I have a problem. I keep buying mechanical keyboards. I only have one set of hands, and I don’t type with my feet, so why do I keep buying new ones? Partially because I’m hard on my keyboards. I gave up on non-mechanical keyboards years ago, but I didn’t buy really expensive ones. I bought a moderately priced ones. And I keep looking for new options in that. The pictures you see are the Keychron C3 Pro Keyboard. This particular model, an Amazon exclusive, retails for more, but I was able to get it for $29.99 on sale, which made it worth a try. I’m typing this post on it right now.
Quick Answer: Is the Keychron C3 Pro Worth It?
The Keychron C3 Pro is worth considering if you want an inexpensive mechanical keyboard that feels better than the price suggests and gives you useful enthusiast features like QMK/VIA support. The original non-hotswap version is still fine as a budget board, but the newer RGB hotswap version is the better choice if the price difference is small.
| Version | Best For | Tradeoff |
|---|---|---|
| Original Keychron C3 Pro | Cheap entry into mechanical keyboards | Switches are not hotswappable |
| RGB hotswap C3 Pro | Better long-term tinkering and switch swaps | Costs a little more |
| Higher-end Keychron boards | More features, layouts, and materials | More expensive than the C3 Pro |
The keyboard comes in two switch varieties, red and brown. It offers a red backlight. The keycaps are replaceable, but the switches are not. Keychron makes plenty of keyboards that allow you to swap the switches as well. It is well-built for a budget keyboard, and neither version is overly loud, something people tend to comment on with these keyboards. It has many of the features a more expensive keyboard would.
I’m clearly not a keyboard aficionado, despite my keyboard purchases. I have generally bought budget mechanical keyboards, there are too many color switches I don’t have an opinion on…I don’t know the lingo. The feature that interested me particularly is something called QMK/VIA. The feature allows reprogramming the mapping of the keyboard. Never use your Scroll Lock key? Turn it into a Mute button for Zoom. Build macros into the keyboard instead of software. Certainly an interesting thing to play with. With a few custom keycaps…you can repurpose keys you barely use.
If you are interested in quieter typing, see my guide to building a silent keyboard on a budget.
There are upgraded models from Keychron, and competing models from other companies, but for the price and features, I doubt they can beat it…especially if you get it at $30.
Update: April 2024 – Keychron is now offering the C3 Pro in an RGB hot swappable variation for only $10 more than the regular price of the variation they originally released.