A cheap Logitech MX Master killer with some quirks — Keychron M6 8K wireless mouse review

At $69.99, the Keychron M6 8K offers solid value, with stand-out performance, solid battery life, and versatile features. Productivity users will enjoy the comfortable ergonomic shape, in-depth customisation, horizontal scroll wheel, and free scroll functionality on the main scroll wheel. The M6 8K isn't designed for gaming, with its 86 g weight, but the high-DPI sensor and 8K polling rate mean there is ample performance for gaming. The lightweight, silent clicks are also pleasant to use, and they provided ample tactile feedback for both gaming and productivity. 

The M6 is not perfect, though. In our testing we found the main scroll wheel to be a little loud in notched mode, and unlocking the scroll wheel sometimes resulted in triggering the tilt buttons. Ergonomics is always a very personal thing, but the M6's shape is also somewhat awkward initially, thanks to the ridge that runs between the left and top surfaces. There is also no easy way to switch connection modes from the top of the mouse for those using different systems. 

The Keychron M6 8K is available for $69.99 from Keychron or Amazon, and there is also a version with the same metal scroll wheel and a 1 kHz polling rate for $39.99. 

The Keychron M6 8K is a wireless ergonomic mouse that features many of the same features as the Logitech MX Master series (which appears to be getting a refresh very soon). It has a gaming-grade PixArt 3950 sensor, an all-plastic shell with an ergonomic shape, and a metal scroll wheel with infinite scroll functionality. 

As with other Keychron mice, the packaging is premium, and it includes the necessary accessories. The lack of extra mouse skates isn't as important here, because not many customers will buy the M6 8K for gaming. The lack of a USB-C dongle is unfortunate, though. 

Included accessories:

• USB C-to-C cable
• USB type-A 8 kHz dongle (slim design)
• USB A-to-C adaptor
• USB C-to-C adaptor (for use as a dongle range extender)

Having become accustomed to gaming mice, the first thing I noticed when I started using the Keychron M6 was its weight. A ∼20 g increase from the Keychron M7 8K I reviewed before this does not sound huge, it was noticeable, especially since the centre of mass seems to sit towards the rear of the M6. This weight contributes to the M6 feeling sturdy, but that sturdy feel is backed by genuinely solid build quality. 

The buttons and the metal scroll wheel also give a quality feel, and the mouse has a grippy matte finish. The omission of a rubberised coating can be beneficial, because the oils and chemicals in skin can cause rubber to disintegrate over time. Here, wear and tear only comes across as shiny spots. 

All the buttons on the M6 8K offer solid tactile feedback, there is no wobble, and none of the buttons feel mushy at the bottom of the stroke.

Testing the Keychron M6 meant switching to it as my main mouse for a month. The pointy ergonomic shape, light main clicks, and forward hump took about a week to get used to. The shape allows for flexibility in grip style. Instead of forcing you into a palm grip, it's possible to use the M6 in a palm grip or a fingertip grip — switching grip styles may help avoid repetitive strain injuries during long work days. 

The buttons on the M6 8K are quiet enough to use in even the quietest office — although the scroll wheel is somewhat loud in "notched" mode. Keychron Launcher was also helpful, since it allowed for customisation of all the buttons, scroll wheel tilt, and even the acceleration of the main scroll wheel. The M6 has dual scroll wheels, and the weight of the metal scroll wheel means that even without unlocking the scroll wheel, it's easier to navigate long webpages or spreadsheets by giving it a solid flick. Annoyingly, unlocking the scroll wheel with the button on top of the mouse occasionally activates the tilt function. 

By default, the scroll wheel tilt does the same thing as the horizontal scroll, but in much smaller increments — remapping tilt makes the most sense. The horizontal scroll wheel's utility is obvious to anyone who does any work in spreadsheets or creative applications, but the execution could be better. The scroll increments are non-adjustable and too small to be useful, and the notches are stiff. It took a while to learn how to apply adequate pressure to accurately and quickly turn the thumb wheel without hitting the side buttons. 

Even ignoring gaming workflows, the responsiveness from the high polling rate and DPI options is noticeable in everyday use. Around 1,600 DPI and 1 kHz polling rate feels like the sweet spot, but small improvements to responsiveness can be felt until 4 kHz.

The Keychron M6 8K features both Bluetooth 5.3 and 2.4 GHz connectivity, and there are three Bluetooth profiles that can be selected with a physical button on the bottom. There is also a switch for selecting the connectivity mode and two buttons for selecting DPI and response rates, all of which are very convenient if you don't feel like opening software to configure your mouse. 

The wireless connectivity is supported by an 800 mAh battery, and the battery life has lived up to Keychron's 120-hour claims. Even using 2.4 GHz with the polling rate set to a mix of 1 kHz and 2 kHz and up to 10 hours of daily use, I only needed to charge the M6 fully once in a month. Bluetooth would extend this further. 

The Keychron M6 8K responsive, affordable, and ergonomic, and has excellent battery life, performance, and productivity features. Though the thumb scroll and horizontal scroll implementations are imperfect, the M6 8K still earns a recommendation, especially for those looking for an MX Master replacement with a higher polling rate than 250 Hz.