The Keychron K1 is a decent wireless mechanical keyboard for most uses. It's made largely of aluminum, giving it a sturdier feel and an overall comfortable experience. Our unit has Gateron Low Profile Red switches that don't require a lot of force to actuate and have a low pre-travel distance, resulting in a responsive typing experience. Unfortunately, the latency is only decent over a wired connection and terrible over Bluetooth. Also, there's no companion software to customize the RGB lighting, and there aren't any macro-programmable keys. On the upside, you can use it wirelessly over Bluetooth and pair it with up to three devices at the same time.
Note: Some variants of this keyboard can be difficult to find through retailers, but they can be purchased directly from Keychron's website.
Our Verdict
The Keychron K1 is a decent keyboard for gaming. The Gateron Low Profile Red switches don't require a lot of force to actuate and have a low pre-travel distance. It has a great build quality, with most of the keyboard being made of aluminum with little to no flex. However, there's no companion software or macro-programmable buttons. The latency is only decent, which may not be ideal for competitive gaming.
- RGB backlighting.
- Responsive switches.
- Great build quality.
- No macro-programmable keys.
- No companion software.
The Keychron K1 is a great keyboard for using with your smartphone or tablet. You can pair it over Bluetooth with your mobile device and it can be paired with up to three devices at once. While it's a fairly light keyboard, it's also rather wide, making it less than ideal to travel with.
- Bluetooth support.
- Multi-device pairing.
- Great build quality.
- No companion software.
- Bulky.
The Keychron K1 is a satisfactory keyboard for office use. Ergonomics are only decent, as it lacks a wrist rest and there are no incline settings. While the switches help provide a responsive typing experience, the flat ABS keycaps are slippery and are bunched together, which can lead to an increase in typos.
- Bluetooth support.
- Responsive switches.
- Great build quality.
- No wrist rest or incline settings.
- Compact and tight key layout.
- No companion software.
The Keychron K1 is a satisfactory keyboard for programmers. While it offers a decent typing experience due to the responsive switches, the keycaps are made of ABS plastic that feels cheap and they're prone to feeling slippery. Also, it doesn't have macro-programmable buttons. That said, it has a solid aluminum frame and full RGB backlighting which can be modified via a button directly on the keyboard.
- RGB backlighting.
- Responsive switches.
- Great build quality.
- No macro-programmable keys.
- Compact and tight key layout.
- No companion software.
The Keychron K1 is only okay for use with a home theater PC. It's wireless, so you won't need to worry about a keyboard wire in your setup. Also, it has media keys and backlighting. However, it doesn't have an integrated trackpad like some dedicated HTPC keyboards.
- Bluetooth support.
- RGB backlighting.
- No companion software.
- No integrated trackpad.
Changelog
- Updated Feb 08, 2021: Converted to Test Bench 1.0.
- Updated Sep 23, 2020: Review published.
- Updated Aug 17, 2020: Early access published.
- Updated Aug 03, 2020: Our testers have started testing this product.
Check Price
Differences Between Sizes And Variants
Our Keychron K1 is a TenKeyLess (TKL) keyboard with Gateron Low Profile Red switches, but it's also available with Gateron Low Profile Blue and Brown switches. There's also the Keychron K1 SE, which is an updated version of this board. It has two incline settings, made of plastic and aluminum, and it has a hot-swappable variant with Low Profile Gateron switches. You can see all the differences in the table below.
| Model | Material | No. of Incline Feet | Backlighting | Switches | Hot-swappable |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| K1 | Full aluminum body | 0 | White, RGB | Low Profile Gateron Mechanical Red, Blue, Brown | No |
| K1 | Full aluminum body | 0 | White, RGB | Low Profile Keychron Optical Red, Blue, Brown | Yes |
| K1 SE | Plastic bottom case with aluminum top plate | 2 | White, RGB | Low Profile Gateron Mechanical Red, Blue, Brown | No |
| K1 SE | Plastic bottom case with aluminum top plate | 2 | White, RGB | Low Profile Gateron Mechanical Red, Blue, Brown | Yes |
| K1 SE | Plastic bottom case with aluminum top plate | 2 | White, RGB | Low Profile Keychron Optical Red, Blue, Brown | Yes |
We expect these results to be valid for the other variants, aside from typing experience. The label for our unit can be seen here.
Popular Keyboard Comparisons
The Keychron K1 is a TenKeyLess keyboard that's ideally suited for typing on your tablet or smartphone. Despite having no incline settings or wrist rest, it's a comfortable keyboard to type on when compared to the Keychron K4, which has a higher profile. It can be used wirelessly over Bluetooth, just like the Logitech MX Keys, but the K1 has full RGB backlighting while the Logitech only has a white backlight. It's also cheaper than the Logitech G915 LIGHTSPEED, another low-profile mechanical keyboard that uses similar switches.
For other options, you can also check out our recommendations for the best RGB keyboards, the best wireless keyboards, and the best mechanical gaming keyboards.
The Keychron K1 and the Logitech MX Mechanical are both wireless, low-profile mechanical keyboards designed for office use. The main difference is that the Keychron comes in a TKL form factor, so it lacks a Numpad and companion software. The Logitech comes in a full-size or compact form factor, and it has customization software available for both Windows and macOS.
The Keychron K4 is better than the Keychron K1 for most uses, but you should get the K1 if you prefer low profile switches and RGB backlighting. If you prefer having a Numpad, you should go with the K4. Also, the K4 has a much lower latency over both wired and Bluetooth connections, and it doesn't have any function issues with Windows or macOS like we had on the K1.
The Keychron K1 and the Keychron K3 are both great gaming keyboards, but the K1 has a TenKeyLess layout whereas the K3 has a compact 75% layout. Otherwise, they have very similar features, although the K3 has a lower latency over Bluetooth. It also has a Caps Lock indicator light, which the K1 lacks. The K3 is available with many different switches, including optical ones, so you have a wider range of options to choose from. Neither keyboards have software to customize the backlighting or set macros.
The Keychron K1 and the Keychron K3 (Version 2) are both low-profile mechanical keyboards. The K1 comes in a TKL form factor, while the K3 V2 is a compact 75% board. They perform very similarly, but the K3 V2 has two incline settings for better ergonomics, and it's available with more switch styles and options. Also, the K3 V2 has a hot-swappable variant.
Test Results
for pictures & test results
for pictures & test results
for pictures & test results
