I spend a few hours a day pounding away on a keyboard, and for the past couple of years, my default brand has been Keychron. If you spend lots of time entering text on a physical keyboard, then spending $200 may be pretty easy to justify. For the past few weeks, the Keychron Q5[1] has been serving as my primary keyboard, with its dedicated number pad and rotating knob setting this one apart from past keyboards I've tried.
The Keychron Q5 is an 1800 layout that is 96% of a full-size keyboard. The 1800 layout is not that common as it is designed to pack in as many keys as possible into a smaller area, saving you about an inch of space when compared to a full-size keyboard. I'm perfectly happy getting rid of a bit of dead space to optimize the size for functionality and have been enjoying the unorthodox design.
Keyboard hardware
The Keychron Q5 keyboard connects to your computer through its USB-C port with a grey Keychron-branded USB-C to USB-C/A included in the retail package. An OS switch is found at the top, next to the USB-C port, so that you can optimize the keyboard for Windows or MacOS. I do not have a MacOS computer, so I only tested the Q5 with Windows 10.
The operating system switch is next to the USB-C port
The keyboard is constructed by CNC machined 6063 aluminum, with a hefty weight of 5.09 pounds (2,310 grams). While I prefer lighter Bluetooth keyboards when I move my keyboard between workstations, keyboards that connect via cables should be heavy and immobile. With a lovely stable platform, the Keychron Q5 can remain in place when typing and gaming.
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