Keychron's Q19 HE 8K Wraps a Fast Magnetic Keyboard in Aged Gold Aluminum, for $254.99

The compact 60 percent board pairs an 8,000 Hz wired polling rate and adjustable magnetic switches with a weathered metal case and compass patterns, and it is already backordered on Keychron's store.

HONG KONG - Keychron’s newest keyboard is built to look old. The Q19 HE 8K, a compact 60 percent board that the company added to its online store on Thursday, Oct. 29, has a full aluminum case with an aged, weathered finish the company calls Golden Compass, and it sells for $254.99. Keychron’s product page already lists it as backordered, shipping as soon as it is back in stock.

Under the vintage styling is a modern gaming keyboard. The Q19 HE 8K connects over a USB-C cable and reports key presses at up to 8,000 times a second, with 4,000 Hz and 1,000 Hz settings also available. Keychron says its controller has 1MB of flash memory and can scan a single key at up to 256 kHz. Gizmochina reported the launch on Monday.

Keychron’s render of the Q19 HE 8K above its case, with the compass pattern on the bottom. Image: Keychron

The keyboard uses Keychron’s Ultra-Fast Lime magnetic switches, which sense key travel with magnets instead of metal contacts. Owners can set the point at which a key registers anywhere from 0.1 to 3.5 millimeters. Keychron rates the sensitivity at 0.01 millimeters over the first 2.5 millimeters of travel and 0.005 millimeters beyond that. The linear switches come lubricated from the factory and are rated for 100 million presses, and the board is hot-swappable, though only with the same Lime magnetic switches.

An exploded view of the Q19 HE 8K’s layers, from keycaps and switches down to the aluminum case. Image: Keychron

The magnetic design also enables the gaming features Keychron advertises. Rapid Trigger resets a key as soon as it starts to rise. A single key can carry four actions depending on how far it is pressed, so a light press can walk and a deeper one can run. Last Key Priority and Snap Click handle opposing direction keys pressed at the same time, and an Analog Mode turns keys into variable inputs, more like a game controller.

The Q19 HE 8K on a desk, from Keychron’s product page. Image: Keychron

The case is machined from 6063 aluminum and goes through 24 manufacturing steps, including CNC machining, polishing, anodizing and sandblasting, according to Keychron. The aged finish is paired with Golden Compass patterns on the bottom and special key legends. Inside, the board uses a top-mount design, an FR4 plate and EPDM foam. It measures 303.3 by 115.3 millimeters, sits at a 7-degree typing angle, and at about 1,488 grams is heavy for its size.

A close-up of the Cherry-profile keycaps and Lime magnetic switches. Image: Keychron

The keycaps are Cherry-profile PBT with dye-sublimated legends, and south-facing RGB lights offer 22 effects, per-key color and a split two-zone mode. The keyboard works with macOS, Windows and Linux and is set up through Keychron Launcher, a web app for remapping keys, recording macros and tuning the switches. Keychron says Launcher now includes an AI assistant that configures the keyboard from instructions written in plain language.