https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B09DSRN2MF/ref=pe_1843280_735160610_em_1p_3_lm
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B09963YS4P/ref=pe_1843280_735160610_em_1p_1_lm
I’m hoping to build my first keyboard soon and am split between this keychron one and a GMMK Pro. I was wandering if anyone here had experience with the keychron one/have pictures of a completed navy blue one. Thanks!
The GMMK Pro has a lot more customization (materials, colors, etc.) and you can use the same software that it uses with your mouse, if you have a Glorious mouse. The GMMK Pro has better RGB lighting customization and also comes with a better plate material stock, aluminum vs the steel plate that Keychron uses in basically everything. Steel has a stiffer, higher pitched sound and feel.
The Keychron will have more flex (or maybe about the same flex as a GMMK Pro with a Flex Kit?) and is compatible with VIA, the go-to for keyboard programming. I’m personally not a fan of the “navy” blue color that Keychron uses, it’s too saturated/bright to be a true navy color IMO.
Either would be a good choice, and I’d personally base the decision on layout preference. You could also consider the Drop SENSE75 which is currently on sale for $99 or the MonsGeek M1 or M3 which should be around $100-110 if you can find them in stock somewhere.
Both the GMMK Pro and Q3 TKL support QMK and VIA, meaning you can either get a litte technical and write some basic C (it’s mostly not even “''real”‘’ C, making things easier) or just customise with QMK’s webapp / VIA (which in comparison really sucks if you’re able to pick up the basics of C). They both also support 4 layers, so no difference there.
So given that they’re equally customisable in firmware and hardware (hotswap), it comes down to layout preference, bodywork, and price. All of these are subjective to whomever’s buying the board, meaning the only answer to “which to go for” is “whichever you prefer”.
Utterly unhelpful, I know, but as these boards are quite similar and neither have any real gotchas, there’s nothing objective to distinguish them by.
If you have the money and don’t mind a 75%, get a GMMK Pro Flexkit bundle and go wild, if you’re on a budget and/or really want a TKL, go for the Q3. Or whichever matches your personal preference. It really just depends.