Keychron K3 Pro

Keychron are almost the undisputed champions when it comes to fairly price-effective mechanical keyboards that appeal to both gaming enthusiasts, but also to those who want to sit in front of a computer and do some serious work.

For relatively little money, you can get something that just puts the others to shame, and it's been that way for a long time. Sure, most of the time it's cut to the bone to focus on nailing a few essential aspects of the user experience, but what you get is infinitely more refined.

Take the {K3 Pro} as an example. Here we are dealing with a keyboard that found for as cheap as £86, but which really delivers where it counts. It's 75%, so it's as compact as it can be without sacrificing dedicated arrow keys, which many will undoubtedly appreciate. In addition, we have PBT moulded caps that use Keychron's LSA profile (low profile spherical-angled). Underneath, there are Gateron low-profile switches, available in {Red}, {Blue} and {Brown}, depending on the type of actuation you prefer. No, it's not {Cherry}, but there's been a bit of an inflation in switches, and on a day-to-day basis, these feel excellent.

There's QMK/VIA support so you can play with commands and macros to your heart's content, it works both wired and wireless for both {Windows} and Mac with dedicated keys for both platforms that can be easily swapped, you can connect up to three devices at a time, and if you're using cable there's a 1000Hz polling rate.

Perhaps most importantly, it's incredibly slim. The 75% form factor means it doesn't take up any more space than necessary, but it sits just 22 millimetres above the surface without the dual-stage feet knocked out. There's even some nice RGB lighting for those who love that sort of thing, and even a week later, with it switched on, it hasn't run out of battery.

It just feels brilliant to use, and I can honestly say that I've been using the {K3 Pro} for a week, every day, for eight hours at a time, pretty much without taking my fingers off the keys. While Keychron could consider making more comfortable accessories, such as better wrist rests, their keyboards are masterful, and the {K3 Pro} is the most accessible and best engineered model I've tried.

That makes it infinitely easy to recommend, no doubt about it. Whether you just need a no-frills keyboard or want to use either QMK or VIA software to really tinker, the {K3 Pro} is an excellent choice.