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Tech · Keychron · 2019

Keychron K2

Years on, still the board most people get pointed to for a first mechanical keyboard.

Layout is the guess no keyboard lets you take back — #2

Overall

8.2

out of 10

Axis scores

Strongest on Value (8.8), weakest on Performance (8.0), a 0.8-point spread. The 8.2 overall is the plain average of all 5 Tech axes, with no weighting.

Keychron K2 — axis scores out of 10Horizontal bar chart of editorial scores out of 10 across 5 axes. Bars run from a shared zero baseline; longer is better. Keychron K2: Performance 8.0, Value 8.8, Durability 8.0, Ease of use 8.2, Design 8.0.PerformanceKeychron K2 — Performance 8.0 out of 108.0ValueKeychron K2 — Value 8.8 out of 108.8DurabilityKeychron K2 — Durability 8.0 out of 108.0Ease of useKeychron K2 — Ease of use 8.2 out of 108.2DesignKeychron K2 — Design 8.0 out of 108.0Editorial score out of 10 — higher is better
  • Performance — How well it does the core job
  • Value — What the same money buys elsewhere
  • Durability — Failure and fade reports past the one-year mark
  • Ease of use — Setup, daily operation, cleaning, maintenance
  • Design — Build quality and how it sits in a room

Specs

Layout
75 percent
Connection
Bluetooth and USB-C
Switches
Hot-swappable on current revisions

As published by the manufacturer. We didn't measure these ourselves.

Is it for you

Buy it if

  • Your first mechanical keyboard, without committing to a build
  • You switch between a Mac and a PC on the same desk
  • Arrow keys and a delete key are non-negotiable

Skip it if

  • You want a low-profile board — the front height is tall without a wrist rest
  • Per-key firmware customisation matters to you

Two sets of keycaps ship in the box, Mac and Windows, and a physical switch changes modes between them. Few boards work properly on a desk that has both machines on it; this one does. Bluetooth handles three devices, and the cable is there when latency matters.

Layout explains why it has been the default first mechanical keyboard recommendation for years. Switches have little to do with it. A 75 percent arrangement keeps the function row and the arrow keys, the two things people miss immediately on smaller boards, while dropping the number pad. Losing the pad moves your mouse closer to your body and takes strain off the shoulder over a full day.

Current revisions are hot-swappable. A chattering switch becomes a fifteen-second fix instead of the end of the keyboard, which materially changes the board’s long-term prospects. Older revisions were soldered, so the version matters when buying used.

The recurring complaint is height. The front edge sits tall enough that typing without a wrist rest angles the hands upward, and most owners end up buying one. Factor that into the purchase instead of discovering it in week two. The optional wooden rest Keychron sells is the usual answer.

Plastic is the main thing separating the case from the aluminum boards above it. It flexes slightly under heavy typing and the sound is hollower. Neither is a problem so much as a reminder of what the price difference buys.

Last updated . The scoring method is on how we rank.