Keychron’s Mechanical K5 Pro Keyboard Is Ideal For Spreadsheet Jockeys

The Keychron K5 Pro is relatively compact for a full-size, 108-key mechanical keyboard.

Compact keyboards have become popular in recent years because they take up less space on a desktop. But what do you do if you’re an avid spreadsheet user dealing with lots of numbers? The answer could be to get a keyboard with a numeric keypad.

Keychron's K5 Pro keyboard is a full-sized, 108-key mechanical model with an ANSI layout and a numeric keypad. The low-profile keys look sleeker and slimmer than the chunkier type of keyboards that many of us use.

The Keychron K5 Pro has mechanical switches, which means it has a more positive action than less-expensive, membrane-style keyboards. Mechanical keyboards are becoming more common in offices because they have always been popular with gamers who naturally want to use a keyboard they feel more comfortable with at work.

The K5 Pro from Keychron has a full numeric keypad and cursor cluster.

This mechanical keyboard can be ordered with white or RGB LEDs and selected with Red or Brown low-profile Gateron switches. These switches can be hot-swapped on the RGB version of the keyboard, meaning you can swap the switches for a different type if that's what you want.

Gateron Red switches feature a smooth and linear action, while the Gateron Brown switches have a more clicky action that gamers particularly like. As with most Keychron keyboards, the K5 includes a physical control that can be set for use with macOS or Windows operating systems.

The Keychron K5 Pro can be used in Bluetooth mode for a wireless connection with a host computer. The K5 Pro can connect with up to three different Bluetooth devices; switching between them requires a single key press, enabling users to move from a computer to a tablet or smartphone seamlessly.

The shift keys and some other important functions are marked out in grey on the Keychron K5 Pro. The ... [+] Esc and Return keys are picked out in bright red.

For those people who prefer a wired connection with lower latency, the Keychron K5 is supplied with a braided USB-C cable which can also be used to charge the battery inside the keyboard. The wired connection has a 1,000Hz polling rate which is designed for use in competitive gaming situations. The wireless mode has a polling rate of 90Hz.

The special media keys on the ultra-slim K5 Pro can be programmed so the user can set up a series of macro commands using QMK/VIA keyboard software. An ultra-low-power ARM Cortex-M4 32-bit chip drives the K5 Pro and has 128K flash memory for programmers.

The keycaps that ship with the K5 Pro are LSA (low-profile spherical-angled) MX double-shot types and made from PBT. There are separate keycaps provided for both Windows and macOS operating systems. If the keys wear out or become shiny, they can be replaced with new ones. And since the switches are suitable for up to a million presses, the K5 Pro should provide a long service life. And if a switch should fail, it can be replaced.

The K5 Pro comes with extra keys for macOS and Windows operating systems.

All the usual media keys are included with the K5 Pro for controlling media, adjusting screen brightness levels or even altering the LED lighting and patterns. The media keys can also double up as regular function keys. The low-profile keycaps are remarkably stable because Keychron has redesigned the keyboard's stabilizers to ensure they are at the same level as the switches. The result is less wobble on the larger keys, particularly the space bar, left Shift, backspace and Enter keys.

To ensure the K5 Pro is comfortable to type on, the inclination of the keyboard can be set at three angles (3.37˚/4.36˚/6.56˚) for the ideal wrist position and is especially welcome when typing long documents. Because the K5 is a full-size 108-key model, it takes a slight adjustment in typing style if you’re used to a compact keyboard like Apple's Magic Keyboard or the excellent Logitech MX Mini. It doesn't take long to adjust, but you might find yourself hitting a few wrong keys in the beginning.

Verdict: The Keychron K5 Pro is a perfect wireless keyboard with mechanical and low-profile switches. The low-profile PBT double-shot keycaps make the K5 Pro look slimmer and are available with white or RGB backlighting. Thanks to its full size, the K5 Pro has a numeric keypad, making it ideal for spreadsheet use. Because of the low-profile design, the K5 Pro takes up slightly less space than a conventional full-size keyboard because there aren't any spaces between the cursor cluster and the numeric keypad. If you want a mechanical and full-sized keyboard for office use, the Keychron K5 Pro is about as good as it gets.

Pricing & Availability: The Keychron K5 Pro keyboard is available now and costs $99.

More info: keychron.com

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