Keychron is finest recognized for its mechanical keyboards, and it’s the prime decide in our information to the finest mechanical keyboards, however not everyone seems to be a fan of the big, loud clicky keys. If you’re the kind of one who likes flat, chiclet-style buttons which are quiet and comfy, Keychron has lastly made a pair of keyboards for you. The B1 Pro and B6 Pro are tender, fashionable, and finest of all, cheap.
The Keychron B6 Pro ($45) is a full-size keyboard with flat, nearly Macbook-like keys, that may join by way of Bluetooth, a 2.4-Ghz wi-fi dongle, or straight by way of USB-C. Meanwhile, the B1 Pro ($40) is sort of equivalent, however in a 75 % keyboard structure that lops off the numpad and compresses all the way down to solely the important keys.
This is Keychron’s first foray into the ultra-slim, low-profile realm of scissor change keyboards, and based mostly on my time testing them, it’s a wonderful begin.
Familiar, With Finesse
Photograph: Eric Ravenscraft
I’ve pressed rather a lot of wildly assorted buttons to make our information to the finest keyboards, and I’ve been utilizing the Logitech MX Keys S as my day by day driver for some time. After swapping it out for the Keychron B6 Pro, I nearly didn’t discover the distinction. They have very equally formed keys and structure, and the B6 Pro was delightfully snug to kind on.
The scissor switches on the B6 Pro are surprisingly springy and felt only a contact extra resistive than the MX Keys S, however in a approach that felt satisfying. Part of what I like about full-size mechanical keyboards is how punchy it feels to kind on them, and I’m impressed that Keychron has managed to provide an analogous really feel to such a low-profile board.
Connecting the B6 Pro to my laptop was comparatively easy. There’s a bodily change alongside the prime proper that swaps between Bluetooth, 2.4Ghz, and wired connections. When in Bluetooth mode, there are three profiles you possibly can swap between by holding down Fn and urgent 1, 2, or 3.
This is a bit more clumsy than the approach, say, Logitech handles swapping profiles. On my MX Keys S, there are devoted keys to swap between three gadgets, and people profiles aren’t restricted to Bluetooth. Still, the B6 Pro had greater than sufficient choices to connect with my laptop computer and desktop and swap between them with a easy bodily change.
Along the prime of the keyboard, there’s a small ridge that has a tiny lip round it. At first, I believed this was simply an aesthetic aptitude, however the first time I grabbed the keyboard to regulate its place on my desk, I noticed one thing: This little lip gave me a bit further grip, making it snug to slip round as wanted. It’s a wonderful little contact that I’ve discovered myself wishing different keyboards had.
Photograph: Eric Ravenscraft
Satisfying, in a Smaller Package
The B1 Pro is just like the B6 Pro, however in a satisfyingly compact kind. It’s about an inch wider than the keyboard on my laptop computer, and skinny sufficient to toss in my bag. It has the very same connectivity choices as the B6 Pro, however I discovered that this was a bit extra helpful in a keyboard that was sufficiently small to journey with. I don’t want to attach my desktop keyboard to different gadgets too usually, however a journey keyboard is a distinct story.
My one gripe is that the bodily change’s center place—which serves double responsibility as the wired choice when related and the off place when it’s not—is a bit too simple to knock to at least one facet or the different. On a desktop that’s not an enormous challenge, however once I toss this keyboard in my laptop computer bag, I fear {that a} jostle will by accident flip it. It’s not an enormous challenge, but it surely’s mildly annoying to me.
