Recently researched keyboards and bought a couple; thought an overview and discussion might prove interesting. Share your views, knowledge and experience, too. For my part, I’m focusing solely on low profile keyboards - they’re flatter on the desk or lap and from observing reviews I didn’t get the sense they were as likely to need a wrist rest, but where mechanical keyboards are concerned, this might impact noise reduction potential. Non-low profile are considerably thicker, bulkier and I would guess heavier.
I prefer the smaller, roughly 75% keyboards without a number pad, as they are compact, fit the lap better, and on a desktop the mouse isn’t as far to the right of the user. But if you’re willing to trim off more, you can go smaller, like a 60%. Would you give up the function key row for a smaller, lighter wireless keyboard for your iPad or phone?
Top to Bottom: Apple Magic Keyboard Mini, Logitech MX Keys Mini, NuPhy Air75 v2 (a mechanical keyboard).
Low Profile Membrane Keyboards
Apple Magic Keyboard - strong, sturdy, thin, compact and very light, very short travel distance for keys, not noisy and keys press easily, very little ‘work’ to type and it goes quickly, rechargeable, can be used in ‘wired mode’ such as while charging or Bluetooth. Sits pretty flat on the desk; very low profile.
But…it only pairs with one device at a time. There’s no option for a wireless receiver. No backlighting. Quite expensive, though I’ve come to see it as a well-made product. Has Mac-specific keys with labels that don’t include Windows special key descriptors.
Logitech MX Keys Mini - strong and sturdy, thicker, bulkier and quite heavier than the Apple MK, key travel is a bit farther and there’s a little more resistance to pushing keys down (but I wouldn’t call it ‘mushy’), front elevated so it slopes a bit rather than sitting flat, not too noisy, can connect via Bluetooth to up to 3 devices. Has white backlighting and the key caps are shine through - so the letters and other characters glow. Pretty low profile.
Can connect wirelessly via receiver, but it has to be the Logitech Bolt (not the Logitech Unifying) receiver, and that is not included with the keyboard - I think it’s around $15 purchased separately. Cannot be used in wired mode, even while USB-C cable is charging it. Sometimes a few seconds to wake from sleep, which I didn’t notice with the Apple MK. I didn’t buy the Mac-specific form, and the special keys offer both Windows and Mac descriptors (e.g.: opt/start, cmd/alt), handy for mixed use.
Some keyboards have little feet; of these 3, only the NuPhy Air75 v2 does, and I've popped them out for this next shot.
The Logitech MX Keys Mini is wider and broader than the Apple Magic Keyboard, and to my eye, the Backspace (called Delete on the Apple), Enter (called Return on the Apple) and right Shift keys are longer on the Logitech. I’m using a Dell U2723QE 4K 27” display and the brightness raise and lower keys on neither keyboard work for that, but mute and raise/lower volume keys for my external speakers on both do. The Logitech spacebar is slightly wider, but the Escape key is much smaller. Apple’s keys look flat, but Logitech's have large ‘dimples.’
Per Amazon: Apple Magic Keyboard USB-C (mine's Lightning) - 14 oz, Logitech MX Keys Mini - 1.48 lbs, NuPhy Air75 v2 - 1.15 lbs.
Moderately expensive - if you compared to cheaper options on features, things like build quality, rechargeable, backlighting and so forth help explain differences. You can find plenty of cheap Bluetooth keyboards, but study reviews closely to discover what the trade-offs are.
Membrane keyboards are seen on notebook computers and many other keyboards. Another option is the mechanical keyboard. I hadn’t thought much about them till our kid, who likes tactile feedback gadgets like ‘fidgets’ and ‘pop-its,’ expressed a liking for an old wired Dell keyboard I used for a trouble shooting session.
The world of mechanical keyboards is a major rabbit hole to go down. There are multiple reputable makers, many models, a wide price range with some costing several hundred dollars, some are heavily customizable both pre-purchase and after-the-fact with many options, and the aesthetics of typing feel and sound are hard to judge from online reviews and videos, yet your odds of getting to compare options of interest at a retail store are likely low. And there are multiple size options.
For the benefit of those who’ve not ventured down the rabbit hole, I’ll share my sojourn, which led to buying our daughter a NuPhy Air 75 v2 with Gateron Brown Tactile Switches.
Mechanical keyboards tend to have taller keys and the distance you depress them typing is greater. Depending on switches used, they can be much noisier than membrane keyboards, but again, the switches are key. Switches are one of the most maddening options to shop because they impact resistance to press, feel and sound, there are MANY options and it’s hard to judge by YouTube videos what’s best for you. Some (not all!) mechanical keyboard are ‘hot-swappable’ - which means you can remove and replace the keycaps and the switches to modify your keyboard after purpose. Some have backlighting, which may be white or RGB (think multihued kinda mood lighting), but the keycaps may or may not be ‘shine through' - if not, the letters and characters don’t glow, it just glows from under the keys. Speaking of keycaps, they can be made of different things, have different feels, may or may not be shine through for backlighting, etc… Some are rechargeable and the duration of a charge varies widely - way less if you leave the backlight on.
Reviews can give you some idea of the quality of sound, such as the pitch (e.g.: high pitch vs. ‘thocky’) but I doubt it’s easy to convey volume, since microphone nearness and sensitivity and what your speaker system volume is set at are too variable to account for. And some people type harder. You can hear how it sounds, but not easily how loud.
One factor I won’t delve into because I don’t use - some keyboards have keys you can reassign functions to, and those may have either a proprietary or non-proprietary option.
Yeah, making a well-informed decision about which mechanical keyboard is the best fit for you can make shopping for a new Mac look easy. And don’t expect consistent recommendations from those ‘Best Mechanical Keyboards of 2024/2025’ type lists.
To help simplify this, I’m going to touch on some brands and the issue of switches.
First, switches and why you care. There are different brands and names, but broadly switches fall into 3 categories, from loudest to quietest - Clicky (like clickety-clack, drive your spouse and coworkers nuts), Tactile and Linear. A common brand is Gateron, but there are others. Part of the joy of shopping is trying to decide whether you’d prefer a NuPhy with Gateron Brown Tactile or their Cowberry Linear Switches.
I was surprised to find the Logitech MX Mechanical Keyboard, while respected, by reviews didn’t seem ‘best of breed.’ Toms Hardware has a review.
Keychron - if you research mechanical keyboard reviews and ‘best of’ lists, you will see this name. Many models and customizable. It’s what I thought I was going to get, probably a Keychron K3 Pro with Gateron Brown Tactile Switches. After pouring over multiple reviews, and I don’t recall offhand all the ins and outs, I got the impression that in direct head-to-head comparisons, the Nuphy Air 75 v2 edged it out.
NuPhy - reputable brand not mentioned as often in reviews as Keychron, but far from a non-name. Similar advantages. The NuPhy Air 75 v2 is hot-swappable, so you get buyer’s remorse for choosing Gateron Tactile Brown over Cowberry switches, you can buy a set of Cowberrys and swap them out yourself. Big internal rechargeable battery.
Our daughter has this (with the brown switches); the RGB lighting is neat (but cuts battery life), key travel is greater and noise moderate but more than a membrane keyboard I think, can do Bluetooth, wired receiver (and includes one) or wired (via USB-C cable) and from what I recall battery life is good. Key caps are not shine-through but you can separately buy shine through caps and swap them out. Nuphy sent one each of some other switches in the box to try.
LowFree Flow - a lauded technical keyboard for sheer pleasure of the typing experience by reviewers that I saw. It is hot-swappable. Bluetooth, supports 3 devices and wired mode but can’t be used with a wireless receiver. But they are expensive! And picking a color of the keycaps commits you to a choice in switch type (white - linear, black - tactile) - though you can buy and swap out a different switch (also expensive). Cameron Dougherty has a critical review from Nov. 2024. Even though he chose the white version for looks rather than the black (which had the switch type he wanted), and was critical on a number of points, he described the typing feel as ‘incredibly smooth,’ maybe the smoothest typing experience he’d ever had, which wasn’t to say he particularly liked it and likened it to typing on a bunch of marshmallows (it had liner switches and he’s used to tactile). Many people love the LowFree Flow, but I thought you might like a review from someone not a ‘fanboy.’
SemiPro Tech+Gear has a NuPhy Air75 V2 vs LoFree Flow - The Rematch review.
Jake Reeves - NuPhy Air75 V2 vs LoFree Flow vs Keychain K3 Pro.
Mini Showdown!
Keyboard choice is very individual. I like the Apple Magic Keyboard, and at first the Logitech MX Keys Mini felt awkwardly heavy and the mildly increased resistance/work of typing was off-putting, but it's grown on me. I still prefer the AMK a bit, and the satisfying impact of my at times heavy-handed typing pounding on it. But with both interfaced via Bluetooth, I can swap keyboards back and forth (and I am now). While the AMK is my current favorite of the two, I'm happy with the MX Keys Mini, and it's got considerably more features.
I prefer either of these membrane keyboards over our daughter's NuPhy Air75 v2, but she prefers the Nuphy. I don't like noisy, she does. Had I used any of these 3 keyboards without exposure to the other 2, I'd have been happy with it. It's swapping back and forth immediately that I key in on differences.
Here's how I think the NuPhy with Gateron Brown Tactile Switches compares to the MX Keys:
1.) Sounds more 'clackety,' a little higher pitch, but not a lot. A little louder.
2.) Technically it's a lighter keyboard, but doesn't feel much lighter, and the body feels very sturdy (and metal, cool to the touch). It's a bigger keyboard.
3.) Key travel is deeper but doesn't feel all that different.
4.) Keys go down very fast with no resistance I can feel; very easy to depress. Despite the 'tactile' switches, I feel no 'bump' or other tactile feedback; to me, the key zips all the way down, hits bottom and makes the 'clack' sound.
By comparison, the MX Keys Mini keys don't travel quite as far, and it feels like I'm pushing the key down against mild resistance, almost as if there's a very weak spring under the keycap slightly resisting my push. Hard to describe, but if you swap between them immediately, you'll know.
With mechanical keyboards, different switches offer different resistances.
What about the rest of you? What keyboards do you prefer and why? Do you have different opinions about the 3 I compared? Do you prefer membrane or mechanical? Got a favorite brand?
I prefer the smaller, roughly 75% keyboards without a number pad, as they are compact, fit the lap better, and on a desktop the mouse isn’t as far to the right of the user. But if you’re willing to trim off more, you can go smaller, like a 60%. Would you give up the function key row for a smaller, lighter wireless keyboard for your iPad or phone?
Top to Bottom: Apple Magic Keyboard Mini, Logitech MX Keys Mini, NuPhy Air75 v2 (a mechanical keyboard).
Low Profile Membrane Keyboards
Apple Magic Keyboard - strong, sturdy, thin, compact and very light, very short travel distance for keys, not noisy and keys press easily, very little ‘work’ to type and it goes quickly, rechargeable, can be used in ‘wired mode’ such as while charging or Bluetooth. Sits pretty flat on the desk; very low profile.
But…it only pairs with one device at a time. There’s no option for a wireless receiver. No backlighting. Quite expensive, though I’ve come to see it as a well-made product. Has Mac-specific keys with labels that don’t include Windows special key descriptors.
Logitech MX Keys Mini - strong and sturdy, thicker, bulkier and quite heavier than the Apple MK, key travel is a bit farther and there’s a little more resistance to pushing keys down (but I wouldn’t call it ‘mushy’), front elevated so it slopes a bit rather than sitting flat, not too noisy, can connect via Bluetooth to up to 3 devices. Has white backlighting and the key caps are shine through - so the letters and other characters glow. Pretty low profile.
Can connect wirelessly via receiver, but it has to be the Logitech Bolt (not the Logitech Unifying) receiver, and that is not included with the keyboard - I think it’s around $15 purchased separately. Cannot be used in wired mode, even while USB-C cable is charging it. Sometimes a few seconds to wake from sleep, which I didn’t notice with the Apple MK. I didn’t buy the Mac-specific form, and the special keys offer both Windows and Mac descriptors (e.g.: opt/start, cmd/alt), handy for mixed use.
Some keyboards have little feet; of these 3, only the NuPhy Air75 v2 does, and I've popped them out for this next shot.
The Logitech MX Keys Mini is wider and broader than the Apple Magic Keyboard, and to my eye, the Backspace (called Delete on the Apple), Enter (called Return on the Apple) and right Shift keys are longer on the Logitech. I’m using a Dell U2723QE 4K 27” display and the brightness raise and lower keys on neither keyboard work for that, but mute and raise/lower volume keys for my external speakers on both do. The Logitech spacebar is slightly wider, but the Escape key is much smaller. Apple’s keys look flat, but Logitech's have large ‘dimples.’
Per Amazon: Apple Magic Keyboard USB-C (mine's Lightning) - 14 oz, Logitech MX Keys Mini - 1.48 lbs, NuPhy Air75 v2 - 1.15 lbs.
Moderately expensive - if you compared to cheaper options on features, things like build quality, rechargeable, backlighting and so forth help explain differences. You can find plenty of cheap Bluetooth keyboards, but study reviews closely to discover what the trade-offs are.
Membrane keyboards are seen on notebook computers and many other keyboards. Another option is the mechanical keyboard. I hadn’t thought much about them till our kid, who likes tactile feedback gadgets like ‘fidgets’ and ‘pop-its,’ expressed a liking for an old wired Dell keyboard I used for a trouble shooting session.
The world of mechanical keyboards is a major rabbit hole to go down. There are multiple reputable makers, many models, a wide price range with some costing several hundred dollars, some are heavily customizable both pre-purchase and after-the-fact with many options, and the aesthetics of typing feel and sound are hard to judge from online reviews and videos, yet your odds of getting to compare options of interest at a retail store are likely low. And there are multiple size options.
For the benefit of those who’ve not ventured down the rabbit hole, I’ll share my sojourn, which led to buying our daughter a NuPhy Air 75 v2 with Gateron Brown Tactile Switches.
Mechanical keyboards tend to have taller keys and the distance you depress them typing is greater. Depending on switches used, they can be much noisier than membrane keyboards, but again, the switches are key. Switches are one of the most maddening options to shop because they impact resistance to press, feel and sound, there are MANY options and it’s hard to judge by YouTube videos what’s best for you. Some (not all!) mechanical keyboard are ‘hot-swappable’ - which means you can remove and replace the keycaps and the switches to modify your keyboard after purpose. Some have backlighting, which may be white or RGB (think multihued kinda mood lighting), but the keycaps may or may not be ‘shine through' - if not, the letters and characters don’t glow, it just glows from under the keys. Speaking of keycaps, they can be made of different things, have different feels, may or may not be shine through for backlighting, etc… Some are rechargeable and the duration of a charge varies widely - way less if you leave the backlight on.
Reviews can give you some idea of the quality of sound, such as the pitch (e.g.: high pitch vs. ‘thocky’) but I doubt it’s easy to convey volume, since microphone nearness and sensitivity and what your speaker system volume is set at are too variable to account for. And some people type harder. You can hear how it sounds, but not easily how loud.
One factor I won’t delve into because I don’t use - some keyboards have keys you can reassign functions to, and those may have either a proprietary or non-proprietary option.
Yeah, making a well-informed decision about which mechanical keyboard is the best fit for you can make shopping for a new Mac look easy. And don’t expect consistent recommendations from those ‘Best Mechanical Keyboards of 2024/2025’ type lists.
To help simplify this, I’m going to touch on some brands and the issue of switches.
First, switches and why you care. There are different brands and names, but broadly switches fall into 3 categories, from loudest to quietest - Clicky (like clickety-clack, drive your spouse and coworkers nuts), Tactile and Linear. A common brand is Gateron, but there are others. Part of the joy of shopping is trying to decide whether you’d prefer a NuPhy with Gateron Brown Tactile or their Cowberry Linear Switches.
I was surprised to find the Logitech MX Mechanical Keyboard, while respected, by reviews didn’t seem ‘best of breed.’ Toms Hardware has a review.
Keychron - if you research mechanical keyboard reviews and ‘best of’ lists, you will see this name. Many models and customizable. It’s what I thought I was going to get, probably a Keychron K3 Pro with Gateron Brown Tactile Switches. After pouring over multiple reviews, and I don’t recall offhand all the ins and outs, I got the impression that in direct head-to-head comparisons, the Nuphy Air 75 v2 edged it out.
NuPhy - reputable brand not mentioned as often in reviews as Keychron, but far from a non-name. Similar advantages. The NuPhy Air 75 v2 is hot-swappable, so you get buyer’s remorse for choosing Gateron Tactile Brown over Cowberry switches, you can buy a set of Cowberrys and swap them out yourself. Big internal rechargeable battery.
Our daughter has this (with the brown switches); the RGB lighting is neat (but cuts battery life), key travel is greater and noise moderate but more than a membrane keyboard I think, can do Bluetooth, wired receiver (and includes one) or wired (via USB-C cable) and from what I recall battery life is good. Key caps are not shine-through but you can separately buy shine through caps and swap them out. Nuphy sent one each of some other switches in the box to try.
LowFree Flow - a lauded technical keyboard for sheer pleasure of the typing experience by reviewers that I saw. It is hot-swappable. Bluetooth, supports 3 devices and wired mode but can’t be used with a wireless receiver. But they are expensive! And picking a color of the keycaps commits you to a choice in switch type (white - linear, black - tactile) - though you can buy and swap out a different switch (also expensive). Cameron Dougherty has a critical review from Nov. 2024. Even though he chose the white version for looks rather than the black (which had the switch type he wanted), and was critical on a number of points, he described the typing feel as ‘incredibly smooth,’ maybe the smoothest typing experience he’d ever had, which wasn’t to say he particularly liked it and likened it to typing on a bunch of marshmallows (it had liner switches and he’s used to tactile). Many people love the LowFree Flow, but I thought you might like a review from someone not a ‘fanboy.’
SemiPro Tech+Gear has a NuPhy Air75 V2 vs LoFree Flow - The Rematch review.
Jake Reeves - NuPhy Air75 V2 vs LoFree Flow vs Keychain K3 Pro.
Mini Showdown!
Keyboard choice is very individual. I like the Apple Magic Keyboard, and at first the Logitech MX Keys Mini felt awkwardly heavy and the mildly increased resistance/work of typing was off-putting, but it's grown on me. I still prefer the AMK a bit, and the satisfying impact of my at times heavy-handed typing pounding on it. But with both interfaced via Bluetooth, I can swap keyboards back and forth (and I am now). While the AMK is my current favorite of the two, I'm happy with the MX Keys Mini, and it's got considerably more features.
I prefer either of these membrane keyboards over our daughter's NuPhy Air75 v2, but she prefers the Nuphy. I don't like noisy, she does. Had I used any of these 3 keyboards without exposure to the other 2, I'd have been happy with it. It's swapping back and forth immediately that I key in on differences.
Here's how I think the NuPhy with Gateron Brown Tactile Switches compares to the MX Keys:
1.) Sounds more 'clackety,' a little higher pitch, but not a lot. A little louder.
2.) Technically it's a lighter keyboard, but doesn't feel much lighter, and the body feels very sturdy (and metal, cool to the touch). It's a bigger keyboard.
3.) Key travel is deeper but doesn't feel all that different.
4.) Keys go down very fast with no resistance I can feel; very easy to depress. Despite the 'tactile' switches, I feel no 'bump' or other tactile feedback; to me, the key zips all the way down, hits bottom and makes the 'clack' sound.
By comparison, the MX Keys Mini keys don't travel quite as far, and it feels like I'm pushing the key down against mild resistance, almost as if there's a very weak spring under the keycap slightly resisting my push. Hard to describe, but if you swap between them immediately, you'll know.
With mechanical keyboards, different switches offer different resistances.
What about the rest of you? What keyboards do you prefer and why? Do you have different opinions about the 3 I compared? Do you prefer membrane or mechanical? Got a favorite brand?
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