The Keychron K8 is a wireless mechanical keyboard that is essentially a TenKeyLess (80%) version of the Keychron K4. Our unit uses Gateron Brown switches, which offer tactile feedback without causing too much noise, making it a good fit for office use. That said, you can also purchase this keyboard with Gateron Red or Blue switches. Unfortunately, it doesn't have any macro-programmable keys or any companion software, which may be a disappointment to gamers and programmers. This keyboard may be difficult to find through online retailers, but you should be able to easily purchase one from the Keychron website.
Our Verdict
The Keychron K8 is a good keyboard for gaming. The Gateron Brown switches in our unit don't need much force to actuate, resulting in a light and responsive gaming experience. Also, build quality is excellent, with a solid frame and stable keycaps. Unfortunately, there's no companion software or macro-programmable keys.
- Full RGB backlighting.
- Great typing quality.
- Sturdy build.
- Very responsive.
- No macro-programmable keys.
- No companion software.
- No wrist rest.
The Keychron K8 is an adequate keyboard for use with your smartphone or tablet. You can connect it wirelessly with Bluetooth and pair it with up to three devices simultaneously. Unfortunately, it's rather large and heavy, making it inconvenient to travel with.
- Multi-device pairing.
- Bluetooth support.
- Large and heavy.
The Keychron K8 is a good keyboard for office use. The unit we tested uses Gateron Brown switches, which offer great typing quality due to the quiet and tactile feedback. The keyboard itself is made of solid plastic and the keys feel stable. Unfortunately, the ergonomics are only okay, as the high profile can lead to some fatigue or pain with prolonged use and there's no wrist rest included.
- Great typing quality.
- Sturdy build.
- No wrist rest.
The Keychron K8 is a good keyboard for programmers. The unit we tested uses Gateron Brown switches, which offer great typing quality due to the quiet and tactile feedback. The build quality is excellent, as it's made of plastic that feels durable and the keys feel stable. Unfortunately, the ergonomics are only okay, as the high profile can lead to fatigue with prolonged use and there's no wrist rest.
- Full RGB backlighting.
- Great typing quality.
- Multi-device pairing.
- Bluetooth support.
- Sturdy build.
- No macro-programmable keys.
- No companion software.
- No wrist rest.
The Keychron K8 is okay for use with a home theater PC. It has wireless connectivity so that you don't need to run a cable from the couch to the computer. However, it lacks a trackpad for navigation. It has backlighting for those who like to watch TV in the dark, and media controls are easily accessible through hotkeys.
- Full RGB backlighting.
- Great typing quality.
- Bluetooth support.
- No companion software.
- No trackpad.
Changelog
- Updated Jan 26, 2022: Following our most recent test bench update, some of the scores for this keyboard were changed, but none of our language within the review was revised. We've now updated several adjectives which corresponded incorrectly to their scores.
- Updated Feb 04, 2021: Converted to Test Bench 1.0.
- Updated Jan 04, 2021: Updated the Build Quality score.
- Updated Sep 28, 2020: Review published.
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Differences Between Sizes And Variants
We tested the Keychron K8 Wireless 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, or hot-swappable Gateron or Keychron Optical switches, making it easier to change switches if you want to. You can see the label of our unit here.
Popular Keyboard Comparisons
The Keychron K8 is a TenKeyLess (80%) keyboard that performs almost identically to the Keychron K4, a compact (65%) keyboard that doesn't have a Numpad or arrow keys. It's also similar to the compact 96% Keychron K6, except that one has a full Numpad. The K8 is available in a wide variety of switches and comes in hot-swappable versions that allow you to easily change switches without soldering. The K8 also features a wireless design that helps keep desk clutter to a minimum. 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) and the Keychron K8 are essentially the same keyboard in two different sizes. The K2 is 75%, while the K8 is 80%. The K2 is available with various Gateron switches, but the K8 has both Gateron and Keychron Optical switch options. That said, both keyboards have a hot-swappable variant that lets you change the switches without soldering. Latency is better on the K8, but the difference shouldn't be noticeable to most people.
The Keychron K8 and the Keychron Q3 are both TKL-sized mechanical keyboards designed for office use. Both keyboards are hot-swappable, though the K8 requires you to purchase that specific variant. This means you can change out the stock switches for any you want without soldering. However, they have a few differences. The K8 is wireless and pairs with up to three devices simultaneously. On the other hand, the Q3 is wired-only, but it has better latency, and all keys are macro-programmable as it has companion software, which the K8 lacks.
The Keychron K4 is essentially a full-size version of the Keychron K8. There are some small differences, though, The K8 feels better built, and it offers two incline settings, whereas the K4 only has one. The K8 uses Gateron switches, but you can also get it with Keychron Optical switches, and it has a hot-swappable version that lets you change the switches without soldering. The K4 is available with various LK Optical or Gateron switches.
The Keychron K8 is a TenKeyLess wireless board, while the Keychron Q1 is a 75% compact wired board. You can use the K6 wirelessly via Bluetooth and pair it with up to three devices at once. The K6 has more incline settings, and it comes with shine-through keycaps, which help make the legends easier to read in a dark room. Thanks to its switches' transparent casing, white backlighting looks white, while the Gateron Phantom switches on our Q1 unit have a brown casing, making white lighting look red. On the other hand, the Q1 is hot-swappable, and it comes with customization software to set macros to any key. Also, while we bought the fully-assembled variant, the Q1 has a barebones version.
Test Results
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