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Mechanical keyboards are keyboards designed with individual mechanical switches under each key, offering more tactile feedback than the more common "membrane" variety of keyboard. They're available with a range of key travel times, resistance, and "clickyness" to suit all tastes and use cases.
Even in an age of touchscreens and tablets, mechanical keyboards remain popular. Whether you're looking for something soft and quiet or something that evokes memories of old-fashioned, unwieldy business machines, you'll find an option that suits you.
In this roundup, we'll look at some of the most popular brands of mechanical keyboards based on expert reviews, user feedback, and their various features and options.
1 / 10
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Wireless mechanical keyboards with low-latency performance for competitive gamers are rare. The Keychron Q6 Max offers customizable switches, backlight, and a full-size layout. Reviewers speak highly of the build quality and ease of use, but some report issues with ghosting key presses.
Price: $203.99
2 / 10
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Redragon offers a range of wired and wireless mechanical gaming keyboards, including ergonomic designs ideal for gamers who need to reach a high APM (actions per minute). With customizable RGB (red, green, blue lighting) options and a rugged aluminum chassis, there's a lot to like.
Reviewers report good build quality and responsive keys that feel better than you'd expect for the relatively low price point.
3 / 10
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A compact keyboard with an ultra-low response time and 8K polling rate, the Gamakay x NaughShark NS68 is aimed at competitive gamers and enthusiasts who want to be able to express themselves with their desktop design. The RGB features are easy to configure and quite eye-catching.
The hall-effect keys are a good choice for typists, but the lack of a numeric keypad and function keys might frustrate Excel warriors and other productivity enthusiasts.
4 / 10
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The Keychron K4 HE is a 96% TKL (Tenkeyless, a keyboard layout without a numeric keypad) keyboard with hall-effect accent panels. A 96% keyboard is a compact layout that keeps almost all the keys — including arrows and navigation keys — while reducing spacing and packing them closer together. The Gateron double-rail magnetic switches feel good to type with, but some users find the sound they make to be a little irritating.
With that said, if you're looking for a responsive keyboard that's comfortable for extended use but that has a more "mature" appearance than the average gaming design, there aren't many options to choose from. The K4 HE fills the niche of "smart and stylish" quite nicely.
5 / 10
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Yet another Keychron keyboard, the Lemokey L4 is a QMK (Quantum Mechanical Keyboard, a customizable firmware for mechanical keyboards) wireless custom gaming keyboard. Available in a range of colors and with red or brown switches, this 80% TKL keyboard is rugged and durable while maintaining a "gaming setup" aesthetic rather than a 1980s office look. It's a solid choice for both gaming and general office tasks.
6 / 10
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The Apex Pro Mini Gen 3 uses hall effect switches (magnetic sensors that detect key presses without physical contact) to offer faster response times and adjustable actuation. Whether you prefer a tactile feel or rapid trigger modes, this keyboard can be configured to suit your needs.
Users report that the key protection feature is something that you'll come to love once you get accustomed to it. However, the 60% layout will require some re-training of your touch-typing muscle memory.
7 / 10
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Republic of Gamers is well-known in the streamer space, so it's only natural it would make an eye-catching mechanical keyboard with streamer hotkeys and multifunction controls. The ROG Strix Scope II is a 96% mechanical keyboard that looks good and offers comfort features, such as silicone dampening foam, customizable tilt, and a wrist rest.
Reviewers appreciate the smooth keystrokes and the ability to connect the keyboard to multiple devices with a single receiver.
8 / 10
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This full-sized keyboard is available in two colors and comes with Windows and Mac keycaps, as you'd expect from Keychron. The Q6 HE uses Gateron double-rail magnetic switches with an adjustable actuation point for maximum comfort and ease of typing.
The look is quite no-frills, but the presence of function keys and a numeric keypad makes this model ideal for office productivity and programming work.
9 / 10
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The Corsair K70 RGB Pro is a full-size, wired keyboard with Corsair's iconic RGB lighting system, also found on some of the best gaming headsets and other hardware. The lighting can be customized using the iCUE software. If you're a gamer who already owns a lot of Corsair hardware, this durable keyboard with doubleshot PBT keycaps and a choice of Cherry MX switches is a logical addition to your setup.
Reviewers rate the build quality and response times well, but note the lack of a USB passthrough feature, which is a frustrating omission given that other K70 models offer that feature.
10 / 10
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This retro-style keyboard has a classic TKL (80%) layout, OSA profile keycaps and an 8k polling rate, making it suitable for both day-to-day office work and gamers alike. The Keychron C1 Pro 8K comes with keycaps for Windows and Mac layouts and supports macro commands through the Keychron Launcher app.
The retro-styling isn't limited to just the look and feel. Keychron only makes a wired version of this keyboard. However, given the relatively low price and the 8K polling rate, it's hard to fault.
