I’ve constantly been requested to check out this board, even though it’s like pretty
much the same thing as the K2 that I already reviewed, but bigger.
Probably because of their immense marketing, and that a bunch of YouTubers have it, but
anyway, let’s see what the hype is about on this, the Keychron K4.
First impressions in the hands, it’s pretty solid with no flex, as it does have aluminium
sides.
And it’s decently hefty at around 935 grams.
However, this is also available in the plastic version which is cheaper, starting at just
69 USD.
So it shares the exact same design and aesthetic of their K2.
So we have this kind of aluminium frame design, like an actual picture frame sort of construction.
So yeh, not solid alu, you may or may not like that with the parting lines and such.
Looking at the side, and we can see that it’s completely flat, as in, it has no angle or
inclination to it, without the flip up feet up.
Pretty unusual, and feels very foreign to me, just not used to having a flat board with
sculpted keycaps.
So I definitely used it with the feet up.
And because this, which is an issue I had with the K2, it’s still pretty high at the
front.
Normally a keyboard would be pretty low towards the front, naturally.
But this is one of the taller fronts I’ve seen on a mech.
So what that means, is that if you’re resting your wrists on the table, this will create
a steeper angle, which isn’t great for ergonomics.
And I personally, don’t find it as comfortable to use, in comparison to other mechs, even
though the difference isn’t huge, it’s noticeable.
So definitely consider a wrist or palm rest to get elevated.
Otherwise, hover when you type, which is the recommended technique anyway, but when gaming,
that probably won’t be the case.
On the bottom, we have our rubber feet, and our two flip feet.
Pretty cool design with the flip up feet, how it’s rubberised all round.
Just looks cool, and works fine.
They’ve kept the USB type C port on the left, so we get that awkward cable positioning,
which is where their right angled cable comes in.
Again, stop folding these please.
Here, we’ll also find our OS switch, to switch between Windows/Android and Apple operating
systems, which is great that it’s guaranteed to work on majority of devices.
I guess that’s another reason it’s been super popular, is because they actively promote
it as an Apple compatible device, even though like all mechs are fine on Apple.
It’s just the keycaps that are different, and we have the Mac symbols and functions
on here.
And the other switch is for changing between Bluetooth and cabled mode.
So we can use it in cabled mode, and it will charge the device as well.
And Bluetooth, another big feature.
To pair to a device, we press FN + 1, 2, or 3, meaning that we can have 3 different devices
connected.
And then just pair it on the device, super simple.
Performance seems to be absolutely fine, just like the K2.
I don’t feel any noticeable lag or latency when just using it normally.
So, typing this script, I didn’t notice any missed keypresses, or double presses or
anything.
It worked perfectly fine.
I’m not a hardcore gamer or anything, so I didn’t notice any difference in that regard.
But, I’m sure there probably is a difference, and that some people will notice that.
But if that’s so important, you still have the cable for that.
Just like the K2, it features a 4000mAh LiPo battery.
I’ve never run out personally, but going off what other people have said, and also
with the K2, it should go about a week or so on a charge which is really good.
Alright, back to the top, and the K4 is a 96% form factor, which is like a compact full
size sort of board.
It has 100 keys.
For reference a standard ANSI full sized board would have 104 to 108 keys, so very similar
in regards to primary functionality, as it basically gives us all of the keys.
But in a condensed manner, which very slightly shortens the board in height, but more importantly,
it’s only slightly longer than a tenkeyless keyboard.
This gives us more space on our desk, which is great for giving more room for everything
else.
But the main thing, is that it allows us to bring the mouse closer to the left, creating
a more natural and ergonomic experience.
However with a condensed layout like this, there’s no gaps between the different clusters.
Personally, I’m not the biggest fan, but that’s just me.
It can make some keys more difficult to locate, such as the arrow keys.
But obviously overtime you’d get used to it.
And I just prefer a more spaced out sort of feel.
It does have pretty standard keycap sizes, so you could replace them if you wanted.
You’d just need to get an extended kit, not just the simple 104 keysets.
However these are backlit caps, so they do allow that RGB backlighting to come through.
Nice font as well, really clean and simple which I like.
They are pretty cheapy keycaps though.
They’re thin 1mm ABS plastic, and are coated and laser etched, so overtime they will shine
and fade.
They don’t sound and feel the best, and don’t make the switches feel as good.
But that’s probably something you won’t notice if you haven’t tried other stuff.
And that brings us to the keyswitches.
The K4 is available in Gateron switches, which is nice to see, being a great alternative
to Cherry MX switches, but cheaper.
But they also have their Optical switches in Blue and Red.
In hindsight, I would have loved to get one of those, but I didn’t know at the time.
In my experience, optical switches have been very smooth, which I’ve enjoyed.
Anyway, I have Gateron Yellows in mine, which are a medium weight linear switch, with no
click or tactile bump.
Alright, so first up, the spacebar has this terrible squeak in mine, which is super annoying.
It’s just on the left side of the spacebar.
Probably a one off instance, but an instance nonetheless.
Otherwise, the stabs are actually pretty decent, with minimal rattle.
As said before, the cheap keycaps don’t pair that well with these medium weight linears.
They feel ok.
But I think it’s bringing out more scratchiness as well, it’s just easier to feel in my
opinion.
So I know Gateron are regarded to be one of the smoother switch options, but in this particular
board, they’re not as good as they should be.
But not bad at all or anything, it still has that linear mechanical experience.
And that’s why I really would’ve liked to try out the optical switches.
To take the board apart, first we have some Torx head screws on the sides.
And yeh, the aluminium version of the keyboard, just means that we have these aluminium bars
that slide off.
And you’re left with what the plastic version is.
So it’s basically a really easy way to have the same design for both models.
And then there’s a bunch of Phillips head screws under some keycaps that we have to
remove.
Here’s the plastic bottom shell, and of course the nice large 4000mAh battery.
There’s a lot of ribbing on the bottom surface for reinforcement.
But there is a lot of space, which from what I can see, is to accommodate the switches
on the side.
And that’s why we have that flat 0 angle design, and therefore tall design.
The mounting plate is made from 1.5mm aluminium, which is pretty standard.
And here’s the PCB.
The switches are soldered in, so you cannot change them unless you desolder them.
For the optical version, I’m quite sure that you’d be able to take the switches
out, as they won’t be soldered in.
And that’s the Keychron K4.
What we really have to consider in all of this, is the price.
Which starts at 69USD.
There’s not a whole lot of budget options for this 96% layout, so there’s that.
We also get Bluetooth connectivity, as well as proper Apple support.
So it is a unique product, therefore it has its place.
Obviously I’m not a big fan of the design personally, in how it’s quite tall, which
I don’t find that ergonomic, and everything that lead up to that.
So the side placement of the OS and Bluetooth switches, makes sense for accessibility, but
causes issues inside.
There’s a tonne of space in there, especially to make it angled and lower profile.
And for simplicity's sake, the USB C port is there as well.
The plastic version case is unrefined and is literally a stripped back version of the
aluminium version.
And it is somewhat misleading calling this an aluminium keyboard, as it’s more plastic
than alu, by quite a lot.
Very negative from me, which is unusual.
But I feel that these design choices are sloppy in my opinion, and the hype does play a part
in this.
So why is it so popular?
I don’t want to make people feel bad if they have this, it’s still a fine keyboard,
and is very feature rich, and at a good price, so all good there.
But you’ll see a lot of positive reviews about it, especially amongst sizable YouTubers.
And this will sound pretty bad, but I just don’t believe that they’ve tried enough
out there, which is absolutely fine, as you base your opinions on previous experiences.
And I’m not talking about crazy multi hundred dollar customs.
It’s just not a great experience in my opinion, and could be a lot better.
But it’s like the only one out there with these specifications at this price, so I can’t
really offer alternatives.
Although for the K2, consider the Akko 3084, it’s better in nearly every way in my opinion.
So that’s that.
If this is what you need, then this may be the one for you.