REVIEW – I’ve often looked for a nice keyboard that will work with my Mac. Yes, all keyboards work fine, but I prefer those with the MacOS specific keys. I also prefer the smaller tenkeyless design as they take up less room. This time, I got to try the Keychron K1 Pro mechanical keyboard.
What is it?
The Keychron K1 Pro is an ultra-slim wireless mechanical keyboard with QMK/VIA support and is equally at home with Mac or Windows.
What’s in the box?
I received the version with the white backlight and red switches.
- Keychron K1 Pro 80% mechanical keyboard (tenkeyless)
- USB-A to C cable
- Keycap puller
- Dark gray esc, enter, alt and WIN keys
Hardware specs
- Ultra-low-power ARM architecture MCU with 128K flash memory
- 1000Hz polling rate
- Gaetron low profile 2.0 mechanical switches (red, blue or brown)
- Hot swappable keys on RGB version only
- Low-profile double-shot PBT keycaps
Design and features
The Keychron K1 Pro is a handsome keyboard. No visible branding, clean lines, and I like how the red ESC and ENTER keys just pop (you can swap them out for the dark keys, included).
From the side, you can see how thin the PBT keycaps are. I prefer PBT keycaps as they tend to resist that greasy look from everyday use.
There’s a USB-C port on the back edge next to a tiny LED light. You can use the keyboard as a traditional wired keyboard, or use the USB-C port to charge the batteries for Bluetooth wireless.
There are also two orange switches for Bluetooth or Cable modes, and Win/Android or Mac/iOS modes.
I almost missed it, but the tilt adjustment actually features TWO heights. Pretty clever! 
Here’s a closeup of the Gaetron low-profile red switch. These are hot-swappable with the RGB version.
Speaking of LED backlights, the standard white LED version doesn’t shine through the caps. They sort of shine behind them.
Here’s a view of the Keychron K1 Pro mechanical keyboard from the back edge. The white LEDs are more noticeable.
Setup
Flip the switches on the back for wired/wireless and your operating system. That’s about it. To pair via Bluetooth, set the switch to Bluetooth and press/hold Fn+1 (or 2 or 3) to pair up to three different devices.
For those of you who REALLY like to customize, there are links on the Keychron K1 Pro page (scroll halfway down) with source code, JSON files and the like to get your keymaps working on QMK/VIA.
Performance
The Keychron K1 Pro worked perfectly with my Mac Mini. The shortcuts on the top row worked, including the screen capture and Siri shortcuts.
There are a bunch of LED backlight effects to choose from. Here’s a sample:
What I like
- Low profile (22mm high in back)
- Your choice of switches
- High quality double-shot PBT keycaps
What I’d change
- Shine-through keycaps would have been icing on the cake
- I don’t need Bluetooth so a wired-only version would be fine
Final thoughts
Having used PC keyboards on my Mac for I don’t know how long, it’s nice to have a quality keyboard like the Keychron K1 Pro with MacOS symbols. The super-quiet red switches and low profile are a treat. I don’t use Bluetooth keyboards, but at least I have the option!
Price: $94.00
Where to buy: Keychron
Source: The sample of this product was provided by Keychron.
