Keychron K2 HE and K3 Max reviewed: premium keyboards for work and travel

Keychron is a company that continues to impress me. Their range of keyboards varies from slim and compact, to hefty and robust, and I've always found them a joy to use.

Their two latest launches are the K2 HE and the K3 Max. They're both wireless, both customisable, and both beautifully made.

I've been testing each one for a few weeks, and this is how they performed.

Keychron K3 Max - from £89.99

Starting small with one of Keychron's most compact keyboards yet, the K3 Max is a minimalist's dream.

Plonk it on your desk and look at it from overhead, and it just looks like a neatly laid-out cluster of keys. There are no borders. The edges of the outer keys overhang the base.

It might be small, but it's still mighty, though. There's a solid feel to it, which means it's not going to slide around, and the keys are extremely slim.

It's actually only 22mm in thickness at the wider end, and 17mm at the narrow end, which makes it one of the slimmest mechanical keyboards out there.

Despite this size, it packs in a hefty battery, a backlighting system, customisable keys, and adjustable angles.

Priced from £89.99, it's aimed at those who look for a premium keyboard, and you'll pay more if you want more colours, or a hot-swappable version, but it really does have the features to match up to the price point.

For example, the Gateron low-profile mechanical switches are weighted beautifully, with one set making some lovely satisfying noises without being in any way loud, and another set available to give you that classic clacking sound.

It can link up to PCs and Macs through 2.4 GHz wireless, Bluetooth 5.1, and it will even support wired connections. And with a 1000 Hz polling rate, gamers are likely to be impressed.

There's no numerical keypad here, and the brutal slimming process does mean the keys are at a sharp angle, which won't suit everyone.

Would I use it every day at my desk? Probably not. Its compact size is a great space saver, but it's better suited to travellers. And that's where it finds its niche.

If you're after a premium mechanical keyboard that can slot neatly into a bag and be ready for serious work whenever you are, this is it.

There are other slim mechanical keyboards out there, but they're honestly not as good as this.

Keychron K2 HE - from £129.99

I was not ready to be quite as impressed as I was by the K2 HE, but when I got it out of the box, it was a bit of showstopper. Unlike the K3 Max, it's heavy and thick. It doesn't feel like any keyboard I've picked up before.

Keychron sent me the £139.99 Special Edition version, with rosewood frames. And it felt more like a piece of furniture than a keyboard.

If anything, it looks old-fashioned with this wooden bezel, but the tech built in is far from antique.

It has Keychron's fabulous Gateron double-rail magnetic switches, which are just the loveliest things to type on. It connects through 2.4 GHz wireless or Bluetooth 5.1, and there's an RGB backlighting system.

As with the K3 Max, everything is tuneable and customisable, and the switches able to detect variations in travel of at least 0.1mm, so it's incredibly responsive.

Despite its weight, it's fairly compact, but that does mean there's no numerical keypad. And it's fair to say if you go for a super-modern look on your desk, this won't be for you. Even the standard edition without those elegant wooden accents looks a trifle retro.

But it's just so wonderfully tactile and comfortable to use, and so reassuringly well made, you can't help but relish in the experience of using it.

I realise £130 is a lot of money for a 75% keyboard but, trust me, there are far more expensive options out there. And, unlike some of its competitors, this one feels like it's worth every penny.