Keychron K8 Ultra 8K mechanical keyboard for Windows & Mac

An ode to the K8 Ultra 8K

Not a television

8K. Normally that word makes you pull the sofa a little closer to the TV. The K8 Ultra 8K has no screen, and that's just as well: otherwise you wouldn't get much typing done. It simply sounds a bit more exciting on a television.

Why the K8 Ultra 8K?

Tenkeyless, with everything in its place

The Keychron K8 Ultra 8K is a wireless mechanical keyboard in a tenkeyless (80%) layout. You get a full function row, the arrow keys and the familiar block with Insert, Home, End, Page Up and Page Down. Only the number pad is missing. If you're used to a standard keyboard, you'll find everything on the K8 Ultra 8K right where you expect it.

Your mouse closer by

Without a number pad, the K8 Ultra 8K is 359.2 mm wide. That puts your mouse closer to the keyboard and more in line with your shoulder. If you type all day and click a lot in between, you won't have to reach as far to the side.

Three ways to connect

The K8 Ultra 8K connects to up to three devices over Bluetooth 5.2, through the included 2.4 GHz receiver or with the USB-C cable. Press fn + 1, 2 or 3 to switch between, say, your laptop, tablet and phone. A small slider on the side selects the connection mode. Handy if you work with different devices at home and at the office.

What makes the K8 Ultra 8K so good?

Solid and quiet build

The K8 Ultra 8K has a CNC-machined aluminium frame with a plastic bottom case. The switches sit in a steel plate, with layers of EVA, IXPE and EPDM foam and a silicone bottom pad to dampen vibration and hollow sound. At 1299 grams, the keyboard feels nicely heavy and stable on your desk.

Pick your switch

The K8 Ultra 8K comes with a choice of two pre-lubed Keychron Apex switches. Red is linear and light (45 gf): the key travels down smoothly without a noticeable bump. Brown (50 gf) has a soft tactile bump halfway, so you can feel when a keystroke registers. According to Keychron, Red is the quieter of the two.

There is no right or wrong switch, it mostly comes down to feel. If you want to feel when a key registers while typing, Brown suits the K8 Ultra 8K well. If you prefer a light, quiet keystroke, Red is the more obvious choice. You'll find more background in the guide to mechanical switches.

Hot swappable

The switches of the K8 Ultra 8K are hot swappable. Pull them out with the included keycap and switch puller and press in a different switch, no soldering needed. That way you can still change the feel later on, or replace a single switch.

What does 8K mean?

The 8K in the name refers to the polling rate: how often per second the K8 Ultra 8K reports what you type to your computer. Wired and through the 2.4 GHz receiver, that can be up to 8000 times. By default it is set to 1000 Hz, and to 125 Hz over Bluetooth. For everyday typing the default setting is more than enough.

A battery that lasts

The K8 Ultra 8K has a 4000 mAh battery. Keychron quotes up to 760 hours of wireless use with the backlight off and up to 230 hours with the RGB lighting at its lowest setting, both at 8000 Hz. Charging over USB-C takes about 5 hours, and you can keep typing while it charges.

Get the most out of your K8 Ultra 8K

Remap keys in the Launcher

You can give every key on the K8 Ultra 8K a different function or a macro through the Keychron Launcher. It's a web app, so there's nothing to install. It runs in the latest version of Chrome, Edge or Opera, with the keyboard connected by cable. Under the hood runs the open-source ZMK firmware.

Useful for office work: put cut, paste or a phrase you type often under a single key. The K8 Ultra 8K has four layers, two for Mac and two for Windows. Make sure that in Windows mode you edit layer 2, not layer 0. According to the Keychron manual, that's a common mistake.

Lighting the way you like it

The K8 Ultra 8K has south-facing RGB lighting that shines towards you. You can choose from more than 22 effects, including static white, and adjust brightness and speed with an fn shortcut. In the Launcher you can even set a colour per key. If you prefer it calm, press fn + tab to switch the light off completely.

You should not miss this either

For Mac and Windows

A switch on the left side puts the K8 Ultra 8K in Mac or Windows mode. Keycaps for both systems are in the box, so the Command and Option keys are right too. Linux works as well, it just doesn't come with its own keycaps.

US layout

The K8 Ultra 8K has a US QWERTY layout (ANSI), with a single-row Enter key and a long left Shift. In the Netherlands this is the usual layout, so most people will feel at home straight away.

Consider a wrist rest

The K8 Ultra 8K is not a flat keyboard: the back is already 31.28 mm high without keycaps. If your wrists rest flat on the desk, you'll tend to bend your hands upwards. A wrist rest of roughly the same width makes up for that height difference and can help reduce pressure on your wrists.

Even more compact

If you don't need the block with Insert, Home and End, the Keychron K2 Ultra 8K is an option. It's the 75% sibling of the K8 Ultra 8K, with the same switches and connections, but more than 4.5 cm narrower.

Pros and cons

• Familiar layout, just without the number pad
• Bluetooth for three devices, plus receiver and cable
• Mac and Windows keycaps in the box
• Swap switches without soldering
• Up to 760 hours wireless with the backlight off
• Less ideal if you enter a lot of numbers
• Fairly high, a wrist rest is recommended
• Keycap legends are not backlit

Brief specifications

In short: the K8 Ultra 8K is a wireless tenkeyless mechanical keyboard for people who type a lot on Mac and Windows. Key points: familiar layout without a number pad, three ways to connect, a choice of two switches.

Key figures: 87 keys, 359.2 x 129.2 mm, 1299 grams, 4000 mAh, up to 760 hours.

How happy will my body be with this?

Score overview: fingers 4/5, shoulders 3/5, hand 3/5, wrist 2/5 (higher with a wrist rest).

Product features

• 80% tenkeyless layout with 87 keys
• QWERTY, US layout (ANSI)
• Keychron Apex Red or Brown switches, pre-lubed
• Hot swappable switches
• Bluetooth 5.2 for up to 3 devices
• 2.4 GHz receiver and USB-C cable included
• Polling rate up to 8000 Hz (wired and 2.4 GHz)
• 4000 mAh battery, up to 760 hours with backlight off
• CNC-machined aluminium frame with ABS bottom case
• Steel plate and sound-dampening foam layers
• Screw-in PCB stabilisers
• OSA double-shot PBT keycaps
• South-facing RGB lighting, adjustable per key
• N-key rollover, wireless and wired
• Programmable with the Keychron Launcher (ZMK)
• Works with macOS, Windows and Linux

What's in the box?

• 1 x Keychron K8 Ultra 8K keyboard
• 1 x USB-C cable
• 1 x USB-A to USB-C adapter
• 1 x 2.4 GHz receiver (USB-A)
• 1 x extension adapter for the receiver
• 1 x keycap and switch puller
• Extra keycap set for Mac and Windows
• Manual and quick start guide

Downloads

Getting started

Provided by Keychron.

Setup and updates

These links open the Keychron website in a new window. Only update the firmware if something does not work properly; Keychron itself advises this.

Frequently asked questions