Keychron Q1 Pro Review: The Ultimate Mechanical Keyboard?

In today's video, I tested the highly anticipated Keychron Q1 Pro! As a brand making waves in the mechanical keyboard world, Keychron has released its latest offering, promising an unmatched typing experience for keyboard enthusiasts and casual users alike. Join me as I explore the Q1 Pro's features, build quality, and performance to determine if it's worth the investment.

Here's what you can expect from this in-depth review:

📌 Unboxing and first impressions of the Keychron Q1 Pro
📌 A detailed look at the design, build quality, and aesthetics
📌 An overview of key features, including hot-swappable switches, customizable knob, RGB lighting, and QMK/VIA compatibility
📌 A breakdown of switch options and the typing experience
📌 Software customization walkthrough
📌 A balanced discussion of pros and cons
📌 Final thoughts on pricing, value for money, and recommendations

Whether you're an avid mechanical keyboard fan or just looking to level up your typing experience, this review will provide valuable insights to help you make an informed decision. Don't forget to like, comment, and subscribe for more tech reviews and content!

⌚️ Timestamps 👀
[00:00] - Introduction
[01:14] - Materials & weight
[01:54] - Layouts, Configurations, & Colors
[03:33] - Switch Options and Typing Experience
[05:01] - Software Customization
[05:34] - Pros and Cons
[07:34] - Conclusion and Pricing
[08:06] - Outro
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[ItsCaputo]

Is the Q1 Pro on your shortlist of keyboards for consideration? If not, what keyboard are you considering?

[B_M_A]

I got one of these, I've been anti Keychron after experiencing two of my buddies. This one didn't really impress me. For $200-220 that it is now there's zero PE switch foam, the plate/pcb foam is the cheapest you can possibly get and it's the exact same "foam" material used in incredibly cheap keyboards. Not quality Poron. Moving to the bottom of the case we find even more low quality foam, this foam is VERY porous and very thin at around 1-2mm thick, if that, this foam sheet is stuck onto this plastic sheet of paper basically and then also stuck onto the bottom of the case, you try to remove either of them you leave insanely sticky residue behind. I assume this is just to separate the PCB from likely touching something in the bottom of the case BUT this keyboard still pings out of the box as it comes lol.

Moving on to the stabilizers, they are trash. They look very cheap and they rattle very cheap. They use incredibly viscous lube AND the wires are not tuned.

You WILL be able to visibly see machining marks and visible defects from the factory, This Q1 Pro has small silicone pads that sit between the top of the case and the bottom of the case to remove some of the pinging. All of my pads were half hanging off and semi ruined because of the top housing being clamped down onto them when they weren't seated correctly and there's quite a lot of extra sticky residue / tape hanging off of them that they just stick to the side of the case.

To make this keyboard into something decent you need to be willing to spend another $100-150 on aftermarket stuff on top of the $200+ you will already be paying for the board, quality stabilizers, quality Poron PE foam and PCB foam and I also prefer POM plates over the PC that they use as its much more smooth to type on.

Keychrons switches are terribly lubed / drenched in some type of oil and lots of it, their Browns do not even feel tactile because of this. The only positives I have about the board is 1) The connectivity / features of the board IE: Bluetooth & Gasket mounted 2) Their KDA keycaps seem to be decent quality and they do feel nice in that orientation.

Take a look on KBDfans at the Tofu60 2.0 or the Tofu65 2.0. These kits are $200-230 to your door and you get quality EVERYTHING. Literally, everything is included other than switches and keycaps. 2-3 different ways to mount the pcb in the case, comes with stabilizers, quality poron pcb foam, PE foam, case foam, tools, stabilizer shims and the fit and finish is premium and you feel like you got your money's worth..

I feel most Keychron boards should be about $50-100 less than what they sell them for MSRP and after experiencing four Keychron boards from all of their different tiers I simply cannot recommend them to friends or others just because there's much better options out there for the price that are either good as is or will be night and day better for minimal money spent.

[Falcrist]

Picked up a Q5 pro today, and so far I'm loving the Q# Pro design choices.
Normally I go for 60% keyboards and use caps lock as a function key along with IJKL as an arrow cluster to keep my hands on the home row. I've gotten so used to this that I have trouble with non-programmable keyboards where I can't actually use that layout.
It feels bad having the redundancy of a numpad, but after around a decade of using 60% layouts, I'm just faster with a full numpad than I am with the number keys in the main cluster.
I like the weight, and aside from that weight, this keyboard is the polar opposite of my normal daily driver: the Model F reproduction (F77).
I love both of these keyboards for completely different reasons.

[stoyanvisuals]

Mate you must be pressing those buttons like a mad man! On mine the flex is barely visible when I am typing. Only when I press the knob it flexes like yours. :D I absolutely love this keyboard it is definitely one of the best out there!

[thestreamreader]

You can use Jelly double sided tape on the spacebar to emulate same sound as the Nuphy ghostbar.

[Digable.]

After being in the hobby awhile, I feel the only reason to buy Keychron anymore is if you want QMK/VIA. There are now several options at the price point that I would consider a better buy than a Q1 Pro including the Q1 V2 wired. High latency BT doesn't cut it for me, just my .02

[AlledThundes]

I know this one is not a super popular one but i'd like to see what you think about the Q11 or how many alternatives are for it.

[Juspeem]

Seems really great, going to definetly get it. I love the wireless function and that i can get it with the iso layout.

[max_s]

Hey Michael great vid! Where can i buy your desk pad from its cool

[touchflyaway]

thanks for the video, I received mine a week ago, and I absolutely love it. One small issue happened to me twice was the BT connection drop out when switching computers too often, but it worked fine after reset. Also, palm rest is a good addition since the keyboard is high plus the high profile key caps, my wrists feel uncomfortable after long time typing.

[madscientist-mb]

I have the carbon black but switched out the keycaps for a cherry profile. I couldn't get used to the high profile. They look good though.

[clarkcant]

Other than wireless, how does this differ from the non pro? Thought you said you'd discuss that.

[pepebvelez]

Does the Keychron OEM keycaps fit this keyboard?

[meal_team_six]

I love the colorway but couldn't stand the keycap profile (BOY THEY BE TALL!) - so I had to switch out for cherry mx profile keychron artic white keycaps. Much better!

[haomingli]

Why did you put "ultimate" in the title?

[innovativeadvertising]

Based on the article title and your comment, it seems like you're interested in finding the ultimate mechanical keyboard. While the Keychron Q1 Pro is a popular choice, I'd also recommend considering the HOTO Compressed Air Capsule for keeping your desktop clean and dust-free. Its powerful vacuuming and blowing capabilities make it the perfect tool for maintaining a spotless environment.

[madd]

your nitpicking is your own preference. That's not objective.

[farasey]

Mike! First, it was your video about the ipad mini and 9th gen that spoke to me a few months ago. And now thisI I got the Q1 Pro myself today. I also have the Q11....it's split in half and a great entry into ergo boards because you can put it together like a normal board anytime. I also have a Q0, K3, K4, K7 and K11. And a NuPhy Air75. I've got a bit of a problem. I really like the Keychron brand over all and would have to say my favorite board so far is the K7 because it's so portable and an easy adjustment from using my laptop all the time. But the coolest one has to be the Q11; not only because of the split but because of the design tool it's almost built like a low profile board. I'm working on a review that I'll post thru my alter ego @KeebHoarder.