Keychron Q5 HE review

Our VerdictThe Keychron Q5 HE is a brilliant mechanical keyboard with lots of power, a stylish chassis and thoughtful touches elsewhere.

Our Verdict

The Keychron Q5 HE is a brilliant mechanical keyboard with lots of power, a stylish chassis and thoughtful touches elsewhere.

ForSnappy Hall effect switchesWonderfully sturdyLightweight, web-based softwareAgainstNot as fast as other esports-grade boardsQuite pricey

ForSnappy Hall effect switchesWonderfully sturdyLightweight, web-based software

AgainstNot as fast as other esports-grade boardsQuite pricey

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It benefits from a machined aluminium chassis, which looks wonderfully clean in the white and green colourway I was supplied with. Combined with this, the Q5 HE offers classy touches elsewhere, such as its two-tone green accent keycaps that play off nicely against the main alphanumeric keycaps in white. These caps are also doubleshot PBT, signalling Keychron’s commitment to the Q5 HE being a quality product all-round.

The OSA profile here is its own doing, and it provides a slightly taller keycap that’s similar to the SA profile. It takes some getting used to against flatter keycaps, but once you get used to it in a matter of minutes, it aids in making the Q5 HE especially comfortable to type on.

The 96 percent layout on offer here is a favourite, offering a classic keyboard layout that dates back nearly thirty years. Otherwise referred to as the 1800 layout, the Q5 HE employs a layout that provides virtually all of what you’d get on a standard full-size keyboard, but squishes things up a bit with some keys moved above the number pad, bringing the arrow keys closer to the main body on the right-hand side. It’s an easy layout to get used to and one that offers a lot of functionality in a slightly smaller space.

Q5 HE specs(Image credit: Future)Switch type:Gateron HE Double RailKeycaps:PBT, double-shotLighting:RGB, dimmable on keyboard and controllable in softwareOnboard storage:NoneExtra ports:USB-C for chargingConnection type:Wireless - Bluetooth/2.4 GHz receiverCable:USB Type-C/USB Type-A, detachableWeight:2.18 kg/4.8 lbsPrice:$229

Q5 HE specs

(Image credit: Future)Switch type:Gateron HE Double RailKeycaps:PBT, double-shotLighting:RGB, dimmable on keyboard and controllable in softwareOnboard storage:NoneExtra ports:USB-C for chargingConnection type:Wireless - Bluetooth/2.4 GHz receiverCable:USB Type-C/USB Type-A, detachableWeight:2.18 kg/4.8 lbsPrice:$229

(Image credit: Future)

A Keychron Q5 HE gaming keyboard on a desk with white and blue keycaps.

Switch type:Gateron HE Double RailKeycaps:PBT, double-shotLighting:RGB, dimmable on keyboard and controllable in softwareOnboard storage:NoneExtra ports:USB-C for chargingConnection type:Wireless - Bluetooth/2.4 GHz receiverCable:USB Type-C/USB Type-A, detachableWeight:2.18 kg/4.8 lbsPrice:$229

Inside, the Q5 HE comes with Gateron double rail Hall effect switches, which I’ve previously experienced on the brand’s marvellous K2 HE. The two key selling points with these specific switches are that they’re Hall effect and what Gateron calls ‘double rail’. I’ll address the latter of those first.

Double rail means these key switches have two slider rails to allow for more stable actuation, and less key wobble than more conventional switches. This makes using them especially pleasant.

As for the way Hall effect switches work, they’re slightly different to your bog-standard mechanical switches. In essence, it means they work via a magnet as opposed to more standard means. A magnet is sent down the switch’s stem to a sensor, where input is then registered—there isn’t a defined actuation point with them as such. This means that you can change the actuation point and reset point for each switch, so you can have snappy inputs for games, for instance, to provide you with a bit of a competitive edge.

(Image credit: Future)

A Keychron Q5 HE gaming keyboard on a desk with white and blue keycaps.

With this in mind, it means the Q5 HE has the hallowed rapid trigger function for near-instant actuation and reset, providing a competitive advantage in fast-paced shooters such as Counter Strike 2, my traditional testbed for gaming keyboards. The switches felt incredibly responsive during my runs in CS2, where I set the WASD and weapon select keys as high as the actuation point would be for as brisker movement and quick draw of weapons as possible.

The Hall effect switches here are also pre-lubricated, leading to especially smooth actuation. For day-to-day productivity workloads where I type up a shedload of words, the Q5 HE also felt great, even if I tend to prefer more conventional soft-tactile switches for my usual work. There’s also a lot of sound dampening inside the Q5 HE’s chassis, which in conjunction with the fact these switches are lubricated, means its acoustics are also top-notch with no case rattle or ping.

(Image credit: Future)

A Keychron Q5 HE gaming keyboard on a desk with white and blue keycaps.

The likes of customising the rapid trigger functionality, programming macros and configuring the Q5 HE’s RGB lighting is handled within Keychron’s deceptively lightweight Keychron Launcher software. It might look like a simple bit of kit, but it’s especially powerful in allowing you to unlock the potential of the Q5 HE. Here you can set everything from actuation and reset points to even assigning up to four actions per keystroke. With this, you can set two on the downstroke, and two as the switch comes back up. This may not seem particularly useful at first, but if you’re playing MOBA titles that require certain key combos for spells and such, having the ability to do difficult key combos in one keypress is mightily handy.

Image1of4(Image credit: Future)(Image credit: Future)(Image credit: Future)(Image credit: Future)

Image1of4

(Image credit: Future)(Image credit: Future)(Image credit: Future)(Image credit: Future)

(Image credit: Future)

A Keychron Q5 HE gaming keyboard on a desk with white and blue keycaps.

(Image credit: Future)

A Keychron Q5 HE gaming keyboard on a desk with white and blue keycaps.

(Image credit: Future)

A Keychron Q5 HE gaming keyboard on a desk with white and blue keycaps.

(Image credit: Future)

A Keychron Q5 HE gaming keyboard on a desk with white and blue keycaps.

Buy if…✅ You want a larger layout:The 96 percent layout that the Q5 HE offers is a convenient one that packs in a lot of features, and is rarely found on ‘boards with Hall effect switches.

Buy if…

✅ You want a larger layout:The 96 percent layout that the Q5 HE offers is a convenient one that packs in a lot of features, and is rarely found on ‘boards with Hall effect switches.

Don’t buy if…❌ You want an even faster option:The Q5 HE isn’t the be-all-and-end-all for eSports pros, though. There are options from Wooting and Razer with higher polling rates and even more advanced features.

Don’t buy if…

❌ You want an even faster option:The Q5 HE isn’t the be-all-and-end-all for eSports pros, though. There are options from Wooting and Razer with higher polling rates and even more advanced features.

As for connectivity, the Q5 HE offers two wireless options, with both Bluetooth and 2.4 GHz working wonderfully on either my main Windows gaming PC or MacBook for work. This keyboard also works happily on either MacOS or Windows, with an OS toggle switch on the rear of the chassis. Pairing over Bluetooth was also a doddle, as you hold the Fn key down with a corresponding number based on the Bluetooth channel. From there, it should show up in the pairing options of your host device.

The battery life of the Q5 HE pales in comparison to the brand’s other keyboards, in spite of its larger 4000 mAh capacity. Keychron says it’ll last for up to 100 hours on a charge which, while still a long time, is below the estimated 300 hours for the non-hall effect Pro variant of this same keyboard. I had no issues with it during my weeks of testing, although it is worth pointing out.

In short, the Keychron Q5 HE is an excellent all-rounder for those wanting the convenience of a full-size keyboard with the power of Hall effect switches. It may not be as fast as the likes of theWooting 80HE, but this is still a brilliant keyboard that makes for a weapon both in and out of games.

Keychron Q5 HE: Price Comparison

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The Verdict82Read our review policyKeychron Q5 HEThe Keychron Q5 HE is a brilliant mechanical keyboard with lots of power, a stylish chassis and thoughtful touches elsewhere.

The Verdict

82Read our review policyKeychron Q5 HEThe Keychron Q5 HE is a brilliant mechanical keyboard with lots of power, a stylish chassis and thoughtful touches elsewhere.

82Read our review policy

Keychron Q5 HEThe Keychron Q5 HE is a brilliant mechanical keyboard with lots of power, a stylish chassis and thoughtful touches elsewhere.

Keychron Q5 HE

The Keychron Q5 HE is a brilliant mechanical keyboard with lots of power, a stylish chassis and thoughtful touches elsewhere.

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Our Verdict#

Our Verdict