The Keychron Q2 Max is a wireless custom mechanical keyboard designed for enthusiasts who demand high performance and customization. Available as a complete board or a barebones kit to build yourself, it’s priced at $329 (currently $299 at the time of this writing). From the moment you take this board out of its box, you know you’re in for something special. After using it for several weeks—both for typing and gaming—I’ve come away impressed with the overall package. With QMK/VIA programmability, a hot-swappable PCB, multi-device connectivity over 2.4 GHz and Bluetooth 5.1, and a tank-like build, the Q2 Max offers a lot. However, this isn’t a board for the casual gamer, but for the enthusiast who isn’t quite ready to start from scratch and still wants a highly customizable board.
Design and Build Quality
From the moment you unbox the Keychron Q2 Max, its premium craftsmanship is evident. The body is carved out of 6063 aluminum that is processed through CNC machining, polished, sandblasted, and undergoes 24 more manufacturing stages to create this solid metal piece. This gives the board a solid, weighty feel that screams quality. At a 65% layout, it strikes a perfect balance between compactness and functionality, making it ideal for desk setups where space is a priority but sacrificing too many keys isn’t an option. This is my favorite board size.
The keyboard is available in two colors—Carbon Black and Shell White—each variant having a polished, anodized finish. It looks sleek, professional, and fits well in any office or gaming setup. The build feels sturdy, with no noticeable flex or creaking when pressed. Keychron has made everything about the chassis easy to assemble and work with.
The keycaps are made from Keychron Spherical-angle doubleshot PBT, a more durable and oil-resistant material than ABS. The caps in the middle are shorter than those at the top or bottom, making for a more ergonomic experience. That’s great since the board doesn’t come with adjustable feet for height. I would still recommend using a wrist rest given the height of this board, as that would make it more comfortable to use. The legends are crisp and clear, making it easy to read in various lighting conditions.
For those who love tinkering, the Q2 Max is hot-swappable, meaning you can easily replace the switches without soldering, allowing for a truly personalized typing experience. Most 3-pin and 5-pin MX-style mechanical switches will work without any soldering needed.
Keychron has incorporated south-facing RGB lighting into the Q2 Max, which allows the light to shine outward toward you. It’s subtle and fully customizable. The LEDs shine brightly through the keycaps but are not overwhelming, providing a nice aesthetic touch without being distracting. It’s not as punchy as Razer’s boards, but it is very pleasant.
The Q2 Max also includes a customizable media dial that, by default, controls volume and mutes when pressed. However, it’s not as versatile as the multifunction dial on the Asus ROG Azoth, which also has an OLED screen to indicate the dial’s function.
Inside the board, you get a gasket-mounted construction, which provides a softer typing feel and helps reduce noise. Keychron has included several sound-dampening foam layers and two gaskets, significantly reducing the “ping” sound common in mechanical keyboards. This results in a quieter, more satisfying “thock” with excellent tactile feedback.
Typing and Performance
The typing experience is where this keyboard truly shines. I tested the Gateron Jupiter Banana switches, which feature a 59gf actuation force and 3.4mm travel. These switches provide a satisfying tactile bump with a smooth, gentle sound that’s perfect for extended typing and gaming sessions. They strike an excellent balance between responsiveness and comfort, making both fast typing and precise gaming feel natural.
In practice, the typing experience is precise and comfortable. The stabilizers are factory-lubed, making larger keys like the spacebar and enter key feel sturdy and pleasant to press, with no rattle.
The performance of the Keychron Q2 Max is excellent. The board has an ARM Cortex M4-Chip MCU with 256K flash memory, enabling a fast 1000Hz polling rate. And with full QMK/VIA support, you have complete control over key mapping and custom shortcuts. This is a huge plus for gamers and professionals who rely on custom macros or productivity shortcuts.
Connectivity
The Keychron Q2 Max offers versatile connectivity with Bluetooth 5.1 and a 2.4 GHz wireless option, perfect for gaming. The 1000 Hz polling rate on the 2.4 GHz connection provides ultra-fast responsiveness, reducing input lag to virtually zero. This makes it ideal for fast-paced gaming, where precision and split-second reactions are critical. The connection remains stable throughout, even during intense gameplay sessions.
For multitaskers, you can pair the Q2 Max with up to three devices via Bluetooth, allowing you to switch between your computer, phone, and tablet using keyboard shortcuts. However, there is a slight but noticeable delay when switching between devices, though it doesn’t detract much from the overall seamless experience.
Switching between Mac and Windows modes is just as easy, thanks to a dedicated toggle switch. The practicality of this is that you can have the correct command keys, and Keychron includes extra keycaps in the box. Lastly, you can also use it in wired mode, as it uses a detachable USB-C cable for connection and charging.
Speaking of charging, that’s not something you’ll be doing often. In wireless mode, the 4000mAh battery can last up to 300 hours without RGB lighting. That’s at least a whole month by my calculations. Even with the RGB lights on, you’ll still get several days of regular use before needing a recharge. A quick charge using the included USB-C cable ensures you can get back to work or gaming in no time.
Customizability
Customization is where the Q2 Max sets itself apart from other mechanical keyboards in its price range. It supports QMK and VIA, two powerful software tools that let you remap every key on the board, add layers of function keys, and set up macros. I particularly like the QMK software, which runs through your web browser, freeing you from yet another app to install on your device.
Sadly, it only works when the Q2 Max is connected via 2.4 GHz or USB cable. The software is geared to the more hardcore among us who want to define hyper-specific key layouts, shortcuts, or hotkeys. You can tailor the keyboard exactly to your exact needs. You might have noticed the Q2 comes with two Fn keys which in essence allows for multiple layers of customisation. You can assign stuff to Fn1 and more stuff on top of that with Fn2. It’s…a lot!
There’s also a whole bunch of shortcuts embedded into the board for multimedia control, RGB lighting and brightness. The only problem I had with this is that unlike other boards, the Q2 Max doesn’t have essential legends on the sides of the caps to let you know what functions are available. So unless you keep the guide handy, you’re left to guessing what is what.
In addition to software customization, the board is hot-swappable, meaning you can swap out switches without soldering. For anyone who loves tweaking their setup, this is a huge advantage. You can experiment with different switch types to find the one that suits your typing style best. There are also options to customize the keyboard with your preferred keycap set, thanks to the standard keycap size compatibility.
Conclusion
The Keychron Q2 Max is a fantastic choice for anyone looking for a customizable, high-performance mechanical keyboard. With QMK/VIA support, a premium build, excellent wireless performance, and hot-swappable switches, it ticks all the right boxes for enthusiasts. Though the price may be a little steep for casual users, it’s a great way for those more serious keyboard enthusiasts to step up their game and enter the world of keyboard customization.
Despite all the positives, the Keychron Q2 Max isn’t without its drawbacks. The price point is higher compared to entry-level mechanical keyboards, which will definitely put off casual users. I personally preferred the aesthetic, gaming features, and multimedia controls on the Asus ROG Azoth.
Lastly, the keyboard’s weight, while a sign of its premium construction, makes it less portable. If you’re someone who likes to move your keyboard between setups often, you might find it a bit cumbersome.
Overall, if you’re seeking a versatile, customizable, and beautifully designed mechanical keyboard that offers both wired and wireless options, the Keychron Q2 Max is well worth considering.
Keychron Australia kindly provided the Keychron Q2 Max to PowerUp for the purpose of this review.
