Keychron K1 Max Ultra Slim Wireless USB Custom TKL Ergonomic Keyboard

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1. Keychron K1 Max Ultra Slim: In Depth + C3 Pro Comparison Verified Buyer – 7 January 2025

   As the owner of a Keychron K1 v5 (not pro or max), I was excited to finally get my hands on the K1 Max. Unfortunately, the materials, build quality, and typing experience is better on the cheaper K1. Keychron makes a lot of keyboards and even offers a lot of variants of the same model. In the case of the K1 line, there are 3 versions, each offering progressively more features. Then each version can be ordered with different options. So the very cheapest, will have white backlighting, Bluetooth, ABS keycaps, and non-hot swappable switches. As you move up, you can option RGB, QMK/VIA support- and in the case of the Max version, 2.4G wireless. On one hand, it’s nice to have choices, but on the other, it can be hard to find the one you want in stock. Bottom line is that you have to get a fully loaded Max to get the same features that usually come standard with competitive keyboards. The Good: – Hot swap, low profile keyboard in the popular TKL layout – Adjustable angle (not available on the lowest end K1) – QMK/VIA customization – It’s got a wireless dongle!!!! – PBT keycaps (though there’s some reports that they shine up like ABS after a short while) – Modifier keycaps for MacOS preinstalled (includes Windows-specific replacements) – Physical switch to change between Mac/Windows mapping – Professional looking keyboard that won’t raise eyebrows in an office The Not So Good: – Spacebar stabs are a bit loose and wobbly – Typing experience is good, but not great- and actually worse than the v5 – The LSA profile keycaps block a lot of the backlighting, much prefer the chicklet style on the v5 – Keycaps are not shine-through like the ones on the v5 – Backlighting is weak and some backlight controls are poorly documented. For instance, fn+e/d to change color and fn+r/t to adjust saturation. – No storage for the wireless dongle – Plastic case construction- v5 has an all-aluminum case. Note: many plastic keyboards are fantastic, but it’s surprising to find the top of the line in plastic and the entry level in aluminum in this case. I really like Keychron as a brand and they are easy to recommend. However, the Max has all the bells and whistles, but falls short- especially when compared to the cheaper v5. For whatever reason, Keychron has been slow to the 2.4G wireless dongle party and only offers it on their Max variants. I’ve attached a couple photos to this review comparing the K1 Max to the K1 v5 and Logitech G515.