{"id":617697,"date":"2023-03-14T09:49:35","date_gmt":"2023-03-14T14:49:35","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/news.sellorbuyhomefast.com\/index.php\/2023\/03\/14\/keychron-q1-pro-review-they-actually-pulled-it-off\/"},"modified":"2023-03-14T09:49:35","modified_gmt":"2023-03-14T14:49:35","slug":"keychron-q1-pro-review-they-actually-pulled-it-off","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/2023\/03\/14\/keychron-q1-pro-review-they-actually-pulled-it-off\/","title":{"rendered":"Keychron Q1 Pro review: they actually pulled it off"},"content":{"rendered":"
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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<\/a>, the first of over a dozen Q-series keyboards with a weighty aluminum construction, a customizable layout and switches, and great typing feel. They\u2019re among the best off-the-shelf keyboards you can get for the money.<\/p>\n

This year\u2019s 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\u2019s every bit as reliable and easy-to-use as Keychron\u2019s more affordable keyboards. Keychron already made good premium keyboards and good wireless keyboards\u00a0\u2014 now you can get both in the same device.<\/p>\n

At $199 (or $179 with no keycaps or switches), the Q1 Pro is still relatively pricey. But considering that\u2019s just $20 more than a similarly specced wired Q1, with no real downsides, I think it\u2019s the obvious choice even for people who plan to use it as a wired keyboard most of the time.<\/p>\n

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Keychron was initially taking preorders for the Q1 Pro via its Kickstarter<\/a>, but it\u2019s now available to preorder directly from Keychron<\/a>, with shipping expected in April.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

You\u2019d 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\u2019s standard). Like the Q1, the Q1 Pro weighs in at around four pounds, which means it\u2019s 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.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Look closer, however, and the differences become more apparent. Around the top of the keyboard, you\u2019ll find that the Q1\u2019s 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.\u00a0<\/p>\n

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\u2019t 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.<\/p>\n

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<\/span>\"A<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Keycaps and switches are removable with a simple tool.<\/em><\/figcaption><\/p>\n<\/div>\n
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<\/span>\"Close<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

The volume knob is programmable, just like the rest of the keyboard\u2019s keys.<\/em><\/figcaption><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

The only complaint I have about wireless performance is that Bluetooth is your only option. That\u2019s 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\u2019t have a Bluetooth receiver, and companies like Corsair, Razer, and Logitech use them to offer a higher polling rate than what\u2019s available over Bluetooth<\/a>.<\/p>\n

But, with the Keychron Q1 Pro, Bluetooth is all you get. That means you\u2019re stuck with a glacial 90Hz polling rate when using the keyboard wirelessly, which isn\u2019t great for fast-paced games. Outside of games, however, I didn\u2019t feel any lag while using the keyboard, and you can always plug it in via USB to get a more traditional 1000Hz polling rate.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Battery life is excellent when using the keyboard wirelessly \u2014 so long as you\u2019re prepared to live without RGB lighting. With the RGB lighting at its default setting, I got four work days out of the Q1 Pro\u2019s 4,000mAh battery and one extra day after the lighting automatically turned off to save power. So you\u2019re 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.<\/p>\n

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\"Close<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n

Double-shot keycaps mean these legends won\u2019t fade. Ever.<\/em><\/figcaption><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

RGB lighting and wireless keyboards are never a great pairing, but you\u2019re not missing out on too much, given the Q1 Pro isn\u2019t really built to show it off. It\u2019s 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\u2019s no funky underglow or LED strips around the outside of the keyboard like we saw with Drop\u2019s Sense75<\/a>. Personally, I was happy to leave it turned off entirely for the sake of battery life.<\/p>\n

In the box there\u2019s a USB-C cable and USB-C to USB-A adapter for wired connectivity. There\u2019s also an extra set of Windows keycaps to use if that\u2019s 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\u2019s designed to be opened up and tweaked if you\u2019re into that sort of thing.<\/p>\n

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<\/span>\"Close<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

The Q1 Pro\u2019s keycaps have a chunky, retro look to them.<\/em><\/figcaption><\/p>\n<\/div>\n
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<\/span>\"Q1<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

The stock keycaps are on the taller side.<\/em><\/figcaption><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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\u2019re hot-swappable so you can remove them using a simple pulling tool rather than needing a soldering iron. The Q1 Pro\u2019s switches are oriented in a south-facing direction, which is better for compatibility with aftermarket keycaps.\u00a0<\/p>\n

It\u2019s also available in three different colors \u2014 black, gray, and white \u2014 which each come with complimentary colored keycaps. These keycaps are in Keychron\u2019s 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\u2019re perfectly functional and are constructed in a way that should keep them looking good for years to come.<\/p>\n

And trust me when I say that you\u2019ll 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\u2019s 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\u2019s more important is the soft and light feeling this construction gives the keyboard while you\u2019re typing normally.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Not only does the Q1 Pro feel great to type on \u2014 it also sounds good while you\u2019re 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\u2019t audibly rattle like with some other keyboards. There\u2019s also no hint of any metallic pinging sounds as you type.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Like Kechron\u2019s other Q-series boards, the Q1 Pro is also fully programmable using VIA<\/a>. It lets you change what every key on the keyboard does, set up macros, and even reprogram the volume dial. You\u2019ll 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.<\/p>\n

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<\/span>\"Close<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Media controls are built into the f-row.<\/em><\/figcaption><\/p>\n<\/div>\n
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<\/span>\"Keychron<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

They keyboard is also available in grey and white, as well as the black model here.<\/em><\/figcaption><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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.<\/p>\n

The one reason you might want to stick with a wired Q-series keyboard from Keychron is if you\u2019re not a fan of the Q1 Pro\u2019s 75 percent layout. Although its wired Q-series keyboards are available in everything from a compact 60 percent layout<\/a> to a full-size keyboard<\/a>, if you want wireless, then 75 percent is (currently) your only option. That will almost certainly change over time, but that\u2019s not much help if you need a keyboard right now.<\/p>\n

The Q1 Pro also isn\u2019t a great choice if you\u2019re 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<\/a> or something with a lighter plastic construction like if portability is more of a concern.<\/p>\n

Otherwise, if the Q1 Pro\u2019s 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\u2019s customizable, and it\u2019s not exorbitantly priced. It\u2019s a fantastic mechanical keyboard.<\/p>\n

Photography by Jon Porter \/ The Verge<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Read More<\/a>
\n Jon Porter<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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\u2019re among the best<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":617698,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[96115,661,46],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-617697","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-keychron","8":"category-review","9":"category-technology"},"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/617697","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=617697"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/617697\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/617698"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=617697"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=617697"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=617697"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}