Keychron Q16 HE 8K: First look at the new ceramic keyboard with Hall effect switches and 8K polling rate
Keychron has been on a roll with new keyboard releases lately. The company launched two budget-focused mechanical keyboards back in June, followed by the Keychron K9 Max with low-profile switches and, more recently, a special edition DayZ-themed Lemokey P1 HE. Now, it looks like the brand is entering the ceramic keyboard niche with a new 65% model.
The company has taken to X (formerly Twitter) to unveil its upcoming keyboard, the Q16 HE 8K. According to Keychron, this will be the world’s first keyboard with a full ceramic build, covering both the chassis and keycaps. It will also feature Hall Effect magnetic switches, which have become so popular in high-end gaming keyboards, alongside a standard QWERTY layout in a 65% form factor.
The Keychron Q16 HE 8K is set to launch on Kickstarter in October, but the company has yet to reveal pricing details. Interested buyers can sign up for launch notifications to receive more details closer to release.
Keychron Q16 HE 8K key features and highlights
From the images posted on X and Prelaunch, the Q16 HE 8K looks to have a lot going for it, but its biggest draw is the fully ceramic build. Everything from the chassis to the keycaps is constructed from premium ceramic materials, which Keychron says makes the keyboard cool to the touch, sound "thocky," and provide a smoother typing experience. The keycaps are designed with a Cherry profile and pair nicely with the north-facing backlight for brighter and more vibrant RGB.
Under the hood, the Q16 HE 8K runs on Keychron’s Ultra-fast Lime Magnetic Switches, the same ones we saw in the Lemokey L5 HE 8K. These are Hall-effect linear switches with TMR sensors, letting you adjust the actuation all the way down to 0.1 mm with 0.01 mm steps. Paired with an 8,000 Hz polling rate, that should give competitive gamers plenty to work with. The switches are hot-swappable, too, and Keychron has thrown in pre-lubed plate-mounted stabilizers to keep things steady while typing.
As a Hall effect keyboard, it supports most of the latest features, such as rapid trigger, dynamic keystrokes to map up to four different actions on one single key, and Keychron's version of Razer Snap Tap for perfect strafing. Users will be able to adjust most of these settings via the company's web-based software.With that being said, testing ceramic keyboards has mostly meant buying ceramic keycap sets from makers like Cerakey. The Q16 HE 8K will be the first chance for gamers to experience a full ceramic keyboard.
The Keychron Q16 HE 8K will be available on Kickstarter sometime in October and will be offered in black and white colorways.
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