The Keychron Q5 is the fifth installment of Keychron's customizable Q-series. It retains the same gasket-mounted design, hot-swappable PCB (printed circuit board), screw-in stabilizers, and specialized, rounded PBT keycaps found on all the other Q-series boards. It also comes with an included toolkit to make customization easy. The key difference is the size, as the Q5 comes in a full-size (96%) form factor with a Numpad and a full row of dedicated function keys.
Our Verdict
Despite not being designed for this use, the Keychron Q5 is an excellent keyboard for gaming. It feels incredibly well-built thanks to the premium materials used in its construction, and using it feels very satisfying. Using the companion software, you can program macros to any key, adjust the RGB backlighting, and remap buttons. As it's a hot-swappable keyboard, you can pop in your favorite gaming switches without having to solder. However, its latency is too high for competitive gaming, and it can get uncomfortable after a while since it has a high profile and doesn't come with a wrist rest.
- Incredible build quality.
- All keys are macro-programmable.
- Hot-swappable PCB.
- Full RGB backlighting with individually-lit keys.
- High-profile design feels uncomfortable without a wrist rest.
- Latency is too high for competitive gaming.
Since the Keychron Q5 is a wired-only keyboard, it isn't suitable for use with mobile devices. However, it connects using a USB-C to USB-C cable, so technically, you can use it with mobile devices with a USB-C port, though this will drain the battery faster.
The Keychron Q5 is a very good keyboard for office use. It feels incredibly well-built with premium materials and offers an excellent typing experience right out of the box. Thanks to the layers of sound-dampeners inside the board, it's very quiet to type on and well-suited to open office environments. Also, its companion software is available on all major operating systems. Unfortunately, it can get uncomfortable to type on after a while as it has a high profile and doesn't come with a wrist rest.
- Incredible build quality.
- All keys are macro-programmable.
- Hot-swappable PCB.
- Full RGB backlighting with individually-lit keys.
- High-profile design feels uncomfortable without a wrist rest.
- Wired-only.
The Keychron Q5 is a very good keyboard to use for programming. It feels incredibly well-built, thanks to the premium materials used in its construction. Impressively, its software is available on all major operating systems, including Linux. Using the companion software, you can adjust the RGB backlighting, remap keys, and program macros to any key. Unfortunately, as this is a wired-only keyboard, you can only connect it to one device at a time. Also, it has a high profile and doesn't come with a wrist rest, which would improve the comfort.
- Incredible build quality.
- All keys are macro-programmable.
- Hot-swappable PCB.
- Full RGB backlighting with individually-lit keys.
- High-profile design feels uncomfortable without a wrist rest.
- Wired-only.
The Keychron Q5 is a poor keyboard to use with a home theater PC setup. Since it's wired-only, you'd have to run a cable across your setup to connect the board to the PC. Plus, it lacks a trackpad for on-screen navigation, so you'll have to use another peripheral. Though there's full RGB backlighting, the key legends aren't shine-through, so you may have difficulty reading them in the dark.
- Incredible build quality.
- High-profile design feels uncomfortable without a wrist rest.
- No trackpad for on-screen navigation.
- Wired-only.
Changelog
- Updated Apr 04, 2023: We've added mention of the newly-reviewed IQUNIX F97 in the Keystrokes section of this review.
- Updated Sep 02, 2022: Updated the "White Shot" image to better reflect real-life color mixing observations. This result has changed accordingly. Also updated Linux compatibility as this keyboard is fully compatible with this system. The review now shows these changes.
- Updated Jul 13, 2022: Review published.
- Updated Jul 04, 2022: Early access published.
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Differences Between Sizes And Variants
The Keychron Q5 comes in different configurations, listed in the table below. The barebones versions don't include keycaps or switches, whereas the fully assembled versions come with your choice of switches and colorways. The version with a knob has a rotary knob in the top right corner and includes your choice of keycaps in two different styles, labeled A and B. The A colorway has lighter-colored alphanumeric keys, while the B colorway has darker-colored alphanumeric keys. We bought and tested the fully assembled, knobless version in Navy Blue with Gateron G Pro Brown switches installed. While we normally include a label photo, this unit doesn't have one.
| Type | ISO Layout Available | Color | Gateron G Pro Switches |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fully Assembled | No | Carbon Black, Silver Grey, Navy Blue (dark keycaps only) | Red, Blue, Brown |
| Fully Assembled Knob | No | Carbon Black, Silver Grey, Navy Blue (light or dark keycaps) | Red, Blue, Brown |
| Barebone | Yes | Carbon Black, Silver Grey, Navy Blue (no keycaps) | No switches |
| Barebone Knob | Yes | Carbon Black, Silver Grey, Navy Blue (no keycaps) | No switches |
Popular Keyboard Comparisons
The Keychron Q5 is the fifth entry into Keychron's Q-series of customizable keyboards, but it marks the first keyboard in this lineup to have a full Numpad. Like the rest of the Q-series, this board is designed to be easily customized and altered to your liking. It includes a full set of tools to help you achieve this. It has a hot-swappable PCB, screw-in stabilizers, and plenty of premium parts built into the board, so you don't have to spend too much money upgrading the keyboard. While its latency is decent enough for casual gaming and productivity tasks, it's a bit too high for competitive or fast-paced games.
If you're interested in looking at other options, check out our recommendations for the best keyboards for typing, the best mechanical keyboards, or, if you're looking for another Keychron model, the best Keychron keyboards.
The Keychron Q6 and the Keychron Q5 are both customizable keyboards in Keychron's Q-series. They have nearly identical build qualities, features, and appearances. However, they are slightly different sizes. The Q6 is a full-size (100%) keyboard, while the Q5 is a compact (96%) keyboard.
The Keychron Q1 and the Keychron Q5 are both customizable keyboards in the Q-series. They have a few main differences as the Q1 was the initial release in the lineup, and the design of the Q-series has changed since the release. The Q5 better reflects these changes, which include rounded PBT keycaps, an additional gasket for better feel and sound absorption, and a regular USB-C to USB-C cable as opposed to the coiled aviator cable included with the Q1.
The Keychron Q3 and the Keychron Q5 are both customizable boards in the Q-series. They're nearly identical in performance, with the biggest difference being the size. The Q3 is a TKL (80%) board, so it lacks a numpad, while the Q5 is a full-size (96%) board, so it has the numpad but loses a portion of the navigational cluster.
The Keychron Q5 and the Keychron Q5 Max are mechanical keyboards with 96% form factors. Each keyboard also belongs to wider respective Q and Q Max lineups with other size variants available. The biggest difference between these lineups is that the Q series are wired-only models while the Q Max series are wireless models that you can connect via Bluetooth or a 2.4GHz receiver. Both keyboards have layers of sound-dampening material inside the case, but the Q Max series keyboards have several additional layers the standard Q series boards lack.
Test Results
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