The Keychain K15 Max is an efficient low-profile Alice-layout keyboard for Mac customers, albeit with no actual colour choices.
It is 2025 and you may’t throw a mechanical swap with out hitting a brand new keyboard producer, and the choices are almost limitless. Starting from massive to small, light-weight to heavy, and boasting a staggering array of bells and whistles, shoppers are spoiled for alternative.
Firms compete for the eye and {dollars} of shoppers by producing wonderful keyboards. Whereas many have grow to be acknowledged manufacturers all over the world, Keychron continues to face out as an organization decided to overwhelm shoppers with choices.
The Keychron K15 Max is without doubt one of the newest releases, and has undergone an prolonged check drive, auditioning for a everlasting place in my workspace.
Keychron K15 Max evaluation: Contained in the field
The K15 is a 75-percent low-profile mechanical keyboard with an Alice format. Connectivity features a 2.4 GHz dongle, and wired connections.
Keychron K15 Max evaluation – The field
The keyboard ships in a black field with a metallic emblem. The keyboard and equipment are packaged in heavy foam cutouts for optimum journey security.
Contained in the field:
K15 Max keyboard
Fast begin information
USB-A to USB-C cable
Extension Adapter
USB 2.4 GHz dongle
Hex driver
Keycap and puller device
Further keycaps (for Mac or Home windows configurations)
PCB Stabilizers
Guide
Keychron K15 Max evaluation: Construct High quality
The K15 is a 75 p.c low-profile mechanical keyboard with a steel case. Even on the lowered dimension, the burden is noticeable.
Like with all Keychron keyboards, the K15 is beefy and extremely examine. There’s nothing concerning the keyboard, switches, cables, or instruments that conveys chopping corners on supplies or building.
Keychron K15 Max evaluation – The knob and macro keys
Keychron solely provides the K15 in black, and this appears like a missed alternative. With the wide range of colour choices throughout different Keychron keyboards, it is shocking to evaluation one that doesn’t provide black or white choices at a minimal.
The K15 ships with low-profile Gateron MX 2.0 Magnetic Nebula switches as customary, and these are the one switches out there for the K15 on the Keychron web site.
The again of the keyboard includes a single USB-C port for charging the inner battery or utilizing the keyboard in wired mode.
Keychron K15 Max evaluation – Rear choice switches
There are two switches on the again left facet of the keyboard. One swap means that you can swap between Bluetooth and cable connection varieties, whereas a second swap toggles between default Mac and Home windows configurations.
Keychron K15 Max evaluation: Customization
The K15 provides Keychron’s low-profile double-shot PBT keycaps. There are three colours for swap choices: Purple, Blue, and Brown.
Purple refers back to the linear switches, whereas the Brown and Blue variants seek advice from “Tactile” and “Clicky” profiles. Your alternative of swap is determined by the way you need your typing expertise to really feel and to sound.
Keychron additionally provides three variations for backlighting on the K15: White, RGB, and RGB (Sizzling-swappable).
Keychron K15 Max evaluation – RGB is offered, and customizable
The lights are vivid and clear, making their use a nice expertise. At the least, in comparison with some producers’ keyboard backlighting, which radiates sufficient gentle to light up a small city.
There’s additionally the Keychron Launcher, a web-based device that means that you can change every part from key-mapping to the inner RGB lights. It is also the place you arrange customized macros.
The Keychron Launcher requires you to attach the K15 to your pc with the offered USB-C cable for customizations. As soon as arrange and configured, you’ll be able to return to the liberty of wi-fi use.
Earlier variations of the Keychron Launcher didn’t play effectively with Mac and several other browsers in any respect. The newest model of the Keychron Launcher works very effectively with macOS and browsers.
It’s good to see a producer handle high quality of life points and take steps to make their merchandise work throughout a number of platforms.
Keychron K15 Max evaluation: In use
The K15 was used for 10 days previous to penning this evaluation, and it was a difficult expertise. That is primarily as a consequence of using an Alice fashion format which divides the keyboard in half, separates them, and angles them inward.
This isn’t my each day use fashion of keyboard, and I admit that I struggled towards a few years of muscle reminiscence.
I’m a fast typist on any given day, and I take advantage of key instructions for Adobe apps and the Mac OS as second nature. The moments the place I reached for letters with out trying, or allowed my hand to autopilot key combos in speedy succession solely to overlook the correct keys, have been a problem.
Keychron K15 Max evaluation – Alice format can take time to grasp.
This isn’t the keyboard’s fault. It’s merely years of muscle reminiscence turning into an impediment that might be overcome with time.
I like low-profile keyboards, and the K15 is without doubt one of the quietest mechanical keyboards I’ve ever used. This can be a compact keyboard, and I completely love the tactile really feel of the keys and the satisfying non-sound from the keys whereas typing.
The quantity adjustment push knob on the K15 is an easy high quality of life characteristic that is unexpectedly beautiful. The clickable knob made muting fast and simple.
The compact dimension of the K15 has the identical footprint as a Mac Magic Keyboard. The heavier weight of the keyboard additionally prevented motion whereas working.
Keychron K15 Max evaluation: A great area of interest keyboard
The general high quality of the K15 is wonderful, and it’s a good low-profile mechanical keyboard.
The retail worth of $109 falls into the vary of most simple mechanical keyboards in the marketplace. Anybody curious concerning the K15 will not be taking an enormous monetary danger with their buy, in the way in which they might with a $200 or increased keyboard.
Keychron K15 Max evaluation – You get some peak adjustment with this launch.
I’ve examined many Keychron mechanical keyboards, and I like the constant construct high quality, weight, and potential for personalization in its merchandise. Nonetheless, the K15 lacks case choices past black, the identical disadvantage Keychron has with most of its keyboards.
The Alice fashion format can be an issue for me, personally. However when you love that format, the K15 is a wonderful keyboard that deserves your consideration.
Keychron K15 Professionals
Quiet tactile keys
Small workspace footprint
Excessive construct high quality
Glorious customization choices in software program
Keychron K15 Cons
Alice-style key format
Case colour choices are restricted
Scores are exhausting. For those who hate the Alice format, this keyboard is completely not for you. Critically, in that case, it is a 2 out of 5, tops.
However, when you’re searching for the sometimes-spendy ergomonic match that the K15 Max offers, this is a wonderful keyboard at an ideal pricepoint.
Ranking 4 out of 5 – assuming that you simply want an Alice format. Keep away from when you do not.
The place to purchase the Keychron K15 Max
The Keychron K15 is offered on the Keychron web site for $109.99 with RGB backlighting. White backlighting is offered for $99.99, whereas hot-swappable RGB is $119.99.
