If you are confused to determine your choice between buying Keychron K3 or Keychron K1. This is the perfect article for you! The Kaychron K3 is a 75% mechanical wireless keyboard, while the Keychron K1 is a TKL-sized mechanical wireless keyboard.
Both the Keychron K3 and Keychron K1 are two very comfortable keyboards for typing. Both of these keyboards are equally compact and thin, but which one is the best for you?
let’s move on to a more advanced comparison. This comparison will compare several important aspects in choosing a keyboard, in terms of build quality, features, typing experience, functionality, and of course price.
Keychron K3 VS Keychron K1 Build Quality
Keychron K3 has good build quality. Keychron k3 body is made of aluminum on the frame, and there are some that use plastic on the bottom. To meet your typing needs, Keychron k3 has keycaps that are quite comfortable for typing. One thing that should be noted, never press the button too hard because it can make the holder under the keycaps can flex.
The Keychron K1 has the same material as the K3, namely the frame is made of aluminum and plastic at the bottom. Keychron K1 advantages over K3 is, this keyboard has more keys, which is 87 keys. Because the K1 keychron is a mechanical keyboard with a TKL layout. While the Keychron K3 has 84 buttons.
Both keychron k3 and keychron k1 both use keycaps made of ABS plastic which I think is very suitable for this keyboard. Although the ABS keycaps on both these keyboards feel a bit slick and thin. If you want to replace these keycaps with better quality PBT keycaps, you can visit the official keychron website to buy them.
Overall the build quality of the keychron k3 and keychron k1 is very good. There are no loose parts, when pressed the vibration feels very minimal, and both have rubber that glues to the four legs so they don’t slide when you use them to type.
Keychron K3 vs Keychron K1 Ergonomics
Keychron k3 and Keychron K1 are 2 low profile keyboards with decent ergonomics for use in long typing durations. There is no option to adjust the tilt on these two keyboards.
Keychron k3 and keychron k1 are not equipped with armrests. For a low profile like this, you probably don’t really need it. but we recommend that you use an XL sized mousepad for increased comfort and ergonomics.
For key typing, we prefer the travel distance on the Keychron K3, because it doesn’t require much effort to move your finger from one key to another. This little thing can have a good impact on ergonomics.
Keychron K3 vs Keychron K1 RGB Backlighting
The Kyechron K3 and Keychron K1 both have incredible RGB backlighting. The RGB on these two keyboards lights up individually on each key. To adjust brightness and RGB lighting effects, keychron k3 and keychron k3 both use the Fn and function keys. Both of these keyboards have fairly bright RGB, perfect for your low-light workspace.
Unfortunately, both keychron k3 and keychron k1 are not supported by the software to set RGB backlight. But for RGB settings, the Kyechron K1 has the upper hand in setting options because there is a handy button on the top right to adjust RGB in addition to using the Fn and function keys.
Keychron K3 vs Keychron K1 Wireless Versatility
Both Keychron K3 and Keychron K1 can connect up to three devices simultaneously via Bluetooth Wireless connection. Both keyboards have built-in batteries that can be recharged via a Type C cable.
Keychron K3 and Keychron K1 both have a Type C port to charge the battery. Both of these keyboards can last up to 34 hours in a live RGB state. Extraordinary! For the bluetooth controller switch and to change between Windows/Android or mac/iOS mode, it is on the front near the ESC button.
Keychron K3 vs Keychron K1 Extra Features
Both the Keychron K3 and Keychron K1 don’t have a lot of extra features. No software support, no option for programmable macros. Both keyboards are quite minimal in features. There is indeed a button feature to call Siri or Cortana, maybe this needs to be adjusted with your device first.
Keychron K3 vs Keychron K1 Keycaps & Switch
As we said before, the keycaps on these two keyboards are ABS plastic keycaps that feel soft and a bit thin. Luckily there is an option if you want to upgrade ABS keycaps with PBT Keycaps which can be purchased through the Keychron website.
Both the Keychron K3 and Keychron K1 Keyboards are available with the Switch from Gateron Low Profile. Keychron K3 uses Gateron Low Profile Brown and Keychron K1 uses Gateron Low Profile Red.
In our opinion, the Getron Low Profile Low on the Keychron K3 and Gateron Low Profile Red on the Keychron K1 both have a good typing feel, the distance between one key and another is very fitting because both of these keyboards have a low profile. It doesn’t take much effort for your finger to move from one button to another.
For Keychron K3 that uses Gateron Low Profile Brown – Tacticle, this switch feels soft, fast and quiet. But if you want a clicky sensation, we suggest you choose the Gateron Low Profile Blue Switch and Red-Linear Switch option.
While the Keychron with Gateron Low Profile Red Switch is a switch that provides linear feedback. The feeling of typing with this switch feels responsive and accurate. If you want a different and clicky typing feel, we suggest you choose the Gateron Low Profile Brown or Low Profile Blue options.
Keychron K3 vs Keychron K1 Typing Quality
Keychron K3 Typing Quality
The typing experience with Keychron K3 on the Gateron Low Profile Brown feels very good and quality with feedback that feels responsive. It all depends on the Switch you choose. The buttons on the k3 keychron feel a little wobbly but still acceptable, you just need to adapt because the layout of the keys is a little tight.
For finger transfer from one button to another, I think this is better than the Keychron K1. The drawback that I get is the size on the right shift key which is smaller than the left Shift key. If you want PBT keycaps, you can buy them through the official Keychron website.
Keychron K1 Typing Quality
Typing on the Keychron K1 mechanical keyboard feels pretty good. This TKL-sized keyboard is able to provide feedback that feels solid because it uses the Gateron Red-Linear Switch. But the ABS keycaps feel slippery on this keyboard, we prefer the PBT Keycap which you can buy separately through the keychron website for a better typing experience.
The low profile of the keyboard and switches certainly adds to the sense of ergonomics and comfort. But I think, the typing experience on the Keychron K3 is slightly better than the Keychron K3. You only need to adapt when using Keychron K1, the distance between one button and another is very tips, if you have big fingers it will be a little difficult to get comfortable.
Keychron K3 vs Keychron K1 Typing Noise
Keychron K3 with Gateron Low Profile Brown switch Quite quiet. While the Keychron K1 with Gateron Low Profile Red-Linear switches feels more clicky and sounds a bit louder.
Keychron K3 vs Keychron K1 Software
Both Keychron K3 and Keychron K1 are not equipped with supporting software. All customization and settings can only be done using the keys on the keyboard. But don’t worry, because there are third-party software that can support these two keyboards.
Based on the guidance from the manual and from the website, they recommend Karabiner Software for MacOS and SharpKeys for Windows operating system.
Keychron K3 vs Keychron K1 Keyboard Compatibility
Both Keychron K3 and Keychron K1 are compatible with both Windows and MacOs operating systems. But there are some keys that don’t work on iOS, iPad, and Linux namely the F3 and F4 keys for Keychron K3.
While Keychron K1, Cortana key for Windows and Siri for Windows don’t work at all. The Printscreen button only works on Windows, but not on MacOS. F1 and F2 keys do not work in Windows and MacOS operating systems.
Every time you switch to a computer or device with a different operating system, make sure you change the mode by moving the switch in front close to the ESC button.
Price
For the price, the Keychron K3 is slightly cheaper than the Keychron K1. The price for the Keychron K1 is $95 while the Keychron K3 is priced at $90. Maybe it’s because of the greater number of buttons on the Keychron K1 which makes it a bit more expensive.
For the purchase link, please use the purchase link from us, I hope you get a friendly price. This is the purchase link for Keychron K1 and this is the purchase link for Keychron K3.
Keychron K3 vs Keychron K1 Pros And Cons
Keychron K3 Pros And Cons
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| Full RGB backlighting. | No dedicated software to remap keys. |
| Lightweight and compact design. | Doesn’t come with a wrist rest. |
| Good typing quality. | Some function keys don’t work on mobile devices. |
Keychron K1 Pros And Cons
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| Bluetooth support. | No macro-programmable keys. |
| RGB backlighting. | Compact and tight key layout. |
| Great build quality. | No companion software. |
Conclusion
Based on our experience, the Keychron K3 is overall better than the Keychron K1, but they have very similar features. The K3 offers better typing quality with the Gateron Low Profile Brown switch. While Keychron K1 with Gateron Low Profile Red Switch. The Keychron K3 is also available with optical switches from Keychron, so you have more options for switches.
For the price, the Keychron K3 is slightly cheaper than the Keychron K1. The Keychron K3 retails for $90 and the Keychron K1 retails for $95. But it all comes back to your needs, if you want more buttons with a slightly larger layout then Keychron K1 is the right choice. But if you need a compact low profile mechanical keyboard, the Kyechron K3 is a better choice, especially for the quality of typing, the Keychron K3 feels better than the Keychron K1.
