Keychron C1 Keyboard Review: Straight to the Top
MSRP: $59.99
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There’s something very endearing about the mechanical keyboard maker Keychron and their products. Between the wide range of mechanical switch options and the clean aesthetic layouts, I’ve come to really appreciate the offerings here. With the Keychron C1 wired mechanical keyboard, I’ve found myself with this tenkeyless device entrenched on my desk long after my review period ended even though I have a closet full of keyboards waiting for me to review. What makes this such an alluring keyboard that I’m unwilling to part with it? Let me try to piece together all the reasons in this full review.
The Price IS Right
I really can’t fathom anything else missing on the spec sheet for a factory made plug and play keyboard offering.
The variant I purchased on Amazon has Gateron G Pro Brown switches with a Mac OS layout for a price tag of $60. The tenkeyless body has 87 keys that are ABS keycaps with RGB backlight passthrough lettering. It’s a wired keyboard that uses a USB-C port for connection. All of these are positive traits for a modern keyboard that combines for a well rounded offering. I really can’t fathom anything else missing on the spec sheet for a factory made plug and play keyboard offering. While I do have the Mac layout keycaps on my keyboard, there’s a toggle switch next to the USB-C port that changes the layout to Windows. That’s pretty convenient for people who use multiple operating systems like me.
Gateron Switches
People often view Gateron switches as a budget option while Cherry switches are held in a more premium light. It isn’t impossible to find a Cherry switch mechanical keyboard in the $60 range, but I’d be hard pressed to find one as refined as this $60 Gateron offering. I chose the brown switches for their smooth linear tactile distinction and they certainly didn’t disappoint here on the C1. There’s a subtle clickiness upon input that makes this not only suitable for gaming, but potentially at an office setting. It isn’t too distracting or obnoxious like many other clicky sound bites from other types of switches. I haven’t run many brown switches prior to this keyboard, but now that I’ve experienced the C1 and how it sounds, I’m certainly open to more keyboards with brown switches in the future. I also like the three-tone color palette of the keycaps. The white and black configuration mesh well with one another. That combination is always a safe bet when it comes to mechanical keyboards. The signature Keychron orange escape key is also a nice accent piece that surprisingly matches well with the two main colorways. Keychron sells a lot of keyboards with different combinations of gray as the colorways for their keycaps, so this black and white combination is a nice change of pace.
Typing Experience
There really isn’t much to complain about in terms of the typing experience on the Keychron C1. The tactile feedback is excellent and the ABS keycaps feel smooth on the fingertips. The layout is segregated spaciously and doesn’t feel cramped at all. Keychron provided enough space between the main layout of keys and the delete/directional keys column to give the keyboard a spacious division. This 87 key layout doesn’t feel claustrophobic like some of Keychron’s other tenkeyless offerings. I’d rather have that cleaner spacing and forsake a little bit more desk space than have an overly compact keyboard that I can’t stand looking at due to how cluttered together the keys are. This keyboard also has two adjustable levels of height that is quite standard with keyboards of this design. I have mine locked in at the highest angle, but the C1 naturally has more bulk allocated towards the rear of the board, so typing on it flat is actually quite comfortable as well.
RGB FLARE
The C1 has 15 types of RGB passthrough backlighting that can be toggled through a dedicated lighting button on the top right of the board. They range from the standard gaming patterns like breathing, flashing to input rippling, and static colorways. There isn’t a Keychron companion software that lets you customize the RGB synchronization which might be a detractor for keyboard owners accustomed to offerings from competitors like Razer or Corsair. I personally don’t put a lot of stock in RGB software for keyboards, but I might have utilized it on this board as I wasn’t a big fan of the 15 RGB waves defaulted on the board. It wasn’t necessarily that they were an eye sore to look at more so that I just couldn’t settle on one that I actually liked looking at. It’s missing the flexibility to customize a certain colorway with a distinct pattern combination of your choosing. At $60, this isn’t an expensive keyboard, but I’ve also seen keyboards in this price segment like the Dark Matter Collider which offers better RGB commands. I think for many first time buyers of mechanical gaming keyboards, this will be a good basic RGB introduction. Those buyers who have experience with other gaming keyboards might feel like there’s something missing with the RGB experience on the C1.
What’s the verdict?
I’ve grown to really like using the C1 as my main keyboard at the home office these last couple of months. My time with the board will definitely end sooner rather than later as I have a back loaded inventory of boards I need to review, but I will definitely keep the C1 nearby and pull it out in-between reviews. I love the minimalist approach that a lot of Keychron products have. They’re affordable and they look aesthetically pleasing on just about any desk. The C1 has all of those signature Keychron approaches and performs as well as I’d expected. I think it’s priced correctly and offers a good amount of flexibility to buyers with on the fly toggling between different operating systems. For $60, the Keychron C1 has leapfrogged straight to the top of my recommendation list for tenkeyless keyboards currently on the market.
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Alex
Caught in between the conundrum of his fascination with retro and the future, Alex has a very unique taste in technology. Never one to follow trends like his millennial peers yet constantly desiring to get ahead of the curve, he sees technology like he does his other love: comic books. Always looking for the best value or a hidden gem, his collector mindset reflects on some of his favorite gadgets: the Moto X (2015), HTC U11 and the Google Pixelbook. If there’s a good tech deal out there, Alex is on the hunt!