Key Takeaways
- Keychron’s Lemokey P1 Pro keyboard costs $129 and has three color variants and switches.
- The compact 75% keyboard offers an ergonomic design, gasket mount, and a dial-shaped knob for volume and RGB control.
- The aluminum case, top-notch wireless connectivity, and customizable options make the Lemokey P1 Pro a top choice for gaming despite disappointing RGB effects.
I have always been offended by the excess of gaming keyboards. They typically tout features that require unnecessary CPU usage, cluttered layouts, and gauche aesthetics. Keychron’s Lemokey P1 Pro keyboard proved to be the relief I was looking for, trimming this fat and placing the remains in a show-stopping aluminum case.
Keychron Lemokey P1 Pro
75% wireless mechanical gaming keyboard in an aluminum frame with cherry double-shot PBT keycaps.
- Keys are tactile and responsive
- Aluminum casing provides style and protection
- Extensive customization options
- Great 2.4 GHz wireless and battery life
- RGB clashes with visual design
- Web-based customization tools can be a hassle
Price and Availability
The Lemokey P1 Pro costs $129 and comes in three color variants: carbon black, navy blue, and space silver. Wired-only and barebones (without keycaps) versions are available for cheaper prices. You can also choose between red, brown, and banana switches (my review unit used the latter).
Inside the box are extra keycaps, a USB-A to USB-C cable, a 2.4Ghz receiver, an adapter to connect the receiver to the cable, a keycap-switch puller, a hex key, and a set of replacement gasket silicon grains. There’s also a laminated quick-start guide that highlights the keyboard’s core features.
Big Comfort in a Small Package
As a 75% keyboard, the Lemokey P1 Pro sacrifices the numpad and a handful of rarely used keys in exchange for its compact size. For users who don’t need these cut options, the result is a simplified typing experience that saves desk space.
The core issue I’ve commonly had with 75% keyboards is that the layout cramps my hands. However, the Lemokey P1 Pro couldn’t feel more natural thanks to the flat, spaced-out design of its cherry profile double-shot PBT keycaps. They provide just enough curvature to make pressing each key ergonomically satisfying but allow you to easily slip fingers between keys without getting caught on concave edges (something critical for gaming). It’s a seamless typing experience that not only retains your muscle memory but makes it feel smoother than ever.
A major part of this typing feel is the gasket mount design that gives a cushioned touch to every press while dampening the notoriously loud mechanical keyboard sound. It’s by no means silent; you still get that satisfying clack with every press, just one with a markedly more controlled, less reverberating punch. This measured emphasis on every keystroke is the level of mastery Keychron hangs its hat on, and it shows.
As Lemokey is Kechron’s gaming-focused brand, it’s no surprise that this keyboard is fine-tuned for comfortable play. For example, when using WASD controls, it’s easy to tap the corner of adjacent keys for quick actions or reach the Shift and Crtl keys with your pinkie, which naturally rests on them. While the keyboard doesn’t have adjustable angles, I found it to sit at the perfect angle for both performance and wrist comfort.
Also of note is the dial-shaped knob that controls volume and RGB effects. It’s such a natural way to adjust settings on the fly that I’m hard-pressed to return to function keys or touch bar sliders. But more importantly, it’s addictively clicky; I’d often make small volume adjustments for the sole purpose of tactile bliss. While plenty of keyboards have similar dials, this one stood out for its build quality.
Banana Switches Are My Recommendation
Everyone will have their own opinions on what key switches they prefer, but for my money, the banana switches in my Lemokey P1 Pro gave it a versatile edge when gaming. They’re a great middle ground between flexible actuation points and speed. It’s, therefore, a slight shame that there’s no way to customize the actuation points of keys; though I was content with Keychron’s configuration, options are always appreciated.
Customization Works, but With Caveats
Keychron emphasizes customization of its keyboards, and the Lemokey P1 Pro is no exception. However, the company hasn’t improved on the aspects it has consistently failed to deliver.
Replacing keycaps and switches with the included tool is as easy as lightly pulling them out or softly pressing them back in. This is perfect for fixing any parts that may become defective. Don’t expect much out of the extra keycaps packed in, though. They’re mostly color swaps or for extremely niche use cases, such as stand-ins for the PlayStation button symbols. A 75% keyboard doesn’t leave you much room to use these to begin with, so you might want to consider a larger model if you need these keys.
Software customization is available through web apps, be they the Lemokey-branded one or an open-source alternative like VIA. They all function identically, offering the ability to remap any key (including the knob), create macros, and adjust the RGB color and pattern. Again, a 75% keyboard doesn’t give you much room to play with, so this is not the ideal product line to personalize, and options that might’ve been more useful like changing the actuation point of keys are absent. These web apps are also finicky and have historically been prone to pairing issues, unreliable performance, and bugs.
This is all to say that customization should be considered an added bonus for the Lemokey P1 Pro, not a reason to buy it.
A Look of the Future
If you’re anything like me, most major brand gaming keyboards look cheap for their hefty price tags. The Lemokey P1 Pro is the antithesis of this.
Its silver aluminum case strikes me as something you’d see on the control panel of a spaceship in a science fiction show, or a flashy synthesizer that stands out amongst a band’s instruments (the volume knob in the top right corner drives this home). Sitting down to type on the keyboard had my mind reeling of all these fantasies it conjures. It’s the first product in this sector that’s ever captured my imagination like this, resulting in a true intangible that elevated my user experience more than any one feature could.
Aluminum also makes perfect sense for a gaming keyboard as it needs to maintain its integrity amidst all the key slamming. You don’t need to worry about wear and tear here, and if anything does go wrong, replacing switches and keycaps is easy. By this same measure, this sturdy, premium keyboard is also profoundly heavy. Don’t mistake its size for any sense of portability.
Not a Keyboard for RGB Aficionados
If colorful, flashing lights are your thing, the Lemokey P1 Pro isn’t going to impress you. The large keycaps largely obscure the south-facing RGB configuration and ultimately only highlight the frame’s innards. This runs counter to everything I praised about the keyboard’s innate visual appeal. In other words, it feels as if Keychron only included this feature out of a sense of obligation. As I find RGB lights distracting, I was happy to turn off this feature altogether, but I’d have walked away disappointed if I was an aficionado.
There’s a backlighting-related element mishap that’s worth pointing out: the red glow around the caps lock key that signifies if the function is active. It’s barely visible from any angle to the point that it might as well not exist. It’s a surprising oversight from a company that fixates on small details.
Top-Notch Wireless Connectivity
Like other Keychron offerings, the Lemokey P1 Pro has three connectivity modes: wired, Bluetooth, and 2.4 GHz. An analog switch on the back of the keyboard allows users to switch between them.
Wired is what you’d expect: connect the USB-C cord to the back of the keyboard, and you’re good to go. The six-foot cord is long enough that it should have no trouble reaching any nearby computer. You’ll need to use this mode if you plan to customize your keyboard.
What you’re more likely to use is the 2.4 GHz mode, which connects to a USB-A receiver plugged into either your computer or the USB-C cord via an included adapter. This latter option lets you place the receiver close to the keyboard to help mitigate disruption. Assuming nothing in your setup interferes with the connection, this mode sports the same 1,000 Hz polling rate as the wired mode, making it an equally responsive way to play. While you may see some gaming keyboards sport an 8,000 Hz polling rate, this requires more CPU usage for no tangible improvement. 1,000 Hz is all you need, and the Lemokey P1 offers that.
The Bluetooth mode allows for connections to three different devices that can be swapped between with a simple key combination. The swap between devices is instantaneous, though the 90 Hz polling rate means this shouldn’t be your primary way of using the keyboard. The delay is noticeable, especially coming off one of the other two modes.
The 4000 mAh battery is noteworthy. It can hold a charge for upwards of a hundred hours, so you won’t need to worry about charging this keyboard often.
Should You Buy the Keychron Lemokey P1 Pro?
If you’re in the market for a keyboard (gaming or otherwise), you should absolutely consider the Lemokey P1 Pro. I’ve never enjoyed using a 75% keyboard more given its comfortable layout, arresting visual design, and top-class wireless connectivity. It punches above its weight for its price point.
Keychron Lemokey P1 Pro
75% wireless mechanical gaming keyboard in an aluminum frame with cherry double-shot PBT keycaps.
