Keychron K3 Max Review - Enter the Dongle

[@thenightstreamer4702]

Wow this is so awesome. I saw how popular the low profile Keychrons became but they've definitely brought back the original color scheme that looks more classic than the pros in my opinion. This looks great. I've never owned their low profile versions but I've had their k2 in the past and tried out a v1 and a k1. I'm using a membrane keyboard at the moment with a broken J key that won't come up or press so I may look into this. With money short though, kind of sucks because I'm struggling with PC issues at the moment, so may have to wait on a keyboard

[@ToLeeHom]

Excellent review! I am looking to purchase my first mechanical keyboard. Your reviews cover everything that matters for a newbie like me. Still trying to decide between the Keychron K3 Max and NuPhy Air75 V2. The K3 Max improvements makes my decision more difficult. The "Enter Key" wobble and space bar stabilizers is a concern but not a deal breaker. NuPhy Air5 V2 has silicone pads under the space bar to dampen the sound. The 1550 mAh battery (78 hours) vs 4000 mAh (220 hours) of the NuPhy tips the scale to purchasing the Air75 V2.

[@YoloVib3s]

The no shine thru keycaps is kinda crazy in 2024 but fortunately I already have some shine thrus on my K3 V2 that I'll just swap over. Also FYI Azio low profile keycaps are a perfect replacement fit.

[@jounin818]

I just got the K3 Max with the Hot-swap RGB Red switches about a week ago and I am not getting the wobble/rattle from the spacebar or enter key. It may be from the type of switches I got or improvements with this batch, but I have been very happy with it so far.

[@roseradical7212]

just an FYI, the battery life being shorter is definitely the higher polling rate / 1000hz connection. Bluetooth is specifically designed to be low power, and runs at a relatively low polling rate (almost never above 125hz). 2.4ghz at 1000hz will definitely draw significantly more power, as it's being polled at least 8x as often.

[@i.shadrin]

Much prefer the minimalist look of K3 over Nuphy Air75, but would like to have bigger battery

[@DavidSinanan]

Bluetooth polls at 125 hz vs the 1000 hz polling. The base is a 875 hz difference, so the processor is 'pinged' a minimum that many more times per cycle. So the battery will certainly drain faster. I'm sure that if used in Bluetooth mode onliny it will have the same battery life as the K3 Max (I've got one). They've both got an ARM processor, so it won't change the battery life specs. The only thing they changed electronically was the 2.4 ghz connection. I appreciate your review. Thanks. You covered the important stuff for sure. Side note: I use 3 different types of switches on my K3 Pro. I use blues on the perimiter keys (although I'm going to switch spacebar back to red I think); so I know when I'm on the exterior keys. The alphabet keys I use red for. And the numbers/symbols etc that I don't use as frequently I've got brown on. So far (maybe a year now) it's worked really well fro me. Over 100 wpm, perfect keystroke. Variable keys are pretty neat.

[@Director414]

Great video! 😊 Nyphy dont have ISO layout, right?

[@echo021]

The short battery life is a deal breaker for me on this one otherwise I really like this keyboard.

[@mikeyd9953]

NUPHY SUPERIOR

[@ishid_anfarded_king]

@@mikeyd9953 Don't be sheep to specific companies.

[@Stinger913]

@@mikeyd9953only if you like 96% and can get used to the smushed arrow keys and numpad

[@bigsiege7684]

Pay for weight and size. Powerbank is solution.

[@llucoste]

i think they should space out the keys a little bit and add a frame for better sound. i get the whole "minimalism" vibe but it certainly has some disadvantages

[@knotsable]

Im waiting for the K3 Pro Max (did keychron do an Apple here?)

[@dre1784]

This is a contender, what would your thoughts be on the Keychron R1? That seems like the winner, in 75% or 96% layout, but there's no further announcement on it.

[@Ankhelz]

Is the K3 Max an upgrade over the K3 V2? Great vid, thanks!

[@semiprotech]

In general yes, the K3 Max has some upgraded features over the K3 V2 including the addition of a 2.4GHz connection, QMK firmware with full remapping/customization ability, PBT keycaps, and slightly better battery life.

[@eddystubes]

I can't get to grips with keychron keyboards at all. They have such a confusing concept that you can't really see which keyboard is the latest and best. They have versions like max, ultra or pro. They all look similar but you don't know which one to buy.

[@C-0-C-A-2]

why no shine through key caps 🤷‍♂ it is as good as not having a backlit ???

[@3choblast3r4]

Shine through keycaps are a dying thing and only found on cheaper boards. For a lot of keyboard hobbyists in fact it's kind of a sign of it being a "cheap board." Because the more expensive boards almost never come with shine through keycaps. And the gold standard is cherry profile keycaps which don't really exist with shine through (idk why). Shine through caps are generally also OEM, which is another "that's a cheaper keyboard" thing. Or at least most hobbyists don't like OEM. So now you get different keycap profiles and those generally don't come in shine through. Most importantly, if you get into keyboards you will very quickly get over shine through keycaps and rgb in general and instead want a nice clean cherry profile keycap set and those are impossible to find in shine through. Everyone knows how to blind type and so no one ever really even looks at their keys. The shine through is completely useless since you can just type with easy in any lighting condition. In fact in the dark it's often more distracting than it's worth it. This is also a south facing board, so shine through won't work well with regular keycaps. The backlight is only there for easthetics.

[@fluttzkrieg4392]

I have a membrane Logi keyboard powered by AA batteries, not rechargeable. Honestly, I wish a mechanical had this because even though you gotta buy batteries, they last for several months. Mine lasts a little over 6 months with 2 batteries.

[@香噴噴-p6f]

my V1 max also lasted for over 4 and near 5months per charge without rgb since it has huge battery unlike this K3 or whatever low profile keyboard.

[@AfshinDavoudy]

Would you please compare it with air75?

[@andreapacumaro1616]

Wow this seems like the perfect mobile keyboard. Going to work with this in the backpack is going to be awesome.

[@saiko361]

I ordered the K3 Max... If only Nuphy Air75 or 96 had an iso-de layout, I guess K3 Max was the next best choice.

[@enjotlichts1820]

Genau diese Entscheidung habe ich auch treffen müssen. Ich hoffe trotzdem noch, dass die Air mit ISO-Layout eingeführt wird. Bis dahin gibt es keine bessere Alternative. Werde dann vermutlich das Board mit Tape modden.

[@MihoNightwalker]

Could you do us a favour and tell us what's the range for both wireless and bluetooth, no need for exact numbers here but roughly, will it still have stable connection on both at around 1.5 metres away from the computer? Please please

[@kasparsbutlers]

I ordered my K3 Max exclusively because of 1000 Hz polling rate. As I use my keyboard for work and for gaming, anything with Bluetooth latency is a deal breaker for me. Mechanically NuPhy Air75 V2 seems to be better, but I can't live with that key & case design.

[@semiprotech]

The 2.4GHz connection on the K3 Max was very stable for me, even with a few objects in the way at a distance of 3.2 feet. They seem to have done a nice job with the added connection!

[@elpato3190]

It really looks bad. The color combination sucks. And it's crazy there's not even a plain black option.

[@cjbottaro]

@@semiprotech I have a Nuphy Air75 V2 and it double tapped so often with the 2.4 ghz connection, that I had to switch to wired. Kind of a big disappointment. I want to try the K3 Max to see if it's any better in this regard.

[@vAmmonite]

Really love this review, straight to the point and you explain everything really well. Fingers crossed for the giveaway!

[@spikeimperial]

Would you prefer the K3 or the K1 max if you were gonna use one? (75 vs TKL) the difference in space is minimal and keycaps would be a little less headache inducing with the TKL.

[@cussyrichards6121]

Is there on-board dongle storage?

[@ivordiamzon176]

I have a K3 Max White Backlight and I can’t change the speed of light effects? Is this standard for a white backlight version?

[@bdhaliwal24]

Great review. I think that the increased polling frequency is likely affecting the battery life. For non-gamers it would be useful to turn this down to save on battery.

[@yogaexe]

Use bluetooth when not gaming.

[@imaginary_pies]

does the k3 go to sleep that often like the previous model? Does it take the same amount of time to wake up?

[@carmeloojr2893]

Any thoughts on viable options for the folks who are interested in a low mechanical keyboard with iso layouts? This far I've only came across the k3 series and Logitech MX mechanical mini. Would love to know if there are more options.

[@ihorkovryhin1767]

It has uneven gap between keys. Better visible on white keyboard. Look at the gaps between f6-f7 and f5-f6. The same problem with numeric row. This problem is not visible on dark default keycaps but may be very annoying with not default ones. I have m3 max and m3 pro and both have the same issue. Except this it is very good keyboard. Also have 75 Air v2 and many other low profile keyboards, but keychron is my favorite. Also there is a problem with stabilizers. They are thiner and incompatible with most of the low profile keycaps but it can be solved with adding some film.

[@Ramoncito788]

K3 max are you sure it comes with pbt key caps?. Wich choose k2 pro or k3 max in terms of how long it takes to wake up the keyboard from sleep mode?

[@sebastiani.5940]

@semiprotech Are you going to upload a review of the new Q1 Max? And even though it isn't a question about the K3 Max, but can anyone tell me why the Q1 Max is supposed to have a battery life of 180 hours, compared to the 300 hours of the Q1 Pro? Both got a 4,000 mAh battery. Shouldn't both get the same battery life in Bluetooth mode?

[@aelaan12]

I wonder if they would provide the solder on BT board, not that I want to murder my K3Pro. I also got the Redragon Azure K652 that I am getting ready to mod because that thing is pingy beyond belief. The K3Pro is my main board, I also ordered the LSA shine through keyset for it that took eons to get here. The enter key does not wobble on that one, so that might be a manufacturer's defect. I just wish we could mod these boards with bigger batteries. The K652 seems to be the one to go for after modding, but I will never give up my K3Pro. The wobble in the space bar could well be because the programmer button for QMK is under the space bar.

[@MsLemons12]

I got the classic k3 and it was pretty disappointing QC wise. LED indicator never turns off and doesnt display battery status

[@motoxrdr4]

Any plans to review the V1 or V1 max?

[@semiprotech]

Yes! I have the V1 Max and am working on the review now!

[@motoxrdr4]

@@semiprotech awesome! I’m looking for a standard height board to play around with and complement my k3 pro, looking at the v1 max, k2 pro, epomaker, and a couple others as well. Your reviews are helpful!

[@nicoleng5228]

are the keycaps for pro and max interchangeable? not sure if this means i need better prescription but it looks like the pro version is slightly bigger than the max :/

[@nike77155]

Damn, I recently ordered a lowfree flow. Now I’m having second thoughts

[@JCMaldonado13]

The Lofree Flow is a better buy in my opinion.

[@ThatMarkGilroy]

Seconded. The extra you pay for the Lofree is worth it for the typing feel and sound.

[@abhinavhada5854]

Need some advice. K2 V2 with a palm rest, or a low profile keyboard?

[@abhinavhada5854]

Also, these keycaps are not shine through right? Isn't that a dealbreaker?

[@mikeyd9953]

@@abhinavhada5854 yes they also shine very hard

[@tomerktzv]

I just got my Keychron K3 V2, and it has a huge BT input delay with my mac. After a quick search online I found out I was definitely not the only one. How come this issue never came up?

[@semiprotech]

I've been using my K3 Max pretty regularly with my Macbook and haven't had any bluetooth latency issues yet. While both the K3 V2 and K3 Max have bluetooth 5.1, they don't have all the same internal components.

[@tomerktzv]

I see. Thank you! Hopefully you will not experience them as well, as they are disappointing and I'm going to return it unfortunately (Impossible to work with such delay and inconsistency in BT connectivity)@@semiprotech . Your reviews are always informative and great.

[@joelsjogren5636]

is there a TKL version? or simular

[@semiprotech]

The K1 Max is a TKL layout with the same features!

[@joelsjogren5636]

@@semiprotech thanks, have already ordered getting it monday

[@3choblast3r4]

I don't understand why the k pro line is so fugly lol. My k2v2 looks way better with the metal bars on the side. Also strange that they don't offer the metal side bars like on the other k lines.

[@mikeyd9953]

pls compare this to nuphy v2 AND lofree FLOW!!!!

[@ThatMarkGilroy]

*Cough cough* kzbin.info/www/bejne/boDFk4quiLuml5Y 👀

[@nth7485]

Why is it so god damn hard for manufacturers to provide backlit keyboards with shine through caps? What is the purpose of NOT having it???

[@rez9159]

Personally i would like to use a script to indicate the current layer via the rgb lights and don't care much about illuminated letters, but i guess that an irrelevant use case for most people.

[@noob1que]

True about spacebar rattle.

[@raginreagan6607]

Great content.

[@woswasdenni1914]

yes ofc the batterylife is lower. its the polling rate that hurts here.

[@JohnDoe-lg2rg]

terbaik video ko

[@JCMaldonado13]

The stabilizers are a deal breaker for me.

[@Shmaffer]

Video seems very dark

[@Orca774]

Do u intentionally underexpose your videos?

[@mtvspec]

I sold my keychron keyboard because of latency

[@backgammonbacon]

Lol why are you sitting in the dark?

[@justinlex2473]

K series sucks