Keychron Q16 HE 8K

Keychron says it has developed more than 40 keyboards, and that after successive work on switches and speed it concluded the next step had to come from design. Its answer is ceramic. According to the maker, the Q16 HE 8K uses ceramic not only for the keycaps but for the case as well, which it calls a world first. The company highlights a cool touch, a smooth surface and a deep, balanced "thocky" sound, and claims ceramic resists wear and corrosion better than plastic, holding its gloss and colour over years of use.

Material and sound

The maker says the ceramic parts are produced with a die-casting process for more consistent shape and precision than conventional ceramic, using a sintering technique in which clay and organic materials are fired at high temperature. Inside the case, layers of custom acoustic foam are said to absorb unwanted high-frequency noise for a softer, deeper sound profile. Keychron also notes a caveat: the ceramic is slightly less hard than glass and can be scratched by hard objects.

Magnetic switch performance

At the core is a tunnel magnetoresistance (TMR) sensor, which the maker says offers higher sensitivity, faster response and better reliability than conventional Hall effect sensors. Actuation is adjustable from 0.1mm to 3.35mm in 0.01mm steps, and Dynamic Rapid Trigger resets keys with 0.01mm precision rather than at a fixed reset point. Keys can also carry up to four actions assigned by press depth, such as walking on a light press and running on a full press.

• 8000Hz polling rate (input every 0.125ms), described as 8 times faster than a 1000Hz keyboard
• Key scanning of up to 256,000 times per second
• Snap Click, which prioritises the more deeply pressed of two keys; the maker warns it is banned in some competitive games such as CS2 and Apex Legends, with a risk of account suspension
• Browser-based Keychron Web Configurator with no software install, covering remapping, profiles, macros, Rapid Trigger and RGB, with settings stored on the keyboard
• Hot-swap sockets for magnetic switches
• Pre-lubed plate-mounted stabilizers on larger keys
• North-facing backlight with 22+ dynamic effects and per-key colour
• Physical Mac/Windows toggle, plus Linux support

Layout and ergonomics

The Q16 HE 8K uses a 65% layout and a 5° typing angle, and weighs about 37oz (1,060g), which the maker says keeps it stable on the desk. Keychron also says the ceramic surface diffuses light to reduce backlight hotspots. According to the campaign, ISO versions (UK, German, Italian, Spanish, Nordic and Swiss) are planned, with colours to be decided by a survey, and backers would choose ANSI or ISO in a post-campaign survey.