Keychron Q5 Pro and Q6 Pro Review: Well-Built Full-Size Keyboards

I’ve spent the previous few weeks with the Keychron Q5 Pro and Q6 Pro mechanical keyboards, and I feel they’re among the finest bang-for-your-buck full-size keyboards you may get at present. The Q6 Pro is a standard full-size keyboard format with a NumPad and navigation keys, whereas the Q5 Pro is a barely extra compact 1800-style format.

Both of them are gasket-mounted, with thick aluminum instances and a knob within the prime proper nook. You should purchase both mannequin with Keychron’s crimson linear switches, brown tactile switches, or banana tactile switches, and they embody hot-swap sockets, RGB lighting, and Bluetooth 5.1 connectivity by default. If you do not thoughts a twine, you may as well join them by way of USB-C. (Read my information, How to Shop for a Mechanical Keyboard, if you wish to be taught extra about a few of these phrases!)

Why a Full-Size Layout?

Anyone who desires a full-size keyboard format already is aware of they need it. In my expertise, it’s one thing you’re already acclimated to, not one thing you’re going to modify to on a whim. These issues are enormous and can have a devoted key for all the things, particularly in the event you benefit from the flexibility to reprogram keys.

Yes, your complete keyboard is totally reprogrammable. Keychron’s Q Pro line helps QMK/VIA, an open supply third-party software program that allows you to reprogram each key. QMK is a system for keyboards that permits customers to flash new firmware and keymaps, and VIA is a system that makes this reprogramming fast and seamless inside an internet browser. These keymaps persist throughout units and have practically limitless potential when you’ve discovered the software program.

Because of the utility of QMK and VIA, I discovered the quantity pads helpful although I hardly use them to enter numbers. They can simply be reprogrammed and used as a dedicated macro pad, or for another variety of makes use of. (It’s value noting that with each QMK and VIA, you must plug within the keyboard to reprogram it.) The placement of the reset button beneath the spacebar on the highest of the printed circuit board (PCB) makes reprogramming simple, because you don’t need to take your complete keyboard aside (not like fairly just a few different keyboards that place the button in a hard-to-reach spot).

Even in the event you don’t plan to reprogram any keys, the quantity pad is nice for shortly typing lengthy strings of numbers or if you wish to make the most of Alt Codes in order that you do not have to continually Google “Em dash” and copy and paste the image on Windows. (Hot tip: The Alt code for an em sprint is Alt + 0151.)

The Typing Feel

Both the Q5 Pro and Q6 Pro use a gasket mount, that means the primary keyboard meeting (plate, switches, PCB) is suspended contained in the case utilizing two compressed layers of froth as an alternative of being immediately connected to the case. This creates a bouncier typing really feel and isolates the inner meeting to create a softer, extra crisp typing sound.

Keychron’s gasket-mount system is pretty bouncy, that means the important thing presses really feel smooth and relaxed. This meshes with the switches offered, which have pretty gentle springs, to create an general typing expertise that’s crisp and bouncy with out feeling low cost or flimsy.

The two boards I acquired have the Red and Banana switches from Keychron’s Okay Pro swap line. The Reds are easy, efficient linear switches that sound poppy and really feel pretty clean. The Banana switches are tactile with a medium-strength bump and a superb quantity of journey after the bump. I’d advocate both one since each are high-quality examples of their respective swap sorts that will likely be acceptable to numerous customers.