Tech · Keychron · 2021
Keychron Q1
A gasket-mounted aluminium board with QMK firmware, sold assembled instead of as a kit.
Overall
8.4
out of 10
Axis scores
Tech is scored on these 5 axes. The total is their plain average — nothing is weighted.
Average of 5 axes
8.4/10
- Performance
- 8.8
- Value
- 7.6
- Durability
- 9.0
- Ease of use
- 7.8
- Design
- 8.8
- 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
- Case
- CNC aluminium
- Switches
- Hot-swappable
- Firmware
- QMK and VIA
As published by the manufacturer. We didn't measure these ourselves.
Is it for you
Buy it if
- You want to remap every key without vendor software running in the background
- Typing feel is worth more to you than portability
- You expect to swap switches rather than replace the board
Skip it if
- You need it to travel — this is close to two kilograms
- Wired-only, or the wireless variant premium, is a problem
This is what the enthusiast market spent a decade building, sold in a box. Gasket mounting, a full aluminium case, screw-in stabilizers, and firmware that lives on the board rather than in a driver you have to keep installed.
It is heavy in a way that is easy to underestimate. On a desk it never moves; in a bag it is a decision. The stock keycaps and switches are the two things owners most often replace first.
Last updated . The scoring method is on how we rank.