The demand for mechanical keyboards at work is increasing, so choosing the right mechanical keyboard for the job is extremely important. Especially for freelancers who often move to work in many places, equipping a thin, light mechanical keyboard that can be easily carried and does not get in the way in the backpack is extremely important. In this article, SiliconZ will introduce to you the top 3 thin, light low-profile mechanical keyboards that freelancers can easily carry to work anywhere without worrying about getting in the way or taking up too much space in the backpack.
1. Cooler Master SK621 Bluetooth Mechanical Keyboard
Overall dimensions: 293x103x29.2mm|424g
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Layout
The SK621 is solidly designed with a 60% layout, a reinforced aluminum frame with thick switches and a thick plastic shell that are tightly fitted together, leaving no small gaps and creating an extremely durable system. The feeling when "holding" the SK621 in your hand is much more comfortable and secure than other competing products, and it must be said that the level of product processing of the SK621 is very impressive.
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Switch and Keycap
The SK621 is equipped with all Cherry MX RGB RED switches, so the red color of the switch is also a highlight on the keyboard front. The switch cover is also a transparent material with very good light diffusion, along with the steel reinforced frame inside is also painted white, with reflective ability to help increase the level of sparkle and light diffusion of the switch.
The switch's actuation force is 45 cN (45 g) +- 15 cN (full travel) similar to the Cherry MX Red and interestingly, despite its low profile, the total travel is still 3.2 mm, just 0.8 mm shorter than the standard Cherry MX Red, the actuation point is 1.2 mm and Cherry also emphasizes that it does not emit sound.
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Keyboard LED light
The switch is integrated with 16.8 million color RGB lights, the low-profile switch chosen by Cooler Master is the RGB type with a transparent housing, integrated LED lights inside, so the lighting effect will be beautiful and the secondary characters on the keycap will be able to be illuminated more fully instead of RGB lights in the form of LED bulbs mounted outside the housing.
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Connect
SK621 uses Bluetooth 4.0 connection technology with extremely low latency. SK621 supports simultaneous connection with 3 devices, with a quick switch button between devices. For example, if you are connecting to a smartphone and a laptop, you can switch back and forth easily with just a few operations on the keyboard without having to disconnect from one device to connect to the other.
In addition, the keyboard also has an integrated charging port and wired connection on the keyboard is a USB-C port, which can be connected for charging and used as a regular keyboard.
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Battery
The SK621 has a built-in battery that can last up to 15 hours of use if the RGB lights are set to maximum brightness and 4 to 5 months if the lights are turned off completely.
2. Keychron K3v2 mechanical keyboard
Overall dimensions: 306x116x22mm|483g
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Layout
The 75% key layout on the Keychron K3v2 is suitable for all users from office work, graphics, coding to gaming, the K3v2 still meets the criteria set by users.
The K3 is optimized for Mac users and you can see the Fn row with the macOS-specific function icons is larger and located above the Fn 1, 2, 3 characters. The position of these function buttons is identical to that on the MacBook keyboard or Magic Keyboard, you can increase or decrease the screen brightness, open Launchpad and the multimedia keys and volume are in the same position.
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Switch and Keycap
The switches equipped on the Keychron K3v2 are Gateron and Keychron switches, in which the Keychron switch version will be equipped with an optical mechanism. With the optical switch version, the pressing force is recognized faster, more accurately, and the response speed is extremely fast, up to 200 times faster than a conventional mechanical keyboard. In particular, the durability of the optical switch on the Keychorn K3v2 is also higher than other standard switches with a lifespan of up to 100 million clicks.
The keycap style on the Keychron K3v2 is the flat type, often seen on Low-profile keyboard models. The keycap quality is quite good, but the keycap material is only ABS plastic, after a period of use it easily becomes oily and looks quite unpleasant.
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Keyboard LED light
Keychron K3v2 will have two Led versions: single white Led and RGB Led. The RGB version will have 18 effects, the white LED version also has effects but cannot change color.
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Connect
Keychron K3v2 is also equipped with the latest Bluetooth 5.1 technology to help connect mobile devices faster and more accurately, with less delay when used.
Increase productivity and creativity with the ability to connect 3 devices at the same time and switch between them easily and quickly.
In addition, if you want a wired connection, users can use a C to C cable to connect to the Laptop and use it.
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Battery
With a battery life of 1,550mAh, the Keychron K3v2 has a fairly low battery capacity. If used with continuous LED lights, it can last up to 3 days, and if turned off LED, it can last 5 days. The battery life when used is also quite stable, but not too impressive.
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Hot-swap feature
Hot-swap is an extremely valuable feature on mechanical keyboards, so to enhance the typing experience, Keychron also offers many switch options for the K3v2, especially with 2 types of Blue and Orange switches, these are 2 types of switches that are extremely suitable to bring the best gaming experience.
3. Keychron K1v4 TKL mechanical keyboard
Overall dimensions: 355x120x26mm|650g
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Layout
The TKL layout on the K1v4 provides more distinct and spacious keys, the navigation key area is separated to help users operate easily. The TKL version of the K1v4 offers an open layout, spacious key spacing, fingers can be easily stretched, not blocked, so it reduces fatigue when typing for a long time and typing quickly.
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Switch and Keycap
The switch design is flat with a total thickness of only 11 mm, and a switch travel of 2.5 mm. Although thin, the Switch on the Keychron K1v4 still provides an extremely good typing experience. With the Low-profile Gateron switch on the Blue Switch version, it still provides the familiar clicky sound and tactile pump feedback. However, the clicky sound is not loud because the tongue is tiny and the feedback is not very clear.
The keycap is made of ABS plastic and is a transparent plastic block, the key surface is painted with a smooth matte layer to increase the typing feeling and the characters on the keys are precisely laser engraved, high character definition to ensure the keyboard light below can shine clearly.
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Keyboard LED light
Keychron K1v4 is optimized for RGB lights with a transparent housing of the switch, integrated LED lights inside so the light is even and sweet. Good lighting effect and if you like colorful, Keychron K1v4 can meet with 18 different RGB LED modes.
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Battery
Keychron K1v4 is equipped with a 2000mAh battery for relatively stable usage time, however, the usage time is not too excellent. If used continuously for 8 hours/day, you can use it for up to 3 days with RGB Led mode. If you do not use Led, you can use it continuously for 1 week.
And those are the top 3 ultra-thin, lightweight, highly portable Low-profile mechanical keyboards that SiliconZ wants to introduce to you, especially Freelancers who often travel and need to use a mechanical keyboard for work.
