The Keychron K3 Max is a small and versatile gadget, however can it sustain with the most well-liked boards of 2024?
The Keychron K3 Max is nearly like an murderer. It sits there, low-profile and unobtrusive, dressed largely in shades of gray. Till you faucet a key, it involves life and surprises you with its full capabilities.
Lots of the keyboards I’ve examined have been heavy or cumbersome. Numerous the time, the sturdy metallic chassis renders a keyboard impractical for swapping round units, or for journey.
The Keychron K3 Max subverts this by being light-weight, moveable, and sturdy. It additionally supplies a high-quality typing expertise.
Key specs
- Change kind: Gateron Low Profile 2.0 Mechanical
- Keycaps: PBT (Double-Shot)
- Connectivity: USB 2.0 / 2.4GHz / BT
- Kind Issue: 75%
- Lighting: White or RGB backlight choices
- Dimensions: 306 x 116mm
- Weight: 525g
- Options: QMK/VIA Programmability With Cloud Drive, Help macOS & Win, 1000Hz polling charge, low profile mechanical switches, hot-swappable switches
- Worth: $120
Execs
Cons
Small and moveable
Lacks some options
Low latency
Inaccurate for gaming
Quiet typing expertise
Design
The Keychron K3 Max sticks to a design development that’s turning into more and more widespread. It makes use of a subdued gray palette of colours for the chassis and keycaps. The only splash of coloration is the brilliant orange Escape key.
At first look, the K3 Max appears to be like like one thing that must be slotted into a bigger body. The low-profile design, with the entire lack of outer casing, makes it really feel virtually unfinished. It’s a bit disconcerting, like typing on an incomplete prototype.
There isn’t a apparent branding on the outside. Solely a USB-C port and a swap to vary between Home windows and Mac compatibility. There’s additionally a swap to vary between Bluetooth, Wi-fi, or Cable connection.
The bottom plate is constructed from aluminum, making it pleasingly sturdy. Nonetheless, the small measurement means it’s nonetheless gentle and simple to maneuver round. The Keychron K3 Max can connect with as much as three units by way of Bluetooth, which mixed with the small measurement and portability, make it a good selection for a ‘roaming’ keyboard.
Options
As soon as linked and with the hit of a key, the keyboard involves life. Each keypress generates a riot of coloration. Plain white backlighting is on the market as an possibility, however frankly, I’d take into account it a waste.
Key combos allow you to cycle by a small collection of lighting presets. There’s additionally a VIA net app that can be utilized for extra granular customization. The online app is okay, although just a little troublesome to familiarize yourself with at first.
The RGB backlight could be custom-made with as much as 18 colours and quite a lot of animation results. Keys could be remapped and Macros arrange additionally utilizing the VIA app.
Extra subtle tinkering could be achieved utilizing the QMK firmware, however that requires some stable programming data.
I used to be a bit disillusioned by the dearth of media keys and devoted Macro buttons, nevertheless. Although this may have the drawback of creating the keyboard just a little greater, the rise in performance might need been price it.
Efficiency
The Keychron K3 Max isn’t a gaming keyboard, regardless of the spectacular 1000Hz polling charge. The best way that the keys are angled and the brief journey distance meant hitting the important thing subsequent to the one I used to be urgent a bit too usually. Which, in a fast-paced sport is usually a terminal error. A minimum of it by no means misplaced an enter.
It does nicely at productiveness duties. The low-profile switches are surprisingly nice to make use of and have a pleasant motion for fast typing.
Keychron’s inclusion of acoustic foam makes typing a mushy, mild expertise. This can be a sharp distinction to the loud clickity-clack of many mechanical keyboards. You should use the K3 Max on a prepare with out inviting disapproving appears to be like.
This brings us to the primary benefit of the Keychron K3 Max. It’s small, so small it may virtually be referred to as ‘cute’, however it’s also sturdy and stable.
This makes it good for portability. That is the type of keyboard you possibly can throw in your bag to take to the workplace, or on a enterprise journey.
What I primarily ended up utilizing it for was my PlayStation 5, or for typing when utilizing my pill. The small measurement meant it tucked in properly subsequent to PS5 when not in use, and gave me a straightforward solution to discuss to my mates in Closing Fantasy XIV.
Verdict – 4/5
The primary use case for the Keychron K3 Max entails portability. On the transfer or at residence – it makes for a improbable high-quality typing expertise.
The tiny measurement and light-weight make it match properly right into a bag or any nook or cranny close to your TV or PC.
Must you purchase the Keychron K3 Max?
In case you journey loads and wish to kind on the go, the K3 Max is an outstanding selection. Likewise, in case you often want to modify between a number of units while sustaining a seamless typing expertise, the K3 Max presents this in spades.
The K3 Max has some gaming credentials, however that isn’t what this keyboard is actually for. That is an fanatic keyboard that gives a stable, high-quality expertise at an affordable $120 worth level.
It isn’t the best possible on the market, but it surely has an edge in measurement, portability, and flexibility. If that matches your necessities, then it is a keyboard for you.
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