'There aren’t many keyboards offering better value for money': I tested a bargain mechanical keyboard from Keychron that will tempt gamers — just make sure you get yourself a wrist-rest

Keychron K8 Ultra 8K: One-minute review The Keychron K8 Ultra 8K is a wireless mechanical keyboard with an impressive spec that hopes to compete with the more premium offerings in the space.

It exhibits the brand’s typical design language, with its sizable keycaps and retro looks.

The whole unit is black, save for some grey and green keycaps.

To liven things up, it features some bright backlighting with plenty of customization options, although the keycap legends aren’t transparent, so it doesn’t illuminate them.

This makes them harder to see in dark environments, which somewhat defeats the backlight’s purpose.

The board base is very thick, which means you have to angle your wrists considerably to reach the tall keys.

It’s in dire need of wrist support, which is an oversight since a lot of the best keyboards come with a rest.

It’s also quite heavy, thanks to its metal construction.

This does help to keep it planted, though, and it’s as solid as you would expect it to be. (Image credit: Future) To customize the inputs of the K8 Ultra 8K, you’ll have to use Keychron’s Web Launcher.

Here you’ll find a reasonable selection of rebinding options, and there’s also a basic but functional SOCD function for altering key priority.

It’s a relatively easy app to use, and despite being web-based, it’s quick and responsive; I didn’t encounter any disruptive loading times during my time with it.

In action, the K8 Ultra 8K performs well.

The keys are sufficiently damped, although some clickiness remains, which can be a little harsh at times, but mostly they’re satisfying to use.

They’re snappy and responsive, too, while being forgiving of accidental nudges.