Keychron Q10 Max

I've said it before and I'll say it again; I love Keychron products very much. Their overall design philosophy is spot on most of the time and the production quality is always unrivalled. But even I have to admit that their line-up of over a billion different models is confusing to say the least.

But this particular model is pretty easy to recommend, because the {Q10 Max} is a so-called "Alice" keyboard, a keyboard with a specific ergonomic layout that became a hit online back in 2018. The idea is pretty simple; you split a traditional layout in half by splitting it down the middle, then rotate the two halves slightly inwards and glue them back together.

There are already a lot of imitations of the original TGR Alice, and this isn't exactly the most customisable. It's a bit high without a wrist rest and you can't control the angle of the inward rotation - it's all up to you, and while the Alice layout is more comfortable, and healthy, for your posture, it's not necessarily the best for that purpose alone.

No, what you get is an Alice keyboard that simultaneously retains all the core benefits of a Q-series Keychron keyboard. This means you have 2.4GHz via dongle, Bluetooth and wired connectivity. You have Mac and {Windows} options with interchangeable Command/Windows keys to tailor the keyboard to a specific operating system. You have 1000Hz Polling-Rate via the built-in {ARM Cortex M4} chip. And finally, you also have a CNC aluminium base with a double-gasketed design that makes everything comfortable, heavy and well-constructed.

In other words, this is a Q-series Keychron keyboard, so all the basics are spot on. Even the {Gateron Jupiter} switches that come with it are brilliant, as are the double-shot PBT caps that sit on top. The typing experience is sublime on virtually every Keychron keyboard, it just is. And if you want to mess around with format, both QMK and VIA are supported, two standards that let you customise the keyboard functions down to the individual key.

And then there's the Alice layout. It's hard to get used to, to say the least. Specifically, the split space bar is a bit of an eyesore and it's even harder to train your fingers, your instincts, to use both thumbs to hit this key. But other than that, it's not like Alice changes too much.

All I really need now is for Keychron to either start designing their keyboards in such a way that the angle at which your wrists rest isn't so steep, or to include their mildly ingenious silicone palm rest. It makes a world of difference and is infinitely better than the too-thin version.

But a Keychron is still a Keychron, and that means it's value for money.