Expert’s Rating
Pros
- Great value
- Programming options
- Long battery life
Cons
- No backlighting
Our Verdict
At less than half of the price of the popular slim keyboards it imitates, while offering better control and programming options, the Keychron B1 Pro is an easy pick for anyone who needs a solid board and a good deal.
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Logitech is generally the go-to brand for PC accessories, as long as you’re not hunting for gaming gear. And Logitech makes good stuff (though there are a few exceptions), but it also demands top dollar for its high-end accessories. The MX Keys Mini goes for a cool $100, and is hard to find at a significant discount.
Enter Keychron. Generally known for its mechanical boards, the company has been releasing an absolute torrent of designs, including a non-mechanical take on the sleek and slim designer keyboard. The B1 Pro is, if not a blatant ripoff of the MX Keys Mini, definitely “inspired by” it and other similar boards like the Apple Magic Keyboard.
Here’s the twist: It’s better than both of them. While lacking a bit of polish, Keychron’s little board delivers almost all of the functionality of these premium designs and then some…for $40. It’s a clear and very valid alternative for anyone looking for a stylish keyboard at a fair price.
Keychron B1 Pro design
The B1 Pro is pretty straightforward as a keyboard design. It’s what would be called a “60%” layout for a mechanical board, as even though it includes a full function row and arrow keys, it’s about the same size as any given laptop keyboard. It’s super thin, 19mm at its thickest point, and features both 2.4GHz wireless and Bluetooth.
Michael Crider/Foundry
In terms of looks…okay, there’s no getting around it, this thing is broadly a copy of the MX Keys Mini. The same goes for the full-sized B6 Pro, which copies the design of the larger MX Keys. They even mirror the lip at the top of the board and the color options, though Keychron goes with flat plastic on the white model.
So I’ll focus on the differences. The B1 Pro offers a slight variation in layout that I appreciate: The function row is full-sized instead of half-height, as on the Apple Magic Keyboard, allowing for much larger and more finger-friendly Escape and Delete keys. The left and right arrow keys are also full-sized, though the compact layout necessitates squishing the up and down arrows to half-height.
Keychron keeps the USB-C charging port on the top “shelf” along with a few status lights, not that you’ll need to charge it often. And Keychron offers a few more physical controls. One switch for Mac/Windows layout functionality, one switch for manually switching between dongle, Bluetooth, and cable-only operation. Oh, and Keychron moves the Fn button to the right side of the board. There are no feet for angle adjustment, but that’s standard in this category.
Michael Crider/Foundry
One last distinguishing physical feature separates these two designs: Keychron left out the backlit keys. That definitely knocks this keyboard out of the premium category, though I don’t consider it much of a loss since I’m a touch typist. But if you type in the dark, or plan on using this thing as a travel board where lighting might be inconsistent, it’s worth considering.
Keychron B1 Pro typing and gaming
Like Logitech and Apple, Keychron went with a thin scissor switch mechanism. Arguably this makes the keyboard “mechanical” in the purest physical sense, but since it doesn’t have conventional keycaps or switches from a known third party, I think it’s fair to put it in the non-mechanical category.
The keys have a fair bit of travel, about on the level of a very nice laptop keyboard, but you won’t get the satisfying slide or “thunk” of a bigger, thicker design. Which is fine. While mechanical boards seem to be taking over the space, there are still plenty of users who just don’t want them, and might feel a little frustrated by their ubiquity.
This is about as ideal as the software customization options get for a non-gaming keyboard.
Michael Crider/Foundry
Gaming on this board is not recommended. It’s possible, certainly, in the sense that it’s possible to play PC games on pretty much any keyboard. But the short travel and slightly dished keycaps just aren’t ideal, to say nothing of the wireless connection that’s not focused on speed. The Bluetooth and 2.4GHz wireless is perfectly functional, but twitchy gamers will probably be unimpressed with a low polling rate and relatively high latency in Bluetooth mode.
Keychron also offers only two layouts at any given time for the B1 Pro. That’s not a problem for a normal keyboard, but PC gamers require custom binding that can shift based on the game that’s running.
Keychron B1 Pro battery life
Keychron claims that the B1 Pro can last for up to 1,200 hours between charges. Frankly I don’t have 1,200 hours to test it, but after a couple months of off-and-on Bluetooth use, including weeks of standby mode, it’s showing 60 percent remaining charge according to Windows.
So yes, it will last a long, long, long time. That’s not the incredible achievement it used to be for a slim keyboard, and lacking any LEDs for backlighting probably helps. But it’s a nice perk nonetheless.
Keychron B1 Pro programming
If the B1 Pro offers an obvious advantage over its competition aside from price, it’s in its customization abilities. It’s possible to customize the layout of Logitech’s MX Keys to a certain degree with Logitech’s driver program, and less so for the Apple Magic Keyboard, which relies on third-party software.
Keychron has ’em both beat. The B1 Pro, like most of the company’s latter designs, can be programmed directly in the browser with the Keychron Launcher tool: four layers (primary and function layer for Mac and Windows toggles), macro support, plenty of options for media controls and other inputs. And yes, you can move the Fn key around. No permanent software installation is needed, just the USB-C cable included in the box.
Michael Crider/Foundry
This is about as ideal as the software customization options get for a non-gaming keyboard. For a certain type of user (Linux hippies, I’m looking at you) it’s a reason to go with Keychron over the alternatives all on its own.
Is the Keychron B1 Pro worth it?
The value proposition for the B1 Pro is obviously its biggest selling point. At $40 it’s exactly 40 percent of the retail price of the MX Keys (and still less than half of the $90 sale price I see at the time of writing).
Michael Crider/Foundry
It’s less than a third of the price for the Magic Keyboard, though the latest version of that design offers a fingerprint reader. The relative discount for the bigger B6 Pro at $45 is, well, even bigger. With the lone exception of backlighting, Keychron’s slim boards offer every feature that Logitech does at a fraction of the price. It also comes with a little silicone cover in the box, in addition to the wireless dongle, a USB-A-to-C adapter, and the charger cable.
Michael Crider/Foundry
With no glaring flaws or low spots, plus more powerful programming options, it’s an easy recommendation for anyone who wants to save a few bucks. Heck, the B1 Pro is a solid keyboard even if you don’t need to save money or have access to full programming.