Delightfully retro and dirt cheap — Keychron C1 Pro 8K mechanical gaming keyboard review
A near-perfect starter mechanical keyboard.
The Keychron C1 Pro 8K is a $55 budget mechanical keyboard that makes all the right sacrifices without compromising on functionality, style, or ergonomics. In some ways, the C1 Pro 8K is better than many of Keychron's flagship Q Max keyboards, despite the plastic case and lack of wireless connectivity — find out why in our in-depth review.Julian van der Merwe Published
Verdict - Near-perfect budget gaming keyboard
The Keychron C1 Pro 8K makes a lot of promises about fast response rates and gaming prowess, but its true virtues lie elsewhere. It doesn't have the fancy gasket mounts, wireless connectivity, or Hall effect switches of some other more expensive Keychron keyboards we've reviewed, but its low price, solid build quality, and outstanding ergonomics make it a great keyboard to get into mechanical keyboards.
The C1 Pro 8K could easily be your first and last mechanical keyboard. The stock experience is impressive for the price, but it also provides a solid platform for experimentation with other switches, modifications, stellar software customisation and different keycap options. The C1 Pro also feels excellent to type on, thanks to the ultra-low 18.3 mm front height and decent OSA profile keycaps.
If you're looking for an affordable budget mechanical keyboard for gaming or work, the C1 Pro 8K is an excellent choice, as long as you can ignore the lack of wireless connectivity.
Pros
Cons
Price and availability
The Keychron C1 Pro 8K is available from Keychron's online store for $54.99, and it is available with Keychron Super Red (linear), Brown (tactile), and Banana (sharp tactile) switches. It will likely be available from Amazon at a later date for a similar price. The larger Keychron C2 Pro 8K — identical to the C1 Pro, but in a bigger 100% layout — is available on Amazon for $64.99.
The Keychron C1 Pro 8K is a wired mechanical gaming keyboard with a TKL layout, a beige ABS plastic case, and USB type-C connectivity. Our review unit uses linear Keychron Super Red switches, which have a middle-of-the-road weight, and beige double-shot PBT keycaps with black legends.
Specifications
| Form factor and size | TKL ANSI US layout (81/83 keys), 130.75 × 357.44 mm, 18.3 mm front height |
| Typing angle | 4.8°, 8.5°, 10.7° |
| Case material | ABS plastic |
| Weight | 830 g |
| Plate material and mounting style | Steel plate, tray mount |
| Connectivity | Wired (USB-C) |
| PCB and switch style | Mechanical switch, 5-pin and 3-pin compatible |
| Default switch options | Keychron Super red (linear, 45 gf start force, 50 gf bottom-out) |
| Keycap material and profile | Double-shot PBT, non-shine-through, OSA profile |
| Customisation | Keychron Launcher web driver |
| Backlight | South-facing per-key RGB |
| Polling rate | Up to 8 kHz |
Unboxing and first impressions
Much like the other Keychron keyboards we've reviewed, the Keychron C1 Pro 8K comes with all of the accessories you'll need to get started, including a tiny screw driver for modification purposes. It comes with macOS keycaps installed, but Keychron includes Windows modifier keycaps and a bright red escape key.
It's nice to see Keychron hasn't compromised on the accessory quality, even if the keycap and switch puller is basic. The hardware toggle also makes a return on the back of the keyboard for easy OS switching. The C1 Pro 8K's light weight is immediately noticeable, although it doesn't feel cheap.
Keychron C1 Pro 8K build quality and general use
Build quality is a highlight for the C1 Pro 8K. The plastic housing has a consistent matte texture, and it feels and looks more premium than its $55 price suggests. The double-shot OSA profile keycaps are similar to the OEM profile you normally find on gaming keyboards, but with improved aesthetics. The keycaps are on the thinner side, at 1.2 mm, which results in a slightly higher pitch sound profile, but the keycap texture feels nice, and the legend is consistent. The RGB backlighting is also incredibly bright, but only an aesthetic function — it would be nice to see Keychron offer its side-printed shine-through keycaps on the C1 Pro 8K.
Much like the vintage keyboards the C1 Pro 8K borrows its looks from, the C1 includes little indicator LEDs to show caps lock status and the active OS mode. Unlike on actual vintage keyboards, these indicator LEDs use a dim, but still visible, blue LED, which isn't blinding or annoying. Customisation via Keychron Launcher is also a major highlight, allowing you to remap the entire keyboard, set up macros, and customise the RGB LEDs. We ran into trouble trying to update the keyboard firmware via Launcher, as have other users on Reddit, but once the update was complete, we had full per-key RGB customisation and control over the debounce controls.
In day-to-day use and gaming, the C1 Pro 8K fits the bill perfectly, especially if you don't have hundreds of dollars to spend on a keyboard. We experienced no issues with things like chatter, repeated inputs, or the build quality as a whole. Even if the C1 Pro's tray mount does feel stiffer than gasket-mounted keyboard designs, this did not cause excessive typing fatigue, even after long typing sessions. This is partially because of that low front that doesn't punish your wrists.
Even in Hall effect gaming keyboards, like the Wooting 80HE we reviewed previously, the benefits of 8 kHz polling are debatable, so it's a bit odd to see the feature in a fully mechanical keyboard. That said, the performance was flawless throughout our review. The only issue we encountered with the keyboard was with updating the firmware, which was later resolved by downloading the firmware from Keychron's website and manually installing it using the provided instructions.
Typing sound and Keychron Super Red switch mini review
Our Keychron C1 Pro 8K came with Keychron Super Red switches, which are linear switches with 45 gf actuation force. The Super switches have a clear PC top housing, and the combination of the factory lubrication and the POM stem makes the Super Red switch quite smooth. They also don't have excessive stem wobble, especially for switches that cost $16.99 for a pack of 100.
The Super Red switches are on the quieter side, and the RGB transmission is great. Overall, the Super Red switches complement the C1 Pro 8K well – they're no-frills switches that feel good to use and don't really have any negative characteristics.
It is notable just how clean the C1 Pro 8K's stabilisers sound — significantly better than those in the $237 Keychron Q13 Max we reviewed prior. The steel plate contributes to the keyboard's clacky sound profile, and the internal case and PCB foams silence most of the C1 Pro 8K's negative auditory feedback. That said, there is still room for modifications, like an o-ring burger mod, to further reduce what little reverberation remains.
Below is a sound test of the C1 Pro with the Super Red switches.
Conclusion
The Keychron C1 Pro 8K is an outstanding affordable mechanical keyboard that punches above its weight with a solid typing feel, clean typing sound, and great build quality. The only real drawback of the C1 Pro 8K is the lack of wireless connectivity, although enthusiasts may want a more cushioned typing experience.
Transparency
The selection of devices to be reviewed is made by our editorial team. The test sample was given to the author by the manufacturer free of charge for the purposes of review. There was no third-party influence on this review, nor did the manufacturer receive a copy of this review before publication. There was no obligation to publish this review. We never accept compensation or payment in return for our reviews. As an independent media company, Notebookcheck is not subjected to the authority of manufacturers, retailers or publishers.
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