Keychron Q11 QMK/VIA TKL Split Keyboard Ergonomic, 91 Keys 75% Layout Wired Mechanical Gaming Keyboard Mac & Windows with Full Alu Frame, PBT Keycaps & Knobs, RGB Backlight Hot-Swappable Red Switch

TL;DR: If you need a split keyboard, you're thinking about a mechanical keyboard, and you want extensive customizability, this is the board for you. Just be aware that you'll probably need another USB cable, it doesn't have a keypad, and it's a chonky beast.A recent session with my chiro (she's more like my physical therapist) revealed that my typing posture was probably contributing to issues in my left shoulder, so she suggested a split keyboard to widen my stance. Since I'm going to be at the keyboard for most of my 8 hour shifts at work, I decided to grab the best one I could find, and one where I could remap the keys if the layout didn't work for me. I've heard really good things about Keychron, so I went with this keyboard.First impressions: This thing is substantial. Don't get this if you are constantly carrying your keyboard from place to place, unless you're also weight training. This is more for those who keep their keyboards at their desks for most of the day. I'm fine with putting it back in the box and into the cabinet since the office desks are shared, it's not like the chassis is tungsten steel. But I wouldn't put myself in a position where I might drop it on my foot.Mechanical keyboards have a reputation for being loud, and a colleague does have a tactile switch gaming board that can be a little noisy. But the linear switches on the Q11 are barely noisier than a membrane keyboard, largely because of the mass and sound dampening design. I would have to be furiously smashing the keys to make noise with this, which would probably make more noise on other keyboards. The linear switches, however, close towards the beginning of key travel, which means I can't really rest my hands on the keys because my always-moving fingers will result in errant keystrokes. I'm looking into tactile switches that are hopefully quiet but also hopefully prevent me from typing when I don't mean to. Thankfully the switches are socketed rather than soldered.The bridge cable is shorter than I'd like. It might work for most people, but I really wanted to stretch my shoulders and open up my posture. Fortunately, the bridge cable is USB type C, and the main cable that connects to the computer is a type C cable with a type A adapter, so you can just remove the adapter and use the main cable as the bridge. You will, of course, need another cable to connect to the computer.This is a tenkeyless keyboard, so if you're doing a lot of data entry like me, you'll need a separate numeric keypad. The arrow keys took some getting used to, because they are placed really close to the Enter key. With the reach I normally need to do to hit the Enter key with typical 104 key boards, I would hit the backslash key instead. Unfortunately this is something I'll just have to live with. I also wish that there was a tactile difference between Esc and F1, or the tilde key and the number keys, because I touch type, I'm not going to look at the keyboard as I type. So I'm going to look into some way to add a texture to the key caps, or just find some caps that have a different texture. Other than these minor complaints, this is probably the best typing feel I've ever had. There's no rattle on wider keys, every key feels nice and solid.The firmware is amazing. You can think of this as a Steam game pad but with over 80 buttons to customize. All you need is a Chromium based browser. And you don't need to save after you make your change, the layout is saved in real time. Just be aware that layer 1 is Mac mode, so for those who aren't using Macs, you need to start at layer 3 so the switch in the back makes sense. I've rearranged the lower left keys so the Alt key is next to the space bar like every other keyboard on the planet, and I've eliminated the Insert key which I never use and added the End key, rearranging the tiny cluster of navigation keys on the right hand side. There is no End key cap, though (I substituted the Command key while I wait for key caps to arrive), and putting the Home key on the F row made me realize that the caps there are substantially taller than others because of the ergonomic design. Fortunately I'm not reaching over there often.The backlight is cool, but I've already gotten some comments about my lit up G203 mouse (which I'm thinking of cutting the tracks to the LEDs), so I keep the backlighting off except when I'm typing so I have a way to know if the keyboard is connected.It is pricey, but you absolutely get what you pay for and then some. In fact I think 200 bucks is a bargain.

Really nice split keyboard. Coming from a Nuphy Halo 75 v2, which I love and customize heavily, this was super simple to implement the same (and additional) customization in VIA. I don't usually leave reviews, but I noticed the person who gave a one-star review because there is no white backlight, and they clearly didn't RTFM. If you want pure white backlight, just select any solid color RGB mode and turn the hue all the way down (fn + f on Mac).I'm keeping my Halo as a back-up, and might experiment with some other switches in the future but this has such a nice solid feel and hits the marks for customization and setup possibilities for me.

I like keyboards. I have keyboards from brands such as Red Dragon, Microsoft, Razer, Logitech, Kinesis, Keychron, and other third-party/smaller companies. Keychron is my personal favorite, having a total of 3 of their keyboards including this one.From the build quality, to the feel and weight, their keyboards just never disappoint. And this keyboard joins that. This one is the most expensive keyboard I own, and the quality reflects that. Solid metal frame, hot-swappable keys, beautiful keycaps, and the fact that each half can be used independently and on their own. Besides gaming, I don’t really see why this would be needed but hey, it’s neat.But honestly, I think the cherry on top is the choice to use VIA as the software for this. VIA is an open-source keyboard software that has a beautiful interface, the remapping of any key, and if the keyboard supports it, layers. It does require some knowledge of more techy stuff, but a quick google is all you would need. The layers are amazing. How I have it configured is by hitting the “fn” key, it swaps layers until I let go (this is the default). I then swap the key strokes for the function layer. Now, not only does this layer give me the function keys, but I also have a numberpad and can even control the mouse while holding the fn key. Plus it has 5 extra keys to be used for whatever which is always a bonus and the program support macros - combining multiple keystrokes into one key pressI took a gamble with this as it had only a couple of reviews, but figured since it was by keychron, at worse I would get a good keyboard. I was wrong. I got the best keyboard. Love it!Also, the keyboard supports a large array of different key switches and I swapped these for some bronze switchesOnly real complain is that it doesn't have any feet to adjust the angle

Because the chassis of this keyboard is metal, it delivers a great solid feel. You can swap out the switches with whatever your favorite is. The backlight is handy for low-light use and ambiance if you like that sort of thing. Probably my favorite keyboard ever (and I've had many over the years, including the old school IBM ones). The one thing it doesn't have is built-in tenting feet. I added some bigger rubber feet to provide my ideal tilt to the keyboard halves though.

The keyboard being split is nice, but it really awful outside of that. it cost $100 more than my last Keychron, and you cannot even get a white background light for your keys. RGB is a dumb move for this company. I want a keyboard that is ergo for professionals and not RGB gaming kids. I will be returning this by end of day. This is my fourth Keychron keyboard in the last four years, and I will not ever by another one. Their keyboards seem to be getting worse year by year.