RIP Magic Keyboard, Long Live the Keychron Q6 Max!

[redcarian]

So my Magic Keyboard finally bit the dust. The spacebar croaked. I dunno what happened; one minute it was fine, next minute it was not returning to its raised position. I assume one of the scissor switches got stuck. Anyhoo, the MK is “no user-serviceable parts inside”, and I thought “not getting caught out like that again”, and went shopping for a more serviceable replacement.

Like a lot of folks here, I type all day, every day, to pay the mortgage. So I’m not really very price-sensitive for a device I’ll use hands-on for north of 40 hours a week. Anyway, long story short, I picked up a Keychron Q6 Max because it’s (a) serviceable, (b) mechanical, and (c) can connect to my Mac and my PC without wires (I put the 2.4GHz receiver in the PC, connect via BT to my Mac, there’s a switch on the back to toggle). I went with the Gateron Red switches because they’re the least noisy.

So after about a week, all seems well. It comes with Mac keycaps out of the box, with Windows caps in the box. I don’t bother changing them over when switching systems. The BT connection seems stable. Battery life remains to be seen. I do miss the TouchID on the MK, but nothing else. My carpal tunnel welcomes the change, too.

As a keyboard, the MK looks really nice, has TouchID, has a numeric keypad, the battery life is great, and its positives kinda stop there. It’s pretty dreadful to type on, isn’t even remotely adjustable (which would matter less if it wasn’t straight-up flat as a pancake to start with), it’s expensive (£200 in the UK), and the worst thing is, it’s essentially disposable. If it breaks, your entire recourse is “replace it”. For anyone looking for a keyboard for their Mac, I would strongly recommend exploring the alternatives.

 

[xraydoc]

Here’s a non-secure solution to the lack of TouchID. Make a macro containing your password plus ‘enter’ and assign that to any key you like, such as Fn-Enter, one of the 4 function keys above the num pad, Num Lock, or whatever you like. 10x faster than typing your password. Handy. But not secure if your computer is accessible to others.

 

[redcarian]

Here’s a non-secure solution to the lack of TouchID. Make a macro containing your password plus ‘enter’ and assign that to any key you like, such as Fn-Enter, one of the 4 function keys above the num pad, Num Lock, or whatever you like. 10x faster than typing your password. Handy. But not secure if your computer is accessible to others.

TBH for the infrequent occasions I need to use TouchID, I either confirm on my Watch or just reach across to my MacBook. It’s a minor adjustment, really.

 

[drrich2]

Ah, you have gone down the rabbit hole into the world of mechanical keyboards with varied switch options. I recently delved into that market to find one for our daughter's upcoming birthday, after she mentioned finding typing on an old Dell mechanical keyboard 'satisfying.'

Keychron gets a lot of attention, but so do some other brands...after reading and watching YouTube reviews of varies options (e.g.: Logitech MX Mechanical, Keychron, Nuphy), I picked the Nuphy Air75 v. 2 with Gateron Brown (tactile) switches.

But I had no local option to try and compare so I have little experiential basis to know what's 'best.' Tactile seems to be the recommendation for people who don't know what they want. One online demonstration, and some comments, made it should like a Lofree keyboard would've been a sweeter (and a bit quieter) typing experience.

The 3 main mechanical key switch types appear to be linear (I don't even know what that means), 'clicky' (get on your neighbors' nerves) and tactile (somewhere in between on noise level). Some mechanical keyboards have hot-swappable switches (so you can buy a different set and DIY install them) and some don't. But I had no ready want to try and compare even these 3 types in person, and there are many other offerings, depending on keyboard brand, with names like 'Cowberry,' 'Aloe' or 'Wisteria,' and while they list numbered stat.s, it's Greek to me.

And to top it off, I'm a membrane keyboard guy...I like the Apple Magic Keyboard! If it died I'd likely replace with a Logitech MX for multi-device operability.

I went with the Gateron Red switches because they’re the least noisy.

Just how noisy did you find them to be in practice?

Was your researching and buying 'journey' as extensive as what I described? Trying to make an informed decision was quite trying, and I'm still not nearly as well-informed as I'd like to be. Some things have to be experienced in person.

 

[redcarian]

Just how noisy did you find them to be in practice?

They’re very quiet - quieter than I expected, and quieter than the Logitech Romer-G linear switches I have used in the past. In a perfect world, I’d have the clickiest switches ever - browns or whatnot. However, in the real world in which I live, clicky switches would result in my wife using the keyboard and added violence to realign my typing requirements. I had a Model M back in the day, and I was advised that (a) you could hear me typing from anywhere in the house and (b) if an alternative input device was not found, there would be consequences. Being cognisant that a long and happy marriage involves not being beaten to death by your spouse with your own keyboard, I opted for the red switches.

Was your researching and buying 'journey' as extensive as what I described?

Oh god, no. I watched a few YouTube videos, read a few articles, and saw what I could get on Amazon for next day delivery. A lot of the buying advice on the internet is straight-up trash for EU/UK buyers, because they’re recommending a lot of smaller vendors whose products are undoubtedly lovely but they don’t do ISO layouts, or trash for me, because they don’t do 100%. I need my big Enter key and my keypad!

Keychron won because they’re in the intersection of the Venn diagram for decent quality, big enough to provide customer service and spares, ISO layout at 100%, and connectivity. I need multipoint BT and 2.4GHz because this thing connects to a Mac (BT1), a PC (2.4GHz) and an iPad (BT2).

 

[redcarian]

The real problem is that this keyboard is now making me look at things like this:

(In Stock) GMK CYL Mars Cadet

IN STOCK - Ships within 3 working days, all sales final. Embark on a journey to the red planet with CYL Mars Cadet! A clean palette of gray and white explodes with vibrant martian orange in this exploratory mission inspired keycap set. Featuring the 'cadet' legends, Mars Cadet brings its own...

prototypist.net

Which is an example of an entire product category I’ve not even looked at before now.

 

[drrich2]

I watched a few YouTube videos, read a few articles, and saw what I could get on Amazon for next day delivery.

Ah, but there are multiple Keychron models. Then all the different switch types.

Low profile or not-low-profile? In comparing different mechanical keyboards, I saw some had RGB backlighting another just white, and backlight keyboards don't necessarily have 'shine through' letters on the key caps.

60%, 75%, 100% sizes. Hot-swappable vs. not hot-swappable.

Yeah, the mechanical keyboard experience is a serious rabbit hole.

 

[diggy33]

You did the right thing! I recently got a Keychron V6 Max with the gateron brown switches to replace a Logitech MX Keys. I haven’t felt this good typing since I took Keyboarding class in high school.

 

[drrich2]

I just ran across a YouTube video by a guy named Jake Reeves (I have no idea who that is) comparing the Keychron K3 Pro, Nuphy Air 75 V. 2 and LoFree keyboards (these are the '75' side keyboards, which I think is similar to the wireless Apple keyboard that's not full-size).

NuPhy Air75 V2 vs LoFree Flow vs Keychron K3 Pro​

Might be helpful to someone.

 

[Felix Lyran]

I just ran across a YouTube video by a guy named Jake Reeves (I have no idea who that is) comparing the Keychron K3 Pro, Nuphy Air 75 V. 2 and LoFree keyboards (these are the '75' side keyboards, which I think is similar to the wireless Apple keyboard that's not full-size).

NuPhy Air75 V2 vs LoFree Flow vs Keychron K3 Pro​

Might be helpful to someone.

I have the Lofree Flow84 with Phantom switches. Excellent keyboard. Prior to that, I had the NuPhy Air 75 V2, which is also great, but for my preferences the Flow84 is a better keyboard, even though it lacks many of Air 75's features. Both are superior to the Magic Keyboard in most respects, at least for my typing and user preferences. But I sure do miss having Touch ID on the keyboard; such a useful feature that you can only really get on the Magic Keyboard.

 

[drrich2]

I have the Lofree Flow84 with Phantom switches. Excellent keyboard. Prior to that, I had the NuPhy Air 75 V2, which is also great, but for my preferences the Flow84 is a better keyboard, even though it lacks many of Air 75's features.

Which preferences is the LoFree Flow84 a better fit for?

I ask hoping it may help somebody else trying to figure out what to get. It's hard to decide. When I started shopping, I'd heard of Keychron, so I contrasted it with the Logitech MX Mechanical keyboard, and aside from the Logitech's stellar battery life, whichever Keychron (and they have multiple models and options within a model, such as switches) I was considering seemed to edge it out overall. But I kept seeing the name 'Nuphy' occasionally, so I dove into that, and it seemed similar to, but over all to edge out, the Keychron.

The LoFree brand I didn't seen mentioned as much, but user reviews were good. And Razer has well-rated products.

RTings.com - The 7 Best Mechanical Keyboards of 2025

From WireCutter's Jan. 15, 2025 The 6 Best Mechanical Keyboards - "After spending months testing the most promising mechanical keyboards, we recommend the Keychron V3 Max, Keychron V5 Max, and Keychron V6 Max. These keyboards provide the best typing experience, and they offer the most extra features for their surprisingly reasonable prices."

PCMag - The Best Mechanical Keyboards for 2025 - they put the best overall as the Razer BlackWidow V4 75% Pro, which shows up as $299 on Amazon. Whew! There are multiple categories, with another Razer and some Keychrons represented.

I don't recall any of those 3 review articles citing a LoFree, but user reviews for it were really strong. I hope the resources I linked to helps somebody shopping mechanical keyboards, but it may just feed 'info. overload' and 'analysis paralysis.'

From what I understand, keyboard models with hot-swappable keys have the capability for the user to buy a different type of switch and DIY replace what their keyboard came with. So, if you opt for what seems a popular default, tactile switches, but you long to experience first hand how linear switches look and sound different, you can.

 

[Felix Lyran]

Which preferences is the LoFree Flow84 a better fit for?

I found that, in comparison to the NuPhy Air75 V2, the Flow simply provided a better typing experience. It has fewer customisable features but, out of the box, I simply enjoyed using it more. I recall watching this review a while ago and agreeing with its broad conclusions. I do miss some of the features of the Air75 though; it being customisable via software was useful. But the Flow was simply better at the basic task of being a good low-profile keyboard, without the extra bells-and-whistles that, although nice to have, weren't essential in my use case. So I'd say that if you are buying a keyboard mainly for the sake of the keyboard, and without prioritising additional features, the Flow comes out on top. If the additional features matter more to you, then the Air75 becomes a more competitive option.

 

[MikeDr206]

Here’s a non-secure solution to the lack of TouchID. Make a macro containing your password plus ‘enter’ and assign that to any key you like, such as Fn-Enter, one of the 4 function keys above the num pad, Num Lock, or whatever you like. 10x faster than typing your password. Handy. But not secure if your computer is accessible to others.

This is genius.