Keychron K1 V6 vs K13 ProAcoustic Foam vs Tray Mount
Pick the K1 V6 for its aluminum plate and acoustic foam package, or the K13 Pro if you prefer tray mount with Gateron low-profile switches and a lower listed entry price.
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5.0 (4)5.0 · 4 reviews
from$74at Keychron
3.8 (10)3.8 · 10 reviews
from$83at Keychron
Which one should you get?
Get the
Keychron K1 V6
Acoustic Foam
Build quality in the top 20% of 80% boards under $100.
- Aluminum plate paired with IXPE, latex, and EPDM acoustic foam for noise and feel tuning.
- Hot-swap compatibility covers Keychron Milk POM and Gateron or Keychron low-profile mechanical switches.
- Pre-lubed Keychron Milk POM switches in red, brown, or banana options.
- Low-profile switches and keycaps only. Standard MX keycaps will not fit.
- North-facing LEDs. Cherry-profile keycaps can hit the switch housing.
Get the
Keychron K13 Pro
Tray Mount
Build quality in the top 15% of 80% boards under $100.
- Tray mount with an ABS and aluminum frame and a 580 g weight.
- Gateron low-profile MX 2.0 mechanical switches in red or brown options.
- QMK and VIA support through the Keychron Launcher web app.
- Low-profile switches and keycaps only. Standard MX keycaps will not fit.
- North-facing LEDs. Cherry-profile keycaps can hit the switch housing.
- Missing ISO-SW. The other board is sold in those layouts.
Choose the Keychron K1 V6 if plate rigidity, acoustic foam tuning, and a wider low-profile hot-swap range matter most to your build. Choose the Keychron K13 Pro if you want Gateron low-profile switches, a tray mount, and the lighter of the two frames. Both deliver 80% layouts, QMK and VIA support, and 1000 Hz wired polling, so the real fork is construction and switch ecosystem.
The differences that matter
Skip the 40-row spec sheet. These are the specs that change how each board feels, sounds, and fits your desk.
Keychron K1 V6
Keychron K13 Pro
Case material
ABS, Aluminum
ABS, Aluminum, Plastic
Mount style
Top Mount
Plate Mount, Tray Mount
Weight
596 g
580 g
Heavier boards stay planted and lighter ones travel
Layout standard
ANSI, ISO, ISO-DE, ISO-Nordic, ISO-SW, ISO-UK
ANSI, ISO, ISO-DE, ISO-Nordic, ISO-UK, JIS
ISO and JIS exist so regional layouts fit
Plate material
Aluminum
Plastic
- Keychron K1 V6
- Keychron K13 Pro
- Performance
- 8181
- Build quality
- 7881
- Productivity
- 8079
- Customizability
- 8888
- Portability
- 7373
- Layout size: 80%
- Connection: Bluetooth, Wired
- Hot-swappable
- Battery: 2,000 mAh
- Low profile
- Max polling rate: 1,000 Hz
What will you mostly use it for?
Gaming and programming land close to a tie because both keyboards share a 1000 Hz wired polling rate, N-key rollover, and QMK plus Launcher support. Office, modding, and content creation tilt toward the K1 V6 on the strength of its aluminum plate, multi-layer acoustic foam, and broader hot-swap switch compatibility. Travel tilts slightly to the K13 Pro because it is the lighter of the two on Keychron's listed weight. The deciding variable across categories is construction and tuning rather than core connectivity.
It's a tie
- Both list a 1000 Hz wired polling rate for low-latency play.
- Both include N-key rollover in wireless and wired modes.
- The K1 V6 has an aluminum plate, the K13 Pro uses a plastic plate, so feel differs but listed gaming specs align.
What owners say
Ratings and quotes collected from verified store reviews, including the critical ones.
Keychron K1 V6
4 owner reviews
“Love it! My first mechanical, now typing is a beautiful experience, I enjoy coming back to the keyboard! Remapped with Makros, so I have my apps at the fingertip. I am experiencing some minor bugs like "Enter"-key "stuck", meaning the keyboard typed enter…”
Keychron K13 Pro
10 owner reviews
“Bought this for my wife in June 2023 (she needed the numpad, personally I'd have gone for a 75%/TKL or a 60%, but here we are). Nearly 3 years later, zero issues. The Low Profile Gateron Red switches are excellent: smooth, responsive and they've held up…”
“Quality is the same as other keychron but one major downside... they included the numpad but it is locked and there is no numlock button on the keyboard to unlock it!”
Keychron K1 V6 vs K13 Pro specs
Every tracked spec, side by side. Rows marked with a dot differ between the boards.
8 of 25 specs differ
Keychron K1 V6
Keychron K13 Pro
Switch options
Hot-swappable
Mount style
Low profile
Layout size
Layout standard
Ergonomics
Display
Media keys
Connection
Max polling rate
Battery
USB-C
Case material
Plate material
Keycaps
Weight
Dimensions
Typing angle
Backlight
QMK
VIA
N-key rollover
Mac & Windows
Released
ISO layouts by store
Which stores sell ISO-DE, UK, and the other regional layouts.
Keychron K1 V6
Keychron
ISO-DE, ISO-UK, ISO-Nordic, ISO-SW
In stockShips to you
Keychron (DE)
ISO-DE, ISO-UK, ISO-SW
Out of stockDoes not ship to you
Keychron K13 Pro
Keychron
ISO-DE, ISO-UK, ISO-Nordic
In stockShips to you
Keychron (DE)
ISO-DE, ISO-UK, ISO-Nordic
In stockDoes not ship to you
Compare prices
Live prices from the stores we track, cheapest in-stock offer first.
Prices in USD are converted to your currency and can change at any time. KeebFinder may earn a commission when you buy through these links, at no extra cost to you.
Lowest price across stores, Amazon excluded.
Keychron K1 V6 vs K13 Pro: your questions
The clearest split is construction and switch ecosystem. The K1 V6 uses an aluminum plate with IXPE, latex, and EPDM acoustic foam and Keychron Milk POM switches, while the K13 Pro uses a tray mount, a plastic plate, and Gateron low-profile mechanical switches.
Yes. Keychron lists QMK firmware and VIA support on both, with remapping and macros handled through the Keychron Launcher web app. Keychron notes that Launcher should be used in a recent Chrome, Edge, or Opera browser with the keyboard connected in wired mode.
On listed specs they are close, since both offer a 1000 Hz wired polling rate and N-key rollover in wireless and wired modes. The wireless figures differ, with Keychron listing 125 Hz for the K1 V6 and 90 Hz for the K13 Pro. Competitive players will likely stay wired on either board.
Hot-swap is offered on the RGB Backlight Hot-Swappable version of the K1 V6. Keychron states that model is compatible with Keychron Milk POM switches and Gateron or Keychron low-profile mechanical switches, and notes that QMK does not support low-profile optical switches.
The K13 Pro uses Gateron low-profile MX 2.0 mechanical switches, listed with red and brown options on the ISO collection page. Keychron restricts hot-swapping to Gateron low-profile mechanical switches on this model.
The K1 V6 is the more explicitly tuned option, since Keychron describes IXPE and latex acoustic foam for quieter keystrokes plus EPDM foam for support. The K13 Pro page does not list comparable foam layers, so the K1 V6 has the clearer noise-reduction story.
Yes. Both ship with Mac and Windows keycaps, and Keychron lists separate keymap configuration for each OS through Launcher. Keychron also states Launcher works with macOS, Windows, and Linux.
Both use a 2000 mAh battery. Keychron lists up to 160 hours of battery life for the K1 V6, while the K13 Pro page states the same capacity without an equivalent runtime figure.
The K13 Pro is slightly lighter at 580 g versus 596 g for the K1 V6, per Keychron's listed weights. Both are 80% low-profile boards with Bluetooth, so the difference is small but favors the K13 Pro.
The K1 V6 uses shine-through LSA profile ABS keycaps. The K13 Pro ISO version is listed with low-profile shine-through ABS keycaps, though the K13 Pro spec sheet also mentions PBT in some configurations, so check the exact variant before buying.
The K13 Pro ISO collection lists UK, German, Swiss, Nordic, French, and Spanish layouts. The K1 V6 ISO collection lists UK, German, Swiss, and Nordic layouts.
Yes. Keychron lists three adjustable typing angles on both the K1 V6 and K13 Pro for ergonomic wrist support. The K1 V6 page specifies 3.37, 4.2, and 6.7 degrees, while the K13 Pro page lists three levels without naming the exact angles.
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