The K2 HE Special Edition review - Keychron refines the magnetic switch keyboard game

Keychron has been on a roll this year with a slew of keyboards in several price ranges and categories. Today, I bring you the K2 HE, It is one of the brand's first compact keyboards to use Gateron's Double-Rail Magnetic Switch,

This is the Special Edition ISO variant of the K2 HE, it also comes in a standard, and a non-ISO layout, as well as two colour options, black, and white, though the standard edition only seems to come in black, weird.

The construction materials used with the K2 HE are slightly different to other Keychron keyboards I have had on the desktop. The Q6 Max pictured above, for example, is all-metal weighing in at a shade over 2,000 g, meanwhile the smaller form factor of the mostly ABS (Aluminium top fascia) comes in at a little under 1,000 g.

having said that, relative to its smaller size, the K2 HE is still heavy enough to feel premium, and the typing experience reflects that, too.

First Impressions

A familiar feeling right out of the box, it's something I recall from whipping out the Q6 Max, and the same experience applies here, just on a smaller form factor. The K2 HE looks and feels as premium as its bigger cousin and retaining the OSA profile keycaps which I am a fan of, though Cherry profile keycaps are available as options, too.

The compactness is what gets you first, it looks lightweight, but at nearly 1000 g for a 75% keyboard, the heft can initially feel odd, though in a good way.

The USB port being on the side is one that I'm not a fan of, but it seems to be fairly common on non full-size keyboards these days, so perhaps this is something to adjust to over time. The cable included is right-angled to suit this port position, and Keychron does sell right-angled coiled cables as well for those who wish to make their desktop look a little neater and cooler.

In classic Keychron fashion, all the tools and bits needed to DIY the keyboard are included in the box. The pre-installed function keys are printed for Mac OS, just like with previous Keychron keyboards. The keycaps inside the packet should be swapped over if this is going to be used on a Windows system, and the toggle switch set accordingly.

The wooden side-pieces are also a nice touch and are easily removed using the included tool, though there is little reason to do so under normal usage.

All cables and adaptors that might be needed are also included, with the 2.4GHz dongle (supporting 1000Hz) not having a place to store on the keyboard frame itself like Ducky implemented on the One X. Not a huge issue I suppose, but it's a small detail that would have added some kudos points all the same.

The K2 HE is a very comfortable keyboard to game and type on. Just like with the Q6 Max, the typing feel with these switches is linear but well damped. All switches come pre-lubed once again, so smoothness and noise control are excellent as a result.

The screw-in stabilisers ensure perfect balance, with the spacebar containing two foam inserts for additional acoustic damping.

THOCK

Yeah that's right, THOCK makes a return! The K2 HE has impressive acoustics, just like the Q6 Max I reviewed, the typing comfort and feel is substantial and makes you realise why it costs so much. If you have the pocket depth to reach in and pull out the $$$, then I don't know if there is much better for this trait alone in this price range. Keychron seem to nail it right out of the box.

The OSA keycaps combined with the layered internal construction make the K2 HE a beast of a keyboard for both typing and gaming, and for those looking for a full-size option, there are other HE models that satisfy this, such as the Q6 Max, though once again, the price is high.

Here's how the K2 HE sounds:

Performance

With a 1000Hz polling rate, performance is excellent, just like with previous Keychron boards. I played some Doom: The Dark Ages, along with GTA5 Enhanced Edition and had no problems with getting quickly accustomed to the smaller form factor.

As this is a hall-effect keyboard, Keychron allows you to use sets of keys as analogue joystick control. These are configured using Keychron Launcher, the web-based utility to customise ZMK/QMK based mice and keyboards from the brand.

The subsection of features here are explained clearly, and as there are three profiles to enable them for, you can have a profile just for gaming which enables analogue joystick keys, a profile for regular gaming and a profile for normal typing where you may not want any gaming features enabled for maximum typing precision.

As with other Keychron keyboards, the custom macros can be imported here and stored directly onto the onboard memory. You can then map those macros to whatever key you want in the main screen.

On top of that, there is a handy real-time test function to see how the magnetic switches respond to key input, neat!

Conclusion

A compact keyboard with all the modern gaming geared features one could ask for. The K2 HE seems to have what makes Wooting great, but in a package that feels a little more premium thanks to the multi-layer internal structure and nicer feeling keycaps.

The special edition's wooden side panels and accented ESC key are a nice touch, it also seems that you only get the OSA profile keycaps with this edition, as the standard edition comes with the Cherry profile keycaps. This is a personal preference, but I've grown to appreciate the shape and angle of the OSA keycaps over Cherry.

The RGB lighting utilises north facing LEDs which means less glare which is typically found on south facing ones. The lighting has various modes that can also be customised in Keychron Launcher, though I like to leave this disabled in an effort to have minimal distractions.

The printed keycap legends are very clear, even in low light, too.

It is a very expensive keyboard given its smaller form factor, but it does have all the latest gaming features, and yes some other brands might have 8K polling keyboards, though I would argue how necessary is 8K on a keyboard...

I'd really like to see a full-sized version of the K2 HE, I like the balance of quality and weight, whilst the Q6 Max is excellent, it is incredibly heavy to gently shuffle around the desk sometimes as I test out new tech, the K2 HE is a breeze by comparison, so a similarly built full-sized version could be an option if Keychron release one.

The K2 HE is available direct from Keychron USA for $139.99, or in the UK for £153.99. It is also available on Amazon USA for $139.99, but currently not available in the UK through this store front.

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