing change puller, an Allen key, and a Philips head screwdriver. Apple might not be a fan of its prospects taking aside their merchandise, however Keychron positively is. They embrace instruments you’ll want to do it and even supply upgrades just like the acoustic improve package so you may management your typing expertise precisely to your liking.
Look inside Keychron’s Q1 Professional
Since they included the instruments to do it, lets have a look contained in the keyboard. To start out, I eliminated all the important thing caps and key switches. With these out of the best way, I flipped the keyboard over, and began eradicating the eight brass screws. When you’re doing this, you should definitely hold good observe of them (although for those who do lose one, you at all times have the extras!). Disconnecting the daughterboard cables, the PCB is linked with Philips head screws to key stabilizers and a plate.
With the keyboard taken aside, there are a number of layers. There’s the underside case with the battery inside it, then you could have a layer of case foam over that. Then you could have the PCB, which is held in with Philips head screws. Above that, there’s sound absorbing foam, the plate, after which the highest case.
When you had been doing that acoustic improve package, you’d be changing all the froth, however I noticed no purpose that improve was essential for me. And whereas Keychron is more than pleased for patrons to improve their very own keyboards, they’re clear about how warranties work. They are going to proceed to supply free guarantee service for any manufacturing points, offering prospects with the replacements elements for their very own keyboard so it may be mounted. When you trigger the harm by taking it aside or misuse of the keyboard, although, they nonetheless supply replacements, however it’s a must to pay for the price of the elements and the delivery. I believe that’s a extremely nice coverage total.
Placing the keyboard again collectively is as simple as taking it aside was: connecting the PCB with the Philips head screws, reconnecting daughterboard cables, and reattaching the underside case. Fairly than reattaching the unique keycaps, I gave this translucent set a attempt to discover the lighting choices.
RGB lighting
Switching via all the colour choices on the Keychron Q1 Professional is very easy with only a few shortcuts.
- Improve Brightness: Fn, W
- Lower Brightness: Fn, S
- Disable Backlight: FN, Tab
- Subsequent impact: Fn, Q
- Earlier impact: Fn, A
- Change Hue: Fn, E
- Change Hue: Fn, D
- Improve impact velocity: Fn, T
- Lower impact velocity: Fn, G
There are a ton of various results, from strong colours and slowly fading rainbow results to lights radiating outward from the important thing you press. My favourite lights up all of the keys in nearly pastel colours, the place the keys then slowly begin altering between colours. It’s not too vibrant to get annoying, however it’s far more attention-grabbing then a plain white backlight.
Apple’s Magic Keyboard
Now, I discussed proper off the bat that this keyboard is sort of costly, and at $200, it actually is. However for those who evaluate it to Apple’s Magic Keyboard, it comes out leagues forward. Apple’s Magic Keyboard begins off at $100 and ranges as much as $200 for the total dimension model. Just like the keyboards in Apple’s laptops, the keys are very flat and don’t have that a lot journey distance. I wouldn’t name it a nasty keyboard by any means – those constructed into the laptop computer are are spectacular for his or her dimension and loads of individuals love them – however for an exterior keyboard it actually leaves quite a bit wanting. The Q1 Professional has the journey distance and key customization for a superb really feel that you simply simply don’t get with the Magic Keyboard.
Whereas the development of the Magic Keyboard is nice, it isn’t constructed like a tank in the identical means the Keychron’s providing is. You additionally get an RGB backlight with quite a lot of settings on the Q1 Professional, whereas the Magic Keyboard simply affords a easy white backlight.
There may be, nonetheless, one purpose that loads of individuals will go for the Magic Keyboard over the Keychron Q1 Professional, or in actual fact every other keyboard – the in-built Contact ID sensor. Apple is making use of its ecosystem to implement safety in ways in which aren’t out there to 3rd get together corporations. The Contact ID is an extremely simple technique to unlock your machine and enter passwords. I get why persons are so connected to it. Even when utilizing the Q1 Professional, I’ve my MacBook open on my desk, so I can attain up and authenticate with Contact ID every time wanted. Sporting an Apple Watch provides again a few of that comfort, however it nonetheless doesn’t evaluate to the comfort of a fingerprint sensor. For me, nonetheless, the Q1 Professional is well definitely worth the tradeoffs for the significantly better typing expertise and replaceable elements.
9to5Mac’s Take
When you’re solely after a good mechanical typing expertise you may most likely get 85 or 90% of the typing expertise for half the value, and I can’t fault you for eager to go along with one thing that’s a bit simpler on the pockets. However this keyboard actually is an end-all, be-all kind keyboard. If a change ever breaks, you may get a brand new set to interchange each key on the keyboard for lower than $20. In case your keycaps begin to really feel a bit worn out after some time, you may get a complete new set for round $30. And if the froth inside had been ever to start out to wear down, you may get the acoustic improve package with all new foam for simply $10. There’s no denying that it’s $200 price ticket is a little bit of a barrier for a keyboard, however the high quality and customization actually helps it to earn that price ticket.
When you’re on the lookout for extra of an entry stage mechanical keyboard, you may try Keychron’s K2 keyboard. It begins out at a much more palatable $79 absolutely assembled with Gateron switches, with an RGB backlight moderately than white being a $10 improve, and sizzling swappable switches being one other $10 improve. So for $100 you may have a wired and wi-fi sizzling swappable, RGB mechanical keyboard to supply loads of the identical typing really feel you’ll get from the Q1 Professional in a equally compact kind issue. There’s a distinction in construct high quality, with the Q1 Professional being a really heavy metallic unit, whereas the usual K2 is plastic, however the K2 continues to be a terrific place to start out.
Keychron additionally affords varied types of customizable mechanical keyboards to suit anybody wants, such because the K1 for individuals who want to stay with low-profile keys or the K4 for those who want to have a quantity pad.
When you’ve by no means used a real mechanical keyboard earlier than, I can’t suggest it sufficient. Give one a try to work out what key switches work finest for you. And if you would like a excessive finish keyboard that’s constructed like a tank and works at house or on the go, try the Keychron’s Q1 Professional. Regardless of utilizing first rate mechanical keyboards earlier than, nothing I’ve had reached the extent of Keychron’s providing.
Get Keychron’s Q1 Professional for $199
Extra price range K2 keyboard for $79 ($100 w/ RGB and sizzling swap keys)
FTC: We use revenue incomes auto affiliate hyperlinks. Extra.
