Review Keychron K8 Pro
Keychron K8 Pro is a well-made TKL mechanical keyboard and supports customization of many things according to the current mechanical keyboard trend.
The design of K8 Pro is still very Keychron, the company reuses the design of a hard plastic shell and aluminum frame similar to many previous keyboard lines such as K2, K4, K6, ... The perfection of the keyboard has been better. compared to the K6 era that I used a few years ago. The aluminum frame is tighter and does not creak, it creates a good balance for the keyboard when placed on the table.
The keyboard still supports 2 connection modes including Bluetooth 5.1 and wired along with 2 layouts for Windows / Android and Mac / iOS with switches located on the right side. The connection and charging port for the keyboard is standard USB-C. The bottom has dual support legs for 2 opening angles of 6 degrees and 9 degrees, the rubber feet are made of round arch for better and quieter grip than flat rubber.
The layout of K8 Pro is TKL familiar and suitable for most users who are new to mechanical keyboards. As a support keyboard for Mac, Keychron has also integrated Mac-specific function keys on the Function key row, similar to the keyboard on MacBook or Magic Keyboard so that you don't take time to get used to it.
The point that I find new on K8 Pro compared to previous Keychron keyboards is that it is equipped with a new keycap using the OSA profile - a hybrid profile between OEM and SA. It is lower than the SA with the row height of R4 11.5 mm, R3 and R2 in the middle 9.57 - 9.22 mm and R1 10.27 mm. Seen in cross section, this profile still creates a curvature in the middle, allowing the fingers to operate comfortably and easily reach the keys further away. Changing the keycap profile shows that Keychron wants to have a more typing experience and is also a way to make the keyboard more eye-catching.
Keycap uses PBT plastic molded 2 layers (double-shot) with white character layer and black keycap body for the main key cluster, gray function keys and 2 orange Enter + Esc keys to create accents. The layout is no different, so you can easily play keycap on K8 Pro with many different profiles.
Besides the keycap, Keychron has also invested inside to make this keyboard for the best typing experience. The feeling of holding the Keychron K8 Pro in the hand is very heavy, it is as heavy as the shell is made of monolithic aluminum, but it is actually a plastic case with only 4 aluminum frames. In addition, you will feel it dense inside because Keychron has filled the space below the PCB circuit with a silicon pad layer. This is the equipment that I see appearing more on mechanical keyboards. Instead of having to add foam yourself or use sound-absorbing materials to fill the space inside the keyboard, the company has taken care of this with the silicon layer. It is also a solid, flexible and quite heavy material to increase the key's steadiness. In my opinion, it is better than foam because the foam is still light, making the plastic-shell mechanical keyboard unable to stand. Between the PCB circuit and the aluminum plate, there is also a sound-absorbing foam layer.
Stab of the spacebars is screw-in, ie screwing into the plate instead of placing it on the plate with the mount like the traditional design. This is also a new type of stab design that is quite popular and of course the advantage is to make the stab more stable, minimizing the movement of the stab thereby affecting the experience as well as the sound of the keys. Stab is lube-ready and stem is quite smooth, resulting in long keys that feel good to type and sound. For example, the Space key has a nice thuck sound, the sound is steady at all pressed positions and it shows the balance of the stab. This Stab if you like can also be replaced with other stabs of Cherry, Durock, Zeal, ...
Keychron offers Gateron G Pro switch options for K8 Pro and this is an option that I find reasonable. The Gateron G Pro series has advantages such as the housing and stem are molded more accurately so that the stem does not need to be thinned to create smoothness when pressed like previous Gateron lines. The Red (linear, 45g) and Brown (tactile, 55g) series are both lube-ready, I'm using the Red version and the feeling of pressing it is very smooth. However, somewhere on the keyboard there are still some switches that are a bit awkward, possibly due to uneven lube.
K8 Pro has a hot-swap circuit design, so you can change the type of switch you want. The 5-pin hot-swap circuit should be compatible with most current switches. I prefer the 5 pin switches because they stick more firmly on the plate. If you are fastidious, you can install more film for each switch, between the two housing parts and on the plate to achieve maximum effect in terms of experience and sound. Basically, I find the sound and typing feeling on the K8 Pro is already very good in terms of the semi-massive mechanical keyboard.
Keyboard with RGB lighting with SMD led south facing (south-facing). This design is to ensure that the LED light still emits clearly and softly in the direction when you use non-LED keycaps.
So briefly, you can customize the switch, keycap, stab. Next is software, K8 Pro is a keyboard that supports QMK firmware and map key via VIA. VIA is a simple application for you to set up features for each key or create key macros, if you have time, you should also try it because it will bring some benefits in terms of manipulation when you use it. keys. Besides the map key, VIA also allows customizing RGB lighting effects on K8 Pro.
Overall, my experience with the K8 Pro is very good in terms of a ready-made, universal mechanical keyboard. Keychron has done very well what is needed on a mechanical keyboard today when absorbing soundproof foam, silicon pad thickening the key, stabbing, stabbing and switching are all lube, OSA keycap instead of the traditional OEM profile. So K8 Pro basically meets the needs of the majority, buy and use immediately without having to customize. It was also aimed at new users of mechanical keys and set the standard for future mechanical keyboards.