Our pick
The Epomaker TH80 Pro provides the best typing experience and the most extra features—RGB, hot-swap, wireless, a knob, and programmability—for a surprisingly reasonable price.
The Epomaker TH66 Pro offers all the quality and features of the TH80 Pro in a slightly more compact layout that lacks the top row of function keys.
| Dimensions: | TH80: 12.79 by 5.31 by 1.18 inches TH66: 12.72 by 4.45 by 0.98 inches |
Connection: | removable USB-C, Bluetooth (three devices), USB dongle |
| Keycap material: | PBT | Backlight: | RGB |
The Epomaker TH80 Pro and Epomaker TH66 Pro have all the keys that most people use and none that they don’t, hitting the same sweet spot of size and layout that most laptop keyboards do. Our picks feel wonderful to type on due to their thick PBT keycaps, lubricated stabilizers, and sturdy plastic cases. Both models are available with a variety of Gateron G Pro switches; we recommend the Brown switches if you’re not sure which kind you like best. Unlike many mechanical keyboards in this price range, the TH80 Pro and TH66 Pro come with a host of extra features, including RGB backlighting, hot-swappable switches, a wireless connection via Bluetooth or USB dongle, a fun rotary knob, and full programmability through Epomaker’s software. Our picks also come with keycaps for Windows and Mac, and they automatically swap between operating system layouts when connected. But you have to pay quite a bit more to get a better small keyboard.
Runner-up
The V1 feels nearly as good to type on as as our top pick, and it has most of the same features. But the V1 lacks wireless, and the knob costs extra.
The V2 is virtually identical to the V1, but its 65% layout lacks the top row of function keys.
| Dimensions: | V1: 12.93 by 5.85 by 1.02 inches V2: 12.99 by 4.85 by 1.05 inches |
Connection: | removable USB-C |
| Keycap material: | PBT | Backlight: | RGB |
If our top picks are unavailable, we recommend the 75% Keychron V1 or the 65% Keychron V2 instead because they provide a similarly excellent typing experience and most of the same extra features. Like our top picks, the V1 and V2 offer RGB backlighting, hot-swappable switches, and Windows and Mac keycaps, and these models support the VIA software, which makes them even easier to program. But they’re not quite as compact as our top picks, they lack wireless, and you have to pay around $10 extra if you want the version with a cool rotary knob. The V1 and V2 are available with a few Keychron K Pro switch types; we recommend Brown switches if you’re not sure what you like. Keychron also sells barebones versions of the V1 and V2 if you’d prefer to bring your own switches and keycaps.
Upgrade pick
The Keychron Q1 Version 2 has a heavy-duty aluminum case and feels great to type on. But you can’t adjust the height, and it lacks a wireless connection.
The Q2 is similar to the Q1 Version 2 but has a 65% layout that does without the top row of function keys.
| Dimensions: | Q1 Version 2: 12.89 by 5.71 by 1.41 inches Q2: 12.89 by 4.76 by 1.33 inches |
Connection: | removable USB-C |
| Keycap material: | PBT | Backlight: | RGB |
If you want a keyboard with a higher-quality aluminum case and don’t mind paying quite a bit more for it, we recommend the 75% Keychron Q1 Version 2 and the 65% Keychron Q2. Both models have heavy aluminum cases and provide an excellent typing experience. They have all the features you might expect from keyboards in this price range, including full programmability through VIA software, customizable RGB backlighting, an optional knob, and hot-swappable switches. Like our other picks, they work with Windows and Mac and come with extra keycaps for both operating systems. But the Q1 Version 2 and the Q2 are taller than our top picks and have a steeper, nonadjustable slope; they also lack a wireless connection, and their extra weight makes them less portable than our other picks. The legends on the included keycaps also have some typographical inconsistencies that are difficult to forgive on a $200 keyboard, but Keychron also sells barebones models if you already have keycaps and switches or want to buy them separately.
(We don’t recommend the first version of the Q1, which has cheap-feeling ABS keycaps. The Q1 Version 2 offers higher-quality PBT keycaps and other improvements on the design and typing feel.)
Budget pick
The 65% Keychron K6 feels better to type on than any other cheap mechanical keyboard, though its keycaps and case don’t look or feel as nice to type on as our top picks’.
| Dimensions: | 12.32 by 4.09 by 1.46 inches | Connection: | removable USB-C, Bluetooth (three devices) |
| Keycap material: | ABS | Backlight: | white or RGB |
The 65% Keychron K6 is the best budget mechanical keyboard. It’s much more pleasant to type on than any other cheap mechanical keyboard we’ve tested, even though its ABS keycaps, thin plastic case, and non-lubricated stabilizers can’t match the typing experience of our top picks. The K6 comes with keycaps for Windows and Mac, it can connect to up to three devices via Bluetooth, and it’s available with either Keychron or Gateron G Pro switches. (We recommend whichever Brown switches are cheaper.) If you can find the hot-swap model for around $65, it’s a good deal, but hot-swapping is not a must-have feature in a budget board. Our recommended version of the K6 has a white-only backlight; the model with RGB backlighting typically costs more than $80, and at that point you should get one of our top picks instead. The included cable is too short for some setups (though that’s easy to fix with a $6 extension cable), and the K6 is not fully programmable like our other picks. For the price, however, the K6 can’t be beat.
