Have you ever suffered from RSI caused by typing? I have! It’s an occupational hazard when you write thousands of words each day on a computer keyboard. The problem is, that conventional keyboard layouts can cause you to adopt an unnatural wrist position that, over time, can lead to a repetitive strain injury that can be incredibly painful.
If that sounds familiar to you, then your new best friend could be Alice; an Alice layout keyboard where the layout is split into two blocks and the keys follow a wave shape that places the keys under your fingers and means you don’t have to stretch or splay your fingers too much. Alice keyboards are particularly good for those of us who didn’t learn to touch type and developed bad typing habits. One thing you’ll notice is that the K15 Max has two B keys, one on each side because that’s the way Alice likes it.
The Keychron K15 Max is a 75% Alice keyboard with some extra keys such as a full row of function/multimedia keys, five macro keys and a rotary volume knob. The keys can be programmed using Keychron’s Launcher website and a compliant HID browser like Chrome or Brave. The K15 Max has keycaps for Mac or Windows and has a hardware switch for selecting each OS.
The term Alice Layout takes its name from an earlier ergonomic keyboard design called Arisu, which happens to be the Japanese version of the name Alice. Although the Alice layout isn’t a pure ergonomic layout, like the ortho-linear or split designs, it does encourage the user to adopt a more natural and relaxed hand position that helps to reduce the effects of RSI.
There is a slight downside to switching over to an Alice layout because it takes a little time to adapt to the new typing style, although it’s not as big an adjustment as switching to something like a Dvorak, Colemak or Workman style layout. Although Alice keyboards tend to be a bit more expensive than conventional keyboards, they are more affordable than some of the specialist small-rum ergonomic models.
The Keychron K15 Max features an attractive low-profile design, has backlit RGB keys and there is even a hot-swappable option for changing mechanical switch types. The model I was sent wasn’t hot-swappable and came fitted with Gateron Brown tactile switches, which turned out to be very satisfying to use and not too noisy.
Like all Keychron’s mechanical keyboards, the K15 Max can accommodate both macOS and Windows mapping. It also has open QMK firmware which means the whole keyboard can be remapped and keys can be programmed with OS shortcuts. The keycaps are also low profile and have double-shot PBT construction, which means they are robust and should last a long time.
For connecting to the host computer or device, the K15 Max has three options: Bluetooth, 2.4GHz RF and USB-C. The Bluetooth option will pair with up to three separate devices so you can easily switch between, say, a Mac, PC and tablet.
The 2.4GHz dongle that ships with the K15 Max can be plugged into a host device and provides a 1,000Hz polling rate, which means a latency that’s about the same as using a USB connection. That makes the keyboard suitable for wireless use when gaming when low latency and ultra-fast responsiveness are a must.
Finally, you can connect to the host device using the supplied USB cable. This is also used for recharging the K15 Max’s internal battery when using the keyboard wirelessly. The battery gives a reasonable life between charges with the RGB backlights turned off, but with them on you can expect to recharge more often, say, every few days or so.
The RGB backlights can be set to a range of colors. The keys aren’t shine-through types, so the backlights are more decorative than anything else. The backlights have 22 different effects settings or they can be switched off altogether. If RGB backlights aren’t your thing, you can order the K15 Max with a white set of backlights offering 14 different animation settings. The RGB backlights can be set by hue, saturation, brightness and effect speed to suit your mood.
Three separate typing angles 2.7, 3.9 and 6.1 degrees should suit most people’s needs. The overall footprint of the K15 Max is modest and should suit most desk spaces, but bear in mind there’s no numpad, so this keyboard might not suit spreadsheet users.
At the heart of the K15 Max, there is a powerful ARM architecture MCU with 256KB Flash to provide more flexibility for developers. The polling rate is 1,000 Hz on 2.4 GHz and wired modes right out of the box, which makes the latency unnoticeable in most scenarios.
To ensure it has a solid sound and feel, the K15 Max has advanced IXPE acoustic foam for reducing the sound of keystrokes and enhancing comfort, this is coupled with resilient latex foam for better key switch support, overall responsiveness, and good durability. The result is a quiet, comfortable tactile typing experience.
Another way Keychron has boosted the performance of the K15 Max is by fitting redesigned stabilizers to reduce wobble on larger keys like the space bar, left Shift, backspace, and Enter key. The result is a superb typing experience, especially after the hour or two that it takes to adapt to the Alice layout and remap those muscle memories in the fingers.
Verdict: The Keychron K15 Max is an affordable and low-profile Alice keyboard that could make all the difference to how you type and could even help reduce or eliminate some cases of RSI. The Alice Layout does promote a healthier way of typing and it doesn’t take too long to adapt. I typed this entire review of the K15 Max and although I had a few more typos at first, I soon learned to adapt and I think my touch typing improved. My wrists certainly felt less strained. If you are looking for a keyboard that’s easy on the eye and the wrists, the Keychron K15 Max with Alice Layout could be the one for you.
Pricing & Availability: The Keychron K15 Max is available from Keychron now and costs $94 / £86 / €94.
Tech Specs:
- Number of Keys: 90 (75%).
- Switches: Gateron low-profile mechanical.
- Switch face: North facing.
- Number of multimedia Keys: 12.
- Frame material: ABS and aluminum frame.
- Keycaps: Low-profile double-shot PBT.
- Layout: ANSI Alice.
- Polling rate (2.4GHz and wired Mode): 1,000Hz.
- Polling rate (Bluetooth mode): 90Hz.
- N-Key Rollover (NKRO): Yes, for both wireless and wired modes.
- Backlight: 22 types of RGB backlight options.
- Battery: 2,000 mAh rechargeable li-polymer battery.
- Wireless working time (Backlight off): Up to 110 hours.
- Wireless working time (RGB): Up to 64 hours (lowest brightness).
- Connection: 2.4GHz / Bluetooth / Type-C wired.
- Bluetooth version: 5.1.
- Compatible systems: macOS / Windows / Linux.
- Dimension: 370 x 143mm.
- Weight: 700g,
- Height without keycap (front): 11.5mm.
- Height without keycap (rear): 16.5mm.
- Height incl. keycap (front): 21.3mm.
- Height incl. keycap (rear): 29mm.
- Typing angle: 2.7º, 3.9º and 6.1º.
- MCU: ARM Cortex-M4 32-bit STM32F402 (256KB Flash).
