![Keychron Q Pro Series [Q1 Pro, Q2 Pro, etc.]](https://i.rtings.com/assets/products/pP29sg7u/keychron-q-pro-series-q1-pro-q2-pro-etc/design-medium.jpg?format=auto)
The Keychron Q Pro Series is a lineup of mechanical keyboards. The keyboards in this lineup closely resemble Keychron's related Q Series but with added wireless connectivity. They feature aluminum cases and a gasket-mounted design, making for a softer, slightly springy typing experience. They also have specialized PBT keycaps with a slightly rounded and tapered profile. Also, these keyboards offer high customizability, with hot-swappable PCBs and toolkits for disassembling and replacing components.
We bought and tested the Keychron Q1 Pro, but you can purchase this keyboard in various configurations discussed in this review's Differences Between Variants section.
Our Verdict
Although not explicitly for this use, the Keychron Q Pro Series keyboards are great for gaming. They have remarkable build quality, full RGB backlighting, and outstanding compatibility with all major operating systems. You can buy them with various Keychron K Pro switches, including a Linear Red option and tactile Brown, Banana, or Mint options. These keyboards also have excellent latency for playing just about anything. However, if you're exclusively interested in reaction-based or competitive games, we'd recommend a dedicated gaming option with even lower latency.
- Remarkable build quality.
- RGB backlighting with individually-lit keys.
- Impressive latency performance.
The Keychron Q Pro Series keyboards are good for office use. They're made with high-quality materials and have remarkable build quality. They provide excellent typing quality and feature a gasket-mounted design, meaning typing is more cushioned and springy-feeling than most mechanical keyboards. You can purchase them with various linear or tactile Keychron K Pro switch types. These keyboards are designed to be highly customizable, so you can change the stock switches, stabilizers, keycaps, and more if you'd like. Unfortunately, these keyboards have a tall profile and don't include a wrist rest, so you'll need to angle your wrists fairly steeply to reach all the keys, which can cause discomfort and fatigue when typing for long stretches.
- Remarkable build quality.
- Excellent typing quality; cushioned gasket-mounted design.
- Outstanding hardware customizability.
- High profile design is uncomfortable without a wrist rest.
The Keychron Q Pro Series keyboards are satisfactory for mobile devices and tablets. They have remarkable build quality and connect wirelessly via Bluetooth. They also include a USB-C to USB-C cable, which is relatively rare and allows you to connect to devices with a USB-C port. These keyboards are heavy and have fairly tall profiles, so they aren't very easy to carry.
- Remarkable build quality.
- Outstanding compatibility with mobile devices and tablets.
- Considerably thicker and heavier than most keyboards designed specifically for this use.
The Keychron Q Pro Series keyboards are great for programming. They have outstanding build quality and superb compatibility with all major operating systems, and their gasket-mounted design provides a soft, slightly springy typing quality. The ergonomics are mediocre as they have a tall profile and no included wrist rest, meaning you need to hold your wrists at a fairly steep angle while typing, which can cause discomfort and fatigue.
- Remarkable build quality.
- RGB backlighting with individually-lit keys.
- Outstanding hardware customizability.
- High profile design is uncomfortable without a wrist rest.
- No dedicated macro keys.
The Keychron Q Pro Series keyboards are okay for an entertainment or home theater PC setup. They connect wirelessly via Bluetooth and have full RGB backlighting to help you see the keys in a dark room. These keyboards are heavy compared to dedicated entertainment/HTPC keyboards, making them cumbersome to use on your lap while seated. They also lack a trackpad or other navigation controls, so you'll need to use a mouse to navigate on-screen menus. Also, they lack dedicated media keys. However, these boards do have a rotary knob that controls volume by default.
- RGB backlighting with individually-lit keys.
- Connects wirelessly via Bluetooth.
- Non-dedicated media keys.
The Keychron Q Pro Series keyboards deliver great raw performance with impressive single and multi-key latency, an effective polling rate of 1000Hz, full N-key rollover, and the ability to report multiple simultaneous keystrokes with minimal delay.
Changelog
- Updated Mar 13, 2024: We've added a link to the newly reviewed Keychron Q Max series in theWireless Versatility section of this review.
- Updated Mar 07, 2024: We've added a link to the newly-reviewed [nolink:Keychron V Max] series in theWireless Versatility section of this review.
- Updated Nov 29, 2023: We've converted this review to Test Bench 1.3.1, which adds a new estimated PCB latency test to the Single-Key Latency section and a new Analog test to the Switches section of this review. You can see the full changelog here.
- Updated Oct 10, 2023: We've added details about the Keychron Q8 Pro, Q10 Pro, and Q13 Pro to the Difference Between Variants section of this review.
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Differences Between Sizes And Variants
Keychron Q Pro Series keyboards come in several different configurations. We purchased and tested the Keychron Q1 Pro in a Fully Assembled Knob configuration with the Carbon Black colorway and Keychron K Pro Brown switches.
You can see details for other models and configurations below. We expect our test results to apply to all configurations in the first table.
| Name | Size | Color | Wireless | Assembly Options | Switch Type | Switch Options | Hot-Swappable | Knob orientation | Dedicated Macro Keys |
| Keychron Q1 Pro | Compact (75%) | Carbon Black, Silver Grey, Shell White | Yes | Fully Assembled Knob, Fully Assembled Knob (Special Edition), Barebones Knob, | Keychron K Pro | Red, Brown, Banana, Mint | Yes | Right | No |
| Keychron Q2 Pro | Compact (65%) | Carbon Black, Silver Grey, Shell White | Yes | Fully Assembled Knob, Barebones Knob | Keychron K Pro | Red, Brown, Banana, Mint | Yes | Right | No |
| Keychron Q4 Pro | Compact (60%) | Carbon Black, Silver Grey, Shell White | Yes | Fully Assembled, Barebones, Barfebones (ISO) | Keychron K Pro | Red, Brown, Banana | Yes | N/A | No |
| Keychron Q5 Pro | Compact (96%) | Carbon Black, Silver Grey, Shell White | Yes | Fully Assembled Knob, Barebones Knob, Barebones Knob (ISO) | Keychron K Pro | Red, Brown, Banana | Yes | Right | Three |
| Keychron Q6 Pro | Full-Size (100%) | Carbon Black, Silver Grey, Shell White | Yes | Fully Assembled Knob, Barebones Knob, Barebones Knob (ISO) | Keychron K Pro | Red, Brown, Banana | Yes | Middle Right | Four |
Additional Variants
We've cataloged additional variants separately in the table below. Keychron includes these keyboards in the Q Pro Series, but they have more fundamental differences compared to the rest of the models in this lineup. The keyboards below have Alice or Special Edition layouts, which means they have entirely different case designs that differ significantly from the unit we bought and tested. While we expect most of our tests will remain broadly applicable, these additional elements may produce differences in build and typing quality.
If you have any of the variants below and feel there are other differences or issues we should mention in our review, let us know in the discussions.
| Name | Size | Color | Wireless | Assembly Options | Switch Type | Switch Options | Hot-Swappable | Deducated Macro Keys | Knob Orientation | Notes |
| Keychron Q3 Pro (Special Edition) | TKL (80%) |
Carbon Black, Olive Green, Silver Grey |
Yes | Fully Assembled Knob (Special Edition), Barebones Knob (Special Edition) | Keychron K Pro | Red, Brown, Banana, Mint | Yes | Four | Left | Special Edition |
| Keychron Q8 Pro |
Alice Compact (65%) |
Carbon Black, Silver Grey, Shell White | Yes | Fully Assembled Knob, Barebones Knob, Barebones Knob (ISO) | Keychron K Pro | Red, Brown, Banana | Yes | N/A | Right | Alice layout |
| Keychron Q10 Pro | Alice Comapct (75%) | Carbon Black, Silver Grey, Shell White | Yes | Fully Assembled Knob, Barebones Knob, Barebones Knob (ISO) | Keychron K Pro | Red, Brown, Banana | Yes | Five | Left | Alice layout |
| Keychron Q13 Pro | Alice Compact (96%) | Carbon Black, Silver Grey, Shell White | Yes | Fully Assembled Knob, Barebones Knob, Barebones Knob (ISO) | Keychron K Pro | Red, Brown, Banana | Yes | Nine | Left | Alice layout |
| Keychron Q14 Pro | Alice Compact (96%) | Carbon Black, Silver Grey, Shell White | Yes | Fully Assembled Knob, Barebones Knob, Barebones Knob (ISO) | Keychron K Pro | Red, Brown, Banana | Yes | Three | Left | Alice Southpaw layout |
Popular Keyboard Comparisons
The Keychron Q Pro Series are a lineup of mechanical gaming keyboards closely related to the premium Keychron Q Series but with added wireless capability. These keyboards are designed with a high degree of hardware customizability in mind. They have hot-swappable PCBs and a toolkit to disassemble and change individual components. As customizable keyboards, they're similar to other keyboards in the GLORIOUS GMMK or Ducky One series. These options are more gaming-focused, but the Q Pro Series offers better compatibility across major operating systems with robust customization software. Unlike those other keyboards, the Q Pro Series are wireless, and they have a gasket-mounted design that provides a softer and slightly springy typing experience.
For more recommendations, see our picks for the best keyboards, the best wireless keyboards, and the best mechanical keyboards. For more options from Keychron, see our picks for the best Keychron keyboards.
The Keychron Q Pro Series and the Keychron Q Series, which includes the Keychron Q1, are very similar mechanical keyboard lineups. The biggest difference is that the Q Pro Series keyboards have wireless capability, while the standard ones do not. Additionally, the Q Pro Series have a stock polycarbonate plate, while the Q1 and the rest of the Q Series keyboards have a stock steel plate.
The Keychron V5 Max and the Keychron Q5 Pro are wireless mechanical keyboards with compact (96%) layouts. Each keyboard also belongs to a wider respective V Max and Q Pro series with other size variants available. The biggest difference between these lineups is that the Q Pro series has a comparatively more premium feel with all-aluminum cases. The V Max series keyboards are more budget-oriented, with plastic-only cases. However, they have expanded connectivity options with a 2.4 GHz receiver in addition to Bluetooth.
The Keychron Q5 Pro and the Keychron Q5 Max are wireless mechanical keyboards with 96% form factors. Each keyboard belongs to a wider lineup of Q Pro and Q Max keyboards, respectively. The standout difference between these two lineups is that the Q Pro connects wirelessly via Bluetooth while the Q Max connects wirelessly via Bluetooth or a 2.4 GHz receiver, providing better wireless performance. The Q Max also has several more layers of acoustic material inside the case, providing a slightly rounder, less pingy sound profile.
The Epomaker TH80 Pro and the Keychron Q1 Pro are wireless mechanical keyboards with compact (75%) form factors. The Epomaker has multiple incline options and an all-plastic construction. On the other hand, the Keychron has a more premium-feeling build quality with an aluminum case. It also has a gasket-mounted design that provides a softer, more cushioned typing experience.
The GLORIOUS GMMK PRO and the Keychron Q Pro Series keyboards are customizable mechanical keyboards with hot-swappable PCBs. The GLORIOUS is a wired-only model. On the other hand, the Keychron is a wireless model. The Keychron also has a gasket-mounted design, providing a softer, springier typing experience.
The Keychron Q Pro Series and the Keychron K Pro Series are lineups of mechanical keyboards with hot-swappable PCBs and customizable hardware. The Q Pro Series are more premium wireless keyboards with better build quality and gasket-mounted designs that provide better overall typing quality. On the other hand, the K Pro Series are more budget-oriented, with the option of other aluminum or plastic cases.
The Ducky One 3 and the Keychron Q Pro Series keyboards are customizable mechanical keyboards. The Ducky One 3 is a full-size, wired-only model with a plastic case. The Ducky has lower latency, making it a better option for faster-paced and competitive gaming. On the other hand, the Keychron Q Pro Keyboards are wireless models with an aluminum case. They also have a gasket-mounted design, providing a softer, more cushioned typing feel.
The GLORIOUS GMMK 2 and the Keychron Q Pro Series are highly customizable mechanical keyboards. The GLORIOUS is a wired-only model with a plastic case and a Comapct (96%) layout. It has slightly better ergonomics than the Q Pro Series boards, as it has a pair of flip-out feet that provide an additional incline setting. On the other hand, the Keychron Q Pro Series keyboards are wireless and have aluminum cases. The Q Pro Series boards also have a gasket-mounted design that provides a softer, more cushioned typing experience.
The Keychron Q Pro Series and the NuPhy Halo96 are wireless mechanical keyboards in various sizes and with premium acoustics and typing quality. The Keychrons have a gasket-mounted design and a slightly more premium-feeling all-aluminum case. On the other hand, the NuPhy Halo boards have a plastic bottom case and an aluminum frame. They also have multiple layers of silicone-dampening material in the case and spacebar and an RGB light strip around the outside edge of the keyboard.
The Keychron Q4 Pro and the HHKB Studio are high-end wireless mechanical keyboards with compact 60% form factors. The Keychron has a gasket-mounted design, giving it a slightly springier-feeling typing quality. It also has RGB backlighting, and its hardware is much more readily customizable. On the other hand, the HHKB incorporates some uncommon productivity features, including gesture pads, mouse buttons, and a 'pointing stick' that acts like a mouse cursor. Both keyboards have a noticeable premium feel, but the Keychron has a solid aluminum case, while the HHKB has a plastic case.
Test Results
![Keychron Q Pro Series [Q1 Pro, Q2 Pro, etc.] Top Picture](https://i.rtings.com/assets/products/RdZc8xkN/keychron-q-pro-series-q1-pro-q2-pro-etc/dimensions-large.jpg?format=auto)
The Keychron Q1 Pro has a Compact (75%) form factor and lacks a Numpad and complete navigation cluster. It doesn't take up much space on a desk, but it also has a fairly high profile and is quite heavy due to its aluminum case.
The Q Pro Series are also available in other sizes that we discuss in more detail in the Differences Between Variants section of this review.
![Keychron Q Pro Series [Q1 Pro, Q2 Pro, etc.] Build Quality Close Up](https://i.rtings.com/assets/products/a2ZoKwym/keychron-q-pro-series-q1-pro-q2-pro-etc/build-quality-large.jpg?format=auto)
These keyboards feel incredibly well-built. The materials feel very high quality and include a solid aluminum case, a polycarbonate plate, and PBT keycaps. Four rubber feet on the bottom do a good job of keeping these keyboards in place, and the keys feel very stable on the whole. However, some stabilizers seem a bit louder, and specifically, the enter and backspace keys sound and feel worse than expected compared to the previous Keychron Q Series models we've tested. For more details on this issue, see our Typing Noise section below.
![Keychron Q Pro Series [Q1 Pro, Q2 Pro, etc.] Side Picture](https://i.rtings.com/assets/products/b4YfJHiQ/keychron-q-pro-series-q1-pro-q2-pro-etc/ergonomics-large.jpg?format=auto)
These keyboards have mediocre ergonomics. They have a fixed incline and a tall profile. There's also no included wrist rest, meaning you'll need to bend your wrists at a steep upwards angle to reach all the keys, which can cause discomfort and fatigue when typing for long periods. Keychron does offer wrist rests on their website for a separate purchase. These keyboards also use a specialized KSA profile keycap which Keychron claims are optimized for ergonomics. These keycaps are based on the more common SA profile but are taller and more tapered.
![Keychron Q Pro Series [Q1 Pro, Q2 Pro, etc.] Customizability Overview](https://i.rtings.com/assets/products/LEzcIece/keychron-q-pro-series-q1-pro-q2-pro-etc/custom-large.jpg?format=auto)
These keyboards provide a remarkable amount of hardware customizability. The stabilizer screws are easily accessible, which isn't always the case on keyboards with screw-in stabilizers. If you're interested in customizing the keycaps, note that the modifier keys on the right side of the keyboard are 1u rather than the more common 1.25u.
![Keychron Q Pro Series [Q1 Pro, Q2 Pro, etc.] Backlighting Picture](https://i.rtings.com/assets/products/IwrEmtGg/keychron-q-pro-series-q1-pro-q2-pro-etc/backlight-large.jpg?format=auto)
![Keychron Q Pro Series [Q1 Pro, Q2 Pro, etc.] Brightness Max](https://i.rtings.com/assets/products/I80nChlI/keychron-q-pro-series-q1-pro-q2-pro-etc/brightness-max-large.jpg?format=auto)
![Keychron Q Pro Series [Q1 Pro, Q2 Pro, etc.] Brightness Min](https://i.rtings.com/assets/products/tITH1k4R/keychron-q-pro-series-q1-pro-q2-pro-etc/brightness-min-large.jpg?format=auto)
These keyboards have full RGB backlighting with programmable effects and brightness settings you can adjust directly on the boards.
![Keychron Q Pro Series [Q1 Pro, Q2 Pro, etc.] White Shot](https://i.rtings.com/assets/products/la4peJGN/keychron-q-pro-series-q1-pro-q2-pro-etc/whiteshot-large.jpg?format=auto)
This keyboard has South-Facing LEDs, and the keycap legends aren't shine-through. We've also taken a photo with several stock keycaps replaced with shine-through keycaps that you can see here.
These keyboards come with a braided USB-C to USB-C charging cable. There's also a USB-C to USB-A adapter included in the box. The cable feels high quality but does retain some kinks from its packaging. The length measurement above includes the length of the adapter (2.1cm).
Keychron advertises these keyboards have a battery life of up to 300 hours with backlighting off or up to 100 hours with backlighting on (at the lowest brightness setting).
If you're interested in a closely related lineup that has added support for 2.4 GHz wireless connectivity with included USB-A and USB-C receivers, check out our review for the Keychron Q Max.
Or, for a lineup that also offers 2.4 GHz connectivity but has more lightweight plastic case design, see out our review for the Keychron V Max series keyboards.
The Keychron Q Pro 1 we bought and tested doesn't have dedicated macro keys, but other variants in this lineup do. For more details, check out the Difference Between Variants section above.
![Keychron Q Pro Series [Q1 Pro, Q2 Pro, etc.] Extra Features](https://i.rtings.com/assets/products/KWdCkFCf/keychron-q-pro-series-q1-pro-q2-pro-etc/features-large.jpg?format=auto)
These keyboards have a few extra features, including a Caps Lock indicator light, media hotkeys, and a programmable control knob. There are a list of supported hotkeys in the user documentation. Like other Keychron boards we've tested, the Keychron Q Pro Series keyboards also have a switch on the back of the keyboard that toggles between Windows and macOS compatibility modes. There are OS-specific keycaps for both Windows and macOS included in the box.
![Keychron Q Pro Series [Q1 Pro, Q2 Pro, etc.] Bundle Picture](https://i.rtings.com/assets/products/i80y6iJo/keychron-q-pro-series-q1-pro-q2-pro-etc/in-the-box-large.jpg?format=auto)
- Keychron Q1 Pro
- USB-C to USB-C charging cable
- USB-C to USB-A adapter
- Window-specific keycaps
- 4x gaskets
- Keycap puller
- Switch puller
- Screwdriver
- Hex key
- Extra screws
- 2x extra rubber feet
- 2x adhesive stickers for feet
- Keyboard layout pamphlet
- User documentation
These keyboards offer excellent typing quality overall. The gasket-mounted design provides a soft, slightly springy typing experience.
The Keychron Q1 Pro we bought and tested has Keychron K Pro Brown switches which are lightweight and tactile. You can also purchase these keyboards with stock Keychron K Pro red switches with a smooth, linear feel or with Keychron K Pro Mint or Keychron K Pro Banana switches, which are both tactile switches with slightly earlier tactile bumps and shorter total travel.
The PBT keycaps feel high quality and have a specialized KSA profile with slightly taller and more tapered keycaps compared to the more common SA profile on which they're based.
Note that during testing, we noticed that the backspaced and enter keys sound and feel noticeably different than other keys. For more details on this issue, see our Typing Noise section below.
The Keychron Q1 Pro we tested is extremely quiet to type on and unlikely to bother those around you. Compared to the wired Q Series keyboards, which have a steel plate, the Q Pro series have a polycarbonate plate, which delivers a softer, more muted sound.
The unit we bought and tested has Keychron K Pro Brown switches; however, these keyboards are also available with linear Keychron K Pro Red and tactile Keychron K Pro Mint or Keychron K Pro Banana switches. We expect these switches to have a similar average loudness and not produce high-pitch clicks.
We noticed during our typing test that the backspace and enter keys have a noticeably different sound profile. You can see a video demonstration here. Our tester found these keys to sound and feel less satisfying. It's possible this was an issue with the unit we bought and tested specifically, and it may be an issue that you can remedy with additional lubrication or stabilizer adjustment.
These keyboards are available with several different Keychron K Pro stock switch options. We bought and tested this keyboard with Keychron K Pro Brown switches.
The Keychron K Pro Brown switches in the unit we bought and tested are tactile and fairly lightweight. They have a longer pre-travel distance that can help prevent accidental keystrokes. Other switch options include Keychron K Pro Red switches, which have a smooth linear feel, and Keychron K Pro Banana switches, which are both tactile switches with slightly shorter pre-travel and total travel distance and an earlier tactile bump than the Keychron K Pro Brown switches. The Q Pro Series keyboards have hot-swappable PCBs, meaning you can change the stock switches for other switch types without soldering.
These keyboards have impressive latency performance and provide a very responsive feeling in games of all genres. They still have a bit more latency than most dedicated gaming keyboards. If you're exclusively interested in playing reaction-based or competitive games, we recommend a keyboard with slightly lower latency.
These keyboards provide great multi-key latency performance for playing games that require input while multiple keys are held down.
![Keychron Q Pro Series [Q1 Pro, Q2 Pro, etc.] Multi-Key Raw USB](https://i.rtings.com/assets/products/lek9HWH4/keychron-q-pro-series-q1-pro-q2-pro-etc/rollover-large.jpg?format=auto)
These keyboards have impressive data transmission performance, with full n-key rollover and an effective update rate to match its polling rate of 1000Hz.
These keyboards offer impressive chord split performance. They have low and fairly consistent 4-chord and 8-chord delays, making this keyboard a good candidate for playing games with multiple simultaneous inputs.
These keyboards are compatible with VIA customization software. This software is available for download on Keychron's website and has versions for Windows, macOS, and Linux. There's also a web client for this software if you don't want to download the software. This software lets you remap keys, set macros, adjust backlighting, and save custom profiles. Keychron has a tutorial on how to use VIA on their website.
These keyboards are fully compatible with Windows and macOS when the toggle switch on the back of the keyboard is set to the correct operating system. On Linux, the brightness functions and the Fn+F3 hotkey do nothing.
On Android devices, the F4 hotkey opens an email client, and F3 does nothing. On iOS and iPad devices, with the keyboard's toggle switch set to Mac mode, the F row key's hotkey functions become primary functions, and the hotkeys for F3 and F4 do nothing.