The Keychron K12 is Keychron's first 60% compact board. This wireless, mechanical board can pair with up to three devices at once via Bluetooth, making it a good choice if you tend to work on more than one device at a time. It feels very well-built, with a plastic chassis and an aluminum frame, and all of its keys feel stable. It's available in several Gateron and proprietary switches, including Keychron Lava switches, and we tested the Gateron Brown switches, which provide tactile feedback and feel light overall. Unfortunately, it has a high profile and doesn't come with a wrist rest, meaning you may feel wrist fatigue after long periods of use. Also, it uses ABS keycaps, which are prone to developing shine from finger oils.
Our Verdict
The Keychron K12 is good for gaming, but it isn't designed for this use. It has RGB backlighting and decently low latency, although it isn't as low as other options. The Gateron Brown switches on our unit feel light and fairly responsive, although the pre-travel may be too high for gaming. Unfortunately, you can't set macros, which may be annoying to some gamers. Also, the high profile combined with the lack of a wrist rest may cause some wrist strain.
- Feels very well-built.
- Great typing quality.
- RGB backlighting.
- Only decent latency.
- No macro-programmable keys.
The Keychron K12 is good for use with mobile devices and tablets. You can pair it with up to three devices at once via Bluetooth, and it's compatible with many mobile operating systems, although the F3 and F4 keys don't work on iOS, iPadOS, and Android. It's very compact, but it's quite tall and heavy, which may not be ideal if you intend to travel with it.
- Feels very well-built.
- Great typing quality.
- RGB backlighting.
- Can pair with up to three devices at once.
- Fairly tall and heavy.
The Keychron K12 is good for office use, but its high profile may cause wrist strain since it doesn't come with a wrist rest. That said, it feels very well-built with its aluminum frame and plastic chassis, and the Gateron Brown switches on our unit are quiet to type on. It also comes with different switches if you prefer a different feel.
- Feels very well-built.
- Great typing quality.
- RGB backlighting.
- No wrist rest.
- No macro-programmable keys.
The Keychron K12 is good for programming. It feels well-built, with a sturdy aluminum frame and plastic chassis. The Gateron Brown switches on our unit provide nice tactile feedback, and they feel light overall. You can use it either wired or wirelessly, and you can pair it with up to three devices at once via Bluetooth. Unfortunately, its high profile may cause some wrist fatigue since it doesn't come with a wrist rest. Also, you can't set any macros, which may be annoying to some.
- Feels very well-built.
- Great typing quality.
- RGB backlighting.
- Can pair with up to three devices at once.
- No wrist rest.
- No macro-programmable keys.
The Keychron K12 is okay for a home theater setup. It has RGB backlighting, media hotkeys, and Bluetooth support, but unfortunately, it doesn't have a built-in trackpad or a volume control wheel.
- Feels very well-built.
- RGB backlighting.
- Media hotkeys.
- No built-in trackpad.
- No volume control wheel.
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Differences Between Sizes And Variants
We tested the Keychron K12 with an aluminum frame, RGB backlighting, and Gateron Brown switches. It's available in few different variants, with differences in backlighting, frame material, and switch types. You can see the variants and their differences listed below. You can see our unit's label here.
| Backlighting | Frame Material | Hot-swappable | Switches |
|---|---|---|---|
| Non-backlit | Plastic | No | Keychron Mechanical Red, Brown, Blue |
| Non-backlit | Aluminum | ||
| Non-backlit | Aluminum | Yes | Keychron Mechanical Red, Brown, Blue |
| RGB | Plastic, Aluminum |
No | Gateron Brown, Red, Blue |
| White | Plastic | ||
| RGB | Plastic, Aluminum |
Yes | Gateron Red, Brown, Blue |
| White | Plastic | ||
| RGB | Plastic, Aluminum |
Yes | Keychron Lava Optical Red, Brown, Blue, Mint, Banana |
| White | Plastic |
If you have a variant that doesn't correspond to our review, let us know in the discussions, and we'll update it.
Popular Keyboard Comparisons
The Keychron K12 is Keychron's first 60% compact board. Like the other Keychrons we tested, there's no proprietary customization software, so you can't easily set macros, customize the RGB backlighting, or save settings to onboard memory. It's a decent board if you want something compact to type with and pair with other devices via Bluetooth, but it lacks the ergonomics that some dedicated office boards have.
For other options, see our recommendations for the best mechanical keyboards, the best ergonomic keyboards, and the best keyboards for writers.
The Keychron K6 and the Keychron K12 are nearly identical wireless mechanical boards, but the K6 is a 65% compact, and the K12 is a 60% compact. The K6 has dedicated navigation keys, including arrow keys, which the K12 lacks. Also, the K6 has lower latency, making it a better choice for casual gaming than the K12.
The Keychron K3 and the Keychron K12 are both compact wireless keyboards, with different switch styles. If you like low-profile switches and prefer having a dedicated F-row and navigation keys, the K3 is a better choice. However, if you prefer standard-shaped switches and want your board to be as compact as possible, you should go with the K12.
The Keychron K2 (Version 2) and the Keychron K12 are very similar wireless mechanical boards, but the K2 is a 75% board with a dedicated F-row and navigation keys, while the K12 is a 60% compact board. The K2 is available with white backlighting or RGB backlighting, and it's available with Gateron Red, Blue, or Brown switches. On the other hand, the K12 is available with the same K2 options, but it's also available with no backlighting at all, and it has more switch options, including Keychron mechanical and optical switches, as well as in a hot-swappable variant.
The Keychron K8 and the Keychron K12 are similar wireless mechanical boards, but the K8 is a TenKeyLess size while the K12 is a 60% compact. Both have RGB backlighting and can pair with up to three devices at once. If you prefer having a dedicated F-row, dedicated navigation keys with arrow keys, the K8 is a better choice. It's available with Gateron and Keychron Optical Red, Blue, and Brown switches, and there's also a hot-swappable variant with Gateron switches. If you prefer a very compact board that doesn't take up much space, the K12 is a better choice. It comes with the same switch options as the K8, but it's also available with Keychron Mechanical switches, Keychron Optical Banana and Mint switches, and in a non-backlight variant.
Test Results
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