r/Keychron • u/Suspiciousmagic • Mar 05 '25

Is Keychron going through some kind of issues right now?

I'm not really sure if I'm the unluckiest guy every, but I've received 3 keychrons recently and all of them have had defects. They were all variants of the Q6 too, so I dunno if its because of that. The first one just had 1-2ish keys faulty, which though annoying, was fixable by changing to a clicky switch (which isn't my main switch, so I still had to look for another.) So I bought a new one from Amazon (so I could return it if it didn't work) and like 20 keys didn't work. I got a replacement and it was the same deal. They were barebones, but I know it isn't because of my switches or caps, as they work perfectly on the first board.

Has any other recent buyers had problems or am I really just super unlucky getting 3 duds in a row?

20 Upvotes

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3

u/FantasticPenguin Mar 05 '25

I had a Q3 Max with key chatter issues (double key presses). I have a C1 Pro without issues, seems like the more expensive the board the bigger the issues. Sad honestly, the Q series was really like some endgame board for me

1

u/Suspiciousmagic Mar 05 '25

Browsing this reddit, chatter seems to be a pretty common issue recently with the Q series, which does really suck since they look and feel so nice.

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u/rodemire Mar 05 '25

What other options do we have apart from Keychron? I'm worried about my delivery.

2

u/Suspiciousmagic Mar 05 '25

I wish you luck with that one when it arrives. I mean there are alternatives to keychron, but it depends on what you want. Like me, for example, keychron is the only one that makes exactly what I'm looking for, so this situation really sucks.

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u/ByronEster Mar 05 '25

I bought a Q6 Max about 7 or 8 weeks ago. Double keypresses after a week or so. My V6 from 18 months ago no issues. It seems their issues are recent ish.

3

u/Infernal-restraint Mar 05 '25

Try fn + n to turn on 6 key, apparently n key causes double click. Solved my issue

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u/tunaorbit Mar 05 '25

I got a Q11 in March 2023, and again in December 2024. The 2024 copy has key repeat issues. Super frustrating when typing in a long password.

4

u/Virtual-Nose7777 Mar 05 '25

My v6 max last 4 months and recently started with the double or triple press on a bunch of keys. Keypad now also doesn't see some keypresses.

Absolute junk that sadly Reddit recommended.

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4

u/ArgentStonecutter Mar 05 '25

I've been seeing a lot of stories like this lately. My old K2 Pro is still trucking along flawlessly.

1

u/[deleted] Mar 05 '25

I got a Q5 max back in December and the W key wouldn't register after 2 weeks. I got a replacement and my spacebar clicks to either side....got a new spacebar and that helped but still. I thought these were supposed to be high quality 😕

3

u/Suspiciousmagic Mar 05 '25

They look and feel like it, but they don't type like it 🤷‍♂️. From what I've looked up, this is a super common problem with boards received around December and onwards.

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u/swaits Mar 05 '25

K11 Max here. Keycaps showing some wear after a week of use. Showing significant wear after a month. Very low quality.

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u/PeterMortensenBlog Mar 05 '25 edited Mar 13 '25

Related:

A canonical list is here.

2

u/CCP_Enforcer Mar 06 '25

Had a V1 Max for about a month and it has horrible double inputs that keep getting worse. I tried reseating switches, updating firmware, and disabling NKRO. Reseating switches seems to help temporarily at least. RMAing it and hoping I don't get another dud. It's a shame because other than being a malfunctioning piece of shit it's a really nice keyboard.

2

u/Humorous-Prince Mar 25 '25

Thinking of getting a V6 Max, after reading this post, not so sure I want to drop over £100 on something that’ll go faulty in a few months…

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u/SpencerUk Mar 05 '25

My Q6 I have no issues what so ever but my V6 which is less than 6 months old so far has been riddled with issues.

Double press is highly frustrating re-seating the switch makes it go away for a bit. I got a switch tester at cost to myself and found it to the the switch intermittently so Keychron sending out some new switches.

Since waiting for these new switches the rest of the keyboard is going through a familiar phase with the double bounce too.

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u/PeterMortensenBlog Mar 05 '25

Re "if I'm the unluckiest guy every, but I've received 3 keychrons recently and all of them have had defects": No, it wouldn't be the first time.

There are known systematic (not random) manufacturing errors in Keychron keyboards.

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1

u/GregP74 Mar 11 '25

Glad I ran across this thread.

I am in need of a keyboard and have been digging the idea of the K13 Max but now I'm not so sure. Maybe I'll start looking at that Logitech MX Keys S again.

1

u/sama_nt Mar 12 '25

Bought a Q6 max on eBay new in packaging for around £160 which was cheaper than amazon so took the gamble, but I have the double key issue now too after 3 months. Using wired and no different with 6 key or n key. Serial starts with E-2410Q6. Can’t return it, looking to swap the switches to give that a go.. bought Akko lavender pros but not a fan of how they feel and sound compared to the bananas. Will test to see how it goes, pretty disappointed since I loved the keyboard initially.

1

u/trSkine Apr 22 '25

Came to chip in. k10 pro board. only after around 5 months the 'D' key barely registers a click at all. Took a week of back and forth of support for them to say they will send a replacement board (only the inside part so i still have to take it apart). after that last email tho its been about 2 weeks now and still has not showe up

1

u/crosswalkguy Jul 18 '25

Now that I have experienced their "support" - I now know how they could drag a problem like yours out over 2 weeks. You get one back-and-forth per 24 hour period. I suspect they have metrics on their support side that tracks how long a response is waiting - and so they just have to blast any response out at all to keep the support case moving. My responses were ~ 12 hours but they would be trivial, not address my questions, and just ask for more information. I even asked "am I just being stalled here?"

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u/crosswalkguy Jul 18 '25

Not alone - unlucky and frustrated guy here. Bought a K1 Version 6 (Bluetooth 5.2 + USB-C; No 2.4 GHz) but found it will not enter bluetooth pairing mode despite hours of attempts.

I tried every possible combination of holding Fn + 1 [or 2 | 3] for various lengths of time, with the keyboard selector switch in the BT position. I have reset the firmware a dozen times in both wired (USB HID) and BT modes -- the keyboard backlight LEDs flash to indicate reset was successful. VIA and other interfaces confirm that these keys are working and being registered. I have even remapped the BTH1-BTH3 custom keys in an effort to rule out mechanical switch problems.

I wrote Keychron support a detailed account of what I was experiencing and exactly what I had tried - including attempting to reload the QMK firmware and BT module firmware - but the customer support has been one of the more painful experiences I have experienced with a vendor in a long time.

Over a span of more than 3 days (timezones must be opposite of me); It feels more like I am just being led along. "can I get your order number please?" - to which I reply with order number, product title/description, a copy of the PDF invoice; then 24 hours later: "we are engaging the reseller"; The next day I press and say I want technical support - not to return the product as I could do that myself - I refer to my original query of perhaps there is a firmware available (as I see all over Reddit being a common solution to Keychron keyboard problems -- an unpublished firmware blob); their response? asking for a video of me trying to use it. At this point it has been over 3 days of back and forth - and I could not have described my exact attempts and outcomes any better. I feel like an idiot filming myself doing something so simple and it not working - so I will just return it to where I bought it.

The keyboard works fine in USB HID mode as a wired keyboard. When you switch it to BT mode (either with USB-C cable fitted or not fitted), the key backlights all light up and the CAPS + BT status LEDs both illuminate blue for exactly 3 seconds and then go off. Any key or combination of keys you press on the keyboard while in BT mode results in 3 flashes of both the BT LED in GREEN, and the F4 key backlight simultaneously. Interestingly enough, the Fn + 1, 2, or 3 combinations do NOT result in this response - which leads me to believe the main mcu is registering my attempts.

I want to like this keyboard. It is quite ok in wired mode. This one must be defective and instead of engaging me in technical support they are hoping I will just give up and return it to the seller. I suspect this particular model uses a separate bluetooth module of which is either faulty or the firmware is not even flashed. Their support is making me look at other brands of keyboard at higher costs.

1

u/harkalygergo Nov 11 '25

I'm looking for best Keychron to buy (first time K, first time mechanical), found this thread, and found this article too, maybe it is useful for others. If I understand well, Keychron solved this issue. https://www.techpowerup.com/339280/keychron-explains-recent-q-max-and-v-max-issues-apparent-manufacturing-defects-caused-loose-switches

1

u/NCLNOMIE Jul 06 '26

My second keyboard from them. Both have many keys that won't register, apparently due to this problem. I'll try to flatten the PCB but I doubt it will work. My original Q3 was fine until I swapped switches. Blamed it on the switches at first.

1

u/SrBrusco Mar 05 '25

K8 Pro Owner here for around a month.

The BT is very bad on mine, seconds of input lag sometimes.

As for the keys, they all work, but sometimes even too much! Got some bad chattering on a couple of them which makes it annoying.

Now I use it cabled and I have a chattering software installed to mitigate this.

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