The boutique manufacturer Keychron offers the K8 compact keyboard in a wireless version with a retro design. Retro also has to do with the equipment, because the latest model K8 no longer has button lighting. In return, it remains surprisingly cheap. In the new version, the K8 is colored in the beige of computers from the 80s and 90s, right down to the ABS keys. But inner values come from modern times. Gateron’s red, brown, and blue styli are hot-swappable. They can be replaced by all alternatives belonging to the MX type.
These include Cherry MX, many Kailh knobs, and optical variants. On the back, a USB-C port is used for data transfer and charging the 4,000 mAh battery, which allows wireless operation as an alternative. By doing it without energy-intensive backlighting, the Retro-K8 achieves a run time of “up to two months” with a run time of about eight hours per day – that’s the equivalent of 570 hours. When used wirelessly via Bluetooth 5.1, the keyboard can be paired with three devices. Keycaps with the “Command” symbol are also included for use with Mac or iPadOS products.
The new model is currently not available in stores or on the Keychron homepage direct sale mention. Only the other versions can be found there: the K8 is available with white or RGB LEDs, plastic or aluminum housing and optional hot-swap buttons. The prices are up to 90 US dollars, which equates to about 100 euros in German retail plus taxes. Unlike these variants, the new model was only shown in the ANSI layout with a small Enter key.
However, since the keyboard is also offered in ISO format, it can be assumed that it is a corresponding version of the retro version. In terms of price, the new K8 is expected to fall in the range of around 70 to 80 euros because of the saved LEDs. In this configuration it would have little competition: compact, wireless and cheap, there is currently no such thing, especially not with interchangeable buttons.
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