Keychron B36 review

I’m always excited to try out a new productivity keyboard and see if I can improve on my words per minute and accuracy scores. And in the past, Keychron boards have served me well, but the Keychron B36 left me a little underwhelmed.

The B36 has some redeeming features. It’s virtually silent to type on and incredibly comfortable, too, thanks to the adjustable typing angles. It’s lightweight and can be moved around a desk easily, while the dual-OS compatibility and key legends also make it a good choice for anyone who needs to switch from Windows to macOS frequently. And the board is super cheap at $39, so if you’re looking to kit out your office, either for yourself or a whole team, this should be on your radar (especially in the mouse/keyboard combo bundles available).

However, when I am looking for one of the best keyboards, it’s imperative that I have a good flow over the board when I’m typing. The B36 felt a little stunted, and my accuracy was very poor during testing. The lack of backlighting is disappointing, which is a problem we’ve had with other budget Keychron boards. And despite being styled like a mechanical gaming keyboard, it won’t be much use for that either.

You can find out more about the board by reading my full Keychron B36 review.

Keychron B36 review: Cheat sheet

• What is it? A 100% scissor switch keyboard.
• Who is it for? It is ideal for office workers or anyone who needs silent typing in their work environment.
• How much does it cost? The Keychron B36 keyboard is available at Amazon U.S. for $39. It can also be purchased directly from Keychron in the U.K. for £59.
• What do we like? It has virtually silent typing, dual-OS connectivity and adjustable typing angles for decent comfort. It’s also lightweight and has up to 1,000Hz polling.
• What don’t we like? It has no backlighting, a small battery and the profile of the key caps makes for poor accuracy when typing.

Keychron B36 review: Specs

Keychron B36 review: The ups

The Keychron B36 is a decent keyboard for office workers and serial typists. It’s silent, incredibly comfortable to type on and offers multi-OS connectivity and keycap legends.

Silent typing

The Keychron B36 is seriously the quietest keyboard I have used. The keys are also pre-lubed to minimize friction. Even when I was wearing earbuds without noise cancellation activated, I couldn’t hear the keys. As someone who loves to hear the sound of myself typing, this did take a second to get used to.

Nothing that uses interacting metal components is ever going to be truly silent, so there is some noise, but this is hardly audible. This is from the scissor mechanisms of the keys, which are taller than standard scissor switches. According to Keychron, this makes typing quieter and smoother, and I have to say, I agree. Despite this, I’m not sure about Keychron’s other claim, which is that the switches make for a more controlled and accurate experience, but I’ll go into that a little later on.

And not only is it quiet, it’s also beautifully cushioned, making it one of the more comfortable boards I’ve used.

Wired or wireless

The keyboard can be used wired or wirelessly, which is something I always find useful. When the board runs out of juice, I can plug it in and keep working while it charges up, minimizing downtime.

The board has a polling rate of 125Hz when being used via the Bluetooth connection, which is plenty if you’re just using the keyboard for everyday typing tasks. But if you wanted to use the board for a bit of casual gaming, you’ll want a higher polling rate.

And you’d be in luck because if you use the board wired or with the 2.4GHz wireless adaptor, the polling rate increases to 1,000Hz. This means that there is less chance of any missed inputs, making it suitable for fast-paced gameplay.

Multi-OS connectivity

It’s super simple to flick between operating systems with a switch on the back of the keyboard. I could easily toggle between Windows and macOS devices. And what’s more, the keys are dual-labeled. This makes it easy to stay aware of commands and shortcuts, and there’s no need to switch out key caps if you switch operating systems.

I appreciate being able to toggle between operating systems with the B36, as when I tested the Lenovo Multi Device Keyboard, this wasn’t an option. Having a way to switch from Windows to macOS means I can optimize productivity.

You’re able to change the mapping of function keys between the default Windows and macOS commands by simply holding down Fn, X, and L for three seconds. This was super easy to do, and the lights on the right-hand side of the keyboard flash to let you know it has worked.

If you want to customize the shortcuts of the keys yourself, the board is compatible with Keychron Launcher, Keychron’s online software for making changes to keyboards.

Lightweight

Most productivity keyboards, like the Keychron B2 Pro, are very lightweight to make it easy to take them on the go if need be. And although the B36 is a little too big for you to throw in your work bag and take home with you, it’s very lightweight and easy to move around your desk when needed. This was useful when I needed to quickly move my keyboard out of the way to take some handwritten notes.

Its ABS plastic case, scissor switches and an 800mAh battery are what help make it so light, but the latter comes with drawbacks I’ll discuss later.

Adjustable typing angles

I am a big fan of adjustable typing angles because typing can become so fatiguing. Being able to customize the board to best suit how you sit is essential, especially if it’s being used for all-day typing in an office setting. When using the Lenovo Multi Device Keyboard, I notice my wrists become fatigued since it isn’t adjustable, so this is an essential feature for me.

I was pleased to type on the B36 all day and be able to adjust the angle for optimum comfort. The B36 sits at an angle of 5º by default, but can be adjusted up to 6.5º and 9º depending on how you like to type. 9º was the sweet spot for me.

Keychron B36 review: The downs

So, the board has many perks as discussed above, but there are a few things I can’t get past. The type feel isn’t my favorite, and the lack of backlighting is a letdown — this is symptomatic of a small battery, which feels like an unnecessary shortcoming.

Typing experience

As I mentioned above, the keyboard is pretty much silent, and the key presses feel very smooth. This is thanks to the pre-lubed keys and taller switches. The scissor switches are 59% taller than standard ultra-slim boards, like the Keychron B2 Pro. The taller switches call for taller keycaps, which makes the board look like a mix between a standard- and low-profile keyboard.

Keychron says that the switches give a more accurate keystroke, and that may be true… if different keycaps were used. I actually found the opposite to be true, as the taller keys and the particular shaping of the keycap profile led to me catching keys accidentally, mistyping and decreasing my accuracy.

This is the worst accuracy score I have achieved when taking the type test. I knew this would be the case, as throughout my time testing this keyboard and typing for a few days with it, I was having to backspace and retype whole paragraphs due to the errors.

If you’re looking for an office-friendly budget keyboard, the Logitech K620 performed far better for accuracy thanks to its better-shaped keycaps. I achieved the same words per minute score on this board, but with higher accuracy.

No backlighting & small battery

The Keychron B36 has no backlighting. This is a common theme with Keychron's lower-tier productivity boards, such as the Keychron B1 Pro and B2 Pro, which use small batteries to ensure the ultra-slim and portable look. But since the B36 board isn’t ultra-slim, why does it have such a small battery?

Sure, the 800mAh battery also means the board remains lightweight. But the extra weight of a bigger battery wouldn’t have added much, given the plastic case. I love having backlighting on my keyboards because it helps me type in dimmer working conditions, and just adds a little whimsy to typing. The B36 is really missing a backlight.

No N-Key rollover

The board is a great option for anyone who spends all day, every day typing, and Keychron also recommends it for some casual gaming. But due to its switches, there is no N-Key rollover, so if you were playing a game like Counter-Strike, where you are inevitably going to hit multiple keys at once, this board will not do the job.

If you want an affordable board for productivity and gaming, the Keychron C1 Pro 8K could be for you. The C1 Pro is ideal for typing all day long with many of the same perks as the B36, but it is fully customizable, with N-Key rollover and a polling rate of up to 8,000Hz.

In fairness, this is not a keyboard aimed at gaming, and is instead pitched at workers on a budget or office managers kitting out an office. So I can forgive the B36 lacking NKRO. It just makes the 1,000Hz polling feel a little redundant.

Keychron B36 review: Verdict

The Keychron B36 is a competent keyboard that allows for comfortable and quiet typing. The adjustable typing angles meant that I was always relaxed when typing all day long, and the silence of the pre-lubed keys meant that I wasn’t giving myself (or my colleagues) a headache every time I actuated a key.

The board’s lightweight design means it’s easy to move around your desk, and the dual-system setup makes it simple to switch between Windows and macOS operating systems. Since it is capable of up to 1,000Hz polling, it could also be used as a casual gaming board.

However, the small battery and lack of backlight are major letdowns, and the keycap profile led to a notable decrease in typing accuracy during testing. This may be a respectable board for being considerate and quiet in an office setting, but for everything else, I would look elsewhere.