If you are looking for a perfect wireless 75% gaming mechanical keyboard, the Royal Kludge RK84 and Keychron K2 are the top wireless 75% mechanical keyboards out there. Both are for under $100. The reason why they're so popular is because of the price, wireless connection and hot swappable function. But which is better? Here I review both the Keychron K2 and the RK84.
Design and Build
The keychron K2 and the RK84 both share the same 75 TKL form factor. Both have 84 keys with a very similar layout. However the K2 comes with a dedicated lighting effect key while the rk84 does not. The RK84 weighs in at about 800 grams while the Keychron K2 weighs in at about 670 grams making the rk84 about 0.3 pounds heavier.
The RK84 is also a couple millimeters larger in dimension however the RK84 does come with a removable frame which makes them equivalent in size. One noticeable difference when you compare the two is just the angle which the keyboard sits. They're both 40 millimeters in height. However the K2 has a slight elevated front which gives it a flatter look. The RK84 comes with two magnetic feet while the K2 is accompanied by two dual angle kickstands. Both have the same height. However you can shave a couple millimeters off with the k2 since you have two heights to choose from.
The keycaps are also identical both are made with double shot abs plastic with clear legends. However, one downside with the K2 is that the legends on the black keycaps are barely visible and even with the back lighting on the legends are still barely legible. I love the minimal design and that black and white contrast definitely makes it stand out. Both keyboards are plastic and both feel really well built. In my opinion the RK84 feels a bit more sturdy but I think that's mainly due to the extra weight.
Switches and Tactility
Now what makes these keyboards special is that they're both hot swappable and you also get three switches to choose from you got the red blue and brown switches. The keychron K2 however comes with gatoron switches while the rk84 comes with the RK branded ttck switches. Both keyboards come pre-lubed and offer a pleasant typing experience. In my opinion, the K2 sounds better while the rk84 has a more tactile feel.
Bluetooth and Battery Life
The K2 and RK84 can both function as a wireless keyboard. Bluetooth 5.0 for the RK84 and bluetooth 5.1 for the K2. However, the RK84 comes with an additional usb dongle so you get two methods of connecting wirelessly.
Now if you want to use the keyboard wired, this is where the k2 starts to run into some problems. The cable that it comes with is fairlyshort at 49 inches while the rk84 comes with the cable that's 66 inches. On top of that instead of having the
port on the rear of the keyboard, keychron decided to place it on the left of the
keyboard. For my setup, I have the pc to the right of me and even with the cable fully extended it still wasn't long enough for the keyboard to sit comfortably.
You will need to buy a longer cable separately but it's just a poor design on Keychron's part. On the other hand, the RK84 has a usb port on the rear plus two additional usb ports. Good job to Royal Kludge.
In order for the keyboards to run wirelessly, they would need a battery and wish they do. We have a 3750 mAh battery on the RK84 and a slightly larger 4000 mAh battery on the K2. Both will rate you over 200 hours without any back lighting but the K2 might be able to squeeze in an extra day.
Lastly the rk84 does come with software for further configurations. You can change the rgb effects and assign keys to your liking and also save profiles which do load up every time you boot up.
The Keychron however does not come with software but either way both keyboards work entirely well without any software.
Keychron K2 VS RK84 Final Verdict:
So which one is better? That's a tough one because although they seem quite similar they're actually not. The RK84 just gives you a lot more for less. You get rgb lighting, bluetooth and USB wireless connection, a removable frame, and software all for eighty dollars.
The keychron K2 on the other hand in my opinion just has a better typing experience when it comes to sound and feel but that's just based on
my preference. My only gripe with the K2 is using the keyboard wired with the
awkward placement of the usb port and the short cable.
The K2 is also available for $80 with only the white back lighting but if you want the rgb you would have to pay an extra $10. As i said before they both give you a
pretty similar experience but the rk84 does better than the k2 in some things
but the K2 does better than the RK84 andthe other things. So if you want a keyboard with loaded features and a lot of functionality, I'd probably go with
the RK84.