By Why is a keyboard considered “premium”? Is it its appearance, its technical or gaming skills, or the way it feels and feels to type? Naturally, it’s all of them, in different proportions based on the model and your personal preferences. However, there is only one consideration for Keychron’s most recent keyboard: the material. It’s ceramic, too.
To the best of my knowledge, the Q16 HE is the first mechanical keyboard to use a glossy, slick ceramic material for both the keyboard body and keycaps. Given that ceramic keycaps have been offered by other vendors for a few years, the latter aspect is a crucial distinction. Keychron’s standard Q series features, including hot-swap switches, a large body, loads of RGB, and numerous simple programming possibilities, are hidden beneath that main feature. The “HE” label indicates that the magnetic switches have adjustable actuation, but it noticeably leaves out wireless and some customization. At least some gamers will find that to be a fair trade.
Another significant definition of “premium” is “pricey.” Therefore, it’s critical to assess whether the premium materials are worth the $230 higher price if money is a consideration at all. The asking price is acceptable given that comparable Q-series boards cost almost the same and that a set of ceramic keycaps alone would cost at least $100. I wish the keyboard had a rotary dial and were slightly larger than this 65% design factor. However, I suppose that increasing the size would result in an even higher price for something so specialized, and at least having the option of portability isn’t too bad.
Making the ivories tickle
Grand piano keys are heavier than the Q16 HE’s unique keycaps, which are available in black or white to further the piano concept. Naturally, they are smaller, and the keycaps are solely composed of ceramic on the top and sides. A base and stem made of plastic—possibly POM, but I won’t swear to it—are underneath. Because ceramic is too brittle to be formed into a thin stem without shattering under repeated stress, I assume that’s the reason.
Nevertheless, these are really high-end, thick keycaps; the only heavier ones I’ve tried are made of steel. And their slick coating feels special and fulfilling—”premium” in every way. They are incredibly “thocky” even though the ceramic substance never makes contact with the switch or the metal plate of the keyboard. Normally, I detest this kind of thing, but for evaluation purposes, I firmly believe that a sound test is required. Readers of bestcomputerfinder, here is my first—and hopefully last—attempt at ASMR:
In a nutshell, these keycaps are elegant. Almost anybody will like them, in my opinion, unless they’re among those who plain dislike the lengthy travel of mechanical keys and would rather use a laptop-style keyboard. The only exception is if your fingers are prone to slipping and you’re, well, not very good at typing. If so, there may be an issue with the glossy ceramic coating, which is far smoother than even the least expensive plastic. Those who struggle with dexterity or mobility may also experience this.
There aren’t enough customization choices.
Speaking of modification, the hardware of this keyboard isn’t that customizable. Because the ceramic body is one piece and drilling holes into it is difficult, you must remove the screws in the plate itself to open it, unlike other Q-series boards. One layer of foam, one of thin plastic, and another layer between the plate and the PCB are underneath. There aren’t many options, and as is typical for the series, the feet aren’t movable. Oh no.
If “software” refers to a browser-based interface, Keychron’s software customization features more than make up for the Q16 HE’s lack of hardware modification choices. Everything you require, including firmware updates, macros, lighting, mapping changes, and more, can be managed by the Keychron Launcher. As long as you don’t require any links to other programs or gaming features, I believe Keychron provides the greatest, most user-friendly, and most direct interface for this stuff.
But what about those gaming features? Compared to other adjustable actuation keyboards, they are quite limited, although I doubt many people will notice. For extremely quick settings, you can activate “rapid trigger” (also known as “snap tap”) and adjust the actuation distance for each key or just a few. Additionally, you may bind a single key to an astounding eight actions on the up or down stroke. These commands are so specific that I believe you might require superhuman abilities to use them all. Additionally, Keychron has a “Gamepad Analog” mode that allows you to simulate real analog input.
However, Keychron’s keyboard customization flaw is that, unlike the majority of Razer, Corsair, and other competitors, it is not game-specific. That’s a trade-off for the browser-based interface, to be sure, and this keyboard isn’t targeted at gamers like Keychron’s Lemokey sub-brand is (despite its absurd 8,000Hz polling rate). As a mechanical keyboard enthusiast, I would still rather have conventional switches for a lot more options, but I’m less turned off by this flaw than I would be by a particular game keyboard at this price.
Conclusion
Given those specifications, the Q16 HE isn’t a knockoff; it’s a fancy, expensive keyboard for people who want one. I won’t tell you that adding ceramic to plastic keycaps essentially alters the essence of mechanical keyboards, and I personally wouldn’t look for or spend more money on it. However, it’s a really good purchase for anyone who truly enjoys the sound and/or feel of those heavy, clacky keys and wants a whole board that goes well with them.
However, outside of the ceramic casing, there aren’t many features that set this keyboard apart from others in its price category. Additionally, because you won’t be handling the body while using it, I would seriously consider simply purchasing ceramic keycaps for your current keyboard as an alternative, particularly if you want more switch alternatives than the really small range offered by Gateron.
If you want to give a piano player a particular keyboard, I can think of one very specific scenario in which this would be a wonderful gift. That is the closest thing to perfection.
