Keychron Q16 HE 8K Review: A Ceramic Disappointment

The internals of this keyboard are unique. Instead of modular Hall effect equipment, the Q16 is 1 of Keychron's archetypal keyboards to utilize TMR sensors. These are precise akin to modular Hall effect switches, but they person a fewer cardinal differences. The largest benefits are their improved accuracy and reduced powerfulness gully compared to Hall effect sensors, portion the downsides are chiefly their accrued terms and a deficiency of development.

For gaming, these switches are great. They’re accelerated and responsive, returning rapidly aft being pressed and having rather a fewer ways to set their performance. The Rapid Triggers mounting allows for switches to instantly beryllium pressed again aft they’re released (as opposed to waiting for the power to reset past its archetypal actuation point), and the SOCD (simultaneous opposing cardinal direction) settings let for other movements (typically A and D, for strafing) to override 1 different erstwhile some are pressed astatine the aforesaid time. This means erstwhile A is pressed, past D is pressed, the D cardinal volition instrumentality precedence and disable input from the A key. Inputs consciousness near-instantaneous with 8,000-Hz polling, and the switches’ actuation region tin easy beryllium adjusted successful Keychron’s Launcher software. Besides infinitesimal differences successful show and accuracy, these switches execute identically to modular Hall effect switches, maintaining each of the features that HE switches are known for.

To afloat explicate what a tunneling magnetoresistance sensor is, I would request a inheritance successful quantum physics, which I bash not have. However, I tin effort to explicate it successful a rudimentary way. Tunneling magnetoresistance is intimately related to quantum tunneling, a improvement wherever a subatomic particle passes done a obstruction that it should not beryllium capable to walk through. This happens due to the fact that subatomic particles are some particles and waves astatine the aforesaid time. In a TMR sensor, 2 ferromagnets fundamentally walk these subatomic wave-particles—in this case, electrons—between an ultrathin barrier. This causes the levels of magnetism successful the 2 magnets to alteration arsenic they travel person together. A sensor detects this alteration successful magnetism and uses it to find however acold the power has been pressed. It’s benignant of similar 2 magnets are playing tennis, the electrons are a tennis ball, and the TMR sensor is simply a seat umpire watching it happen.

If this sounds utterly insane to you, oregon if quantum subatomic particles dependable acold excessively high-tech to beryllium successful a consumer-grade keyboard, you’re not alone. I find the full happening profoundly strange, and utilizing this keyboard makes maine consciousness vaguely uncomfortable for reasons I can’t decently explicate oregon justify. But I tin guarantee you that determination is zero information successful utilizing this keyboard—you won’t accidentally divided an atom oregon springiness yourself radiation poisoning, nary substance however radioactive the airy greenish ceramic keycaps whitethorn look. And if I look beyond my Luddite-like distaste for quantum typing, the switches successful this keyboard are a marvel of modern engineering that, from an nonsubjective perspective, I rather like.

Tasteful oregon Trend-Chasing?

Keychron has made keyboards that followed trends before. Look astatine the K2 HE Special Edition, a keyboard that matches perfectly with the Fractal North PC tower. It’s a large keyboard. The mid-century modern styling elevated the keyboard and made it thing genuinely special. It had purpose, direction, and a crushed to exist.