The Keychron K2 HE combines two interesting things in a keyboard: magnetic switches and wood. Alright, that may seem like an odd combination, but that’s at least part of what makes this ‘board such a compelling choice for its $140 asking price. 

First of all, let me address the wood on the sides of the K2 HE. This is part of the special edition package which I have here, and by jove is it lovely. It’s a natural rosewood that feels excellent if you’re weird and stroke the sides of your keyboard, and adds an aesthetic that I didn’t know I needed. Far too often, mechanical boards offer a very similar design with a mean black metal or plastic case, so to see something different with this K2 HE is especially welcome. 

It’s got an almost Scandinavian quality to it, and come to think of it, would pair beautifully with a Fractal Design North, the makers of whom are, of course, Swedish—hej to you, too.

Besides the gorgeous rosewood edges, the K2 HE’s build quality is sublime. It is otherwise plastic, but offers some of the sturdiest I’ve tested on a keyboard at its price point. It’s solid and rigid, while also coming with no deck flex even if you tried to tear it to pieces. A 966g weight also keeps it especially hefty for a board with this small of a form factor, and it dwarfs the older K2’s sub 700g mass.

The keycaps here are also lovely, with their taller OSA profile leaning into a more retro aesthetic that matches the rosewood finishing nicely. They’re comfortable to type on, being slightly rounded, and are comprised of doubleshot-moulded PBT plastic for an extra dose of quality finishing. I should also shout out the beige accent keycaps for the Esc and Return keys, which are a lovely touch, and the convenient I/O on the left side with selector switches for Windows or Mac operation and for connectivity method between Bluetooth, 2.4 GHz wireless, or wired.

And now to deal in the second part of that odd combo: the magnetic switches. These are right on trend with what we’re seeing with other keyboards from an array of manufacturers, with Keychron opting to go for Gateron Hall effect switches in the name of providing as snappy inputs as possible. These are Gateron’s new double rail Hall effect switches, which offer no real key wobble and benefit from being increasingly stable under finger.

For those unaware, Hall effect magnetic switches are slightly different to your standard mechanical options. In essence, it means they work via a magnet as opposed to more standard means. A magnet is sent down the switch’s stem to a sensor, where an input is then registered—there isn’t a defined actuation point with them, as such. This means that you can change the actuation point for each switch, so you can have snappy inputs for games, for instance, to provide you with a bit of a competitive edge.

Customisation of said actuation points is handled with Keychron’s Launcher software which is actually a web-based configurator that runs in a browser window. This keeps life especially easy, and means the K2 HE can be customised on both Windows and macOS without a hitch. Here you can not only fiddle with actuation points on a scale from 0.5 mm to 3.8 mm of the switch’s total travel in super-precise 0.1 mm increments on a per-key basis, but you can also adjust RGB lighting to single colour and choose from a range of other presets. You can also remap keys and record macros, too. It’s especially easy to use, and wonderfully refreshing to see in a world where peripherals software in some cases might as well equate to bloatware at times.

Back to the switches themselves, though. The switches felt responsive for both day-to-day productivity workloads and for messing around with bots in Counter Strike 2, where you certainly feel the speed of adjustable actuation points. For the WASD keys and weapon select keys, I set the actuation point as high as possible (0.5 mm), and it’s almost as if you barely need to breathe to register the input.That’s especially useful in quick draw scenarios where you need to bring a weapon out or throw a grenade as quickly as possible. 

They are also pre-lubricated, so benefit from being as smooth as you like. It also has the knock-on effect of meaning that the K2 HE, much like the dearer Keychron Q3 Max, sounds gorgeous. It’s probably one of the best-sounding keyboards I’ve used with a creamy sound profile (God, I hate saying that) accompanied by no case rattle or ping.

Technically, the K2 HE is also hot-swappable, although much like the Endgame Gear KB65HE and Wooting 60HE+, the choice of switches you can swap in is minuscule. Not even all of Gateron’s other Hall effect switch models are compatible.

Elsewhere, the K2 HE also benefits from excellent wireless connectivity across both Bluetooth and its bundled 2.4 GHz wireless receiver. It worked on either method without an issue on both Windows and macOS, while pairing with the Fn key and 1, 2, 3 or 4 on the number row is convenient. The 4000 mAh battery inside is also rather large for a keyboard of this size, and powers the K2 HE for up to 72 hours with the vivid backlighting on. Turn it off, and that rises to 240 hours, which is excellent endurance.

So, the Keychron K2 HE then. This is an excellent keyboard that brings a lot of style to proceedings while also feeling responsive with its Hall effect switches. It brings a lot of noteworthy improvements against the standard K2 that has lived on our list of the best gaming keyboards for several years. At $140 for this special edition, it’s a compelling choice for those who want a blend of style and substance, as opposed to the traditional dilemma of picking one over the other. Against other HE boards too, you’re getting the benefit of more interesting looks, convenient wireless connectivity and simple software. That seems like more than a fair deal.