Keychron K1 Max review: Low profile, high potential
It's not often you get a keyboard out of the box and adjust almost instantly to typing on it, but the smart layout, lightweight frame, and adjustable tilt of the Keychron K1 Max might just make it my daily work keyboard - and maybe even one I travel with. Right from the jump it feels comfortable and easy to use, and the Launcher implementation is likely to make it even more useful for power users.
It's not often you get a keyboard out of the box and adjust almost instantly to typing on it, but the smart layout, lightweight frame, and adjustable tilt of the Keychron K1 Max might just make it my daily work keyboard - and maybe even one I travel with.
Right from the jump it feels comfortable and easy to use, and the Launcher implementation is likely to make it even more useful for power users.
Images via Keychron | GGRecon
At some point in the last year or two, I became a "mechanical keyboard guy". I don't know how it happened, but I'm at all times of the day within reach of at least one mechanical keyboard. That 'thock' can't be beaten, but the Keychron K1 Max might have become my favourite low-profile version.
With a flatter layout, a relatively tiny footprint, and a lightweight chassis, it's a mechanical keyboard for people who don't usually like mechanical keyboards - and I think I love it.
GGRecon Verdict
It's not often you get a keyboard out of the box and adjust almost instantly to typing on it, but the smart layout, lightweight frame, and adjustable tilt of the Keychron K1 Max might just make it my daily work keyboard - and maybe even one I travel with.
Right from the jump it feels comfortable and easy to use, and the Launcher implementation is likely to make it even more useful for power users.
To the Max
As is tradition, the K1 Max comes in one of Keychron's all-black box, and inside you'll find the keyboard itself, some replacement keys for switching between Mac and PC configurations, a USB-C to USB-C charging cable, a wireless dongle and a key removal tool.
Once you take it out of the box, though, it becomes apparent just how sleek the K1 Max is. There's barely any unused space, but it doesn't feel cramped in the slightest. While the Q1 Max I reviewed is a hefty beast, I was able to quickly adjust to typing here with a big part of that down to the nice layout, as well as the tilt adjustment.
I connected it to my docked MacBook Air with the included dongle, but also tested it on my iPad and Windows PC via Bluetooth. Setup is simple however you want to handle it, with small switches to move between platforms and connectivity options on the top.
Rat-a-tat-tat
My review unit comes with the Brown switches which offer a comfortable typing experience with plenty of travel. Every keystroke feels deliberate, and the low-profile nature doesn't preclude decent key travel throughout.
There are plenty of keys to work with, too, and I'm glad there's a little space between the arrow keys and the keys around them. I love my K2 wireless, but this has just the right amount of breathing room for me.
A special mention for the space bar which has a really nice sound to it, and despite the lightweight chassis I didn't notice any wobble throughout the entire board while I was smashing keys during an average working day. It's also worth noting that at no point would I consider the typing experience on the K1 Max to be anywhere near loud - it's noticeable, yes, but it feels like the kind of mechanical keyboard you could take into an office
The K1 Max comes with White or RGB backlighting options, and this review unit comes with the latter. Because the keys are so close together, the lighting feels additive without feeling overbearing. I don't often type in darker rooms, but there's a certain ambience here since you can see the lighting glow without seeing the actual lights.
Do it yourself
Keychron has long been a staunch advocate of open-source customisation, and while you can still use the prior QMK web app to rebind keys, adjust lighting, and more, Keychron's own app, Launcher, is much more user-friendly.
You'll need to connect via cable, but doing so lets you adjust just about everything on the keyboard and switch between presets (or layers) on compatible boards.
It's powerful, and lets you build powerful macros on the board itself, minimising time spent digging through additionally installed menus.
The Verdict
It's not often you get a keyboard out of the box and adjust almost instantly to typing on it, but the smart layout, lightweight frame, and adjustable tilt of the Keychron K1 Max might just make it my daily work keyboard - and maybe even one I travel with.
Right from the jump it feels comfortable and easy to use, and the Launcher implementation is likely to make it even more useful for power users.
5/5
Review unit provided by the manufacturer. GGRecon uses affiliate links, if you purchase any products from our links we may earn a commission.
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