Analog keyboards have been the “next big thing” for ages now in the world of mechanical keyboards. These have sensors inside that can much more precisely differentiate between a slight and full keypress. They’ve long promised to revolutionize gaming and typing, being faster, more customizable, and more reliable (supposedly). But they’ve never quite been compelling enough for most people to adopt: Why sacrifice a proven track record for something new and experimental?
I think you can compare analog keyboards to electric vehicles. Sure, they’re better on paper in a variety of ways, but the entire infrastructure around us is designed for internal combustion engines, and we’re all used to the handling and performance characteristics of our gas guzzlers. Why make a change when it’s hard to know if the benefits outweigh the risks?
Keychron’s new Hall effect (HE) keyboard, the Q1 HE, makes it easier to understand why. Combining the high-tech customizability of a Hall effect switch with the advanced construction of a premium mechanical keyboard brings out the best of both worlds. Plus having reliable and easy-to-understand customization makes the system a lot easier to understand.
What Are Hall Effect Switches?
Hall effect switches are a type of mechanical switch, similar to optical switches, which can have multiple different inputs across one keypress. While optical switches use a laser to identify inputs, an HE switch uses magnets to manipulate an electromagnetic field when a switch is pressed, which then returns different values at specific distances.
While these switches are new for consumer keyboards, the technology has been around for a while. One of the earliest manufacturers of Hall effect switches was Honeywell, who made these switches for the now-legendary Space Cadet keyboard. This version of the switch is incredibly different from modern iterations though—the only real similarity is that they both utilize magnets to create inputs.
Photograph: Henri Robbins
The benefit of these multiple inputs is the ability to adjust the actuation point of your key switches—when the switch identifies that you have pressed a key. Moving the actuation point to the top of the keystroke can make typing more responsive while moving it toward the bottom can prevent accidental mis-inputs. To create a good middle ground, there are settings like “rapid-trigger” that allow multiple keypresses in a row without the switch needing to return to its resting position.
The Q1 HE is Keychron’s first Hall effect keyboard. While a few from other manufacturers have made an impact on the industry already (the Wooting 60HE being the most prevalent), consumer-grade Hall effect switches are still something fairly new and experimental, and Keychron is one of the first major keyboard manufacturers to incorporate the technology.
HE vs. True Mechanical Switches
The Nebula Double Rail Magnetic switches, made by Gateron, are a proprietary design currently exclusive to the Q1 HE. With both factory lubing and a new slider design, I’m impressed by how smooth they are. However, this kind of smoothness should be expected from Hall effect switches; the magnet-based system means there’s no need for any physical contact to happen between the components of the switch.
The contactless system also means these switches will last quite a while. While Gateron hasn’t released any information on the longevity of these specific switches, its KS-20 Hall effect switches are rated for more than 100 million actuations.
The switches, which have a standard 60-gram bottom-out weight, feel great to type on. They are incredibly smooth, with hardly any lateral movement or stem wobble when typing. They also have consistent resistance across the entire keypress and feel natural no matter where the actuation point is adjusted to. If the standard 60-gram spring weight ends up not being for you, Keychron independently offers its Dawn and Aurora switches, which have 50- and 70-gram weights respectively, although these can’t be ordered as the Q1 HE’s default switches.
The typing feel is bolstered by the keyboard’s ergonomics. Between a set of sculpted PBT key caps (meaning they have a spherical indentation) and a standard 6-degree typing angle (around where most mechanical keyboards sit), I found typing enjoyable even for long periods, although I did have to adjust to the relatively tall case and key caps. You might want to use a wrist rest, though that can come with its own problems.
Photograph: Henri Robbins
My only issue with the switches is the softness of the bottom-out. Instead of feeling solid at the bottom of the keypress, these switches feel slightly dampened, similar to an MX Silent Red switch (although much less drastic). The softness is nice for long-term typing since it feels far more relaxed than a harsh bottom-out, but I feel like the switch loses some responsiveness.
This softness is enhanced by the Q1 HE’s gasket mount system, where the plate, PCB, and switches are suspended in the case by foam gaskets to make typing softer and quieter. Because the internal assembly is held in place by foam strips, this allows a slight amount of bounce when typing, which feels better to type on and reduces fatigue.
The typing sound is softer and deeper than most mechanical keyboards. The main keys have a nice, deep tone that sounds similar to a Topre keyboard or a more “thocky” tactile switch. This sound is likely dampened by the installed case and plate foam but is still fairly neutral because of the aluminum plate. While the stabilizers aren’t great, I found that typing on them for around a week caused the factory-applied lube to thoroughly work itself into them and eliminate most rattling. If this isn’t the case, it’s easy enough to lubricate the stabilizers on your own.
Finally, Nearly Seamless Customization
You can customize this keyboard, but rather than downloading a software application on your PC, you can use Keychron’s in-browser “Launcher” system. It works flawlessly, allowing for seamless customization of the keyboard’s lighting, keymaps, and typing adjustments for the HE switches.
In the new HE Mode tab, there are options for adjustable actuation distances, multiple inputs for a single key, and even gamepad emulation using analog switches. While these customizations themselves are impressive, what blew me away was how intuitive and easy-to-use all of these features were. For the most part, you can get all of them working with just a few clicks.
The main issue I’ve found so far is that if you set the actuation distance to be as short as possible, whatever key you press down will continually press until you press another. That’s a pretty big issue, technically speaking, but it can easily be avoided by just setting the actuation distance to 0.20 mm instead of 0.10 mm. The other downside of Keychron’s Launcher system is that none of these changes can be made in wireless mode. This is a limitation shared by every QMK-based Bluetooth keyboard I’ve used, though.
I was left wondering what a few of the features do—the Long-Press Switch and Curve tabs don’t have any explanations at all within the app. Turns out, the Long Press function allows you to give any key the same functionality as a Caps Lock key, where tapping the key causes a constant input, and tapping a second time disables it. The most obvious use for this is for crouching and sprinting in shooting games, but I also found it to be useful for simple automated tasks like strip-mining in Minecraft when combined with other programmability.
My favorite feature in Launcher is the “heatmap” setting for the LEDs, which slowly moves the color of a key from blue to red when repeatedly pressed within a short time frame. This is one of the countless things you can do with Keychron’s RGB lighting, which I’ve found immensely customizable and easy to work with.
Repairable, With a Catch
The Q1 HE brings to light a larger issue with Hall effect keyboards: cross-compatibility.
With traditional MX-style switches (Cherry, Gateron, Kailh, JWK, etc.), you can pretty much buy any switch and know that it will work with your keyboard. However, the same isn’t true for Hall effect switches. Wooting’s 60HE uses a Hall effect switch manufactured by Gateron, and the Q1 HE uses a Hall effect switch manufactured by Gateron, but these switches can’t be swapped between keyboards even though they are the same shape (a modified version of the MX switch footprint), and have almost-identical assemblies.
According to Gateron, this is because these switches are designed to “[cooperate] with different software and hall sensors,” and are made to different manufacturer specifications. While I can understand that different design choices and goals can result in these changes, I feel like a lack of interoperability between components, especially from the same manufacturer, really undermines a lot of the advances the keyboard world has made over the past two decades.
Where everything once converged into a massive network of customizable and compatible components bolstered by innovations like QMK, the Unified Daughterboard, and hot-swap sockets, I worry about a future where each keyboard manufacturer slowly diverges into a proprietary ecosystem, and customization between brands (and, as a result, repairability and longevity) almost entirely disappears.
Photograph: Henri Robbins
The good news is the Q1 HE’s construction is incredibly robust, and it has the same easy accessibility as most of Keychron’s designs. The keyboard comes with extra rubber feet, extra screws for both the case and stabilizers, an Allen wrench, and a screwdriver. There are easily accessible hex screws on the back, and the internal construction can be quickly removed without any additional tools. Along with this, the key caps are fairly standard, which means new keysets won’t be hard to find.
The inclusion of sound-dampening foam and the use of an aluminum plate from the factory are both welcome additions. I find that a stiffer aluminum plate, although more expensive than a softer PC or FR4 plate, will typically feel better to type on for most people. As for the foam, it can easily be removed, so its addition simply allows for more customization without having to buy extra components, and for a more office-friendly configuration straight out of the box.
Keychron also offers a separate brass plate and sound-dampening foam for upgrades, but separate listings and small differences between these and the normal Q1 and Q1 Pro plates imply that the models aren’t compatible with one another despite sharing a name.
Is It Good, Though?
These are all much more large-scale issues than an individual keyboard. The Q1 HE, on its own, is fantastic. I simply haven’t encountered another readily available keyboard that matches its levels of typing feel and sound, customization, and build quality.
It’s not for for everyone. The level of customization is overkill for most people, and the proprietary switches mean that this customization is almost entirely on the software side. Anyone who really likes testing out different switches, or wants a typing experience outside of the narrow window of 50- to 70-gram linear switches, will likely be disappointed by what they can and can’t customize.
Photograph: Henri Robbins
However, most people aren’t going to be changing their switches regularly. Instead, they’ll likely find one setup they like and stick with it for years—it’s what we all did back before there were hot-swap sockets and hundreds of switches available, and that was good enough, for the most part.
Overall, I really like this keyboard. The Q1 HE does everything right on the user’s end, especially if you’re looking for a quality keyboard straight out of the box. It has some practical flaws, but those don’t matter if you like the default typing experience. The keyboard feels good, sounds good, and has customization options that are unique, practical, and incredibly in-depth.
