This article is reprinted from the peripheral public account: Broken Waste Player
If you have the habit of browsing Bihu, you must have heard of the “Jingdong Jingzao” brand mechanical keyboard that has been crazily promoted by various marketing accounts. The K series of Jingzao has always had a very clear market positioning and a stable audience. In addition, the Q series, which focuses on metal semi-customization, also gained immense popularity last year with the launch of Q1.
Many players have also noticed that Jingzao’s products and those of a relatively niche domestic brand, Keychron, are almost identical. Therefore, consumers may also hear rumors about the relationship and plagiarism between these two brands. The truth is that Keychron, which primarily targets the overseas market, has authorized Jingdong Jingzao to operate its products under a different brand in China.
Of course, as players’ awareness of the Keychron brand increases, Keychron has also begun to enter other domestic platforms outside of JD with its own brand, and newer products are starting to be released under the Keychron name in China. Today, we are sharing one such “new product”—the Keychron K8 Pro.
丨Keychron K8 Pro Basic Specifications:
Appearance: Continuation of Brand Style
The Keychron K8 Pro’s shape basically continues the minimalist design of the Keychron K8—its plastic tray-style bottom shell is paired with a semi-enclosed plastic/metal frame, combined with a metal positioning plate that matches the color of the frame and has some cover functionality, making up the entire keyboard shell.
Compared to the plastic version, the metal version in my hands has an aluminum frame that is more akin to the F96 from the aluminum factory—composed of an inner metal framework combined with four metal inlays, thus adding a certain thickness and gaining a metal material buff. Overall, the keyboard appears more “aesthetic” and “high-end” than the plastic version. Personally, I believe this design is quite excellent among boat shell keyboards, which generally do not have an appealing appearance.
In terms of keycaps, the Keychron K8 Pro has upgraded its keycaps to the OSA height double-shot keycaps that were previously used in the Q series. These keycaps are superior in both appearance and touch compared to the previous ABS keycaps used in the K series, at least you won’t have to replace them immediately upon receiving them.
The keycap color scheme echoes the keyboard’s overall style, featuring a classic red/grey/black combination. The key icon defaults to the Mac layout—whether it’s the command and option keys in the combined control area or the Siri call shortcut key in the upper right corner, they all indicate that Keychron’s products primarily target Mac users. Of course, the keyboard also comes with an additional set of Win shortcut keycaps for Windows users to replace.
Core Features: High Playability of QMK/VIA
If we only compare the basic specifications of the K8 Pro with the previous K8, the visible upgrade is merely the replacement of a set of OSA height keycaps. Bluetooth 5.1 dual-mode and optional aluminum frame were already selling points that existed on the K8. So why is the K8 Pro called Pro? In my opinion, the core reason the K8 Pro is called Pro is that it has upgraded to an STM32L432MCU chip from STMicroelectronics, which is equipped with an ARM Cortex-M4 core and fully supports the QMK firmware programming and VIA custom key settings that are essential for custom keyboards.
※ Here is a brief introduction to what QMK and VIA are:
QMK: QMK (Quantum Mechanical Keyboard) is an open-source community focused on developing computer input devices. Users can create and share firmware for various input devices, such as keyboards and mice, using community tools. Currently, the vast majority of custom keyboard firmware comes from the QMK community.
VIA: VIA is an open-source key modification software based on QMK firmware. Players can modify the keyboard’s key mapping, layers, and macros within the VIA software, so keyboards that support VIA have extremely high playability and freedom.
The QMK/VIA system is somewhat similar to the ROM package creation and flashing operations that were popular in the early Android phone open-source community, driven by enthusiast behavior, leading to diverse product playability.
Of course, compared to more popular domestic solutions, MCU chips that can support QMK firmware are often significantly more expensive. Additionally, the VIA software currently only supports wired mode connections, which conflicts with the wireless trend pursued by most mass-produced keyboard manufacturers. This is also why most domestic tri-mode keyboards cannot support QMK/VIA functions. The delay in integrating wireless tri-mode in Keychron’s previous Q (QMK) series and most custom keyboards is due to this.
However, based on previously learned unreliable information, Keychron has basically figured out how to connect VIA directly in Bluetooth mode, but in my current practical use, the K8 Pro still cannot recognize and connect to VIA in Bluetooth mode. I hope that future firmware updates can achieve this “epic achievement”. If Keychron really manages to connect VIA in Bluetooth and share it in QMK open-source, that would be truly impressive.
Feel: G Switch Stable Performance
In terms of feel, the Keychron K8 Pro has upgraded its internal structure with EVA damping layers and custom silicone pads, paired with the quite well-regarded Gateron satellite switches, resulting in a noticeable improvement in overall feel compared to the previous K8. In actual typing experience, there is basically no hollow sound or large key wire noise; the feel is moderately above average according to my own standards—there are no obvious shortcomings, and it does not feel overly refined like other domestic brands’ products in the same price range. That said, as the Keychron K8 Pro primarily targets Mac systems and light VIA customization, would it be a bit excessive to achieve extreme feel?
In terms of switches, the Keychron K8 Pro still uses Gateron’s three basic switches: G Red Pro, G Brown Pro, and G Blue Pro. Thanks to Gateron’s leading level of automation in the industry, these switches are characterized by being inexpensive and large in quantity while also having decent feel performance. However, they ultimately belong to entry-level switches, and while they are suitable for the K8 Pro, they lack distinctive features, leading to a strong desire for users to replace them. I myself have quietly replaced them with Gateron’s G Yellow Pro 2.0 switches.
Conclusion:
As mentioned at the beginning, Keychron’s K series keyboards have always had a very clear market positioning and a stable audience—Mac users. While meeting the basic needs of Mac users, this time Keychron has equipped the K8 Pro with a better MCU chip to support QMK/VIA, which seems to be a gray area test—throwing out the concept of “light customization” for the K series while also paving the way for the future full wirelessization of the Q series. The manufacturer’s strong subjective risk-taking gives the product a good cost-performance ratio— for Mac users, the Keychron K8 Pro can be said to be a mechanical keyboard that combines feel, aesthetics, craftsmanship, and system ecology quite well in the current price range of 500-600 yuan.
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