Our picks for work and gaming

There’s been a definite trend as of late to make mechanical keyboards smaller and more compact so that they can be easily transported from one location to another, and whilst that’s been great for people who are always on the move, it does leave something to be desired for the full-sized keyboards of old. Thankfully, the Keychron K4 HE does away with this trend completely.

Not only is there a full row of function keys on the K4 HE, there’s also a number pad which makes it great for both spreadsheets and games that require plenty of input options. Don’t think that the larger frame comes at the expense of the aesthetic – there are rosewood accents on either side of the keyboard that really help it to stand out, and the light brown colouring of the Esc and Enter keys just pops whenever you look at them.

Beyond the design, there is a ton of functionality here, with wonderfully clicky hall effect switches. Thanks to the benefits that rapid trigger brings to the table, the keys reset almost instantly once they’ve been pressed, so super fast touch typers out there will get on brilliantly here when it comes to typing up documents and emails.

If you have a home office set-up that includes more than one device then you’ll be glad to know that the K4 HE can connect to up to four devices at one. This is perfect for jumping between a tablet and a laptop, or even your smartphone. You’ve got Bluetooth connectivity as well as 2.4GHz functionality via a receiver, so you have plenty of flexibility in this area.

What tops the whole thing off brilliantly is the fact that this is a keyboard you won’t have to charge all that often, even after long stints away from a power outlet. You can anticipate 110 hours of use from a single charge, which is great news for when you’re heading off on a work trip. As a final note, there’s also RGB lighting which can be customised via Keychron’s launcher, providing a bit of personal flair to the proceedings.

Although it certainly won’t be for everyone, Gravastar is known for its dedication to a sci-fi like aesthetic across its major products, and that remains true for the Gravastar Mercury V60 Pro. Sure, it might look a little out of place on a desk that also gets used for work during the day, but there’s no denying that if you want a mechanical keyboard with a little extra sauce from a visual standpoint, then this is a great option to go for.

The unique aluminium frame, which showcases a handful of lights on the side of the keyboard, is unlike anything we’ve seen (outside of other products from Gravastar itself) and it’s not just for show either. The V60 Pro also has quite a durable feel about it, giving you plenty of confidence that you can type away at speed and never really have to worry about the impact.

Despite its more bombastic design, the V60 Pro doesn’t take up unnecessary space on your desk thanks to a compact 65% layout, so if you only have a small surface area to work with then you won’t have any issues here. The keys themselves use Hall effect switches so they’re also designed to last a long time, which is always great news for consumer value.

Depending on how you like to play, the V60 Pro packs adjustable actuation points so that you can tweak things to your liking. If you prefer having as little travel as possible in order to instigate quick movements or minimise reload time as much as possible, then you can do just that.

Pro gamers won’t have any issues with staying locked into the action thanks to a blazingly fast 8000Hz polling rate, creating no discernible delay when in use. The only area where the V60 Pro could have had some improvement is in the UI of the accompanying Gravastar software which, despite being feature-packed, is more convoluted than it needs to be.

You wouldn’t normally associate Sony with PC gaming, aside from the fact that a few PS5 exclusives like Returnal and The Last of Us Part I have come out of their walled garden and are now available to play on PC, but the brand does have a solid presence in this arena. There are quite a few headsets and monitors that are worth talking about, but in the keyboard space, it’s the Sony Inzone KBD-H75 that steps up as a great option.

Right off the bat, this is a wired keyboard, so you won’t be able to indulge in the wireless lifestyle that Sony is typically known for with its DualSense controllers, but the benefit of a wired connection is the super-fast 8000Hz polling rate which allows the Inzone KBD-H75 to be a shoo-in for pro gamers.

On top of the responsiveness, the Inzone KBD-H75 is very durable thanks to two separate factors: the aluminium chassis and the PBT keycaps. On the former, the Inzone KBD-H75 could take a knock or two when in transit and you wouldn’t have to worry about it having a major impact on performance. PBT keycaps on the other hand are, by design, more capable of withstanding everyday use than regular keycaps, so they’ll hold up well over time.

This is a 75% layout keyboard so the keys have a bit more space to spread out, although you might prefer having something a tad more compact if you’re picky about having larger tech items on your desk. Still, with a bit more space to play around with, the Inzone KBD-H75 boasts a very helpful volume dial which we found to be very tactile.

Because the Inzone KBD-H75 comes from such a widely recognised brand, there is a price to pay for that reassurance as the £250/€300 tag is a lot higher than what you’d typically expect to pay for a mechanical keyboard. Still, because it works so flawlessly and packs a high-end build to boot, you are getting an amazing keyboard in return for the asking price.

Even by Gravastar’s standards, which lean heavily into head-turning, almost sci-fi-esque designs, the Gravastar Mercury V75 Pro feels like a whole new thing entirely. Sure, it’s got the space-age look of a Gravastar keyboard with RGB lighting on the sides and at the front, but the top of the keyboard looks almost like an abstract painting that’s splattered with ink of all colours.

Of course, there’s no denying that this type of look won’t be to everyone’s tastes but when you’ve tested so many mundane and unexciting products as we have, when something comes along with a more distinctive look, it just helps to raise the bar and remind companies that tech doesn’t have to just follow the crowd where looks are concerned.

When it comes to the performance side of things, the V75 Pro actually isn’t too different to Gravastar’s V60 Pro. Both of these keyboards have a high 8000Hz polling rate, so if you’re a pro gamer in need of a more responsive-feeling set of inputs then either of these options is a great choice.

The two keyboards also use Hall effect switches which can minimise the time it takes for your input to be registered, and it’s a more durable system that’s better designed to last over time. Still, if you want to minimise the time even further, you can change the actuation points, giving you the edge during fast-paced titles.

Where they differ is that the V75 Pro uses a larger 75% layout, which includes a volume rocker for quick access to audio controls, and the keyboard itself is wired while the V60 Pro is wireless. The V75 Pro is a tad more expensive too with a price tag of £229.95/$239.95, but for the design alone, we think it’s a worthy purchase.

Even though it looks like something that’s come straight out of the 90s, the Keychron Q60 Max is very much a premium keyboard in every sense of the word. With a £202.99/$199.99 asking price, the Q60 Max is bound to be too expensive for anyone wanting to stick to a reasonable budget, but if you are able to hold off and save a bit more, this is one keyboard that’s worth every penny.

As you may have spotted, this is far more of a compact option than a lot of other mechanical keyboards as it uses a much smaller 60% layout. This is a byproduct of its unique KKHB layout which makes a few key changes to key placement to allow for a fast typing experience. This includes having the Ctrl button moved to where the Caps Lock would usually sit.

The HHKB system does take some getting used to at first, but once it all makes sense, you’ll wonder how you ever tried to get work done without it. Because it’s more of a productivity-focused device, the Q60 Max is designed less with gaming in mind, and you’ll see that there are no dedicated arrow keys whatsoever. This isn’t to say that the keyboard can’t be used for gaming though, far from it.

If you do like to indulge in a bit of gaming after the working day is done then you’ll appreciate the gasket-mounted build of the Q60 Max, something that paves the way for a slightly bouncier feel that’s very enjoyable to type on. The keys themselves are hot swappable too, so you can tweak things to match your preferred aesthetic.

Where the Q60 Max really comes into its own however is with connectivity. Not only can you use the keyboard wirelessly via a 2.4GHz receiver, but there’s Bluetooth functionality so you can connect with up to four devices at one time. To minimise any sense of input lag, you can use the Q60 Max over a wired USB-C cable too.

When it comes to PC gaming, very few companies carry quite the same gravitas as Asus, which is why it’s such a reliable brand when it comes to buying products that you know will adhere to a certain degree of quality. Thankfully, the Asus ROG Falchion Ace HFX keeps that reputation running by offering a very slick gaming keyboard that doesn’t leave you wanting for features.

Easily the best thing going for the Ace HFX is its overall design. If you’re not a big fan of the more bombastic gaming keyboards (like the ones from Gravistar) that would simply look too out of place during an average work day, then the Ace HFX fits the bill nicely. It’s compact with a 65% layout, but if you switch off the RGB lighting then you might not think that this particular keyboard has anything to do with gaming.

When you do dive into a gaming session however, this is where the Ace HFX really comes to life. Because the keyboard uses Hall effect keys (alongside PBT keycaps for better durability over time), you’re able to customise the actuation points to suit your playstyle.

If you want to limit the amount of time it takes for a key to register, so you can go through crucial inputs like reloading and crouching quickly, then you can do just that here. In fact, that sense of customisation only continues through Asus’ Armory Crate software, wherein you can change the RGB lighting to how you prefer it.

Across the top of the keyboard is a touch bar which can be used to quickly control the brightness and volume, and the keyboard itself boasts an 8000Hz polling rate for super-fast response times. The only real negative we can level at the Ace HFX is that at £239.99/$199.99, it costs quite a bit more than the competition, but the asking price is certainly worth it as far as we’re concerned.

Just like Asus, SteelSeries is another brand that instils a high level of confidence when it comes to PC gaming accessories. After all, the company makes some of our favourite gaming headsets right now, and thankfully a lot of that understanding over what PC gamers want has carried over into the SteelSeries Apex Pro Mini Gen 3.

Living up to the ‘Mini’ in its name, this particular SteelSeries keyboard is ideal for gamers who only have small desks to work with, or if you want to travel with a mechanical keyboard that won’t take up too much space in your bag. With a 60% layout, the Apex Pro Mini Gen 3 has taken away all but the bare essentials so you can lock in with each gaming session (who needs a number pad for FPS titles anyway?).

The keyboard also features SteelSeries’ new and improved OmniPoint 3.0 switches, which are the company’s take on Hall effect switches and are just as brilliant to use. Typing feels snappy and immensely satisfying, so even if you are just working on documents and reports throughout the day, the Apex Pro Mini Gen 3 is a great keyboard to have on hand.

Of course, it’s the ability to change the actuation points of those OmniPoint 3.0 switches that makes it such a great buy for gamers, as it’s ideal for pro gamers who have a very specific setup when they play. This might include a super-fast means of crouching to avoid fire at the last second, or to save time on reloading in between fights.

What really takes this keyboard to another level is the ability to tap into SteelSeries’ GG software, which offers up a ton of customisation. You can select from various presets, and even have the RGB settings change from one game to the next, something that adds a nice bit of visual flare if you like to stream your playthroughs.

If you’re a streamer on Twitch then there’s a good chance that you’ve already been eyeing up some of the gaming picks on this list, but for all that streaming entails, you’re better off getting a keyboard that provides more functionality than your average device. To that end, the Mountain Everest Max is just the thing thanks to its modular design.

With proprietary ports around the keyboard, you can add a handful of extras to the Everest Max including a number pad, which can go on either the left or the right, and backs a handful of quick access buttons along the top for your favourite apps/websites. It’s not too different from what you might find on the Elgato Stream Deck, but at least you don’t have to buy an entirely separate device here.

There’s also a media dock attachment that can go along the top of the Everest Max, making it very easy to change the volume and playback in a pinch. There’s even a small display on the dock that can show key bits of information like the current performance of the CPU, and which gaming profile the keyboard is currently set to (you can have multiple for different genres).

When it comes to the core typing experience, the Everest Max uses the phenomenal Cherry MX switches which are by far some of the best switches that money can buy. In our testing, we were impressed by how light a touch they require, and there’s almost a rhythmical quality to their sound. Most importantly however, they are responsive and can keep you locked into the action without any feeling of delay.

Another boon for the streamers out there is the fact that Mountain’s Base Camp software can be integrated with OBS Studio, so you can seamlessly enable recording and transitions whenever you need to. It would have been nice if the Everest Max included PBT keycaps for better durability in the long run, especially as the £249.99/$249.99 asking price certainly isn’t cheap, but there’s still a lot to like here regardless.

For anyone in the market after a great gaming keyboard that feels great to type on, offers all of the main features you could possibly want and at a price that’s reasonable, look no further than the Logitech G Pro X TKL Rapid. Sure, it might have a name that doesn’t easily roll off the tongue, but there’s no friction to be had when using this exemplary keyboard.

The TKL Rapid’s analog switches utilise the brilliance of Hall effect design to offer up customisable actuation points. This is achieved thanks to the use of magnetics at the switch, so the actuation point can be reduced, giving you the chance to engage with core game mechanics at a faster pace. It can be as simple as crouching more quickly to avoid enemy fire, or opening up the team chat at a faster rate so you’re not vulnerable for too long.

Like a lot of our favourite mechanical keyboards, the TKL Rapid uses a tenkeyless design so you won’t see a number pad here. By ditching the num pad, the keyboard itself is far more compact and from a visual perspective, it allows your mind to focus on the keys that are actually going to be important in the middle of a game.

You can find even smaller options on this list, but by having a slightly larger build than a 60/65% layout keyboard, Logitech has been able to add a dedicated row of media controls at the top. If you’re the type of person who likes to listen to music as they work or game, then being able to change the volume or skip a track quickly is a huge boon.

The one thing to note is that this keyboard runs on a wired connection only, so you don’t have the same freedom of movement that wireless keyboards can provide. Still, given the aforementioned price tag of the TKL Rapid, this feels like a fair trade-off, and you’re still getting high-end PBT keycaps that are designed to last well into the future.

For any professionals who love to wind down after work with a spot of gaming, and as such require a keyboard that can be used all day without issue, the Keychron Q1 HE is a great pick. Not only does it pack all of the crucial features you would want from a mechanical keyboard, but its design also stands out from the crowd in just the right way.

The playful jump between white, black and a few keycaps in red provides the Q1 HE with an eye-catching look, but not one that’s overly distracting (something which could be said about Gravistar keyboards, even though they are great for gaming). This is very much the type of keyboard that could be sat in an office and wouldn’t feel too out of place.

There’s a good size to the Q1 HE as its 75% layout ensures that you have dedicated arrow keys, a proper function key row and page up/down keys, all of which can be very helpful when scrolling through documents or spreadsheets. What’s great is that the Q1 HE is also ready to meet you with the particular devices you use.

For example, you can use a 2.4GHz connection via the included dongle to get things started on your PC or laptop, but if you want to get to typing on your tablet or even a smartphone then you can do just that over a Bluetooth connection. Of course, if you’re gaming and you want to do away with any sense of delay with your inputs then you can use the keyboard over a wired connection too.

Speaking of gaming, you have the ability to change the actuation points on this keyboard via the accompanying software, which is perfect for a title like Counter-Strike 2 where every second counts and any chance to minimise input delay can end up tipping the scales in your favour. Although the battery life is a solid 100 hours, this is actually lower than a lot of Keychron’s other mechanical keyboards, so it might be worth checking out the company’s wares if you value battery life above all.