Keychron Q1: the perfect entry-level custom keyboard

No other keyboard available at digitec Galaxus feels as good to type on as the Keychron Q1. After all, no keyboard in the range offers such a flexible typing feel. It’s clad in anodised aluminium and has a hot-swap board that lets you replace the buttons quickly and easily. Unfortunately, the keyboard doesn’t sound good. Nevertheless, it is better than its rival, the GMMK Pro.

A soft typing feel thanks to Gasket Mount

The Q1 is a so-called gasket-mount keyboard. Its circuit board includes the cover plate onto which the keys are mounted, all clamped between the upper and lower parts of the housing. Polyurethane foam seals at the top and bottom provide grip and that flexible typing feel.

The Q1 has a 75 per cent form factor. Compared to a full-size keyboard, you do miss the number pad and a few navigation keys.

I received a US keyboard layout for testing. It comes optionally with switches and keycaps. The CH version is only available as a so-called barebone, without buttons and keycaps. You’ll have to get those yourself. I therefore won’t discuss the keycaps in this review. The Gateron Phantom Red keys, however, deserve some attention.

This model comes in Carbon Black, Navy Blue and Silver Grey. The CNC-milled housing and anodising are very high-quality. Due to the materials used, the keyboard with switches and keycaps included weighs over 1650 grams. But thanks to the indentations on the side, it can still be easily lifted and moved.

Scope of delivery and features

The keyboard is compatible with Mac and Windows. You activate the corresponding system via a switch on the back left. Right next to it there’s the USB-C port for PC connections. The Q1’s scope of delivery includes keycaps for Mac and Windows. Besides the keyboard, a coiled spiral connective cable, a key cap and button puller for removing components, and screwing tools are included.

The spiral cable is a nice addition. However, the workmanship isn’t really top. The spirals are uneven and the cable feels a bit clunky. It reminds me of my first home-made spiral cable.

The key cap puller and screwing tool serve their purpose. However, if you plan on swapping switches more frequently, I’d recommend a different switch puller. This one makes removing buttons a true pain. The following switch puller from Gateron is ingenious.

Like most homebrew keyboards, the Q1 has a fixed typing angle at 5 degrees. At the front, the Q1 is 21 millimetres high. If you’re used to flat keyboards, Keychron offers a matching wooden palm rest.

A look inside

The hot-swap board is back! Thanks to it, you can quickly and easily change the keyboard switches.

The LEDs located below the switches on the board face south. This means that light from the LEDs only shines through directly at the bottom of the switch. Consequently, keycaps with transparent lettering aren’t evenly illuminated. This is because the majority of inscriptions are located in the upper area of the key cap. In exchange, the Q1 is compatible with all key cap profiles. If LEDs face north, they’re usually incompatible with Cherry keycaps.

The installed stabilisers are Keychron’s own creation. Stabilisers, well, stabilise big keys such as Enter or the space bar. My test sample came pre-lubricated, so the keycaps rattled less when typing.

If you own the CH version, you need to unscrew it to plug in the switches. I explained why in this article. So I’m opening the keyboard for this review.

You open the Q1 using eight screws on the bottom. The PCB and cover plate are sandwiched between the upper and lower parts. Its board is connected by a cable to a sister board. The USB-C port and protection against electrostatic discharges are located on it. Just this sister board enables the Q1 to have that flexible typing feel. When you press down the Q1 from above, the cover plate and PCB move up to 2.5 millimetres. If the USB port were on the motherboard, this wouldn’t be possible.

Maximum flex distance depends on the insulation material used inside the keyboard. Keychron includes two insulation mats: a thinner one around one millimetre and a thicker one around three. They’re on top of each other out of the box. Thus, the Keychron almost doesn’t flex at all. For this review, I relied exclusively on the thin mat. The thicker one hardly insulates more, and I want maximum flex.

Once I’d removed the board and cover plate from the case and freed it from all switches and screws, I separated both mats. Between them again lies insulation material.

Finally, at long last, switches that aren’t Cherry

My Q1 sample has Gateron Phantom Red switches installed. They’re linear switches that Keychron has developed with Gateron. Linear switches don’t provide feedback. Gateron puts the required release force at 45 grams. The switches are triggered at 2 millimetres, the total key drop is 4 millimetres. Furthermore, these switches are lubricated mechanically.

Compared to switches from Cherry, the Phantom Reds feel and sound way less scratchy. This is also due to the fact that they come pre-lubricated. The so-called spring ping, a noise that occurs when the installed spring retracts, is also barely audible. Overall, I liked the keys a lot.

Unfortunately, Phantom Reds are already no longer available in the store. An alternative could be the Phantom Yellows. Apart from the colour, they differ from the red switches in their release force. It’s 55 instead of 45 grams, so they’re a little harder to activate.

The greatest typing feel of any keyboard tested so far, but poor acoustics in return

The typing feel on the Q1 is intoxicating. When hitting the keys, the whole construction gives slightly. On the one hand, I tire less quickly, and on the other, it makes typing feel more organic. The keyboard reacts and sways with my input. I only ever get that feeling from my home-made keyboards.

Unfortunately, that great typing feel is contrasted by the sound. The Q1’s casing clearly produces reverb when typing. A bright, noticeable pinging noise. Just listen yourself:

The stabilisers are also suboptimal. They rattle easily despite the lubrication. Nevertheless, they’re a lot better than the stabilisers on most prefabricated keyboards. And as the Q1 is quickly disassembled, you can easily mod or replace the stabilisers.

Software and settings

The Q1 is compatible with VIA and QMK. QMK stands for Quantum Mechanical Keyboard. It’s an open source online tool that you use to make firmware for compatible keyboards. Simply put, you use it to programme key bindings, macros and the illumination of your keyboard. You then place it on the keyboard using the new firmware. VIA is an app that lets you change key mappings without having to place the firmware on the keyboard each time. However, the app is based on QMK.

While I usually struggle with programs from large manufacturers, QMK and VIA always work flawlessly. Of course, you can also personalise the Q1 via hardware commands with the Fn key. An included quick start guide shows you the most important key combinations.

Better than the GMMK Pro

The Q1’s direct competitor is the GMMK Pro from Glorious. And it does a lot better than its rival. With VIA and QMK support, the keyboard can be programmed without any problems. In contrast, the proprietary Glorious Core software of the GMMK Pro has its bugs. Also, the gasket mount implementation on the Q1 is very good. It provides a flexible typing feel. This isn’t the case with the GMMK Pro, it’s very stiff. In terms of sound, the Q1 has the opposite problem of the GMMK Pro: it reverberates when typing and the case’s ping noise is clearly audible. The GMMK Pro, on the other hand, sounds muffled even without damping. You do have to do without the rotary knob on the Q1. However, a version with this knob included should follow soon.

Verdict: the best keyboard in our store (so far)

In the Q1, Keychron delivers a nearly perfect entry-level DIY keyboard. Its pricing is very attractive at 189 francs for just the barebone set. The GMMK Pro, the second-best comparable DIY keyboard in that range, costs 200 francs or more depending on the model.

Overall, I prefer the Q1 to the GMMK Pro. The keyboard already makes a good impression out of the box. It’s even more fun to mod. For that reason alone, the Q1 is the perfect custom keyboard gateway drug. I can recommend it to everyone who wants to try out a home-made keyboard. Find out how I modded the Q1 in my next post.