Keychron Q6 Max: Two-minute overview
The Keychron Q6 Max is a premium mechanical keyboard that doesn’t come low-cost. However nor ought to it, contemplating what number of high-quality options Keychron has managed to cram into it. You’ll pay a fairly penny, however this can be a board that provides you with years of typing satisfaction.
From the rock-solid aluminum building and ear-pleasing acoustics to the excellent typing really feel and hot-swappable switches, this can be a keyboard made for many who need one of the best. Its giant measurement isn’t for everybody, however likelihood is you’ll like it.
Whereas there are a number of drawbacks – other than the value, its software program quirks and phenomenal weight are price contemplating – they’re not sufficient to do any severe harm to our closing evaluation. This is among the finest mechanical keyboards you should buy proper now.
Keychron Q6 Max: Value & availability
- How a lot does it price? $219 / £193 / $349 AUD
- When is it obtainable? Out there now
- The place are you able to get it? Out there globally
The Keychron Q6 Max prices $219 (£193 or $349 AUD). It’s undoubtedly costly, however that is an unashamedly premium board. You should purchase it from Keychron’s web site, Amazon, and different third-party retailers.
Keychron Q6 Max: Design
Let’s get straight into the very first thing you’ll discover in regards to the Keychron Q6 Max upon unboxing it: this factor is constructed like an absolute tank. Its chassis is produced from heavy, dense aluminum, weighing in at 4.85lbs (2.2kg) on my scales. It’s far too heavy to sling round in a backpack, and I’m actually undecided if it might be extra correct to characterize it as a keyboard or an offensive weapon. All that weight isn’t essentially a nasty factor, although, because it feels extremely effectively made and is a far cry from a budget plastic builds of extra inexpensive keyboards.
Its high quality is felt in different methods. The keycaps are manufactured from double-shot PBT plastic, which provides them a refined texture and signifies that the legends won’t ever rub off. They arrive in a fully attractive off-white and navy blue “Carbon Black” design with teal highlights on the Esc and Enter keys (there’s a creamy grey various colour scheme, however I solely have eyes for Carbon Black). It seems to be even higher with the south-facing RGB enabled, which comes with 22 totally different lighting kinds.
It is a full-size keyboard, which suggests there’s a numpad and 4 macro keys on the right-hand facet. That is excellent if you happen to work with information or identical to having the numbers near your mouse hand, however it may get in the best way, particularly throughout gaming.
Nestled on the finish of the perform key row is a management knob. By default, turning it adjusts your pc’s quantity and urgent it in mutes or unmutes your sound. Its perform will be adjusted utilizing Keychron’s Launcher internet app, which I’ll come again to within the Efficiency part.
Across the again are two switches: one to flip between Bluetooth, wired or 2.4GHz connectivity, and one other to vary from Home windows to macOS keyboard layouts (there are additionally Home windows and macOS-specific keycaps within the field). These switches are fairly stiff, and the previous is especially problematic as a result of it’s very tough to search out the center (wired) place. They might even be simpler to entry in the event that they had been on the facet of the keyboard, as is the case with a few of Keychron’s different merchandise.
There aren’t many different issues to criticize in regards to the design, however a wrist relaxation could be a welcome addition (you should purchase a Keychron wrist relaxation individually, however none come included with the Q6 Max). You can also’t modify the peak of the board, and I needed to wedge a skinny e-book beneath to get it to the peak I’m used to. With its present weight, maybe it’s no shock that the Q6 Max lacks height-adjustable toes or stands.
Keychron Q6 Max: Efficiency
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Some of the vital features of any keyboard is the best way it feels to kind on, and the Q6 Max is great on this regard. My overview unit shipped with Gateron Jupiter Brown switches, which offer a tactile bump with out being loud and clicky. They really feel good to kind on all day lengthy. I additionally didn’t discover any points with key ghosting in my testing.
As for gaming, the Q6 Max performs fairly effectively right here too. The Jupiter Brown switches are quick sufficient in FPS video games for all however essentially the most hardcore of professional players, whereas remaining snug throughout lengthy periods. The principle subject, although, is the numpad, which may get in the best way of your mouse sometimes.
The Q6 Max has hot-swappable switches that may be shortly and simply changed due to the included keycap/change puller. My overview unit got here with a set of tactile Gateron Jupiter Banana switches in addition to the Browns, they usually really feel firmer to the contact and require somewhat extra drive to press. In addition they produce a really barely deeper, extra “thocky” sound. Keychron says the Q6 Max will work with nearly any 3-pin and 5-pin MX-style switches in the marketplace, supplying you with quite a lot of flexibility and customization.
Other than really feel, how does the keyboard carry out acoustically? Nicely, the excellent news is that the Q6 Max sounds unbelievable in use. Keychron has inbuilt a double-gasket mount and stuffed the board with acoustic foam, and the result’s a smooth, clacky acoustic profile that’s satisfying to the ear with out driving your coworkers mad.
Keychron has a Launcher internet app that faucets into the board’s QMK compatibility and is used to regulate backlighting, create macros, change key bindings, and extra. It requires the keyboard to be in wired mode and solely works in Chromium primarily based browsers like Chrome and Edge, which is lower than excellent. You may as well use the VIA internet app to carry out most of the similar duties. Whereas these internet apps are highly effective and easy, they really feel like a half-baked answer in comparison with a devoted desktop app.
As an illustration, these internet apps can’t show the keyboard’s battery life, so it’s a must to look elsewhere for that. You’ll discover it on the system Bluetooth settings web page in Home windows and macOS, or by urgent Fn+B, which lights up the numbers one to zero to point battery degree (every key represents 10%). Having to open a special app to search out out your battery standing feels sub-optimal, though the keyboard shortcut is a neat trick.
Must you purchase the Keychron Q6 Max?
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| Worth | There’s a distinction between costly and overpriced, and the Keychron Q6 Max is the previous however not the latter. It’s expensive, however you completely get what you pay for. | 4.5/5 |
| Design | The Keychron Q6 Max is very customizable, seems to be superb, and is filled with top-quality options. | 5/5 |
| Efficiency | Lovely typing really feel and sweet-sounding acoustics. | 5/5 |
| Common ranking | When you’re after a full-size keyboard and don’t need to compromise on high quality, the Keychron Q6 Max is an outstanding selection. | 5/5 |
Purchase the Keychron Q6 Max if…
Don’t purchase it if…
Keychron Q6 Max: Additionally contemplate
How I examined the Keychron Q6 Max
I spent every week with the Q6 Max, utilizing it as my day by day driver for every little thing from writing articles to enjoying video games. I modified out its switches to see how simple the method was, and examined Keychron’s internet app and QMK/VIA performance.
First reviewed November 2024
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