Keychron started out in 2018 with a low-profile Kickstarter keyboard and made its name with wireless boards designed around Mac users. The Q-series was its move into the kind of keyboard enthusiasts build for themselves. That means a CNC-machined aluminum case, a gasket mount, hot-swap sockets and QMK firmware, sold fully built. They came in a lot of sizes and versions, so the names can be confusing. This guide covers what each Q number means, how the wired, Pro and newer versions differ, and what to check in a listing.
The numbers are sizes
Each Q number is a different layout. These are the ones you'll see most often used.
- The Q1 is a 75% board and the one most people mean when they say Q-series.
- The Q2 is a 65%, and the Q3 is a TKL.
- The Q4 is a 60%.
- The Q5 is a 96% and the Q6 is full size.
- The Q9 is a 40%, the Q10 is a 75% Alice layout with angled halves, and the Q11 is a 75% split into two pieces.
Keychron also made a 70% Q7, a 65% Alice Q8 and a 96% Q12. Most of them came with or without a rotary knob, and many in ISO and other regional layouts as well as ANSI.
What the wired boards share
The original wired Q boards are hot-swap for three-pin and five-pin MX-style switches, so you can change switches without soldering. They run QMK firmware, which you can remap in Keychron's Launcher web app, and they have south-facing RGB lighting. Keychron's own announcement for the Q1 highlighted screw-in stabilizers and sound-absorbing foam. Most of the wired boards use a gasket mount and a steel plate. The Q11 is the exception, with a tray mount and the plate built into the case.
They're heavy. Keychron lists the Q1 Version 2 at about 1,825g fully assembled, the Q2 at about 1,645g and the Q3 at about 2,000g. A Q board won't slide around your desk.
Switches and keycaps
Most wired Q boards shipped with Gateron G Pro switches in Red, Blue or Brown, with double-shot PBT keycaps in Keychron's OSA profile. Later Q1 stock also offered Keychron K Pro switches, including K Pro Banana. Keychron says the K Pro switches are factory lubed, except the Blue.
Because swapping is so easy, plenty of used Q boards no longer have their original switches or keycaps. That can be a bonus if the owner fitted something good. Ask for photos of the actual switches with a keycap pulled, not the box art.
Wired, Pro, Max and HE
The Pro versions, such as the Q1 Pro, Q2 Pro, Q3 Pro and Q5 Pro, add Bluetooth to up to three devices and a built-in 4,000 mAh battery. They ship with K Pro Red, Brown or Banana switches, KSA-profile double-shot PBT keycaps and a polycarbonate plate. Keychron rates the battery at up to 300 hours.
The Pro boards don't have 2.4 GHz wireless. That arrived with the later Max versions, like the Q1 Max, which offer 2.4 GHz, Bluetooth and wired. The Q1 HE uses magnetic Hall-effect switches with actuation you can set anywhere from 0.2 to 3.8 mm, plus rapid trigger. It has 2.4 GHz and Bluetooth too, though Keychron rates its battery at up to 100 hours, against 300 for a Pro. Those turn up in searches too, so check the full name in the listing title.
Plates, profiles and parts
Keychron sold spare parts for the Q boards, so a used one may not be stock inside. For the Q1 alone it sold plates in aluminum, brass, FR4 and polycarbonate, and an acoustic upgrade kit for the Q1 and Q1 Pro. A different plate changes the feel and sound, so ask the seller whether the board has been opened and what was changed. If they kept the original plate, it should come with the board.
The keycap profile differs between versions too. The wired boards came with OSA-profile keycaps and the Pro boards with KSA-profile keycaps, both double-shot PBT. If you're planning to keep the stock keycaps, compare photos of the two before you choose. The Q1 was also sold in a Japanese JIS layout, which needs different keycap sets from the ANSI board.
Q1 Version 1 and Version 2
Keychron sells the Q1 under two names, Version 1 and Version 2, and the switch and keycap options differ between them. The Version 2 came with a choice of knob or no knob. If the version matters to you, ask the seller which one it is, or look for it on the box.
What to check in a used Q board
- Check that the listing includes switches and keycaps. Keychron sold barebone versions without either.
- Ask which switches are fitted, and whether any were swapped or lubed.
- Ask for a short video of the space bar, Enter, Backspace and Shift. The stabilizers should sound clean with no rattle.
- Run every key on a key tester, or ask the seller to. Every key should register once.
- On a Pro, ask how long a charge lasts now. The battery is built in, so check it before you buy.
- If there's a knob, ask the seller to turn it both ways on video. It should step cleanly and press in.
- Check the layout. ANSI, ISO and JIS boards were all sold, and keycap sets differ.
Which one we'd buy
For a first Q board we'd buy a wired Q1, Q2 or Q3, picked on size, and spend the difference on switches you like. Pick the Q4 or Q9 if you want a really small board, and the Q5 or Q6 if you need a numpad. If you use more than one computer, a Pro is worth having for the Bluetooth. If you want 2.4 GHz for gaming, look for a Max. For lighter, plastic versions of the same idea, look at the Keychron V series, such as the V2. Our best used 65% guide compares the Q2 with other small boards, and you can browse every Q listing we track.
