The idea with the Keychron V6 Ultra HE is to remove the usual trade-off between mechanical keyboards, which are valued for typing feel, and Hall Effect magnetic keyboards, the usual choice for gaming responsiveness. The V6 Ultra Hybrid ships to favour the latter, with magnetic switches installed but also supports compatible mechanical switches, with a coordinated design across the MCU, firmware, algorithm, TMR sensing and hybrid PCB letting the same 100% layout board run either type. It’s not an entirely new concept, Logitech launched something similar recently with the Logitech G512 X 98, but that board runs the best part of £200 and only delivers switch flexibility across half of its keys.
When using those default magnetic switches Keychron lists adjustable actuation down to 0.1mm, along with Rapid Trigger, Dynamic Keystrokes and SOCD customisation, standard fare for a Hall Effect board and all features aimed at competitive gaming inputs. Connectivity covers 8K polling over both a wired connection and 2.4GHz wireless, plus Bluetooth 5.3, and Keychron rates wireless battery life at up to 200 hours with the backlighting switched off, helped by a detachable battery it says is designed for easier long-term servicing.
Keychron has gone with a gasket mounted build, multi-layer acoustic tuning and double-shot PBT keycaps in an OSA profile. Everything is configurable through Keychron’s browser-based QMK Launcher, covering key mapping, macros, firmware updates, RGB lighting and the magnetic switch settings, without needing separate desktop software, and like most of the brand’s offerings, the board works across macOS and Windows.
Alongside the launch, Keychron is introducing Keychron AI in beta within the Launcher software, a natural language assistant intended to handle configuration tasks such as remapping keys, adjusting RGB effects and building macros. Keychron says support for the assistant will expand to further devices over time, including its upcoming Nape Pro trackball mouse.
The V6 Ultra Hybrid is live now as a Kickstarter campaign rather than a standard retail launch, with early backer pricing starting at $149.
