Keychron K15 Max review: This keyboard wants to change how I type (but it probably won’t)

I’ve reviewed quite a few keyboards in the past few months, but until the Keychron K15 Max, they were all standard boards with the layout you’d expect. The K15 Max, however, is what’s called an Alice keyboard, with a layout split in half to help improve your typing posture and reduce the risk of repetitive strain injury (RSI) and carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS).

I will say adapting to the Keychron K15 Max seems to have changed the way I type a bit. I do feel like I’m using more of my fingers to help me while typing, and looking at my wrists, I can see they’re more straight than they normally would be while typing on a regular keyboard. But I don’t think this is enough to pry me away from the typical keyboard layouts I’m used to, at least not yet. That being said, I do really like this board, both for its comfort and the low-profile design, If you’ve been thinking about getting an Alice-style mechanical keyboard, this is a good one.

About this review: Keychron sent us the K15 Max for the purposes of this review. The company had no input in its contents.

Long-term comfort

Keychron K15 Max

A keyboard designed to protect your wrists

The Keychron K15 Max is designed to provide extended comfort for typing by splitting the keyboard layout in half. it takes some while to get used to, but it can be pretty comfortable once you adjust. The low-profile design also looks and feels good to type on.

Pros

• Alice layout helps preserve the health of your hands and wrists
• Low-profile switches help the keyboard feel a bit more approachable
• The usual array of connectivity options

Cons

• If you’re not a touch typist, you may not benefit from this design
• You’ll need some time to adapt if you’re coming from a standard keyboard

Pricing and availability

The Keychron K15 Max was launched in early July 2024, and it’s been available from Keychron’s website ever since. Currently, that seems to be the only place where you can buy it.

Pricing starts at $94 for the base model, which only has a white backlight. You can upgrade to per-key RGB lighting for $104, and if you want hot-swappable switches, that’s another $10 extra. This is the model I got for review.

Design

A sleek low-profile board (that might scare you)

This is the first low-profile keyboard I’ve reviewed from Keychron, and it’s an interesting one. Design-wise, Keychron ditched the frame that surrounds the keys, and instead, the base of the keyboard is just a flat surface with all the keys protruding from it. I like this look overall, and it’s sort of similar to the SteelSeries Apex Pro TKL, except that board didn’t use low-profile switches or keycaps. This makes the keyboard feel very sleek and compact, which I always like to see.

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I like the color scheme of the Keychron K15 Max, too. It only comes in black, with the keycaps being different shades of grey, but a couple of keys can also be orange, and I think this a great color combination. I’d say this looks nicer than the mint keycaps some other Keychron boards use (I’d say mint works better with white boards), and it’s definitely better than red. Because these are low-profile keycaps and switches, find a replacement will be more difficult than with a typical board, but options do exist.

Of course, seeing the split layout of the keyboard may scare you away if you’re used to a typical keyboard, but this is something you can get used to. We’ll talk about that more in the typing section, though.

I like the RGB lights, too

Having low-profile switches and no frame around the keys also allows the RGB lighting to be a bit more impactful. This is still far from a flashy keyboard, which is typical for Keychron, but it does look nice and I appreciate the lighting a bit more here.

Of course, you still can’t customize it as easily as I’d like. The Keychron Launcher software only offers effects that apply to the whole keyboard, so you’re a bit limited in your options. But hey, it’s better than nothing.

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Typing and comfort

The Alice layout is commendable, but not for me

Having never used an Alice keyboard before, using the Keychron K15 Max definitely left me with some thoughts. Initially, I was scrambling to try and hit the right keys, but surprisingly, it didn’t take that long for things to feel somewhat natural, and I wasn’t making as many typos anymore. Things felt fine after just a few hours. The look of a split keyboard may be scary, but I’d say don’t let it deter you. You can definitely get used to it.

And it’s probably worth getting used to it, too, because this kind of keyboard is designed to improve your health. With a standard keyboard, your wrists are naturally more prone to curving outwards, towards your pinky finger. Having this pose for extended periods and making small movements for extended periods of time can cause serious problems for your wrists in the long term. The slightly angled keys make it so that if your arms are coming in at an angle (which is very likely), the wrists can be closer to a neutral position while still falling on all the right keys to enable touch typing. Once you get used to it, it should be far more comfortable and just better for you in the long run.

So why do I say “should”? Well, the problem is I am not a touch typist. I usually type using just four of my fingers, and so the benefits of this layout are a bit lost on me. I did have to adapt to this board to some extent, and I feel like when I type now, I use more of my fingers for some things. My little finger gets used for pressing Shift and using some accents, and even my ring finger gets a bit more action with the A key. But it’s still not the ideal way to type and get the full benefits of this layout, since I’m still making more wrist movements than I’m supposed to. I truly admire the idea behind Alice keyboards, but currently, I am not the right audience for one.

Otherwise, typing is comfortable

Aside from the unusual layout, typing on the Keychron K15 Max is a pretty good experience, as is typical for Keychron. The keyboard is available with red, brown, or blue Gateron switches, and Keychron sent me the brown ones. I’ve made it clear that reds are more my style, but I got along with the brown switches just fine, and as usual, the typing experience was very comfortable and satisfying. There’s less travel since these are low profile switches, but that’s totally fine by me. Maybe because I’ve reviewed a lot of laptops, low-profile switches can be pretty appealing to me, and you still get the satisfying feeling you usually expect from a mechanical keyboard.

If you don’t like the default switches, you have the option to change them, but only if you opt for the most expensive model of the K15 Max. On the cheaper versions, the switches are soldered, so it takes a bit more work. Even with hot-swappable switches, it’s worth noting that your options are much more limited when you look for low-profile switches compared to the standard height ones.

In terms of sound, the Keychron K15 Max is about as good as you can expect for the price and this form factor. It doesn’t have a ton of acoustic treatment, but it’s still fairly quiet to type on, and I think you could easily get away with using it in a shared space. It’s not the quietest keyboard around, but it’s pretty good.

One thing that frequently frustrated me with this board were the macro keys on the left side. Even after a couple of days, I still find myself accidentally pressing one of the macro buttons instead of Ctrl or Shift. It’s probably a matter of getting used to it, but I would have preferred these on the right side. You can configure these macro keys in the Keychron Launcher app or use VIA, since the keyboard uses QMK firmware. The usual array of options are also supported, so I won’t go over everything, but you can do things like remapping keys and changing the backlight effects.

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Should you buy the Keychron K15 Max?

It’s hard to say how good the Keychron K15 Max is in the sea of Alice keyboards, but as a keyboard in general, I think this is a very respectable board. It’s comfortable to type on, and if you’re a touch typist, this split layout is designed specifically to provide better comfort both in the short-term and the long-term. Once you adapt to the layout, it’s definitely a great board.

Personally, I won’t stick to this layout because I think the primary benefit of this layout doesn’t apply to someone like me, who isn’t a touch typist. But if you are in that audience, then this is a good option to try out.

You should buy the Keychron K15 Max if:

• You believe you’re at risk of RSI or CTS
• You want a more comfortable typing experience and you can adapt to the different layout
• You like low-profile keyboards

You shouldn’t buy the Keychron K15 Max if:

• You can’t adapt to this split layout or you’re not a touch typist
• You want a keyboard where the RGB lightiing is more prominent
• You prefer larger keys

Keychron K15 Max

If you’re looking for a way to type more comfortable and prevent long-term injuries, the Keychron K15 Max is a solid option thanks to its Alice layout. The low-profile design is compact and sleek, and it looks pretty good while offering the benefits you expect from a mechanical keyboard.