Keychron K2 HE Special Edition review – Luxuriously appointed 75% keyboard with magnetic switches for work and play

Keyboards are a highly personal choice that can vary between off-the-shelf models all the way to highly customised designs that involve all manner of exotic materials, switches and whatnot with astronomical prices.

The Keychron K2 HE Special Edition strikes a unique balance with a posh looking wood finish and slick magnetic switches to create something that’s both accessible yet premium. We were graciously granted a sample for review over the holidays and after putting it through its paces – here’s our Keychron K2 HE Special Edition review where we share if their premium keyboard it’s worth your money.

Keychron K2 HE Special Edition Review – Build and Design

As the most recent incarnation of one of their most popular keyboard designs, Keychron’s K2 HE, which stands for Hall Effect on account of the use of magnetic Hall Effect switches to detect key presses, is a 75% keyboard that comes in a standard all-plastic black variant as well as a special edition version which comes in your choice of two colourways – black keys and dark wood trim or white with light brown wood trim. My Keychron K2 HE Special Edition review sample is the former.

For a prebuilt design, my Keychron K2 HE Special Edition review sample comes surprisingly well appointed. At first glance, it looks premium indeed with rose wood side trim panels, a solid metal tray and opaque double-shot PBT keycaps.

The keyboard itself features  RGB backlighting but the keys are opaque as an aesthetic choice with the Esc and Enter key done up in a shade of brown. The left side features a USB-A port for connecting to a PC or laptop, a slider that lets you swap between using it for Windows or Mac and another slider that lets you toggle between wired, 2.4G and Bluetooth connectivity. The right side of the keyboard is otherwise bare.

The underside of the keyboard is otherwise bare save for two kickstands at the rear that allow you to let it flat or tilt the keyboard up at a slight angle for a more comfortable typing experience. 

Closer inspection reveals that the design utilises Gateron double-rail magnetic switches that are capable of measuring actuation depth and which in turn offers faster and more precise actuation while minimising wear and tear on contact points. Basically, the keyboard responds faster, is more precise and will ultimately last longer. 

The Gateron double-rail switches are also mounted into a metal tray mount which features both silicone pads and 3.5mm thick foam sound dampening for quieter keypresses which is fantastic especially for those working in an office or who are night owls who want to make a minimum of noise.

The keys have a start force of 40g and an end force of 60g while offering an actuation range between 0.2 to 3.8mm with 0.1mm sensitivity and are rated for 150 million clicks. My Keychron K2 HE Special Edition review sample also has diverse connectivity options with traditional wired, wireless 2.4G and Bluetooth as well. Keeping the keyboard powered is a 4,000mAh battery which is rated for at least two to three weeks of usage. 

That’s not all, the keyboard supports both Mac or Windows with your choice of either a traditional wired option via a USB-A cable, 2.4GHz wireless via a dongle or the usual Bluetooth connectivity for up to three devices. Unfortunately, the keyboard does not let you swap out the existing magnetic switches for other types which may be a deal breaker for those looking to further tweak the K2 HE keyboard.

On the bright side, the use of magnetic switches means that you can implement Dynamic Keystrokes – which are specific actions depending on how hard you press a key down with up to four combinations per key. In effect, you can assign a single key to let you walk, sprint, crouch and go prone which is a literal game changer if you’re playing FPS shooters. 

Another useful feature is the inclusion of a ‘Long Press’ mode where holding down a key toggles it on until you use it again which comes in handy in adventure games and RPGs which typically have worlds with large walking distances like the Fallout or Final Fantasy series.

You can also implement and integrate additional commands like Last Keystroke Prioritisation (LKP) that prioritises the last key presses so you can perform rapid maneuvers and Snap Click where deeper keypresses take priority when two keys are pressed at once. Another feature available on the keyboard is Dynamic Rapid Trigger that lets you deactivate or deactivate keys based on how far they travel which allows for faster, more precise keystrokes.

Out of the box, you get a comprehensive array of kit including the keyboard itself that is, thankfully, fully assembled, a USB Type-A to Type-C cable, a 2.4GHz receiver and an extension adapter for said receiver. You also get a set of tools for maintenance that include a keycap and switch puller, a screwdriver and an Allen key. You also get an extra set of keys to swap out the default Mac shortcut buttons into their Windows alternatives which is a nice touch.

As far as keyboards go, my Keychron K2 HE Special Edition review sample knocks it out of the park with the beauty of its dark wood trimmed finish and the sheer polish and fit of its keys and the sturdiness of its aluminium case.When holding it  up, I was impressed by how sturdy the frame felt and the exquisite feel of the keys. Even the provided USB cable gets the premium touch with heavy-duty braiding across its length to survive heavy usage. The keyboard is rather heavy though at  965g which means that it is primarily intended for desktop use rather than something to tote around for work on the go.

Keychron K2 HE Special Edition review – Performance

Connectivity options for my Keychron K2 HE Special Edition review unit cover the essentials with wired and 2.4G offering the fastest 1,000Hz polling rates with Bluetooth offering a more modest 90Hz. 

Once plugged in or paired up to a PC or Mac, you can fire up their free Keychron Launcher web app at https://launcher.keychron.com/#/magnet to modify macros, customise keys and finetune other settings down to a per-key level. The RGB lighting itself can be disabled to save on battery life or swapped out for 21 other preset effects with selectable saturation, brightness and effect speeds too. The keyboard itself also supports connectivity with up to three devices.

Keyboard tactility and, for lack of a better word, keyboard sound and thockiness are a matter of personal taste.Seeing as I mostly work late and type a ton of text on a daily basis, I preferred something with a smooth response and a minimum of sound. The Keychron K2 HE Special Edition delivers that and more.

While it is originally intended for gaming, the smoothness and responsiveness of the Gateron double-rail switches in tandem with its extensive padding and sound dampening resulted in a smooth, precise actuation along with a reassuring, beautifully muted thock sound with each key press. 

While it took some getting used to, which is the norm for any new keyboard, my Keychron K2 HE Special Edition review sample enabled me to get a comfortable 85 average words per minute with 97% accuracy on the stock keyboard settings. The extensive level of built in sound dampening also ensured that the keyboard offered an average of about 44 decibels of noise – about that of a quiet library when in use which is excellent for a keyboard.

Even after a full day’s worth of typing on my Keychron K2 HE Special Edition review sample, I felt minimal wrist or hand fatigue which bodes well for mobile workers who need a decent keyboard for work.

When tackling Black Ops 6, the provision of dynamic keystrokes was a game changer, allowing me to walk and sprint with just one key which saved seconds off my response time in firefights. More ardent gamers can likely yield better results with the extensive customisation options available on their online Keychron Web app but it needs a significant amount of time for you to tweak everything to taste. 

There’s a wealth of selectable options and menus on the web app itself that you can tweak and customise but you need a lot of patience to get it all implemented. On the bright side, you needn’t have to fiddle with drivers and aren’t forced to install fiddly software as the web app doesn’t take up space on your PC which is a pleasant bonus.

Should you buy the Keychron K2 HE Special edition keyboard ?

The Keychron K2 HE Special Edition gaming keyboard sets the bar, offering a smooth and comfortable typing experience, exceptional customisability that is equally at home typing out reams of text or for racking up kills on virtual battlefields and superb build quality straight out of the box.

While the switches aren’t swappable, it more than makes up for it with its ultra smooth user experience and already superb Gateron double-rail switches straight out of the box. If you love a relatively silent keyboard with smooth thockiness and want a smooth user experience straight out of the box, this comes highly recommended.

Specifications
Price RM629
Switch Gateron double-rail magnetic Nebula switch
Polling rate 1,000Hz (wired and 2.4GHz) / 125Hz (Bluetooth)
Connectivity 2.4GHz/ Bluetooth 5.2/ USB Type-C wired
Keycaps OSA Double-shot keycaps
Battery 4,000mAh Li-polymer (110 hours, quoted)
Size/Weight 320.5 x 126.7 x 30.1 mm / 965g

Keychron K2 HE Special Edition review sample courtesy of Keychron Malaysia.For more details and to purchase please visit https://keychron.net.my/ Also available at Keychron’s Shopee official store, Lazada flagship store and authorised retailers