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Dec 08, 2023

Redmagic Mechanical Keyboard Review: A Great First Try

A solid build, an excellent typing feel, and a great sound. It even has a built

A solid build, an excellent typing feel, and a great sound. It even has a built OLED screen that can display performance metrics.

Redmagic is known for making gaming smartphones, and the Redmagic Mechanical Keyboard is its first try at making a keyboard. But despite this, Redmagic created a premium device with an excellent feel. It has a solid build, the TTC Silver Speed V2 switches are a joy to type on, and the PBT keys and built-in gasket makes the keyboard sound thick and thocky—just what you're looking for in a keyboard at this price point.

And although the keyboard is quite pricey, it can compete against offerings from established brands like the Logitech G915 Lightspeed, Corsair K100 Air, and Razer BlackWidow V4 Pro. So, if you're looking for a premium keyboard with a thick, thocky sound out of the box, then you should consider the Redmagic Mechanical Keyboard.

When a mobile phone manufacturer jumps into the making peripherals, it usually doesn't get it right or just barely. That's because it often outsources these products to a third party with less than stellar results.

After all, if you have a recognizable brand and a decent following, you'd want to maximize the profits of your brand recognition. And because your fans would gobble up anything you come up with, it's what you call easy money.

So, did Redmagic go this route in making its first mechanical keyboard? Fortunately, no. Let's check out what Redmagic built with the Redmagic GK001J Mechanical Keyboard.

The Redmagic Mechanical Keyboard comes in a silver box reminiscent of Redmagic's design philosophy. Redmagic is primarily a gaming company, and you'll see this reflected in its box design. When you pop open the box, you'll see the keyboard with its plastic cover inside a protective plastic bag.

You'll also get a box containing a coiled cable, the keycap and switch puller, and a manual once you lift out the keyboard. But aside from that, it's a fairly typical mechanical keyboard package.

But the materials used for its packaging will make your unboxing experience different. It uses premium thick cardboard material for its outer shell, while its interior is lined with thick foam. You can also find a piece of foam on its cover, ensuring the keyboard is secure inside the box during transportation.

Although the plastic cover used to protect the keyboard during transport isn't made from acrylic, it's still thick enough for daily use and presentable on your desk. We recommend you keep it as a keyboard cover when you're not using it to protect against dust and other debris.

You know you're in for a premium treat with this experience, and the keyboard itself does not fail to deliver. It's just a shame that it does not include a wrist rest in the box, especially as it's not a low-profile keyboard. Furthermore, most of its competitors at its price point have one as part of the order.

You're in for a surprise if you're used to light plastic keyboards. The Redmagic Mechanical Keyboard is a hefty piece of kit, even if it features a layout similar to the 1800 Compact design (you should check out other keyboard sizes if you're unfamiliar with them). That's because it weighs 1.15kg, ensuring a secure base. This is crucial, especially if you're in the heat of a match.

The aluminum face plate and the thick, semi-transparent plastic case bring this heft to you. The keyboard also has four rubber feet to grip your desk when laid flat. You could also incline the keyboard with its two feet, both of which have rubber grips too. These feet have two levels so that you can set it comfortably.

There are two accessories included in the box. Aside from the keycap and switch puller, which is typical fare, you also get a coiled cable. The cable features a brass finish on both the USB-C and USB-A ends, and a coiled section that many keyboard enthusiasts love.

The coiled cable features a braided finish, making it resistant to damage. However, it feels more plasticky and hard than the usual braided nylon. Although it does not affect how it looks and performs, it's a bit of a downer considering the keyboard's premium price.

Another thing that adds to the keyboard's price is its built-in knob and mini OLED display. When you plug in the keyboard for the first time, you'll see a Redmagic graphic on the screen. If you rotate the knob, you can browse through five different Redmagic images, although you can also upload your own.

You need to press on the knob to reveal the menu and its different functions: volume, computer performance metrics, keyboard LED effects, keyboard LED brightness, keyboard LED speed, keyboard LED color, display language, and screen switch.

To adjust a function, select it first in the menu. For example, the screen should be in volume control mode to change your computer's volume. If the keyboard is in any other mode, including when it's showing an image, rotating the knob won't default to volume control.

Aside from the additional functions, the screen also displays whether the num lock is turned on, your keyboard's connection mode, and its remaining battery level.

It would've been nice if Redmagic allowed the knob to gain some custom functions, like adjusting brush size in PhotoShop, scrolling through the video timeline in Premiere Pro, or even browsing through your in-game inventory. Adding this capability transforms the keyboard display from a gimmick into a usable feature.

After the build feel and other features, we're finally getting to the meat of the keyboard—its switch and keycaps. The Redmagic Mechanical Keyboard features black, red, and gray matte pudding keycaps with a gamer design.

The gamer aesthetic is most evident in the spacebar, the enter and escape keys, and the function keys. But aside from that, the font on most keys is legible and easy to read. The keycaps don't let light through, though, so you might have difficulty seeing what key you're pressing in a dark environment.

As for the switches, the Redmagic Mechanical Keyboard uses TTC Speed Silvers V2. Although it's not as popular as Cherry MX, Gateron, and Khail, TTC is known as an excellent mid-range switch maker among keyboard enthusiasts.

The TTC Speed Silver V2 is a linear switch delivering smooth and precise inputs. Unfortunately, Redmagic offers no other switch choice except the TTC Speed Silver V2. But whether you prefer linear, tactile, or click switches, the Redmagic Mechanical Keyboard is still an excellent pick.

That's because the keyboard has a gasket, reducing the typing noise and making it feel softer to the touch. The combination of the PBT keycaps, linear switch, and gasket gives the keyboard a solid thocky sound when typing.

So, if you want a keyboard that will deliver a calming ASMR effect to reduce your stress while working while still providing precise inputs for your gaming, then the Redmagic Mechanical Keyboard is for you.

Keyboards at this price point should come with many connectivity options, and Redmagic does not disappoint. Aside from the coiled cable connection, you can also connect the keyboard via three Bluetooth channels and a 2.4GHz dongle.

You can easily switch between modes by sliding the power switch to the left or right. You can pick between Bluetooth channels in wireless mode by pressing Fn + 1, 2, or 3. You can also select the 2.4GHz wireless dongle with Fn + 4.

Aside from that, you can also switch the keyboard between Windows (Fn + W) and macOS (Fn + A). All these options allow you to connect it to five devices and easily switch between them. And since you can switch between Windows and Apple, you won't have any issues using the Redmagic Mechanical Keyboard on any operating system.

You also get a 4,000mAh battery inside the keyboard, which should be more than enough for a month of use if you don't use the LED lights. But if you like colorful lights, the battery should last three days of continuous use.

If the Redmagic Mechanical Keyboard is wirelessly connected, it cannot connect to the RedMagic driver, so you can't monitor your computer performance on the keyboard.

The keyboard does not have specific media keys, but a function layer lets you control several aspects of your computer. Here are the controls you get with the Redmagic Mechanical Keyboard:

With this, you can control your media and volume and quickly launch common apps. But aside from this, you can also install the Redmagic Cloud Driver to unlock more software features.

When you open the driver, select GK001J to open the controls for the keyboard. From there, you can choose any key on the keyboard image to assign a custom control. You can change it to various functions, including system commands, multimedia controls, macro, and mouse functions, or remap it to a different key.

You can also click on screen to change or upload a new photo. You can upload your own 320 x 172 pixel PNG image, although it will take about five minutes to load on the keyboard.

Aside from the key and image customization, you can also change the keyboard's LED effects on the driver app. You have 10 effects, seven color options, three speed choices, and five brightness settings. However, you can also access these options right on the keyboard screen with the knob. Furthermore, the Redmagic driver doesn't let you change the per-key color of the keyboard, so your LED color customization is quite limited.

I also have an issue with the Redmagic Cloud Driver—its in-depth menu settings are in Chinese. I had to resort to Google Translate on my phone to know what they do. This is a common issue among Redmagic smartphones, so it needs to improve to compete against Asus' ROG offerings.

Despite being Redmagic's first try in the mechanical keyboard space, the Redmagic Mechanical keyboard is an excellent gadget. It has a solid build, an excellent typing feel, and a great sound. If you're a Redmagic fan and want a premium gaming peripheral on your desk, you won't go wrong with this keyboard.

But even if it's your first time hearing of this company, you can get a satisfying typing experience with the Redmagic Mechanical Keyboard. Both gamers and keyboard enthusiasts will appreciate this keyboard, and you can see that Redmagic poured its effort into delivering a premium experience with this device.

John William Morales, better known as Jowi, is a writer, a career coach, a professional photographer, and a leisure pilot.He's been using, discovering, and exploring PCs since Windows 3.1 and has been on board the Android bandwagon since Froyo. In 2023, he also invested in an iPhone and a Mac, allowing him to cover a wide spectrum of consumer technology.Jowi started writing part-time in 2015 and transitioned to it full-time in 2020. He also finished a university degree with related units in journalism in 2012. But even before he received higher education, he's been known by his friends and family as the go-to person when anything computer-related requires explanation.