desertcart.com: Keychron K4 HE – 96% Compact Hall Effect Wireless
Mechanical Keyboard with Number Pad, Magnetic Switch, Rapid
Trigger, Custom RGB, QMK/VIA, 2.4GHz/BT5.2/Wired, for
Mac/Windows/Linux, Wood Frame, Black : Electronics
Review: Absolutely Perfect and near silent - My old mechanical
was too loud to game while my wife and baby were sleeping. Sound
was a huge factor and I took a leap on this one. Videos I watched
it sounded pretty loud but it is almost dead silent!! The
features are perfect, rapid trigger is a game changer and the A D
key instant strafe is a game changer for FPS games. You can quick
peak corners flawlessly. This is the best gaming purchase I have
made, maybe ever. I used to have a Corsair K70 and typing on that
sounded like someone was throwing handfuls of marbles down
concrete stairs. The keys are hot swappable, the key caps on the
special edition have a nice soft rounded feel which I love over
my old sharp corner ones that dig into your fingers. Key
actuation can be anywhere from just looking at the key and it
triggers, down to a full bottom out key press. You can make it so
the key instantly stops triggering the moment the key moves
vertically which is great for movement keys but I had to adjust
it for the shift and space bar keys since I found out my pinky
lifts ever so slightly when sprinting in game and I kept
canceling my sprint on accident. If you are thinking about buying
this keyboard, do it! Heck even buy it if you aren't considering
it. I type an average of 90WPM and it took a second to get used
to this over my trash prior board but now I can type faster and
with less errors since I don't have to press the key all the way
down and just literally just lightly tap the keys to type. There
is near infinite combos of sensitivity and features. The RGB
shine through on the letters on the keys is pretty dim, it's more
of a backlit keyboard than light up keycaps but I'm sure you
could get different caps to change that if you wanted to.
Personally I don't look at the keys often and just leave back
light off but to each their own. Build quality is phenomenal, the
weight is substantial and feels quality but not heavy, and the
online web browser software had me worried but it actually works
perfectly. Heck it works 100% better than my Corsair keyboards
installed ICUE software could ever dream of. The software changes
things instantly and doesn't need to be saved after every change,
just open it, adjust, and close chrome. I couldn't imagine a
better keyboard and now I don't need to. 100/100 no notes
Review: Phenomenal performance and value - TLDR: If you can adapt
to the extremely compact layout of the K4 HE, I believe it
provides the best value and would highly recommend. I returned
this and chose the Q5 HE. While the keyboard was one of the best
I've tried (comparisons below), the numpad/arrow key layout felt
too cluttered, hurting accuracy and typing speed, and
unfortunately I just couldn't adapt to it. If there was adequate
spacing (ASUS ROG Scope II 96 managed this with the same
dimensions), I would have kept this over the Q5 HE despite the
inferior build quality since it's a great value. Note: I tested
both editions—Standard and Special—and very much preferred the
Standard edition for the textured/matte Cherry profile RGB keys
over the lower contrast/opaque OSA profile keys of the Special
Edition. Both versions are solid and keycap profile/RGB just
comes down to preference. ~~Pros:~~ 1. Premium build with
sound-dampening foam (deep, thocky acoustics right out of the box
- no ping or echo) 2. Intuitive web utility (Keychron Launcher)
for full customization. 3. Multiple connections: Bluetooth,
wired, wireless. 4. Low latency with 1000hz polling (8,000hz is
imperceptible). 5. Hall Effect: adjustable actuation, Rapid
Trigger, quad-actuation, analog keys, and high durability. 6.
High-quality keycaps and RGB (Standard keycaps are textured;
Special is smooth). 7. Full-size functionality in a compact
layout. 8. Great value for a premium Hall Effect keyboard. 9.
Long battery life. 10. Multi-OS support (Mac-ready with Windows
keycaps included). 11. Easy switching between profiles for
gaming/productivity. 12. Actuation force (40g) increases on press
for better Hall Effect feedback. 13. Right-angle USB cable
(monitor-compatible without speed loss). ~~Cons:~~ 1. Multiple
keys felt scratchy despite relubrication (known factory lube
issue specific to Gateron switches, not Keychron). 2. Analog keys
are hard to use in games and not widely supported. 3. Awkward
numpad/arrow layout—ROG Scope II 96 Wireless offers a better
design for the same dimensions. 4. Limited switch customization
compared to mechanical boards (but stock switches feel superior).
5. Keyboard is tall with no wrist rest, and finding one with
matching width is tough unless it's Keychron branded. 6. Boxed-in
case design/switch wells makes cleaning harder. ~~~Comparison of
Contenders:~~~ Corsair K70 (Cherry Red) - ⭐: The most hollow, low
quality keyboard I've tried for a premium price. Loud spring ping
and sound profile are among the worst I've heard. I came from one
of Corsair's membrane boards and the K70 was my first mechanical
- it left me deeply disappointed even without any expectations
going into it. Keychron Q5 Pro - ⭐⭐: The Q series is Keychron's
quality series and have the best build quality/weight of any
keyboard I've tried. Unfortunately, the Pro version lacks
versatility and is made strictly for productivity. It had KSA
profile keycaps which were definitely not for me (extremely deep
dish keycaps with tall height). ROG Scope II 96 Wireless
(Snow/Storm/Silent Brown Switch Comparison) - ⭐⭐⭐⭐: This is the
only board I've tried that came close to matching the K4 HE. The
sound profile was creamy, no spring ping (would need a spacebar
mod), good build quality (inferior to K4), though it lacked all
of the hall effect features at a higher price point and was more
prone to typing errors with the lighter keys. Easy to clean and
water resistant. There is also a known reported issue of keys
seizing to work on different connection modes, indicating
possible firmware issues. Armoury Crate is an atrocious disaster
to work with and attempts to install non-essential bloatware.
~Note: I tried Silent Brown, Snow, and Storm switches. Silent
brown felt scratchy, Storm was too loud, and Snow was nearly
perfect. Keychron Q5 HE - ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐: In terms of productivity, gaming
performance, sound profile, build quality, and ease-of-use
web-based software, the Keychron Q5 HE checks all the boxes
(minus adapting to south-facing RGBs) and comes out on top over
all others that I've tried. Unfortunately, it's still plagued by
variable QC of individual Gateron switches, which can feel
slightly scratchy due to uneven factory lubrication.
