For most uses, the Keychron K6 is a good wireless mechanical keyboard, and it's essentially a compact version of the Keychron K4. Its small design and ability to pair with up to three devices over Bluetooth make it a very good choice for using with your smartphone or tablet. Despite the long pre-travel distance of the Gateron Brown switches, they feel great to type on, and surprisingly, the keyboard doesn't cause any fatigue. It has excellent build quality and full RGB backlighting that you can customize directly on the board. Unfortunately, it doesn't have any macro-programmable keys and no companion software to customize the board to your liking.
Our Verdict
The Keychron K6 is a good keyboard for gaming. It has great latency, full RGB backlighting, and provides a great typing experience. The Gateron Brown switches on our unit are light to press, but their long pre-travel distance makes the keyboard feel a little less responsive. There's also no customization software or macro-programmable keys.
- Full RGB backlighting.
- Excellent build quality.
- Great latency.
- No customization software.
- Ergonomics are only reasonable.
- Long pre-travel distance.
The Keychron K6 is very good to use with your smartphone or tablet. It can be used wirelessly over Bluetooth and can be paired with up to three devices. Its compact design makes it easy to carry in your laptop bag.
- Multi-device pairing.
- Excellent build quality.
- Connects wirelessly via Bluetooth.
- Ergonomics are only reasonable.
The Keychron K6 is good for office use. Even though it doesn't have a wrist rest, ergonomics are still okay since it has two incline settings. Also, despite its compact design, it doesn't cause much fatigue over time as it feels light to type on. The Gateron Brown switches on our unit don't make a lot of noise and shouldn't disturb those around you. However, it could get a lot louder if you get the keyboard with clicky switches.
- Excellent build quality.
- Typing noise is quiet.
- Great typing quality.
- No customization software.
- Ergonomics are only reasonable.
The Keychron K6 is very good for programming. It has impressive typing quality as the switches are light to press and give satisfying tactile feedback. It also doesn't feel cramped to type on and isn't tiring to use, despite having a compact design. Unfortunately, while it has full RGB backlighting, there's no companion software to customize it, and there aren't any macro-programmable keys either.
- Full RGB backlighting.
- Excellent build quality.
- Great typing quality.
- No macro-programmable keys.
- No customization software.
- Ergonomics are only reasonable.
The Keychron K6 is okay for use with a home theater PC. You can use it wirelessly via Bluetooth, and it pairs with up to three devices simultaneously. It also has full RGB backlighting, so you can easily use it while watching a movie or gaming in the dark. However, it doesn't have a trackpad, which means you need a dedicated mouse to navigate the user interface.
- Full RGB backlighting.
- Connects wirelessly via Bluetooth.
- No trackpad.
Changelog
- Updated Aug 18, 2022: Added a comparison to the newly reviewed Keychron Q7.
- Updated Mar 05, 2021: Converted to Test Bench 1.0.
- Updated Jan 04, 2021: Updated the Build Quality score.
- Updated Sep 22, 2020: Review published.
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Differences Between Sizes And Variants
We tested the Keychron K6 with an aluminum frame, RGB backlighting, and Gateron Brown switches. There's a variant with a plastic frame, which you can get with white or RGB backlighting. You can also get the keyboard with Gateron Blue or Red switches, LK Optical Brown, Red, or Blue switches, or hot-swappable switches, so you can put in whichever switches you prefer.
Popular Keyboard Comparisons
The Keychron K6 is a compact and wireless keyboard that makes for a very good companion for use with your cellphone or tablet. It can be used wired or wirelessly over Bluetooth and can be paired with up to three different devices. This is a smaller version of the Keychron K4 but with full RGB backlighting, while the K4 only has a white backlight. There are two incline settings, unlike the Keychron K1, which has none.
For other options, you can also check out our recommendations for the best gaming keyboards, the best wireless keyboards, and the best mechanical gaming keyboards.
The Keychron K2 (Version 2) is essentially a bigger version of the Keychron K6. The K2 is a 75% keyboard with a row of dedicated function keys, while the K6 is 65%. They're nearly identical in features, but the K6 has lower latency, making it a better choice for gaming.
The Keychron K4 is a full-size version of the Keychron K6. There are some small differences, as the K6 feels better built and has lower latency when using it wired. Both keyboards are available with LK Optical or Gateron switches.
The Keychron K7 and the Keychron K6 are similar 65% compact keyboards, except the K7 has low-profile switches while the K6 has standard-sized ones. The K7 is slimmer and lighter, and it's available with Gateron Low Profile switches and Keychron Low Profile Optical switches. The Gateron Low Profile Brown switches on our unit feel heavier than the standard Gateron Brown switches on our K6 unit, but the pre-travel distance is much lower, which some people may prefer. On the other hand, the K6 is available with standard-sized Gateron and LK Optical switches.
The Keychron K6 and the Keychron K3 are both very good all-around keyboards with similar features. The main difference is in their designs. The K6 is a compact 65% keyboard with standard keycaps while the K3 is compact 75%, meaning it has a function row, and it has low profile switches. They're each available with clicky, tactile, and linear switches. Typing feels better overall on the K6, but some people may prefer the low profile switches instead. Latency is also lower on the K6.
Test Results
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