Keychron Q5 Max [Q1 Max, Q2 Max, etc.] Keyboard Review

These keyboards are available in various sizes. We bought and tested the Keychron Q5 Max, which has a compact (96%) form factor. It has most of the keys of a full-size keyboard save for several navigation cluster keys. It also has conventional spacing between keys, so typing doesn't feel cramped. However, the individual key zones, like the arrow keys and the Numpad, are closer together.

Other size variants include the full-size Keychron Q6 Max or even smaller models like the TKL (80%) Keychron Q3 Max or (75%) Keychron Q1 Max. For a list of variants, see the Differences Between Variants section.

These keyboards have amazing build quality overall. The case is made of solid aluminum and exhibits no deck flex whatsoever. Inside the case, these keyboards have a polycarbonate plate and a double gasket-mount design, which incorporates two separate sets of rubber gaskets sandwiched between components. This mounting style helps reduce felt vibrations and contributes to a softer, more cushioned-feeling typing experience with a bit more rebound.

Besides the layers of acoustic dampening material that come standard on Keychron Q and Q Pro series boards, the Q Max models have several additional layers. These include an IXPE foam layer between the plate and the PCB, a latex pad directly under the PCB, and PET film that sits just above the final layer of acoustic foam.

The switches and stabilizers come pre-lubed from the factory, and the keycaps are made of high-quality, doubleshot PBT plastic. The keycaps also have a slightly textured finish, so they don't feel slippery to the touch.

There are four rubber feet on the underside that do a good job of keeping the board firmly in place while you type without sliding.

Unfortunately, while the stabilizers provide good stability for the larger keys, they also sound and feel noticeably inconsistent and make a faint rattling sound (or, in the case of the spacebar, a higher-pitched clicking sound), depending on where you're pressing the keycap. This video demonstrates this issue on several keys, including the spacebar.

This is a minor issue and may not be something you notice if you're not sensitive to noise inconsistencies or if you tend to strike larger keys in the same place. Furthermore, we expect you can fix this issue if you're interested in re-lubing or replacing the stock stabilizers on affected keys.

This issue may be more acute on the specific unit we bought and tested. If you have this keyboard and want to share your build-quality experience with us, we encourage you to reach out in the forums.

These keyboards offer acceptable ergonomics. They have quite a tall profile, and unlike many other Keychron keyboards, they don't have flip-out feet to provide additional incline options.

Using these keyboards with a supportive wrist rest will provide the best ergonomic experience. There isn't a wrist rest included in the box, but Keychron sells wrist rests separately on their website here.

These keyboards offer exceptional hardware customizability. Note that on some size variants in the Q max lineup, including the Keychron Q5 Max we reviewed, the right-side modifier keys are 1u-sized rather than the relatively more common 1.25u. Some other size variants in the wider Q Max series have standard 1.25u-sized right-modifier keys.

These boards also have South-facing LEDs, which offer the advantage of compatibility with a wider range of aftermarket keycap sets. However, this also significantly impacts how visible the backlighting is if you're interested in using shine-through keycaps.

These keyboards have full RGB backlighting and individually lit keys. You can customize backlighting brightness and effects directly on the keyboard or using VIA configuration software.

If you're interested in a similar wireless mechanical keyboard but with significantly brighter RGB lighting and an additional RGB strip that wraps around the edges of the keyboard, check out the NuPhy Halo96/Halo75 V2.

These keyboards provide poor backlighting clarity. The keycaps don't have shine-through legends, and the PCB has south-facing LEDs. This means that even if you swap the stock keycaps for keycaps with shine-through legends, the legends likely won't be visible in dark rooms. For reference, we've taken a photo with several stock keycaps replaced with shine-through keycaps.

The Gateron Jupiter switches that come stock with this keyboard have LED diffusers, which produce a softer backlighting effect compared to most other switches with LED lighting.

These keyboards come with a braided USB Type-C to Type-C cable, which retains some kinks from its packaging. If your computer doesn't have a USB-C port, a USB-C to USB-A adapter is also included in the box.

At the time of writing, all keyboards in the Q Max series (except for the Keychron Q0 Max) have 4000 mAh-sized batteries. Keychron advertises the Q5 Max has a wireless working time of up to 180h with backlighting off and up to 100h with backlighting on its lowest setting.

Keychron doesn't explicitly state the connection type used to produce these estimates, but we expect they reflect the maximum battery life using a Bluetooth connection. Using a 2.4GHz connection provides superior stability and performance at the cost of battery life.

For the best wireless performance with a 2.4GHz connection, you can use the cable as an extender for the wireless receiver by using the USB-C to USB-A adapter.

Some of the keyboards in the Q Max lineup have dedicated macro keys, including the Q5 Max we tested. For more details, see the Differences Between Variants section above.

At the time of writing, nearly all keyboards in the Q max lineup have a programmable knob, which adjusts media volume by default and toggles mute when pressed.

These keyboards also have a pair of switches on the top of the keyboard, one of which toggles between connectivity modes and the other toggles between Windows/Android and Mac/iOS compatibility modes.

In Windows mode, the media keys are secondary, hotkey functions. However, in Mac mode, the F7 - F12 keys act as dedicated media keys, while their F functions are on the second layer.

There's a list of hotkey combinations detailed in the user documentation included in the box. You can also reference a list of hotkeys in the digital user manual available on Keychron's website here.

• USB-C to USB-C charging cable
• 2.4GHz USB-A receiver
• 2.4GHz USB-C receiver
• Extension adapter for receiver
• Alternate Windows keycaps (2x Alt keys and 1x Windows key)
• 2x Extra rubber feet
• 2x Extra rounded adhesive stickers
• 2x Extra gaskets
• 4x Extra Philips screws
• 2x Extra hex screws
• Hex key
• Screwdriver
• Keycap and switch puller
• User documentation

These keyboards provide excellent typing quality out of the box. They have a double gasket-mounted design, which lends a soft, almost springy feel to typing compared to standard tray-mount designs. Several layers of sound-absorbing material inside these boards contribute to a less pingy, even-sounding experience.

Key spacing is standard. The keycaps are made of doubleshot PBT plastic with a pleasant, slightly textured finish.

Nearly all keyboards in the Q Max series, including the Q5 Max we tested, have KSA (Keychron spherical-angle) profile keycaps. These KSA keycaps have a semi-spherical-shaped dish on top that centers your fingers comfortably while typing, but they're also noticeably taller than OSA or standard OEM keycaps found on most pre-built mechanical keyboards. They also have slightly more steeply angeled curves between key rows. You can see an image from Keychron's website comparing KSA, OEM, and Cherry profiles here.

Some size variants in the Q Max lineup have Cherry profile keycaps. For more details, see the Differences Between Variants above.

These keyboards have fairly stable alphanumeric keys with only minimal wobble that isn't noticeable while typing. The stabilizers are factory-lubed and provide good overall stability on larger keys, but there's a small degree of occasional rattling noise.

The typing noise of these keyboards with stock Gateron Jupiter Banana switches is fairly quiet and unlikely to bother those around you.

You can also buy these keyboards with Gateron Jupiter Brown switches, which we expect to produce a very similar volume, and Gateron Jupiter Red switches, which we expect to be slightly quieter.

We bought and tested this keyboard with tactile Gateron Jupiter Banana mechanical switches. You can also buy this keyboard in tactile Gateron Jupiter Brown or linear Gateron Jupiter Red switches.

Gateron Jupiter switches have Nylon bottom housings and clear upper housings. They also come pre-lubed from the factory and have LED diffusers producing a softer backlighting effect than most of Gateron's other switches.

If you're interested in a similar keyboard but with analog Hall effect switches that allow you to adjust the actuation and reset distance of individual keys, Keychron Q1 HE.

We bought the Keychron Q5 Max with Gateron Jupiter Banana switches. These are moderate-weight switches with a tactile point that appears fairly early during travel. They also have a two-stage spring that produces a more active, robust return travel compared to other tactile switches.

We recorded an unusual amount of switch-to-switch inconsistency, as seen in the actuation graph above. It's also worth pointing out that we didn't encounter this issue with the Keychron Lemokey L3 we recently tested with the same switches. You can see an actuation graph of the Gateron Jupiter Banana switches on the Keychron Lemokey L3 here for comparison. As such, this could be an issue with the batch of switches on the Keychron Q5 Max we bought and tested.

This switch variability wasn't noticeable when typing at regular speed and didn't negatively impact the typing quality. However, these small inconsistencies may irritate you if you're particularly sensitive to irregularities in switch-to-switch feeling.

You can also buy this keyboard with tactile Gateron Jupiter Brown switches, which are more lightweight with a later tactile bump, or linear Gateron Jupiter Red switches, which are more lightweight and don't have any tactile bump to overcome.

These keyboards provide remarkably good single-key latency performance and are well-suited for playing games in all genres at a casual or competitive level.

These keyboards offer excellent multi-key latency performance. They have low press and release results, making them good choices for playing games requiring you to make keypresses while already pressing and maintaining multiple keys.

These keyboards have a maximum polling rate of 1000Hz, and data transmission isn't bottlenecked by other latency components when connected wired or wirelessly via their 2.4 GHz receivers.

Using a Bluetooth connection limits the maximum polling rate to 125Hz, which is normal and expected.

The keyboard enables six-key rollover (6KRO) by default, but you can toggle full N-key rollover (NKRO) with the Fn+N hotkey.

These keyboards deliver good overall chord split performance, making them viable choices for playing rhythm games or other titles that demand many simultaneous inputs.

These keyboards use QMK firmware and VIA software for configuration. You can download and install the VIA software app for Windows, macOS, or Linux on Keychron's product page here. Alternatively, you can use a web-based version while your keyboard is connected here.

The VIA software has a straightforward layout and allows you to customize a range of expected settings, including key assignment, backlighting, and macros. You can save custom settings as profiles onto your keyboard's onboard memory.

These keyboards are fully compatible with Windows, macOS, and Linux. There's a switch on the top edge that toggles between Windows/Android and Mac/iOS compatibility modes. There's also a set of alternative Windows keycaps included in the box.

On Linux systems, with the toggle set to Mac mode, the brightness functions and the FN+F3 hotkey do nothing, but all other functions work as expected.

These keyboards are fully compatible with Android, iOS, and iPadOS.