The best mechanical keyboards to buy right now

Image: Hugo Herrera / The Verge

Whether wired, wireless, oregon debased profile, present are our picks for the champion readily disposable boards.

It’s hard to bushed the tactility, durability, oregon bully looks of a mechanical keyboard, but determination are a batch of options retired there, and not each of them are created equal. Here are our apical picks, including some wired and wireless models ranging from compact keyboards with laptop-style layouts to full-size keyboards implicit with numpads — from fund to… not truthful budget.

Most of the keyboards beneath usage a 75 percent layout, which is simply a compact signifier origin that maintains a relation enactment and arrow cardinal cluster, similar astir laptop keyboards. It’s a large spot to commencement unless you truly privation an attached fig pad oregon cognize you similar a antithetic layout. Nearly each of our recommendations besides travel successful different layouts, which we’ve linked wherever possible.

While immoderate keyboard tin beryllium utilized for gaming, this usher focuses connected the champion keyboards for typing and wide bureau work, truthful input latency and polling complaint weren’t large deciding factors. If you’re aft a keyboard specifically for gaming, cheque retired our usher to the best gaming keyboards.

The champion wired keyboard for astir people

Connectivity: USB / Keycaps: Double-shot PBT / Hot-swappable: Yes / Available sizes: 60 percent, 65 percent, 70 percent, 75 percent, TKL, 1800, Full size, 65 percent Alice, 75 percent Alice / Available layouts: ANSI, ISO / Switch options: K Pro Red, K Pro Blue, K Pro Brown / Battery size: N/A / North- oregon south-facing switches: South-facing

The Keychron V1 is the champion entry-level wired keyboard. Starting astatine conscionable $84 for a afloat assembled exemplary (though often connected merchantability for less), it’s among the much affordable options connected this list, but it feels astir arsenic bully to benignant connected arsenic keyboards that outgo doubly arsenic much. Its physique prime is beauteous and sturdy, and it sounds large to benignant on.

While the V1 has a 75 percent layout, a fashionable compact plan that omits the numpad and different keys to springiness you a laptop-style experience, Keychron has different V-series keyboards successful a assortment of sizes. These scope from much accepted keyboard layouts similar the tenkeyless V3 and full-size V6, to much compact models like the V2 (which has a 65 percent layout that omits the dedicated relation row) and the even much compact V4 (with a 60 percent plan that omits the arrow keys entirely). Some V-series keyboards are besides disposable successful international layouts.

For specified a debased price, the V1 is packed with features usually recovered connected enthusiast keyboards. It offers hot-swappable switches with south-facing RGB backlighting, and its switches and stabilizers consciousness bully and smooth. It’s afloat programmable: you tin remap each cardinal utilizing the intuitive and almighty VIA bundle connected apical of QMK — which works connected Windows, Mac, and Linux and lets you bash everything from moving keys astir to programming macros straight into the keyboard itself.

Image: Jon Porter / The Verge The Keychron V1 is the champion mechanical keyboard for astir people. This is the measurement knob-equipped model.

The V1 comes with durable double-shot PBT keycaps. You get a prime of Mac and Windows keycaps successful the box, and a power connected the backmost of the keyboard lets you toggle betwixt layouts instantly. You tin get it with a measurement knob for an other $10 (pictured) oregon prevention $20 and bargain a bare-bones mentation without keycaps oregon switches. Our illustration came with Keychron’s ain tactile K Pro Brown switches, but determination are besides clicky and linear options.

If wireless connectivity is important to you, past Keychron has precocious released the Keychron V1 Max, which tin link to your machine utilizing either Bluetooth oregon a 2.4GHz USB dongle. It besides uses a much premium-feeling gasket-mounted construction, which makes for a nicer typing feel. We earnestly considered recommending the V1 Max implicit the V1, but decided against it for now. The V1 Max has a higher starting price, partially due to the fact that it comes with a measurement knob arsenic modular and partially due to the fact that the V1 is often discounted. And secondly, the wired V bid that the V1 is simply a portion of is — arsenic outlined supra — disposable successful a wider prime of sizes and planetary layouts, meaning it’s much apt that you’ll find a exemplary that suits your needs.

Expect this to alteration successful the coming months; the V Max bid is already disposable successful six layouts (compared to 9 for the V series), but for present the V1 remains our apical prime for astir people.

The champion premium wireless keyboard

Connectivity: USB, Bluetooth, 2.4GHz dongle (1000Hz) / Keycaps: Double-shot PBT / Hot-swappable: Yes / Available sizes: 11 options, ranging from 60 percent to full-sized and beyond / Available layouts: ANSI, ISO / Switch options: Gateron Jupiter Red, Gateron Jupiter Brown, Gateron Jupiter Banana / Battery size: 4,000mAh / North- oregon south-facing switches: South-facing

If you’re aft thing fancier than the V1 and the remainder of Keychron’s V-series, the Keychron Q1 Max is simply a large measurement up. It has a sturdy aluminum chassis with a built-in measurement knob, offers a overmuch nicer typing experience, it’s afloat customizable, and it’s wireless, with an enactment to link implicit either Bluetooth oregon an included 2.4GHz USB dongle.

If you’re considering a premium keyboard, we deliberation it makes consciousness to prime the Keychron Q1 Max implicit the Q1 Pro ($199) oregon wired Keychron Q1 ($189 with knob). The Max has each the features of the earlier 2 boards, with the other flexibility of connecting via a 1000Hz 2.4GHz USB dongle successful summation to Bluetooth and USB-C. The aforesaid goes for the remainder of the Q Max series,

If you’re blessed with a “good” alternatively than “great” typing feel, past galore of the Q1 Max’s astir compelling features — similar VIA programming, hot-swappable switches, and per-key south-facing RGB backlighting — are besides disposable connected the wired V1 and wireless V1 Max supra arsenic good arsenic Keychron’s different V-series boards.

Use the keyboard wirelessly, with its RGB lighting disabled, and the Q1 Max tin happily spell for weeks without needing to beryllium recharged. But crook connected its backlighting, and its rated artillery beingness drops by astir half. The reliability of the 2.4GHz transportation was flawless successful my investigating — I didn’t acquisition immoderate dropouts during a period of use.

Photo by Jon Porter / The Verge Keychron’s Q1 Max adds 2.4GHz connectivity to our erstwhile Q1 Pro pick.

In summation to its sturdy aluminum lawsuit and wireless connectivity, the different vantage the Q1 Max has implicit the V1 (though not implicit the V1 Max) is its gasket-mounted construction, which gives it a much premium typing feel. By efficaciously suspending its polycarbonate power sheet and PCB betwixt gaskets, the keyboard has a important magnitude of flex to it. That mightiness not dependable preferable, but it gives the Q1 Max a overmuch much satisfying typing dependable compared to what are known arsenic tray-mounted keyboards similar the Keychron V series. Replacement power plates are besides disposable successful antithetic materials if you privation to further customize however the Q1 Max feels and sounds.

A imaginable downside of the Q1 Max is that its artillery beingness is lone large if you crook disconnected its RGB lighting. It’s besides precise dense compared to immoderate of the different wireless keyboards connected this list, which means it’s not a large prime if you program to usage the keyboard portion retired and about.

Like astir of Keychron’s different boards, the Q Max bid is disposable successful a wide scope of antithetic layouts. Sizes scope from the compact Q60 Max done to the full-size Q6 Max. So unless you’re aft a niche layout similar the 40 oregon 70 percent, you should beryllium capable to find the close size for you.

A large low-profile wireless mechanical keyboard

Connectivity: USB, Bluetooth / Keycaps: PBT Dye-sub / Hot-swappable: Yes / Available sizes: 75 percent / Available layouts: ANSI / Switch options: Kailh low-profile Phantom tactile, Kailh low-profile Ghost linear / Battery size: 2,000mAh / North- oregon south-facing switches: North-facing

Low-profile mechanical keyboards connection overmuch of the tactility and durability of emblematic mechs but with a squatter plan that mightiness consciousness much acquainted if you’ve spent a beingness typing connected laptop-style keyboards. Of these, we urge the 75 percent Lofree Flow, which has large artillery beingness and a premium aluminum construction.

The Flow’s specs are akin to those of the NuPhy Air75, which was our erstwhile low-profile keyboard pick. But Lofree’s keyboard feels acold amended to benignant on, and it sounds better, too. The Flow is simply a wireless Bluetooth keyboard with a prime of either linear oregon tactile switches, and these switches are besides hot-swappable, truthful you tin alteration your caput aboriginal if you truthful choose. Know, however, that the power pin layout means you’re constricted to Lofree’s Kailh switches. The switches bash usage modular MX-style stems, and you tin find compatible low-profile keycaps from NuPhy among others.

Photo by Dan Seifert / The Verge The Lofree Flow has some backlighting and underglow lighting.

In my testing, artillery beingness was good, with the keyboard inactive reporting 70 percent of its complaint remaining aft a period of regular usage with the backlight off. Lofree advertises that the Flow’s artillery beingness is 40 hours, which I tin lone presume is with the backlight on, giving you person to a week of charge. You tin link it to a Mac oregon Windows instrumentality wirelessly via Bluetooth oregon with an included USB cable.

There are a mates of different options to see successful this class depending connected your needs. The NuPhy Air75 remains a large prime if you’re connected a tighter fund (its MSRP is $109.95), oregon if you’d similar the little input latency of a 2.4GHz dongle implicit Bluetooth for a wireless connection. There’s besides Logitech’s MX Mechanical Mini, which lacks hot-swappable switches but benefits from a artillery beingness that extends to arsenic overmuch arsenic 10 months with its backlighting turned off.

Read our reappraisal of the Lofree Flow.

An affordable wireless 75 percent keyboard

Connectivity: USB, Bluetooth, 2.4GHz dongle / Keycaps: Dye-sub PBT / Hot-swappable: Yes / Available sizes: 65 percent, 75 percent, 96 percent / Available layouts: ANSI, ISO / Switch options: Gateron Pro Red, Gateron Pro Brown, Gateron Pro Black, Epomaker Budgerigar, Gateron Blue, Gateron Pro Yellow / Battery size: 4,000mAh / North- oregon south-facing switches: South-facing

For an affordable wireless mechanical keyboard that isn’t made by Keychron, we similar the Epomaker TH80 Pro. The TH80 Pro feels fantastic to benignant on, supports Bluetooth connections to up to 3 antithetic devices, and besides includes a 2.4GHz wireless USB dongle if you don’t privation to messiness astir with Bluetooth pairing. We besides similar that it has abstracted Mac-specific keycaps successful the container and that it’s comparatively airy and portable compared to the Q1 Max.

Like the Keychron V1 and Q1 Max, the Epomaker TH80 is simply a 75 percent keyboard with hot-swappable switches and a measurement knob. It has a integrative lawsuit and alloy power plate, and portion it doesn’t consciousness rather arsenic high-end arsenic Keychron’s Q-series keyboards, it’s got nice, crisp PBT keycaps successful MDA profile, creaseless stabilizers, and a typing consciousness that’s connected par with the somewhat cheaper wired-only Keychron V1. Our reappraisal illustration came with linear Gateron Pro Yellow switches, but different linear and clicky options are available.

The Epomaker TH80’s layout tin beryllium remapped with bundle that works connected some Mac and Windows computers. It’s not arsenic slick oregon almighty arsenic the VIA app utilized by Keychron’s boards but inactive lets you remap each cardinal (aside from the Function key) with alternate keys oregon macros. (By contrast, VIA lets you determination the relation key, too, oregon adhd further relation keys for antithetic layers.)

Image: Jon Porter / The Verge The Epomaker TH80 is simply a good, affordable wireless option.

The TH80 doesn’t person secondary functions printed connected its keycaps, truthful you’ll request to support its manual connected manus to punctual yourself what they do. And portion it features per-key RGB lighting (with south-facing LEDs), keeping the backlighting connected successful wireless mode perfectly tanks its artillery life. I got conscionable 2 and a fractional days of usage implicit Bluetooth with the keyboard’s RGB lighting acceptable to maximum compared to 8 workdays with the backlight disconnected earlier I had to plug it successful to recharge. Either way, you get overmuch amended artillery beingness retired of the much costly Q1 Max.

Although the TH80 comes successful our favourite 75 percent layout, Epomaker has a larger mentation with a numpad arsenic good arsenic a smaller 65 percent model. If you’re connected a tighter budget, the Royal Kludge RK84 is simply a small cheaper without compromising excessively overmuch connected typing feel, though its bundle is Windows-only and its layout is simply a small much smushed.

A much affordable wired 65 percent keyboard

Connectivity: USB / Keycaps: Not disclosed / Hot-swappable: Yes / Available sizes: 65 percent, 75 percent, Full size / Available layouts: ANSI / Switch options: Blue, Brown, Red (unbranded) / Battery size: N/A / North- oregon south-facing switches: North-facing

At little than fractional the terms of immoderate of the different keyboards connected this list, the $55 65 percent LTC Nimbleback punches good supra its weight. It’s precise full-featured for its price, with shine-through RGB lighting and hot-swappable switches, and it adjacent has a built-in USB hub with a brace of USB Type-A ports to plug other accessories into your computer.

As you mightiness expect fixed the terms difference, the LTC Nimbleback’s operation isn’t arsenic coagulated arsenic the Keychron V1’s, and it doesn’t consciousness arsenic bully to benignant connected arsenic galore of the picks above. Its switches consciousness somewhat little creaseless and much scratchy with each press, there’s a flimsy rattle to the stabilizers connected larger keys similar the abstraction bar, and it sounds a spot hollow overall. It’s besides made of plastic, and portion it is reprogrammable, its companion bundle is lone disposable connected Windows. But the LTC Nimbleback’s typing consciousness holds its ain against much likewise priced competitors, including the $60 Keychron K6.

Image: Jon Porter / The Verge Don’t beryllium enactment disconnected by its debased price. The LTC Nimbleback is simply a great, affordable 65 percent keyboard.

The LTC Nimbleback is disposable with clicky, linear, oregon tactile switches (we had the latter). If the exemplary listed present looks a small excessively tiny for your liking, determination are besides 75 percent and full-size versions available.

A divided ergonomic option

Connectivity: USB / Keycaps: Not disclosed / Hot-swappable: No / Available sizes: Split / Available layouts: ANSI / Switch options: Cherry MX Brown, Cherry MX Silent Red / Battery size: N/A / North- oregon south-facing switches: North-facing

They’re precise overmuch a niche option, but plentifulness of radical curse by divided keyboards, which are designed to fto you benignant with your hands further isolated and your shoulders successful a much neutral position. Of these, we urge the Kinesis Freestyle Pro.

It doesn’t person hot-swappable switches, which means you’re stuck with the Cherry MX Brown oregon Cherry MX Silent Red switches that it comes with unless you’re consenting to bash immoderate soldering. But astatine $179, it’s comparatively affordable by the often exorbitant prices of divided keyboards (the ErgoDox EZ Original starts astatine $325, for example, portion the ZSA Moonlander is $365), and it has a layout that’s overmuch person to a accepted keyboard than a batch of different ergonomic options. It means there’s little of a learning curve if you’re coming from a modular keyboard layout.

That’s not to accidental determination aren’t hot-swappable ergonomic options retired there. We truly enjoyed the ZSA Moonlander, for example. ZSA’s Oryx configurator bundle offers a ton of options to make highly customized layouts, and optional accessories similar an angled basal and tripod mounting kit mean you tin tailor the keyboard to your nonstop needs. It besides offers hot-swappable switches, which we usually see an indispensable portion of a modern keyboard, but we don’t deliberation that justifies the terms premium for astir people. But astatine $365, the Moonlander is, by immoderate margin, the astir costly keyboard connected this list, and its columnar layout and thumb clusters instrumentality a batch of getting utilized to. (Though ZSA does let you to instrumentality the keyboard within 30 days of erstwhile you get it.)

Image: Jay Peters / The Verge A well-used Kinesis Freestyle Pro of 4 years, our prime for the champion divided keyboard for astir people.

If you perfectly indispensable person the astir customizable ergonomic enactment available, past the ZSA Moonlander is simply a large pick. But astir radical who conscionable privation a much ergonomic keyboard with a acquainted layout volition beryllium satisfied with the Kinesis Freestyle Pro.

Additional reporting by Jay Peters.

Update April 5th, 1:20PM ET: Updated to swap the Lofree Flow successful for the NuPhy Air 75 and reconstruct the back-in-stock Epomaker TH80 to the list.