Keychron K5 QMK Wireless Mechanical Keyboard (Version 2) Review

When I first plugged in my Keychron K5 QMK Wireless Mechanical Keyboard (Version 2), I couldn’t happen but marvel at its slimness, its build quality, its shinethrough keycaps, and how it felt in hand. I was just blown away by how well-designed it was despite its affordable asking price.

I’m getting ahead of myself. Let’s take a few steps back.

The Keychron brand comes praised from Redditors and other gamers who love gaming mechanical keyboards. Since going down the rabbit hole of mechanical keyboards, I’ve seen many-a-Redditor recommend Keychron to each other and praise the brand for making some of the most reliable pre-built mechanical keyboards on the market. To that end, I consider them the Toyota of mechanical keyboards. This isn’t a criticism of Keychron at all – it’s a form of immense praise. Like Toyota, Keychron focuses on reliability, affordability, and stability when it comes to designing a keeb. They avoid introducing gimmicks so that their keyboards not only pass the sniff test, but to ensure that consumers can get the most of their keyboard with little compromises. Sure, they might not have things like screens, fancy backplates, and a litany of colors; instead, Keychron has opted into using an open-source driver (accessible from a browser!), a minimalist aesthetic, and satisfying typing.

Today’s review is of the Keychron K5 QMK Wireless Mechanical Keyboard (Version 2). Keychron’s K-line of keyboards are their bread-and-butter standard keyboards, often targeting an affordable price point while including the features that come standard with most prebuilt mechanical keyboards of today, being wireless/wired functionality, hot-swappability, and connectivity with multiple devices and operating systems.

Check out the Keychron K5 QMK Wireless Mechanical Keyboard (Version 2) on Keychron’s website. (Non-affiliated URL)

The K5 is a full-sized low-profile full-size keyboard. This new version brings changes in the form of QMK compatibility, enhanced acoustic foams, and redesigned stabilizers for the larger keys (space bar, enter, shift, and backspace). Full-size keyboards tend to be rare across the mechanical keyboard spectrum given their price to manufacture and the size of the unit. As someone who uses Excel on a weekly basis, I rely on the numberpad for quick data entry while using the function keys in my gaming escapades. The K5 has everything I personally like in one low-profile form factor.

Before you say anything – yes, low-profile keyboards can perform quite well in gaming environments. I’ve been using the Lofree Flow for the past few months as my default low-profile keyboard and have become accustomed to its slimness and its functionality in one small package. A major benefit of using a low-profile keyboard is its lightness and natural ergonomics for use without a wristrest. I didn’t need to use a wristrest when using the K5 V2 because of it being merely 25mm high (a smidgen taller than a quarter!) with a 3-degree incline (up to 7 degrees with the adjustable feet).

The K5 V2 is made up of an aluminum top case with an ABS plastic bottom.  Between the two case segments are multiple layers of foam (latex, IXPE, EDPM) and a counterweight block which ensures that the keyboard has an even distribution of weight across its large body. Despite being a full-size keyboard, the keys are evenly spaced and distributed in an ergonomic fashion so that I don’t have to reach to the far right to use the number pad.

The K5 V2 feels quite sturdy in hand thanks to the frame being of aluminum and ABS. At the same time, it’s far from unwieldy, ensuring that its slimness is not overshadowed by heft. It’s an excellently designed keyboard that has the quality of a luxury keyboard that is affordable for many consumers. As someone who has reviewed keyboards upwards of $150 that are solidly plastic, I’m stunned by the K5’s sturdiness in a lightweight and ultraslim package.

I am usually wary when keyboard manufacturers claim to use “new and improved” stabs. Frankly, you should, too. Stabilizers have one purpose, and that is to stabilize larger keys from wobbling. On low-profile keyboards, stabs can be hit-and-miss. On the K5 V2, I’m pleased to report that there is no wobble at all on the Spacebar, Backspace, and other larger keys. None. Whatever Keychron has done to improve the stabs on the keyboard have worked well. This keyboard is sturdy beyond all get-out.

Onto the keycaps. The K5 V2 come with LSA Shine-through ABS (plastic) keycaps. They’re hot-swappable, meaning that you can easily remove them with a keyboard tool. I’m not the most impressed by the quality of the keycaps on the K5 V2 – they feel too light for my liking. I don’t think they have enough weight to make a deeper or more satisfying sound when paired with the keycaps. This isn’t a major issue, though, as they did the job well. I just want the keycaps to feel a bit more premium.

The K5 V2 has multiple LED modes that illuminate the keyboard quite nicely. Because the keycaps are shinethrough, the letters light up in the dark. The default brightness was perfect for me, but I increased the brightness to max just to marvel at the lights. I wish more keycaps had shinethrough to take full advantage of the LEDs in the keyboard. My only complaint about the keyboard’s LEDs is that they are north-facing, which means that they’re incompatible with custom Cherry MX keycaps like Cerakey, but you shouldn’t really be using Cherry MX switches with a low-profile keyboard.

The K5 V2 comes available with three types of low-profile switches, all of them made by Keychron. Their Red switch is linear, boasting a decently strong operating force of 45gf and a low pre-travel of 1.3mm. Their Brown and Banana switches are tactile, featuring 1.7mm of pre-travel along with 45gf or 42gf (respectively) of operating force. For low-profile keyboards, having under 2.0mm of pre-travel is acceptable given that the switches have a smaller form-factor and a lower total travel (here, their switches have a total travel of 3.1mm). Remember, the keyboard is a smidgen taller than a US quarter coin, so you shouldn’t expect the keyboard to have that much depth.

I was sent the Banana switches in my review unit. Personally, I prefer a decent degree of pre-travel (~2.0mm), and I wanted to see how a tactile switch with slightly less operating force would function. The Banana switches have 42gf of operating force, making them slightly more sensitive than the WS Gold Arowana (45gf) but less sensitive than the Epomaker Wisteria V2s (38gf).

The Banana switches have a delicate tactility that does a surprisingly decent job in masking the switches’ low pre-travel. When I say that, I mean that the tactile bump feels like it is positioned at the activation point (1.7mm). Even more, the lower operating force makes the switch feel closer to a modified linear switch instead of a harder, traditional tactile switch. From experience, tactile switches can be satisfying but can lead to finger fatigue. I did not encounter any fatigue when using the keyboard, even when playing higher-intensity games like Counter-Strike 2.

That said, the Banana switches were not that loud, but they had a hollow clackiness that was subtle and inoffensive. I know that the K5 V2 has sound dampening foam which decreases the volume of the switches a bit, but I’m not convinced that the switches and keycaps were loud to begin with. I would imagine that if you switched to something like the Lofree Phantom or Ghost switches, you could take better advantage of the internal materials to take that step.

The K5 V2 has a hot-swappable model in case you want to swap out your switches for a low-profile switch of your liking. If you’re looking for a silent switch, Ambients Silent Linear Twilights are excellent if you’re wanting a quieter setup. Sunset Tactiles are a nice thocky option where as Kailh Chocs can be clacky.

I don’t expect folks to care too much about switches for this keyboard, though. It’s clear that Keychron has staked a claim in the high-quality budget keyboard space. Thus, it makes sense to recommend Keychron for those unfamiliar with prebuilt mechanical keyboards at all – new mechanical keyboard users deserve the best first impression from the likes of Keychron!

Before I transition to the gaming potential of the K5 V2, I want to commend Keychron for making their open-source keyboard driver accessible via a web browser while also supporting GMK/VIA. Some keyboard manufacturers lock their drivers behind proprietary – not Keychron. Their keyboard software is easy to use. It might not have the fancy bells and whistles that come with HE keyboard packages, but it does everything it needs to without making the process overly complicated. All I had to do was plug in my keyboard and then access the browser – simple as that.

All right, now for gaming. I mentioned at the top of this review that low-profile keyboards can function well in a gaming environment. Not all PC players spend their time in higher-intensity games such as VALORANT and Fortnite, you know. When I test keyboards, I put them through their paces across games of varying intensity to get a feel for their overall potential.

I won’t go so far as to say that the K5 V2 is fit for higher-intensity games (most likely meaning FPS titles), but it can work in the right hands. While I wasn’t that great when playing Counter-Strike 2, I was able to occasionally peek just fine given the lower pre-travel. If you’re needing a keyboard that can accommodate twitchy movements, you’re better off going with a Hall Effect keyboard or at least one with more sensitive switches. That said, its 1000Hz polling rate (wired) was fantastic.

Medium- and low-intensity games were where the K5 V2 shined. In Back 4 Blood and League of Legends, I was able to excel just fine. Low-intensity games like Stardew Valley, Teamfight Tactics, and Parry Nightmare were a breeze, too. I didn’t get the satisfaction from the switches when I made impactful inputs, but the keyboard had a great amount of space, pre-travel, and array of buttons for me to use.

When Keychron calls the K5 V2 a gaming keyboard, they’re doing so with the understanding that you, the user, are looking for a reliable keyboard that can be used in a variety of environments and across multiple game genres. I would recommend this keyboard for a PC user who wants an excellently built and minimalist keyboard that doesn’t break the bank. You should always go for the hot-swappable option if it’s available, as having the freedom to swap out switches and keycaps is always a good thing.

Keychron’s K5 QMK Wireless Mechanical Keyboard (Version 2) excels in build quality, design, and function. For just over $100, it’s one of the easiest recommendations I can make for someone in the market for a new mechanical keyboard for gaming and office work.

A Keychron K5 V2 was provided by Keychron for the sole purpose of this DigitalChumps review.