Keychron K2 Ultra 8K

Recently, I've traded my trusty old Logitech keyboard for a new set of keys. Specifically, I've been rocking with the Keychron K2 Ultra 8K, Keychron's latest 75% keyboard option, for those that want a bit of extra desk space, or anyone that's perhaps looking to take a keyboard on the go. It's a snazzy, sleek bit of kit, something I was immediately made aware of before I even took the K2 Ultra 8K outside of its box.

With its 8000 Hz polling rate, improving the keyboard's precision and responsiveness to absolutely rapid levels, you'd be right in thinking this is a keyboard that's going to impress a gamer. It's got some lovely light effects, too, which are as we know the flame to which every gaming moth flutters to. However, as someone who also spends as much if not more time typing than gaming, I found that the rapid-fire response rate to be a real boon in my day-to-day activities. As quick as it is wired as wireless, the transition to this keyboard felt much more natural than I thought it would, especially as I was leaping from a larger layout to the 75% layout of the K2 Ultra 8K. A couple of misspelled words here and there, but within an hour of clacking away on Keychron's latest PC accessory I felt accustomed to it. It was actually more difficult to get used to my old keyboard again after testing.

It shouldn't sound like I'm downplaying the gaming performance of the K2 Ultra 8K here. As someone who plays a lot of twitchy shooters, I know having a fast keyboard can be as game-changing as a rapid mouse, and the Keychron K2 Ultra 8K gives you the lovely, humbling feeling that you can no longer blame your tools, as this keyboard is more than fast enough to let you know your reaction times are defining whether you should have lived or died against an enemy. The fact that you can customise keys, as well as set this keyboard to work with whatever operating system you've got means that gamers get that added level of accessibility and customisation. It's something that might only be for the people who really want to step their game up, but for those that want these features they'll be well appreciated.

It can be difficult at times to compare and really get across the quality of something like a keyboard. After all, if you can type on it, it works, right? Yes, but, there's an immediate sense of quality with the K2 Ultra 8K, even if you're not well-versed in the space of keyboards. The switches have a great sound to them, which never borders on being too loud thanks to sound-absorbing foam. With a mechanical keyboard, this is a great feature, but I'm glad the clicks of each key still make a satisfying noise. The layout of the keyboard, as well as the understated style of it, too, feel premium. For a price of around 135 Euros or about £120, you'd want that kind of feel, but I wouldn't have been surprised to see a higher cost on this keyboard considering its luxury feel.

It feels like nit-picking to grab flaws with the Keychron K2 Ultra 8K, but there are a couple that I ran into during my time with it. One was my wrists had nowhere to rest. It might be asking a lot for that to be an added feature in a keyboard already packed with little extras, but when you spend all day tapping away, you do want to feel like your wrists have a guard in some capacity. Also, as I often say with hardware reviews, this keyboard has a great weight to it. It's another thing that just adds that extra sense of quality, but when I also think about the potential portability of a 75% keyboard, I wonder whether there's a bit of a clash there. Of course, this isn't a problem if you don't want to take the keyboard with you on the go, but I know a lot of people will think about the portability of a smaller, 75% layout compared to its bigger cousins.

All in all though, the Keychron K2 Ultra 8K is a keyboard that's incredibly easy to recommend. It does come at a premium price, but the quality you get for the cost is clear to see, even before you've got the keyboard out of the box. Precise, responsive keys, a sleek, understated design, and an incredible amount of customisation potential combine to make this a really solid introduction to Keychron for me, a great example of how good a 75% keyboard can be, and just an all-round well-performing accessory for anyone who spends a good deal of time at their PC gaming and typing.