Keychron K3v2 and K1v4 are both outstanding Low-profile mechanical keyboards from Keychron with extremely thin and light sizes, suitable for people who often travel and require a compact mechanical keyboard for work. Although they have the same Low-profile structure, both of these keyboards have certain differences. If you are interested in these two keyboards and are wondering how to choose, read this article right away.
Overall appearance, key layout
K3v2: This keyboard has a solid aluminum design from the plate to the edges, but the bottom is made of plastic. The advantage is that the weight is not too heavy, only about 398g, can be easily put in a backpack and carried to work without worrying about the weight of your backpack. The trade-off is that the feeling when holding it will not be as sturdy as other Keychron solid aluminum keyboards.
Keychron K3v2 uses a 75% layout with 84 keys, a comfortable key layout, has an Fn row with Mac media keys, providing excellent support for those of you who are using a Mac. However, if you are familiar with the TKL or Fullsize keyboard layout, it is easy to press the wrong key when typing because the keys are quite close together.
K1v4: The Keychron K1v4 is much more premium when Keychron equips it with solid aluminum material specifically produced for aircraft, so the overall K1v4 will be much heavier than the K3v2, the weight of this keyboard is 650g, almost double the K3v2. With this solid aluminum layer, the feeling when you hold it is quite solid, however, if you compare mobility, especially for freelancers who like to move, this keyboard will not be as suitable as the K3v2.
Keychron K1v4 will have 2 key layouts: TKL and Fullsize, still equipped with media keys supporting Mac similar to K3v2, spacious and comfortable key layout, separate and easy-to-use function keys, with Fullsize version, users have the option of numpad row, extremely useful for office workers and accountants who often enter data, work on numbers.
Switch
K3v2: Keychron K3v2 will have two versions with two different switch variants: Gateron and Keychron switches. However, the SiliconZ version distributed in Vietnam is the Keychron optical switch version for faster and better response speed than conventional mechanical switches.
Keychron K3v2 uses Low-profile switch structure with 2.5mm key travel, although the key travel is significantly lower than normal mechanical keyboards, the typing experience is quite good, the keys have good bounce, fast response. However, if you are used to the feeling of typing on a traditional mechanical keyboard, when using K3v2, you will feel a bit disappointed, but if you want a better typing feeling than a Laptop keyboard or Magic Keychoard, K3 is definitely a good choice for those who love thinness and lightness.
K1v4: Keychron K1v4 has only one version using Gateron switch, 2.5mm key travel similar to K3v2, typing experience is not much different from K3v2, if you are not too picky, you will not notice the difference between optical switch on K3v2 compared to mechanical switch of K1v4. However, if you often play hardcore games, SiliconZ still recommends you choose K3v2 for the best gaming experience.
Compare Keychron K3v2 and K1v4 Switches
Keycap
Both keyboard models use the same Keycap with gray tones and ABS plastic material, the keys are ergonomically designed to hug the fingers for a better typing feel. However, the typing feel with ABS keycaps will not be as good as PBT keycaps, after a while it will easily become oily and have a lot of fingerprints.
About the features
Bluetooth 5.1 and type-C wired connection
Both the K3v2 and K1v4 keyboards are equipped with the latest Bluetooth 5.1 for stable connections and low latency, allowing users to work and play comfortably. In particular, these two Keychron keyboards are also equipped with the ability to connect up to 3 different devices at the same time and switch back and forth quickly and easily.
In addition, if you want the most stable connection, you can use the type-C wired connection included in the box.
Hot-swap
This is a feature only equipped on the Keychron K3v2 keyboard with the advantage of helping users to easily change many different types of switches and customize according to personal preferences to bring the best experience.
Unfortunately, this feature is not available on the Keychron K1v4.
Battery
K3v2: Keychron K3v2 is equipped with a 1,550mAh battery, which is quite low compared to the current average. If you turn on the LED and work continuously for 8 hours/day, the keyboard can last up to 3 days, which is acceptable if you often work in the office or at home. If you often go on business trips, or move to work in many places and do not have much time to charge, this is a rather disappointing battery level that you should consider.
K1v4: Keychron K1v4 is equipped with a 2,000mAh battery, significantly higher than K3v2, so the usage time is also higher and can last up to 5-6 days of continuous work with LED keyboard lights.
Led
Both the Keychron K3v2 and K1v4 keyboards have 2 versions using single LED and RGB LED, the RGB LED version will have 18 different modes to help users change according to their preferences.
Summary
The Keychron K3v2 and K1v4 are both excellent Low-profile mechanical keyboards from Keychron. If you like a compact keyboard like the Magic Keyboard but still equipped with many features, with Hot-swap to customize the switch, and want a good typing experience, you cannot ignore the K3v2. If you like a TKL or Fullsize keyboard but still want it to be compact and do not require too many features, the K1v4 is a reasonable choice for you.
