I’m not exactly what people would call a keyboard enthusiast. That’s a rabbit hole I consciously tried to avoid. I did, however, purchase a Keychron K3 keyboard a little over two years ago just to try it and have been using it ever since. Although, more sparingly recently. 

A new keyboard wasn’t in my “to acquire” list but to my surprise, Keychron reached out and asked if we were willing to check out their latest – that’s the Keychron K2 HE. I jumped at the opportunity.

The Keychron K2 HE is still a kickstarter project as of writing. Click here to check out the kickstarter page and back it. Every feature you want to know about the product should be there. That’s why in this article, I’m primarily going to focus on my brief experience with it. 

Like typing on clouds

Naturally, the first thing you’ll check with keyboards is what it feels like to type on them. My only real point of reference are the many laptop keyboards I’ve reviewed and the Keychron K3 I own. None of them come close to the extremely satisfying feeling I get when typing on the Keychron K2 HE. 

Initially, I thought the keys were a little small for my chubby fingers. But I gave it an hour or two and I quickly adjusted to the size of the keys. Of course, it helps that the “bounce” on each keypress feels incredible. I’m not sure how else to describe it, but it does almost feel like you are typing on clouds. 

I’m more familiar with sneaker-cushion lingo. Using that as reference, the bounce and energy return on each keypress of the Keychron K2 HE feels absolutely elite. This will sound like hyperbole, but it’s literally unlike anything else I’ve typed on before. 

Keychron said they used double-rail magnetic switches by Gateron on these and perhaps that’s why the bounce and feel on this thing is absolutely insane. 

DualSense-like Keys

These magnetic switches do more than just provide an incredible feeling when typing. They also allow for what Keychron calls ‘Adjustable Actuation Points’ as well as ‘Dynamic Rapid Triggering’. 

With ‘Adjustable Actuation Points’, you’re able to assign how much pressing effort is required to trigger a particular action. That means for certain apps or games, you can make sure you avoid accidental presses or touches. 

With ‘Dynamic Rapid Triggering’ you can “activate and deactivate keys based on travel distance to gain a consistent edge over your opponents with dynamic rapid trigger technology” . I just lifted that from the Kickstarter page because I’m more of a controller than a keyboard and mouse player when gaming. And I didn’t have a chance to thoroughly test this prior to needing to publish.

The way I understand it functions almost like the Adaptive Triggers on the DualSense controller of the PlayStation 5. In certain games, a half press and a full press on the triggers perform different functions. The keys on the Keychron K2 HE can be programmed in a similar manner. 

If you’re all about precision, this is something that will be a major boon for you. 

Thankfully, you don’t need an app to make all these adjustments. Just connect the keyboard to your laptop or PC and fire up the Keychron Launcher Web App to customize everything you want to customize. That includes keypresses 

A look that will match just about anything

The Keychron K2 HE’s design is elevated by its wooden highlights. It comes in predominantly white or black bodies but it’s the rosewood accents that’ll help it blend into whatever set-up you have. 

I was secretly hoping Keychron would send over the black one but I’ve grown to love the white one they sent over. 

Toggles, ports and more are your usual affair. 

On the left-hand side you’ll find the loan USB-C button. Right next to it you’ll find the Android/PC and Mac/iOS toggle. And right next to that you’ll find the Wired or Bluetooth toggle. 

Flip it and you’ll find the two kickstands with two available height adjustments. 

The rosewood accents are found on the sides of the keyboard with the escape and enter keys colored in the exact same way. 

The Kickstarter Page says there are 22 backlight modes that you can fine tune to your liking. The backlight key on the top-most-right corner of the keyboard lets you cycle through some of the modes.

I tried changing the static color like I would on the Keychron K3 but that didn’t seem to work. For more granular control, your best bet is to go to the web app. 

Long-lasting, quick waking

If, like me, you’re the type who doesn’t like to keep his things plugged, you’ll be happy to learn that the Keychron K2 HE will last on battery charge for a pretty long time. I’m already on roughly my second week of use from a full-charge and as of writing, it’s only gone down to 55% – that’s with pretty heavy usage. 

I’m typically in front of my laptop 80% of my work time responding to work emails, chats, and copy editing the team’s work. In between those, I also have heavy writing session days when I try to knock off as many reviews, features, and scripts as I can in one sitting. 

It’s that reason that I can’t tell you just yet how long it takes to charge this thing from zero because I just haven’t gotten to that point yet. Rest assured I shall update this space when the time comes. 

Another big leap I noticed is that the keyboard’s sleep-to-wake speed is almost instantaneous. It’s a stark contrast to the 3-4 seconds that I have to wait before the Keychron K3 starts functioning again from sleep. It’s been one of the most pleasant things about the Keychron K2 HE for me. 

Is the Keychron K2 HE your GadgetMatch? 

The Keychron K2 HE has reached well-over its target in the Kickstarter campaign. The product starts at US$125 but you’ll need to shell out US$ 135 to get the special edition one with the rosewood accent.

For what you’re getting, I think that’s an absolutely fair price. And with the keyboard’s customizability, you’ll surely get plenty of mileage for it especially if you’re the type who really uses their keyboard a lot. 

This is an easy recommendation for me. The  Keychron K2 HE is a keyboard that feels absolutely light on your fingers with advanced features and looks to elevate your typing and gaming. It’s a worthy accessory to add to your arsenal and one that deserves GadgetMatch’s Seal of Approval.