REVIEW – A few months ago, I had the opportunity to review the Keychron Q10 Max keyboard and I was immediately a fan of the brand. I had no complaints except that I am a heavy user of the number pad and that keyboard does not have one. Keychron responded by allowing me to test and review this Keychron Q0 Max QMK Custom Number Pad.
What is it?
The Keychron Q0 Max QMK Custom Number Pad includes a macro column and rotary encoder knob on the left side. It features a customizable key set with QMK/VIA support, 2.4 GHz wireless, Bluetooth 5.1, and USB-C connectivity.
What’s included?
- 1 x Keychron Q0 Max QMK Custom Number Pad
- 1 x USB-C to USB-C Cable
- 1 x USB-A to USB-C Adapter
- 1 x Extension Adapter for Receiver
- 1 x USB-A 2.4 GHZ Receiver
- 1 x Keycap and Switch Puller
- 1 x Screwdriver
- 1 x Hex Key
- 1 x User Guide
Tech specs
Design and features
- 2.4 GHz & Bluetooth Connection: Experience peak gaming performance on the fly with the 2.4 GHz wireless connection boasting a rapid 1000 Hz polling rate. For seamless multitasking across your computer, phone, and tablet, you can effortlessly connect the Q0 Max via Bluetooth 5.1 to three devices.
- A Refined Piece Of Metal Art: The mini metal body is crafted with 6063 aluminum that is processed through CNC machined, polished, anodized, sandblasted, and undergoes 24 more manufacturing stages to make this solid metal piece of art that is the Q0 Max.
- Optimized Typing Experience: Elevate the typing experience with a combination of premium acoustic foams such as IXPE, PET, and Latex. Each keystroke becomes enjoyable, making every tap a delight for the senses. Plus, We designed every component to be able to assemble easily so you can customize and adjust each component with ease to create your ultimate typing experience.
- An Epic Core Inside The Number Pad: A powerful ARM Cortex-M4 chip (MCU) equipped with 256K Flash will provide more flexibility for developers. The polling rate is 1000 Hz right out of the box on 2.4 GHz and wired modes (90 Hz on Bluetooth mode), which makes the latency hardly noticeable even in competitive games.
- Double-Gasket Design: The Double Gasket Design is a new innovative structure in the industry. In addition to the gaskets on the plates, we added silicone pads between the top and bottom cases to significantly reduce the acoustic resonance between the metals and reduce the noise of the impacted metals.
- KSA Double-Shot PBT Keycaps: To further fine-tune your typing experience, we designed our unique Keychron spherical-angle (KSA profile) double-shot keycap set with premium non-backlight shine through PBT material, that is oil-resistant and durable for long-term use.
- Program The Q0 Max with QMK & VIA: Endless possibilities for a fluid workflow thanks to its ability to program any key and custom any layout, shortcuts, backlight effect, and more through the QMK/VIA.
- Hot-swappable: Every detail matters for a personalized typing experience, that’s why we give you the power. You can hot-swap every switch on the Q0 Max with almost all of the 3-pin and 5-pin MX-style mechanical switches on the market (including Cherry, Gateron, Kailh, Panda, etc.) without soldering required.
- South-Facing RGB: The south-facing RGB LED is designed to better illuminate the number pad backlight from the typist’s angle with the premium non-shine-through PBT keycaps installed. The south-facing RGB is also free from interference when the users install KSA, OEM, or Cherry-profile alternative keycaps on the number pad.
The Keychron Q0 Max QMK Custom Number Pad is a heavy-duty number pad with parts made from metal. it features the number pad keys along with customizable buttons and a rotary knob. There are silicone feet on the bottom and the connectivity selection switch on the back. The USB-C port is both for charging and a connectivity option.
Performance
The Keychron Q0 Max QMK Custom Number Pad is the perfect addition to the Keychron Q10 keyboard and is the missing piece I needed to complete my typing set in the way I have come to enjoy. This number Pad has the same build quality as the keyboard and the same quiet soft touch keys that I love. I also like that I have 3 connectivity options. they are all solid options and after using the 2.4 GHz wireless dongle for a while, I recently switched to the USB-C cable connection to avoid the very slight delay that occurs when using a wireless connection. I guess I am becoming very impatient in my old age. Overall, this is a fantastic Number Pad.
This Keychron Q0 Max QMK Custom Number Pad is very customizable. and the ability to program it is fantastic.
“The open-source QMK firmware means endless possibilities for key remapping, macros, shortcuts, and more.”
I have chosen to leave it as is for now but here are some screenshots from the application:
The following video is a decibel test for these very soft and quiet keys. I placed a Saramonic Mic Transmitter right next to the Number Pad and I still had to raise the recorded sound 10DB for the key sound to be reasonably heard on the video. You can also see the difference in the decibel meter between the ambient sound and when I press/hit the keys:
What I like about the Keychron Q0 Max QMK Custom Number Pad
- The usual Keychron built quality and weight
- The nice keys and the feel of the keys
- The connectivity options
- The ability to program and customize
What needs to be improved?
- Nothing!! It works for me
Final thoughts
The Keychron Q0 Max QMK Custom Number Pad is exactly what I wanted to complete my keyboard needs. I love Keychron keyboards, but the one I tested was missing the keypad. I am a heavy user of a keypad and this fits perfectly. As usual, well done!!
Price: $119.00
Where to buy: Keychron website and Amazon
Source: Keychron provided a free sample of this product. Keychron did not have a final say on the review and did not preview this review before it was published.
