Keychron K Pro Series [K2 Pro, K3 Pro, K4 Pro, etc.] Keyboard Review

The Keychron K8 Pro is the largest available size in the K Pro Series. It lacks a Numpad, but it still takes up quite a bit of space on your desk.

The Keychron K Pro Series keyboards have excellent build quality. The outer frame and base plate are solid metal, while the bottom of the keyboard is hard plastic, so it exhibits no flex. The keys feel stable with only a bit of wobble in the larger keys, but as the stabilizers are screw-in, you can easily change them if you want. Like the original K Series, these keyboards keep the plate-mounted switches, but they now add a layer of sound-dampening foam and a silicone bottom pad for better acoustics. Another notable upgrade is the OSA-profile PBT keycaps, the same keycaps found on Keychron's more premium Q Series boards. Overall, these boards feel higher quality than the original K Series since they use many of the same materials and features as the customizable boards in the Keychron Q Series.

The Keychron K Pro Series keyboards have mediocre ergonomics. There are two incline settings to improve comfort, but they don't include a wrist rest. While most of the lineup consists of high-profile boards, there is a variant, the Keychron K3 Pro, that has a low profile that is better ergonomically as you don't have to tilt your wrists upwards to type, and you can rest them directly on your work surface.

The Keychron K Pro Series keyboards have individually-lit RGB backlighting. The LEDs are south-facing, so they're more compatible with a wider range of keycaps should you want to change your keycaps out. Although the key legends aren't shine-through, you'll still get adequate lighting to read them in a dark environment. You can use the companion software to customize the brightness, colors, effects, and effects speed.

The Keychron K Pro Series keyboards come with a detachable braided USB-A to USB-C cable. It's on the shorter side and retains some kinks from the packaging but feels nice overall.

Most of the Keychron K Pro Series use a 4000mAh rechargeable battery that offers up to 300 hours of use with the backlighting off, and up to 100 hours with the backlighting on the lowest brightness. However, the Keychron K3 Pro has a smaller battery, and only offers 100 hours of battery life with the backlighting off, and 33 hours with the backlighting on the lowest brightness.

The Keychron K Pro Series don't have too many extra features. The media keys and backlighting controls are accessible through hotkeys outlined in the user documentation. Like most other Keychron boards, these keyboards have a toggle to switch between Windows and macOS systems. Next to the operating system toggle, there's the charging port and the power switch. There are three small lights above the arrow keys that light up to indicate when Caps, Scroll, or Numlock are enabled. Additionally, these keyboards are hot-swappable, so you can swap out the stock switches for any 3-pin or 5-pin switch you want.

• Keychron K8 Pro
• USB-A to USB-C cable
• 4x Windows-specific keycaps
• Keycap puller
• Switch puller
• Screwdriver
• Hex key
• User documentation

The pre-assembled version of the Keychron K8 Pro comes with your choice of Gateron G Pro switches in linear Red, clicky Blue, or tactile Brown. It's also hot-swappable, so you can swap out the stock switches without having to solder. The clicky Blue switches are light to type on with a smooth tactile bump, and the pre-travel distance is a good length for avoiding typos. However, the Keychron K8 Pro is the only K Pro Series keyboard that uses Gateron G Pro switches. The Keychron K2 Pro and the Keychron K6 Pro use Keychron's proprietary switches, which feel very similar to the Gateron G Pro switches as they're also pre-lubed. The Keychron K3 Pro uses Gateron Low-Profile switches, which have a shorter pre-travel distance than the standard-sized switches.

The Keychron K Pro Series keyboards provide a very good typing experience. The double-shot PBT keycaps have a smooth texture that feels nice on the fingertips. The keys have a standard placement, so they don't feel cramped to type on. There's a bit of wobble in the keys, but it's not too noticeable or distracting during use. The tactile bump of the clicky Gateron G Pro Blue switches feels very smooth throughout the keypress. However, except for the Keychron K3 Pro, you're likely to experience wrist fatigue while using these keyboards as they have a high profile. You can offset this discomfort by purchasing a wrist rest separately.

With clicky Gateron G Pro Blue switches installed, typing is loud. The noise will be similarly loud if you purchase a variant with clicky Blue Keychron K Pro switches or Low Profile Gateron Blue switches. However, the typing noise will be quieter with tactile or linear switches installed.

The Keychron K Pro Series keyboards have decent latency. With a wired connection, they're fast enough for casual gaming or daily use. Although Bluetooth isn't recommended for gaming, you won't notice a delay using it for daily typing or productivity tasks.

The Keychron K Pro Series keyboards use VIA software, and they're QMK-supported. You can download the software and all necessary files directly from Keychron's website. The VIA software is easy-to-use and allows you to remap keys, set macros, and customize the RGB backlighting. There are four layers of profiles. Layers 0 and 1 are for Mac systems, while layers 2 and 3 are for Windows, and you'll have to have the toggle on the left set to the correct operating system to access the layers.

The Keychron K Pro Series keyboards have outstanding compatibility. The VIA software is available on Windows, macOS, and Linux, and every key works as intended on Windows and macOS, as long as you have the toggle on the left side set to the proper operating system. On Linux, only the brightness hotkeys and the FN+F3 toggle didn't work. On mobile operating systems, the F3 hotkey doesn't work. On iOS and iPadOS, the F4 hotkey also doesn't work.