This can be a incredible route for peripherals. Gaming keyboards have lengthy been extremely homogenized with angular, all-black circumstances and unavoidable brilliant shine-through RGB. I usually discovered myself shopping for keyboards with sub-par efficiency purely as a result of I needed one thing handsome on my desk. That’s why I like the K2 HE’s design a lot. It signifies a shift in gaming peripherals, particularly performance-oriented ones, to extra numerous and classy designs.
I typically suppose it is essential for merchandise to look good, not simply perform as marketed. A lot of what we personal at this time might be handled as momentary and might really feel straightforward to throw away with no second thought. A thoughtfully designed product, whether or not it’s a keyboard, a pc case, a pen, or a lamp, can compel you to maintain it for longer, even care about sustaining it. Better of all, you’re feeling higher utilizing it. This has been doable for years with high-end, $500+ mechanical keyboards, however I’m glad to see it develop into extra democratized and accessible.
Software program Customization
The Corridor impact switches work extremely effectively and are deeply customizable utilizing Keychron’s browser-based Launcher software. Similar to on the Q1 HE, every key’s inputs and actuation distance might be independently personalized, and so they may even be programmed to have a number of inputs at totally different distances.
The speedy set off function, which I really feel is likely one of the largest attracts of Corridor impact switches, works completely. This setting permits for sooner key inputs by actively altering the actuation level of the change. A standard mechanical keyboard change has one predetermined level the place it registers a keypress, and to register a second keypress, the change must be launched, return to above that time, after which be pressed down previous it once more. With speedy set off enabled, a Corridor impact change solely has to maneuver again up a slight quantity, then it may be pressed down once more to register one other keypress. This permits for a lot sooner reactions when gaming and a few critical typists even report that they’ll write sooner with the setting enabled.
{Photograph}: Henri Robbins
Like each different Keychron keyboard, I’m a bit pissed off that it must be plugged in to edit the structure utilizing Launcher, however that’s a needed sacrifice when constructing a keyboard on well-documented open supply software program like QMK.
The RGB is simple to regulate and has numerous settings starting from static colours and RGB shade shifts to a “warmth map” setting that regularly adjustments the colour of a key primarily based on how usually it’s pressed. The wi-fi connectivity works flawlessly, however I discovered that urgent a key wouldn’t mechanically reconnect the keyboard after it sat idle for some time. As an alternative, I had to make use of the slider on the facet to change from wired again to wi-fi mode.
I don’t have any real points with the K2 HE. For the worth, it is a cut price. It seems to be incredible, has a clear and deep typing sound, feels nice to kind on, and comes with a number of the greatest Corridor impact switches accessible at this time. For $140, there isn’t one other keyboard that’s wherever close to as stable as this one.
