![]() I tested both of the tactile switches and came away impressed. The Keychron K7, however, on top of offering those six switches, has two new Keychron switches to choose from: Banana and Mint switches. ![]() Both the Keychron K1 and K3 boards have the option for red, blue, and brown low-profile mechanical switches, with the former supporting Gateron mechanical switches and the latter both Gateron and Keychron low-profile switches. The Keychron K7’s 65 percent layout is basically a smaller version of the TKL Keychron K1 and the 75 percent Keychron K3 with more switch options. The K7 is the first Keychron keyboard with the Mint and Banana early-bump tactile switches. Overall, I enjoyed typing on the Keychron 7 day in and day out, especially with the new Banana switches. A big complaint with low-profile keys is that the flatter keycap design makes them more prone to wobbling, but these keycaps were solid in my testing. Even the media keys are in the same location as the Magic Keyboard, and while you do have to use the Function keys, the legends are clear and easy enough to memorize. Sit down my Windows users, Keychron also includes Windows-dedicated keys that you can quickly replace. If you’re familiar with Apple’s Magic Keyboard, the Keychron K7 has a similar layout, and it even comes with Apple-dedicated keycaps installed. The 65 percent form factor is my favorite of all the others, with ( tenkeyless) TKL at a close second, and after switching from a 60 percent Anne Pro 2, it’s just so nice to have dedicated arrow keys again. It’s not ideal for every situation, but I’ve found it versatile enough for all-day typing, editing video, and gaming. As an owner of a Keychron K2, this new low-profile keyboard maintains the same level of quality packaged in a smaller frame. Keychron provided me with two review units with different hot-swappable optical switches. I’ve been using the Keychron K7 as my main keyboard for the past three weeks. We only include products that have been independently selected by Input’s editorial team. Input may receive a portion of sales if you purchase a product through a link in this article. ![]() There are no extra embellishments on the Keychron K7 - just a well-made mechanical keyboard from a company focused on making really great mechanical keyboards and nothing else. Same gray-colored keycaps, switch for Bluetooth and wired modes, switch for connecting to Windows or Mac, and partial-aluminum case. If you’re the owner of one of Keychron’s other models, everything else is standard. The cheapest Keychron K7 configuration ($69) comes with soldered Gateron low-profile mechanical switches and white backlighting, but the most expensive model ($89) has hot-swappable switches (only swappable with the same brand) and RGB backlighting. There’s a ton of switch variety, and you can pick between three Gateron low-profile mechanical switches or five low-profile Keychron optical switches. The 68-key Keychron K7 has dedicated arrow keys, and two function keys to access media controls and lighting effects. The Keychron K7, announced back in July, is a 65 percent keyboard that’s only 22mm (about 0.86 inch) at its thickest with keycaps (the rubber stoppers add another 2mm, which are not counted in the official height). The height is actually more like 24mm when you take into account the rubber stoppers. ![]() If you look past all the typical mechanical keyboards, though, there are companies that tailor to the low-profile mechanical keyboard market such as Logitech, Cooler Master, and most notably, Keychron, the Kickstarter-savvy keyboard brand that’s rapidly wiggled itself into the keyboard space with a range of affordable and customizable products. The only downside is that you may not find as many options for keycaps, wrist rests, and other accessories. It used to be the case that low-profile mechanical keyboards compromised big time, but with better low-profile switches available these days, you can still get a similar experience to typing on a regular mechanical keyboard. Low-profile mechanical keyboards are obviously thinner, but they also use much shorter, almost flat, keycaps and switches. But low-profile keyboards are having a moment, led by products like the Keychron K7 that I’ve been testing for the past few weeks. It may be because normal-sized mechanical keyboards have been around since the ‘70s that the chunky form factor remains so popular. Go to your local electronics retailer or shop around Amazon and you’ll see that it’s a “normal” mechanical keyboard supremacy. Though mechanical keyboards have exploded in popularity in recent years, the vast majority of them are not low-profile. It’s slim pickings out there if you’re looking for a low-profile mechanical keyboard.
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