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  1. Home
  2. Keyboard
  3. Compare
  1. Table of Contents
  2. Top
  3. Main Differences
  4. Design
    1. Dimensions
    2. Build Quality
    3. Ergonomics
    4. Hardware Customizability
    5. Backlight Features
    6. Backlight Clarity
    7. Cable & Connector
    8. Wireless Versatility
    9. Macro Keys And Programming
    10. Extra Features
    11. In The Box
  5. Typing Experience
    1. Typing Quality
    2. Typing Noise
    3. Switches
    4. Keystrokes
    5. Latency
  6. Performance
    1. Single-Key Latency
    2. Multi-Key Latency
    3. Data Transmission
    4. Chord Split
  7. Software and Operating System
    1. Configuration Software
    2. Computer Compatibility
    3. Wireless Mobile Compatibility
  8. Comments

Keychron Q1 vs Keychron K8 Pro [K2 Pro, K3 Pro, K4 Pro, etc.]

Side-by-Side Comparison

Products

Keychron Q1
Keychron K8 Pro [K2 Pro, K3 Pro, K4 Pro, etc.]

Tested using Methodology v1.0

Updated Dec 01, 2023 05:08 PM

SEE PRICE
Amazon.com

Tested using Methodology v1.3.1

Updated Apr 08, 2025 04:39 PM

SEE PRICE
Amazon.com
Keychron Q1 Picture
Keychron K8 Pro [K2 Pro, K3 Pro, K4 Pro, etc.] Picture
ConnectivityWired
Size
Compact (75%)
Mechanical
Yes
ConnectivityWireless
Size
TenKeyLess (80%)
Switch Type
Mechanical
N-Key Rollover (NKRO)
Yes
Hot-Swappable Switches
Yes

Variants

  • Q1 (Carbon Black)
  • Q1 (Navy Blue)
  • Q1 (Space Grey)
  • K10 Pro (100%)
  • K5 Pro (Low Profile) (100%)
  • K9 Pro (Low Profile) (60%)
  • K12 Pro (60%)
  • K6 Pro (65%)
  • K7 Pro (Low Profile) (65%)
  • K14 Pro (70%)
  • K2 Pro (75%)
  • K3 Pro (Low Profile) (75%)
  • K1 Pro (Low Profile) (80% (TKL))
  • K13 Pro (Numpad) (80% (TKL))
  • K8 Pro (80% (TKL))
  • K4 Pro (96%)
  • K17 Pro (Low Profile) (96%)

Review

See Keychron Q1 Review
See Keychron K8 Pro [K2 Pro, K3 Pro, K4 Pro, etc.] Review
2 
5 

Our Verdict

Keychron Q1

Keychron K8 Pro [K2 Pro, K3 Pro, K4 Pro, etc.]

The Keychron Q Series and the Keychron K8 Pro [K2 Pro, K3 Pro, K4 Pro, etc.] are both mechanical keyboard lineups from the manufacturer Keychron. The Keychron Q1, a compact 75% size keyboard, was the first release in the Q Series. Overall, the Q Series boasts superior build quality with its gasket-mounted design and solid aluminum case. In contrast, the K Pro Series consists of wireless keyboards that support multi-device pairing via Bluetooth and feature a tray-mounted design. Both series are highly customizable, are compatible with the VIA companion software, and have hot-swappable PCBs.

0 

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Carbon Black
Q1
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100%
K10 Pro
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Navy Blue
Q1
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100%
K5 Pro (Low Profile)
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Space Grey
Q1
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60%
K9 Pro (Low Profile)
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60%
K12 Pro
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65%
K6 Pro
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65%
K7 Pro (Low Profile)
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70%
K14 Pro
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75%
K2 Pro
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75%
K3 Pro (Low Profile)
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80% (TKL)
K1 Pro (Low Profile)
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80% (TKL)
K13 Pro (Numpad)
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80% (TKL)
K8 Pro
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96%
K4 Pro
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96%
K17 Pro (Low Profile)
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Read more

Main Differences for
Gaming

Threshold 

0.10

Gaming 

8.6
8.2

Pre-Travel 
 

2.6 mm
2.3 mm

Latency 
 

7.4
8.3

Operating Force 
 

49 gf
57 gf

Full Comparison

Design

Dimensions 
 

Top Picture  

Keychron Q1 Top Picture
Keychron K8 Pro [K2 Pro, K3 Pro, K4 Pro, etc.] Top Picture

Size 
 

Compact (75%)
TenKeyLess (80%)

Height 
 

1.7" (4.4 cm)
1.7" (4.3 cm)

Width  

12.9" (32.7 cm)
14.1" (35.8 cm)

Depth 
 

5.7" (14.5 cm)
5.1" (13.0 cm)

Depth With Wrist Rest 
 

N/A
N/A

Weight 
 

3.62 lbs (1.642 kg)
2.95 lbs (1.336 kg)
Show Text 

Build Quality 
 

9.0
8.5

Build Quality Close Up  

Keychron Q1 Build Quality Close Up
Keychron K8 Pro [K2 Pro, K3 Pro, K4 Pro, etc.] Build Quality Close Up

Keycap Material  

ABS
PBT
Show Text 

Ergonomics 
 

6.0
6.0

Side Picture  

Keychron Q1 Side Picture
Keychron K8 Pro [K2 Pro, K3 Pro, K4 Pro, etc.] Side Picture

Curved/Angled 
 

Straight
No

Split Keyboard 
 

No

Key Alignment 
 

Staggered

Minimum Incline 
 

5.2°
4°

Medium Incline 
 

N/A
8°

Maximum Incline 
 

N/A
10.5°

Home Row Height 
 

35.5 mm (1.4")

Wrist Rest  

No
Show Text 

Hardware Customizability 
 

10

Customizability Overview  

Keychron K8 Pro [K2 Pro, K3 Pro, K4 Pro, etc.] Customizability Overview

Replaceable Cherry Stabilizers 
 

Yes

Stabilizer Fixation 
 

Screw-in

Spacebar Stabilizer Size 
 

6.25u

Size Of Right Mod Keys 
 

1.25u

Hot-Swappable Switches 
 

Yes

Switch Stem Shape 
 

Cherry MX Style

Switch PCB Socket 
 

5-pin Cherry

North-Facing Cherry MX Interference 
 

No
Show Text 

Backlight Features 
 

9.6
10

Backlighting Picture  

Keychron Q1 Backlighting Picture
Keychron K8 Pro [K2 Pro, K3 Pro, K4 Pro, etc.] Backlighting Picture

Brightness Max  

Keychron Q1 Brightness Max
Keychron K8 Pro [K2 Pro, K3 Pro, K4 Pro, etc.] Brightness Max

Backlighting  

Yes
Yes

Brightness Min  

Keychron Q1 Brightness Min
Keychron K8 Pro [K2 Pro, K3 Pro, K4 Pro, etc.] Brightness Min

White Shot 
 

Keychron Q1 White Shot
Keychron K8 Pro [K2 Pro, K3 Pro, K4 Pro, etc.] White Shot

RGB 
 

Yes

Per-Key Backlighting 
 

Yes
Yes

Effects 
 

Yes
Yes

Software Controllable 
 

Yes
Yes

Color 
 

RGB

Color Mixing 
 

Poor
Show Text 

Backlight Clarity 
 

4.0

White Shot  

Keychron Q1 White Shot
Keychron K8 Pro [K2 Pro, K3 Pro, K4 Pro, etc.] White Shot
Show Text 

Cable & Connector  

Connectivity  

Wired
Wireless

Detachable 
 

Yes (Wired Only Keyboard)
Yes (Wired Mode and Charge)

Length  

5.9 ft (1.8 m)
3.9 ft (1.2 m)

Connector (Keyboard side) 
 

USB type-C
USB type-C
Show Text 

Wireless Versatility 
 

0.0
10

Bluetooth 
 

No
Yes

Bluetooth Multi-Device Pairing 
 

No
3

Proprietary Receiver 
 

No
No

Battery Type 
 

No Batteries
Rechargeable
Show Text 

Macro Keys And Programming 
 

4.0

Dedicated Macro Keys Count  

0

Onboard Macro Programming 
 

No

Macro Programming With Software 
 

Yes
Show Text 

Extra Features 
 

Extra Features  

Keychron Q1 Extra Features
Keychron K8 Pro [K2 Pro, K3 Pro, K4 Pro, etc.] Extra Features

Media Keys 
 

Hot Keys
Non-Dedicated

Trackpad / Trackball  

No
No

Scroll Wheel 
 

No
No

Control Knob 
 

No

USB Passthrough 
 

No
No

Numpad  

No
No

Windows Key Lock 
 

No
No

Lock Indicator  

No Indicator
Caps Lock

Macro Programmable Keys 
 

All
Show Text 

In The Box  

Bundle Picture  

Keychron Q1 Bundle Picture
Keychron K8 Pro [K2 Pro, K3 Pro, K4 Pro, etc.] Bundle Picture
Show Text 
Typing Experience

Typing Quality 
 

8.5
8.0

Key Spacing 
 

19.0 mm (0.748")
Show Text 

Typing Noise 
 

10
4.3

Typing Sample  

Average Loudness 
 

55.9 dBA

High Pitch Clicks 
 

Yes

Noise 
 

Very Quiet
Show Text 

Switches 
 

Wobble Video  

Switch Name 
 

Gateron Phantom Brown
Gateron G Pro Blue

Switch Type 
 

Mechanical

Feel 
 

Tactile
Clicky

Analog 
 

No
Show Text 

Keystrokes 
 

Key Switch Actuation Graph  

See details on graph tool
See details on graph tool

Key Switches 
 

Gateron Phantom Brown
Gateron G Pro Blue

Mechanical 
 

Yes

Feel 
 

Tactile
Clicky

Operating Force 
 

49 gf
57 gf

Actuation Force 
 

39 gf
43 gf

Pre-Travel 
 

2.6 mm
2.3 mm

Total Travel 
 

4.0 mm
4.5 mm
Show Text 

Latency 
 

7.4
8.3

Latency Video  

Latency Wired 
 

11.1 ms
9.8 ms

Latency Receiver 
 

N/A
N/A

Latency Bluetooth 
 

N/A
19.9 ms
Show Text 
Performance

Single-Key Latency 
 

7.4
8.3

Single-Key Latency Graph  

See details on graph tool

Best Connection 
 

9.8 ms

Best Connection Std Dev  

±1.0 ms

Wired 
 

11.1 ms
9.8 ms

Receiver 
 

N/A
N/A

Bluetooth 
 

N/A
19.9 ms

PCB (Estimated) 
 

6.6 ms
Show Text 

Multi-Key Latency 
 

8.0

Latency Video  

Multi-Key Latency Graph  

See details on graph tool

Connection Evaluated  

Wired

Key Press 
 

9.9 ms

Key Release 
 

12.9 ms
Show Text 

Data Transmission 
 

8.2

Multi-Key Raw USB  

Keychron K8 Pro [K2 Pro, K3 Pro, K4 Pro, etc.] Multi-Key Raw USB

Connection Evaluated  

Wired

USB Polling Rate 
 

1,000 Hz

Effective Update Rate 
 

1,000 Hz

N-Key Rollover (NKRO) 
 

Yes

Multiple Keys Per USB Report 
 

No
Show Text 

Chord Split 
 

8.8

Chord Split Graph  

See details on graph tool

4 Chord Split Delay 
 

3.3 ms

8 Chord Split Delay 
 

10.8 ms
Show Text 
Software and Operating System

Configuration Software 
 

Software Picture  

Keychron Q1 Software Picture

Software Tour  

Software Name  

VIA
VIA

Software Windows Compatible 
 

Yes
Yes

Software macOS Compatible 
 

Yes
Yes

Onboard Memory 
 

Yes
Yes

Profiles 
 

6+
6+

Account Required 
 

No

Cloud Sync 
 

No

Macro Programming 
 

Software

Ease Of Use 
 

Easy
Show Text 

Computer Compatibility 
 

8.2
10

Windows 
 

Full
Fully Compatible

macOS 
 

Full
Fully Compatible

Linux (Ubuntu 22) 
 

Full
Fully Compatible

Media Key Compatibility 
 

Windows, MacOS & Linux

Android  

No
Fully Compatible

iOS  

No
Fully Compatible

iPadOS  

No
Fully Compatible
Show Text 

Wireless Mobile Compatibility 
 

10

Android 
 

No
Fully Compatible

iOS 
 

No
Fully Compatible

iPadOS 
 

No
Fully Compatible

Media Key Compatibility 
 

Android, iPhone & iPad
Show Text 

Check Price

Carbon Black
Q1
Searching
Finding store
100%
K10 Pro
Searching
Finding store
Navy Blue
Q1
Searching
Finding store
100%
K5 Pro (Low Profile)
Searching
Finding store
Space Grey
Q1
Searching
Finding store
60%
K9 Pro (Low Profile)
Searching
Finding store
 
60%
K12 Pro
Searching
Finding store
 
65%
K6 Pro
Searching
Finding store
 
65%
K7 Pro (Low Profile)
Searching
Finding store
 
70%
K14 Pro
Searching
Finding store
 
75%
K2 Pro
Searching
Finding store
 
75%
K3 Pro (Low Profile)
Searching
Finding store
 
80% (TKL)
K1 Pro (Low Profile)
Searching
Finding store
 
80% (TKL)
K13 Pro (Numpad)
Searching
Finding store
 
80% (TKL)
K8 Pro
Searching
Finding store
 
96%
K4 Pro
Searching
Finding store
 
96%
K17 Pro (Low Profile)
Searching
Finding store
Back to Top

Keychron Q1

Keychron K8 Pro [K2 Pro, K3 Pro, K4 Pro, etc.]

Comments

  1. Comparison
 • Posted 1 year ago

Keychron Q1 vs Keychron K8 Pro [K2 Pro, K3 Pro, K4 Pro, etc.]: Main Discussion

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