Keychron Q6 Max consider: Prime quality administration
Keychron Q6 Max: Two-minute consider
The Keychron Q6 Max is a premium mechanical keyboard that doesn’t come low value. Nonetheless nor must it, considering what variety of high-quality choices Keychron has managed to cram into it. You’ll pay a reasonably penny, nonetheless this could be a board that provides you years of typing satisfaction.
From the rock-solid aluminum constructing and ear-pleasing acoustics to the excellent typing actually really feel and hot-swappable switches, this could be a keyboard made for a lot of who want the simplest. Its large dimension isn’t for everyone, nonetheless chances are you’ll adore it.
Whereas there are only a few drawbacks – aside from the worth, its software program program quirks and phenomenal weight are worth considering – they’re not adequate to do any extreme hurt to our remaining analysis. That is doubtless one of many most interesting mechanical keyboards you can purchase correct now.
Keychron Q6 Max: Value & availability
- How so much does it worth? $219 / £193 / $349 AUD
- When is it obtainable? Obtainable now
- The place can you get it? Obtainable globally
The Keychron Q6 Max costs $219 (£193 or $349 AUD). It’s undoubtedly pricey, nonetheless that’s an unashamedly premium board. You can purchase it from Keychron’s site, Amazon, and completely different third-party retailers.
Keychron Q6 Max: Design
Let’s get straight into the very very first thing you’ll uncover regarding the Keychron Q6 Max upon unboxing it: this issue is constructed like an absolute tank. Its chassis is constructed from heavy, dense aluminum, weighing in at 4.85lbs (2.2kg) on my scales. It’s far too heavy to sling spherical in a backpack, and I’m really not sure if it may very well be further right to characterize it as a keyboard or an offensive weapon. All that weight isn’t basically a nasty issue, though, as a result of it feels extraordinarily properly made and is a far cry from a funds plastic builds of additional moderately priced keyboards.
Its prime quality is felt in several strategies. The keycaps are fabricated from double-shot PBT plastic, which provides them a fragile texture and implies that the legends will not ever rub off. They arrive in a very engaging off-white and navy blue “Carbon Black” design with teal highlights on the Esc and Enter keys (there’s a creamy gray completely different shade scheme, nonetheless I solely have eyes for Carbon Black). It seems to be like even larger with the south-facing RGB enabled, which comes with 22 completely completely different lighting sorts.
This could be a full-size keyboard, which suggests there’s a numpad and 4 macro keys on the right-hand side. That’s final while you work with data or much like having the numbers close to your mouse hand, nonetheless it would get in the way in which wherein, notably all through gaming.
Nestled on the end of the carry out key row is a administration knob. By default, turning it adjusts your laptop computer’s amount and pressing it in mutes or unmutes your sound. Its carry out shall be adjusted using Keychron’s Launcher web app, which I’ll come once more to inside the Effectivity half.
Throughout the once more are two switches: one to flip between Bluetooth, wired or 2.4GHz connectivity, and one different to range from Dwelling home windows to macOS keyboard layouts (there are moreover Dwelling home windows and macOS-specific keycaps inside the discipline). These switches are pretty stiff, and the earlier is very problematic because of it’s very troublesome to hunt out the middle (wired) place. They could even be less complicated to entry within the occasion that they’ve been on the side of the keyboard, as is the case with a number of of Keychron’s completely different merchandise.
There aren’t many various points to criticize regarding the design, nonetheless a wrist leisure may very well be a welcome addition (you should buy a Keychron wrist leisure individually, nonetheless none come included with the Q6 Max). You can even’t alter the height of the board, and I wanted to wedge a thin e e-book beneath to get it to the height I’m used to. With its current weight, perhaps it’s no shock that the Q6 Max lacks height-adjustable toes or stands.
Keychron Q6 Max: Effectivity
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A few of the important factors of any keyboard is the way in which wherein it feels to form on, and the Q6 Max is excellent on this regard. My consider unit shipped with Gateron Jupiter Brown switches, which provide a tactile bump with out being loud and clicky. They actually really feel good to form on all day prolonged. I moreover didn’t uncover any factors with key ghosting in my testing.
As for gaming, the Q6 Max performs pretty properly proper right here too. The Jupiter Brown switches are fast adequate in FPS video video games for all nonetheless basically essentially the most hardcore {of professional} gamers, whereas remaining cosy all through prolonged courses. The first concern, though, is the numpad, which could get in the way in which wherein of your mouse generally.
The Q6 Max has hot-swappable switches which may be shortly and easily modified due to the included keycap/change puller. My consider unit received right here with a set of tactile Gateron Jupiter Banana switches along with the Browns, they normally actually really feel firmer to the contact and require considerably further drive to press. Moreover they produce a extremely barely deeper, further “thocky” sound. Keychron says the Q6 Max will work with almost any 3-pin and 5-pin MX-style switches within the market, supplying you with an extreme quantity of flexibility and customization.
Aside from actually really feel, how does the keyboard perform acoustically? Properly, the good news is that the Q6 Max sounds implausible in use. Keychron has inbuilt a double-gasket mount and stuffed the board with acoustic foam, and the result is a fragile, clacky acoustic profile that is satisfying to the ear with out driving your coworkers mad.
Keychron has a Launcher web app that taps into the board’s QMK compatibility and is used to manage backlighting, create macros, change key bindings, and additional. It requires the keyboard to be in wired mode and solely works in Chromium based totally browsers like Chrome and Edge, which is decrease than final. You can also use the VIA web app to hold out plenty of the same duties. Whereas these web apps are extremely efficient and easy, they actually really feel like a half-baked decision as compared with a loyal desktop app.
For instance, these web apps can’t present the keyboard’s battery life, so it is essential to look elsewhere for that. You’ll uncover it on the system Bluetooth settings net web page in Dwelling home windows and macOS, or by pressing Fn+B, which lights up the numbers one to zero to level battery stage (each key represents 10%). Having to open a particular app to hunt out out your battery standing feels sub-optimal, although the keyboard shortcut is a neat trick.
Should you buy the Keychron Q6 Max?
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| Value | There’s a distinction between pricey and overpriced, and the Keychron Q6 Max is the earlier nonetheless not the latter. It’s expensive, nonetheless you fully get what you pay for. | 4.5/5 |
| Design | The Keychron Q6 Max could be very customizable, seems to be like excellent, and is full of top-quality choices. | 5/5 |
| Effectivity | Gorgeous typing actually really feel and sweet-sounding acoustics. | 5/5 |
| Widespread rating | If you happen to occur to’re after a full-size keyboard and don’t want to compromise on prime quality, the Keychron Q6 Max is an impressive different. | 5/5 |
Buy the Keychron Q6 Max if…
Don’t buy it if…
Keychron Q6 Max: Moreover have in mind
How I examined the Keychron Q6 Max
I spent each week with the Q6 Max, using it as my on daily basis driver for the whole thing from writing articles to having fun with video video games. I modified out its switches to see how easy the strategy was, and examined Keychron’s web app and QMK/VIA efficiency.
First reviewed November 2024
