Keychron Q16 HE keyboard review: Ceramic fantastic

Best Prices Today: Keychron Q16 HE keyboard

What makes a keyboard “premium”? Is it the feel and experience of typing, its technical or gaming capabilities, the way it looks? Of course it’s all of them, in varying degrees depending on the model and your particular desires. But for Keychron’s latest keyboard, it comes down to just one thing: the material. And that material is ceramic.

The Q16 HE is the first mechanical keyboard (at least the first that I’m aware of) that uses shiny, slick ceramic material for both the keycaps and the body of the keyboard itself. That latter point is an important distinction, as ceramic keycaps have been available from other vendors for a couple of years. Underneath that headline feature is Keychron’s typical set of Q series capabilities, including hot-swap switches, a chunky body, plenty of RGB, and lots of easy programming options. It notably omits wireless and some customization, but the “HE” designation means the magnetic switches have adjustable actuation. That’ll be an acceptable trade for at least some gamers.

Michael Crider/Foundry

“Premium” has another important meaning: pricey. So if money is any concern for you at all, it’s vital to determine whether the premium materials are worth the premium price of $230. Considering that similarly equipped Q-series boards go for almost as much, and a set of ceramic keycaps would cost at least $100 in and of itself, the asking price isn’t unreasonable. I wish the keyboard was a little bigger than this 65% form factor, and had a rotary dial. But for something so specialized, I guess going larger would make the price shoot even higher, and having at least the option of portability isn’t too bad. 

Tickling the ivories

The custom keycaps of the Q16 HE (which come in white or black, to extend the piano theme) are not as heavy as grand piano keys. They’re smaller, of course, and it’s only the top and sides of the keycaps that are made of ceramic material. Underneath is a base and stem made of plastic, possibly POM to my eyes (though I won’t swear to it). I assume that’s because ceramic material is too brittle to be made into a thin stem without breaking under repeated stress.

Michael Crider/Foundry

That said, these are very thick, very premium keycaps — the only ones I’ve tried that are heavier are made out of steel. And the slippery glaze on them feels unique and satisfying, “premium” in every sense. Though the ceramic material never comes in contact with the switch or the keyboard’s metal plate, they are extremely “thocky” nonetheless.

Normally, I abhor this kind of thing, but I really think a sound test is necessary for the sake of evaluation. So PCWorld readers, I present to you my very first and hopefully last attempt at ASMR:

These keycaps are, in a word, fancy. I think just about anyone will enjoy them, unless they’re one of those people who simply doesn’t like the long travel of mechanical keys and prefer a laptop-style keyboard. The only exception is if you’re, well, not very good at typing, and your fingers have a tendency to slip. If that’s the case, the slick ceramic glaze — far more slippery than even the cheapest plastic — might present a problem. This could also be the case for those who have mobility or dexterity issues.

Underneath the keycaps are Keychron’s custom-produced (read: Gateron-supplied) magnetic switches, “Lime” designated, though colors have long since ceased to have any relationship to the switch’s function. They’re rather light at 48 grams on the spring, and linear, extremely so, thanks to the nature of hall effect magnetic switches. 

Michael Crider/Foundry

If that’s not to your taste, you can swap them out…but your options will be very limited. Keychron sells three variants, Gateron many more, but still a tiny fraction of the options available to a standard keyboard. You give up a lot of customization options for that adjustable actuation functionality. And if you want anything except linear switches, you give up all of them. 

Customization options are lacking

Speaking of customization, there isn’t much to this keyboard’s hardware in that respect. Unlike other Q-series boards you need to remove the screws in the plate itself to open it, presumably because that ceramic body is a single piece and drilling holes into it isn’t easy. Underneath is a single layer of foam, one of thin plastic, and there’s another layer between the plate and the PCB. Not a whole lot to work with, and as is the standard for the series, there are no adjustable feet. Boo. 

Michael Crider/Foundry

What the Q16 HE lacks in hardware modding options it more than makes up for with Keychron’s software customization tools…if “software” applies to a browser-based interface. The Keychron Launcher can handle everything you need in terms of mapping adjustments, lighting, macros, firmware updating, et cetera. I think Keychron has the best, easiest, most straightforward interface for this stuff, as long as you don’t need any connections to external apps or gaming functions. 

But about those gaming functions. They’re pretty limited compared to other adjustable actuation keyboards, though I doubt many people will care. You can set the actuation distance for all keys or individual ones, and activate “rapid trigger” for incredibly fast settings (you might also know this as “snap tap”). And you can bind a single key to an impressive eight commands on the down or up stroke, which is so specialized that I think you might actually need to be superhuman in order to make use of them all. And Keychron includes a “Gamepad Analog” setting that lets you get pretty close to true analog input. 

Keychron

But the Achilles’ heel of Keychron’s keyboard customization is that it can’t be bound to specific games, like most of the alternatives from Razer, Corsair, et cetera. Granted, that’s a tradeoff for the browser-based interface, and unlike Keychron’s Lemokey sub-brand, this keyboard is not marketed specifically at gamers (even though it has that ridiculous 8,000Hz polling rate). So I’m less put-off by this weakness than I would be in a specific gaming keyboard at this price, though speaking as a mechanical keyboard fan, I’d still prefer standard switches for far more options. 

Is the Keychron Q16 HE keyboard worth it?

The Q16 HE is a fancy, pricey keyboard for those who want a fancy, pricey keyboard, and it isn’t a ripoff given those qualifications. I’m not going to tell you that putting ceramic on top of plastic keycaps fundamentally changes the nature of mechanical keyboards, and for myself, it’s not something I’d really seek out or pay extra to acquire. But for those who really like the feel and/or sound of those heavy, clacky keys, and want a full board that complements them, it’s a pretty great buy.

Michael Crider/Foundry

That being said, there isn’t a whole lot that makes this particular keyboard stand out against others in its price range aside from the ceramic body. And since you’re not getting handsy with the body while you’re using it, I’d put some serious thought into just buying ceramic keycaps for the keyboard you already have as an alternative, especially if you want options for switches beyond the extremely limited selection from Gateron. 

I can think of an extremely specific situation where this would make a great gift: If you want to give a special keyboard to a piano player. That’s about as perfect as it gets. 

Best Prices Today: Keychron Q16 HE keyboard