Is the Keychron Q1 a GMMK Pro dupe?
So I finished building my GMMK Pro last week (a writeup is in my drafts for that). I got an email from Keychron the same week I got my GMMK Pro shipped. I waited about 6 months after reserving the board to be able to buy the GMMK Pro so timing was a total coincidence, I think. I’ll have more thoughts on the GMMK Pro in its own post but for now, I wanted to mention the new announcement, Keychron’s Q1 board.
So far, Keychron has had great entry level mechanical boards but one of the features they’ve been lacking is the ability to use QMK for custom firmware/key mapping and the ability to buy the barebones board, without keycaps and switches.
Well, that changes with their latest announcement. Unlike most of their boards that they put through Kickstarter, this one will be available on their website some time around the end of July or early August and will start shipping in September.
The reason I’m writing this post is because the feature set for the GMMK Pro and the Q1 look oddly similar, almost like they looked at the GMMK Pro and said “how can we replicate this and make it just a tad less expensive”.
Below I have a comparison of features:
| Feature | GMMK Pro | Keychron Q1 |
| Layout / number of keys | 75% TKL – 83 keys (ANSI US) | TKL – between 83 – 87 keys |
| Rotary knob | Yes, comes with all boards | Not at launch, will be added later |
| Price | $170 barebones aluminum case option Varies between $200-350 for additional options | $140 for base option $170 for basic kit (keys and switches) |
| Case material | Aluminum, polycarbonate, or brass | Aluminum only |
| Connection | USB-C | USB-C |
| Wireless / bluetooth | No | No |
| ANSI/ISO option | Yes – not at launch | Yes – at launch |
| RGB | Yes – south facing RGB | Yes – south facing RGB |
| Stabilizers | Preinstalled GOAT stabs | Unknown at launch |
| Third-party stabs? | Yes – but durock v2 take some work fitting into the plate | Yes – support for both Cherry and Durock V2 |
| Hot swappable | Yes | Yes |
| QMK / VIA support | Not at launch – planned for mid-2021 | Yes |
| Colorways | Black and silver (known as white) | Unknown but marketing page shows Blue, Gray, Gunmetal |
| Typing Angle | 6º – no legs | Unknown – no legs |
Hopefully this is a helpful list of features you can review and decide for yourself if the Q1 is a dupe or will have its own audience.
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