Keychron B1 Pro Review: A Quality Low-Profile Keyboard at a Low Price

Finding the perfect tablet keyboard can be difficult if you don’t want to shell out big bucks for a keyboard case. Meanwhile, plenty of cheap wireless keyboards break quickly or just feel bad to type on. The Keychron B1 Pro is an admirable solution to this conundrum.

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Price and Availability

The Keychron B1 Pro is available for $39.99 and comes in white and black-on-gray varieties. Inside the box are the keyboard, a USB-C to USB-C cable, a USB-C to USB-A adapter, a 2.4GHz receiver (USB-A), and a silicone cover.

Keychron didn’t reinvent the wheel when designing the B1 Pro. At a glance, this is a no-frills tenkeyless keyboard with a plastic frame and two color options that mirror modern Apple laptops. However, a closer look reveals an attention to detail that appreciably enhances this refreshing simplicity.

The Keychron B1 Pro sits at a 3.2-degree angle, which I found particularly comfortable for typing compared to the flat design of laptop keyboards from which it’s derived. This elevation is a small touch that does wonders for preventing hand cramping. Bolstering it are rubber grips on the base that prevent slippage. This is especially impressive given the keyboard’s light weight and low profile.

The concave indents on keys are even more subtle than the angle, something I barely noticed when typing. I mean this as a compliment because not thinking about the keys when tapping them means they feel great to use; their unique profile must be doing something right. There’s a tactile yet soft punch with every press that is satisfying, though, unfortunately, the space bar is an exception. It feels loose to the point of jostling around and produces a jarring clack, completely lacking the textured feel of other keys. If there’s one thing that needs improving on the keyboard, it’s this.

Another critique I have of the Keychron B1 Pro’s design is that the sides of the keyboard aren’t well-supported, giving to slight pressure and often producing a creaking sound. This won’t impact your standard keyboard usage but raises worries about its durability. If you’re planning to toss this in a backpack, you’ll want to look into buying a protective case, something Keychron sadly doesn’t offer in the B1 Pro’s size.

These flaws aside, the Keychron B1 Pro's build quality feels sturdy. It's clear a few corners were cut, but the attention to detail that afforded the elevation and key feel is worth the trade-off, given the affordable asking price.

Customization Isn’t Useful, but You Won’t Need It

Like all its keyboards, Keychron supports remapping keys through its web app. This works well enough but is largely pointless for a keyboard without any superfluous buttons to reassign or removable keycaps. However, this could be a fix if the keyboard isn’t acting as intended with a tablet.

What’s more likely to solve your problem is a switch on the back of the device that swaps the keyboard layout between Mac and Windows. This changes the bottom row of keys to function correctly on each operating system, such as the Option key on Mac instead of opening the Windows Start menu. There’s an identical switch to swap between the three modes of connectivity.

I was also partial to the fun alternate function of the right Shift key, which opens up an emoji menu when pressed alongside the Fn key. Given that this keyboard is best paired with devices that act as social hubs, such as tablets, phones, and laptops, this clever addition makes accessing this texting staple easy. Granted, there are other key commands to open the emoji window, but Keychron's solution just feels right (and I'm a sucker for that smiley face icon on the Shift key).

Connectivity Options for Every User

There are three connectivity modes for the Keychron B1 Pro: wired, 2.4GHz, and Bluetooth. Each has its benefits, and together, they ensure compatibility with any device, though there’s a caveat about the most enviable among them.

Wired is what you’d expect: plug the USB-C cord into the back of the keyboard and the other end into your device of choice. An adapter for USB-A ports is included for users whose receiving device doesn’t have a USB-C port. You’ll mainly need this for charging, though, because this keyboard drains the battery at an immensely slow rate, you may only need to do this a handful of times a year.

2.4GHz uses a tiny USB-A receiver to wirelessly connect with the keyboard, offering a responsiveness that rivals the feel of a wired connection for the average user. This works as intended, though there’s an issue: most devices that pair well with this keyboard—most notably tablets—don’t have a USB-A port.

A USB-A to USB-C adapter works just fine, but it would’ve been better if this keyboard came with an adapter best tailored to its use case. There are reasons why USB-A makes sense for most 2.4GHz adapters, which is why it’s the industry standard, so I can’t fault Keychron too much here. Nonetheless, it would’ve been nice for the company to bundle in a USB-C adapter.

Bluetooth works like a charm with the ability to pair three devices at once and hot-swap between them by pressing Fn and the 1, 2, and 3 keys. It does this instantaneously and works well alongside the aforementioned Mac and Windows layout toggle switch. Bluetooth feels perfectly responsive and is the best way to use the keyboard on a tablet. The fluidity it offers when moving between devices has often caused me to use it over 2.4GHz on a laptop or desktop.

The Silicone Cover Fits Like a Glove

Low-profile keyboards have been known to malfunction when dust and other debris get beneath the keys (something that once famously plagued MacBooks), so Keychron included a silicone cover with the B1 Pro. This thin layer is precision-made to fit the keyboard like a glove, which makes it satisfyingly easy to apply and remove.

Whether it’s actually useful is another story. Protection is better than no protection, but I left the keyboard uncovered for most of my testing and encountered no issues. I’m impressed with the quality of the cover. Users worried about dust will find their solution here, but I imagine most people will leave it in the box.

Should You Buy a Keychron B1 Pro keyboard?

The Keychron B1 Pro is a great low-profile wireless keyboard that feels premium for a fair price. It sticks to the essentials while providing great ergonomics, typing feel, and a fantastic battery life. I recommend the B1 Pro most to tablet owners who want a cheaper (and frankly better) alternative to keyboard cases.