There aren’t many compact wireless mechanical keyboards on the market but the Keychron K2 is one of the best there is. It’s probably (according to me and several other reviewers) the best compact mechanical keyboard for Apple devices as well.
What’s special about this Kickstarter Funded Keyboard? Well for starters it can be used on both Mac, Android or Windows devices. It can also be used Wired or Wireless and it has a massive battery capacity. One charge will last an age! It has a huge (for a keyboard anyway) 4000mAh battery.
I’m using it on a Mac mini at the minute, I’ve swapped from a generic logitech bluetooth one and it’s miles better! Mac users often get a rough deal when it comes to third party peripherals, they are either insanely expensive or just not that good! Have a quick search on Amazon, the results aren’t inspiring at all. The Keychron K2 is an exception to this generally true assumption.
Suggested Reading:
The Keychron K2 featured in this article is also featured in a blog detailing the best keyboards for software development and coding. Be sure to check out out.
A wireless mechanical keyboard for Mac:
The Keychron K2 has a long list of features and it nails them all. It has almost every feature you could want from a compact mechanical keyboard. It’s stylish, compact and highly accurate. The proof is in the pudding, I’m writing this review using the K2 right now. Before we go any further into the review, let’s take a look at the full list of features.
Keychron K2 Specifications:
Ten keyless 84-key keyboard
Mac setup with Control, Option, and Command keys
RGB Backlit, with 18 options.
Plastic or Aluminium body
Gateron Switches
Replaceable curved keycaps
Dedicated printscreen button
4000mAh battery
Angled feet to use as a stand
Wired and wireless (Bluetooth) capability
Switch between a max of three Bluetooth devices
USB-C
Includes USB-C cable
Mac/iOS and PC modes
How does it perform:
Design:
It was designed and built by Keychron. The team has over 20 years of experience in the Keyboard industry and it shows. It’s sleek, beautifully designed and the build quality is exceptional. The keyboard comes bundled with some added extras such as the key removal tool. This allows you to replace some of the grey keycaps with an orange one to add a bit of colour (not that you need it if you are making use of the RGB backlighting).
Overall, I really like the design and it looks at home on my white desk. I can imagine in most cases it’ll look best in ultra clean setups.
Design Score: 8
Battery Life:
The K2’s battery life is said to last around 15 active hours, this means actively typing with the RGB or White backlight on. It’s rated at 4000 mAh. You can double the battery life if you turn the backlight off. Keep that thought in the back of your mind if you have a long commute and need to get a lot of work done. You don’t want the battery running out especially if you forget to bring the included charging cable with you.
Switch off the auto-sleep feature and the battery life will be diminished somewhat. I’ve disabled it due to the nature of my work, I’m back and forth to my desk and I don’t want the hassle of re-connecting the bluetooth each time.
I’ve had the pleasure of using the K2 for around 5 days now and I’ve not charged it once yet. It gets top marks from me for battery life.
Battery Life Score: 10
Typing:
This is also where the K2 excels. The typing experience is a joy!
For me, typing is all about accuracy, noise and feedback. I’m using the K2 with Gateron blue switches. Gateron blue switches are all about a nice loud click and some great tactile feedback. That feedback helps to determine if I’ve pressed the key correctly and the audible cue gives me another indication as to how I’m doing in terms of typing speed. I just hope the noise isn’t too loud that it starts to annoy my colleagues working at the desk next to me!
At first I thought the keyboard could benefit from a wrist support. However, I’ve since thought about it a bit more and decided that it isn’t really needed and it’d take away from the ‘charm’ of this great compact mechanical keyboard.
Typing Score: 8
Complaints:
During my research phase of writing this review I stumbled upon another reviewer that had a few complaints. I don’t feel those complaints are warranted at all, in fact, it’s complaining for complaining’s sake.
For example, the reviewer suggested that the toggles on the side of the keyboard (to change between wired or bluetooth etc) are far too small. My view on this is that you’ll probably be only using it either on bluetooth or wired and not switching between the two very often. The text is quite small but again, you’ll only really be looking at the side of the board when you are using the included USB-C cable to charge it.
Summary:
Forgetting it’s wireless or wired abilities, the K2 is a brilliant keyboard from a purely functional perspective. This keyboard is able to stand on it’s own in the market. I’m sure it’ll be very popular among gamers, casual users and typing professionals.
The Keychron K2 Mechanical is available in an ABS plastic or aluminum variants. You’ll get a choice of three Gateron switch types. Blue, Brown or Red. You can buy the US model from our shop by clicking here.
The UK model will be available late January pre-order to secure yours now.
EDIT 25/02/20: UK versions just arrived! Link
A full Windows configuration review of the Keychron K2 Mechanical can be found over at CodeWithMike.com
Have you recently bought a mechanical keyboard for the first time? We’d love to hear your thoughts on what it was like making the switch. Let us know in the comments below.
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