Keychron K4 HE: Affordable Hall effect gaming keyboard with a num pad and elegant wood accents
Keychron's K2 HE launched some time ago as a 75%, wireless, Hall-effect keyboard with Gateron's Double-Rail Magnetic Nebula switches offering improved stability and a pleasant sound profile. Today, however, Keychron has announced the K4 HE, which is essentially a scaled up version of the K2 HE for gamers who absolutely need a num pad.
Keychron K4 HE specifications
| Technical specifications | |
|---|---|
| Form factor and size | Compact 96% (100 keys), 373.2 mm × 126.2 mm (377.1 mm × 126.4 mm for Special Edition), 31.7 mm front height incl keycaps |
| Case material | Aluminium and wood top and sides, ABS bottom for Special Edition, Aluminium top case and ABS bottom case for Standard Edition |
| Weight | 1,090 g Standard, 1,066 g Special Edition |
| Plate material and mounting style | Aluminium plate, tray mount |
| Connectivity | USB Type-C, 2.4 GHz, Bluetooth 5.2 |
| Battery capacity | 4,000 mAh |
| PCB and switch style | Hall-effect, hot-swap PCB |
| Default switch options | Gateron Double-Rail Magnetic Nebula switches (40–60 gf linear, 3.8 mm travel distance) |
| Layout | 96% US ANSI (ISO support likely coming soon) |
| Keycap material and profile | Special Edition: Double-shot PBT, non-shine-through OSA profile; Standard Edition: Double-shot PBT, shine-through Cherry profile |
| Customisation software | Keychron Launcher, QMK |
| Backlight | North-facing RGB backlighting |
| Polling rate | 1,000 Hz on USB-C and 2.4 GHz |
| Price | Standard Version: $135, Special Edition: $145 |
| Availability | Keychron Online Store |
Much like the Keychron K2 HE that came before it, the K4 HE comes in both a Special Edition variant and a Standard Edition, both of which have their pros and cons. The Special Edition has Keychron's OSA keycaps, which offer a more stylised look, deeper finger wells, and a more professional look. It also features the unique rosewood side accent panels, which can be customisable with laser-engraved images via the Keychron product page at an additional cost. The Special Edition is available in a white colourway with lighter wood panels and a black colourway with darker wood accents.
Meanwhile, the Cherry profile keycaps of the Standard Edition deliver a more familiar typing feel and have the added benefit of being shine-through for late-night visibility and additional aesthetic customisation. The Standard Edition, however, eschews the fancy wood construction, opting instead for an aluminium top frame and an ABS plastic bottom.
Both versions of the K4 HE come with plenty of sound damping materials inside the case, including EVA plate foam, EPDM PCB foam, a PET film, and a silicone pad in the bottom case. Unlike most other HE keyboards on the market, the Keychron K4 HE offers flexibility via wireless connectivity, although that comes at the cost of 8 kHz polling, which is a benefit featured in boards like the Iqunix EZ63 we recently reviewed.
The Gateron Double-Rail Magnetic Nebula Hall-effect switches found in the Keychron K4 HE are linear switches with a middle-of-the-road actuation force — 40 gf start and 60 gf bottom-out — and 3.8 mm of total key travel, which should make them fairly comfortable to use for both gaming and typing. They feature an open bottom design, much like the Wooting Lekker switches and the Geon RAW switches, and the double-rail design supposedly eliminated keycap wobble almost entirely.
The Keychron K4 HE is available on the Keychron online store starting today with a retail price of $135 for the Standard Version and $145 for the Special Edition, although it will likely be available at Best Buy later this year, much like the Keychron K2 HE.
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