Introduction



Gaming keyboards have always been about making things your own. It's usually more about customizing the software than the physical parts, but lately, many gaming companies have started exploring the world of keyboard enthusiasts. For instance, SteelSeries has the Apex 9 TKL with optical hot-swappable switches, Razer offers the BlackWidow V4 75% with mechanical hot-swappable keys, and Asus has the ROG Azoth, which has triple-layer sound-dampening and even includes a DIY switch lube station (and yes, it's hot-swappable too).

But it's not just gaming companies venturing into this territory. Keychron, known for its custom mechanical productivity keyboards, is now aiming for a spot among the best gaming keyboards with their latest release, the premium wireless L3. They've introduced it under their new gaming sub-brand, Lemokey.

The Lemokey L3 stands as the first and currently the only keyboard in this new lineup. It's a wireless mechanical keyboard that allows you to swap out the switches easily, has a flexible double-gasket mount design, and offers low-latency 2.4-GHz wireless connectivity with a rapid 1,000 Hz polling rate.


Lemokey L3 Review:



Specifications


Switches: Gateron Jupiter Red, Brown, or Banana options.
Lighting: Each key has its own RGB lighting.
Onboard Storage: Yes, it can store one profile.
Media Controls: It has a volume wheel and 4 macro keys.
Gaming Mode: No special gaming mode.
Wireless Connection: You can connect it wirelessly using 2.4GHz or Bluetooth 5.1, or use a wired USB-C connection.
Additional Ports: There are no extra ports.
Keycaps: The keycaps are made of double-shot PBT material.
Build: It has an aluminum body for durability.
Software: You can customize it using QMK/VIA software.
Dimensions: It measures 15.78 x 5.39 x 1.69 inches (401 x 137 x 43mm).
Weight: It weighs 4.36 pounds (1976g).
Price: It costs $214 when fully assembled or $194 for the barebones kit.
Release Date: It was released in October 2023.

Pros And cons


Advantages:

  • Works with QMK and VIA
  • Strong and durable construction
  • You can easily change the switches, and personalize it
  • Connects wirelessly at 2.4 GHz with a fast 1,000 Hz polling rate

Disadvantages:

  • Bigger than most tenkeyless keyboards
  • Is it truly designed for gaming?
  • QMK and VIA might not offer the features gamers want.

Design 


The Lemokey L3 keyboard is designed with a TKL layout, also known as 80-percent. This means it includes all the essential navigation keys and arrow keys but doesn't have the additional number pad found on full-size keyboards. What sets the L3 apart is its larger size compared to typical TKL keyboards. On the left side, it boasts a row of customizable macro keys and a clickable volume knob, which you can also customize to your liking.

It appears to draw heavy inspiration from one of Keychron's existing keyboard models, the Keychron Q3 Pro. Both keyboards share the same TKL layout with macro keys and a knob, and they both feature an all-aluminum body. While not identical, they have a striking resemblance, with only slight differences like the shape of the macro keys and dimensions.

The L3 measures 15.78 inches (401mm) in length, 5.39 inches (137mm) in width, and reaches a height of 1.69 inches (43mm) at its tallest point when fully assembled. While it's not overly large, it may not be the best choice if you're aiming to save space with a TKL layout. In fact, it's nearly two inches longer than the SteelSeries Apex Pro TKL (14 x 5.04 x 1.65 inches / 355 x 128 x 42mm) and almost an inch longer than the Asus ROG Strix Scope II 96 Wireless (14.85 x 5.16 x 1.57 inches / 377 x 131 x 40mm). Worth noting, the Strix Scope II 96 Wireless is a 96-percent layout keyboard with a number pad but still more compact than a full-size keyboard.
The L3 keyboard is really sturdy – and when I say "sturdy," I mean it's like a solid block of metal. It's made of strong metal, specifically CNC-machined 6063 aluminum, and has a sandblasted, matte finish in three colors: "carbon black," "navy blue," or "space silver." It weighs a hefty 4.36 pounds (1976g) when fully assembled, which is quite a bit heavier than most gaming keyboards, even the ones that aim to be top-notch with premium materials, extra sound-dampening, and special designs. For comparison, the 75-percent Asus ROG Azoth keyboard weighs 2.61 pounds (1186g) – and that's considered on the heavy side.

The keyboard has a wedge-shaped case with a typing angle of about 5 degrees. It doesn't have flip-out feet for adjusting the angle, nor does it come with a wrist rest included. However, you can buy one of Keychron's palm rests (available in wood or resin and sized for the L3) separately on Lemokey's website. The back of the keyboard has a stylish industrial metal design and four small rubberized feet for stability (although this keyboard is quite heavy, so it's unlikely to slide around on your desk). Keychron also provides two spare feet.

The case is quite solid, with the exception of a vent on the front right (just below the arrow keys) and the USB-C charging port on the back left. Next to the USB-C port, there's a power switch for toggling between Bluetooth and 2.4GHz wireless modes.

Underneath the navigation area, there are three indicator lights (although they're usually off). The first one shows the charging status – it's red when charging and turns green when fully charged (and off when not connected to power). The second light indicates the wireless connection – it blinks blue when in Bluetooth pairing mode and briefly turns solid green when switching to 2.4GHz wireless. Once paired, it turns off. The last light is the Caps Lock indicator, which lights up blue when Caps Lock is active.

The L3 comes in two versions: fully-assembled and barebones. The fully-assembled version includes switches and keycaps, and it's, well, ready to use out of the box. The barebones version doesn't include switches and keycaps, which is more suitable for keyboard enthusiasts who like to customize their setup. However, the L3 is hot-swappable, meaning you can change switches in the future. Fortunately, the fully-assembled L3 is only $20 more expensive than the barebones version.

I tested the fully-assembled L3 in the "space silver" color. Each color variant comes with its unique set of keycaps – "space silver" has white and light gray keycaps with teal accent keys, "carbon black" features gray and black keycaps with red accent keys, and "navy blue" includes blue and black keycaps with yellow accent keys.

In addition to the keyboard, you get several accessories: a 2.4GHz wireless dongle, a wireless dongle extender, and a 6-foot (1.8m) braided USB-C to USB-C cable with a detachable USB-C to USB-A adapter. You also receive extra keycaps, including Command and Option keys for Mac users, and tools for further customization – a keycap remover/switch puller, two hex keys, a screwdriver, as well as gaskets and stabilizers.

Typing and Gaming Experience


The fully assembled L3 keyboard comes with Gateron Jupiter switches, which you can only find on Keychron keyboards. These switches are available in three options: Red (smooth), Brown (tactile), or Banana (also tactile). The version we tested had the Red linear switches, which aren't my personal favorite for typing but make sense on a gaming keyboard. Linear switches provide a consistent and smooth keypress without a bump or noise, making them a bit faster and quieter.

The Gateron Jupiter Reds require 45g of force to actuate, have a 2mm actuation point, and a 4mm total travel distance. They're quite similar in profile and feel to the popular Cherry MX Red switches, which also require 45g of force to actuate, have a 2mm actuation point, and a 4mm total travel distance. These switches strike a good balance between being light enough for speed and not too light to make typing uncomfortable. However, if you're aiming for maximum speed, you might want to consider a keyboard with optical switches like the SteelSeries Apex 9 TKL.

Setting aside the linear switches, the L3 provides an excellent typing experience overall. It incorporates Keychron's double-gasket mount design and features two layers of sound-dampening foam. This combination allows for a flexible feel while minimizing case ping noise. Compared to most mainstream gaming keyboards, the L3 sounds much better. Even the recently released Razer BlackWidow V4 75% made improvements in reducing case noise compared to the flagship BlackWidow V4 Pro, but it's evident that Keychron has more experience in this aspect.
The fully assembled L3 keyboard from Keychron comes with Cherry-profile keycaps made of durable double-shot PBT material. The keycap colors depend on the keyboard's color you choose. For instance, the "space silver" option features white and light gray keycaps with teal accents, giving it a pleasant aesthetic that may not scream "gamer." The "carbon black" variant includes black and gray keycaps with red accents, reminiscent of an old-school ThinkPad, while the "navy blue" version offers navy and black keycaps with yellow accents. It's nice to see gaming gear that doesn't stick to an all-black design, but it's worth noting that these keycap sets are already available on Keychron's website.

Cherry-profile keycaps have a lower profile compared to standard (OEM) keycaps, with sculpted tops for added comfort and angled rows to reduce finger movement. This design ultimately results in quicker keypresses and less fatigue, making them well-suited for gaming. While the L3's keycaps felt slightly slippery to me, they didn't seem to affect my typing speed. I maintained my usual 98% accuracy at 130 words per minute. (By the way, that's faster than my typical typing speed because I prefer loud, clicky switches, even if they slow me down.)

When it comes to gaming on the L3, it performed as expected—decent, but not particularly exceptional. The 2.4-GHz wireless connection had low latency and was reliable, and the lower-profile keycaps offered a slight speed advantage (thanks in part to their slipperiness). However, aside from the low-latency wireless connection, there's not much that sets this keyboard apart as a "gaming" keyboard.

It does come with dedicated macro buttons and supports multiple layers of keymapping using QMK/VIA, but these features are also available on other non-gaming keyboards (remember, the L3 is based on the Keychron Q3 Pro). This doesn't mean it's not a decent gaming keyboard—it certainly is, especially with linear switches—but I don't foresee it becoming the go-to choice for eSports anytime soon.

Features and Software 


The Lemokey L3 offers customization through QMK/VIA, a system known to keyboard enthusiasts. QMK serves as an open-source firmware package used for creating custom keyboard configurations. On the other hand, VIA is a user-friendly software package derived from QMK, featuring an easily navigable graphical interface. With VIA, you can adjust key functions, record macros, and personalize the L3's lighting using predefined lighting effects.

Since QMK/VIA are open-source, they may not be as straightforward as guided software programs. However, once you become familiar with VIA, it becomes quite intuitive. Keychron provides clear instructions, along with the L3 keymap JSON file, to assist you in getting started. You can remap not only the volume knob and macro keys but also all the keyboard keys, up to four layers deep.

One limitation of QMK/VIA is the absence of gaming-specific features that mainstream gaming companies often incorporate into their software, such as profiles tailored to specific games or applications. While some may find mainstream gaming peripheral software to be overly complex, game- and app-based profiles can be quite useful when they function correctly. Many gaming companies provide pre-configured profiles for popular games or game genres, although this is less common for keyboards. The L3 includes onboard memory to store your configurations, but setting up more than one profile is not straightforward (though you can use workarounds like toggling layers).

Regarding lighting, you can choose from over 20 preset lighting effects in VIA, though only a couple of them allow mild customization. Alternatively, you can program the keyboard's per-key RGB lighting using QMK. The L3 features solid keycaps that do not let light shine through, and the south-facing PCB ensures that the RGB lighting appears bright from the typist's perspective.

Wireless Experience and Battery Life


The L3 keyboard provides three ways to connect: low-latency 2.4-GHz wireless, Bluetooth 5.1, and wired through USB-C. The standout feature is the 2.4-GHz wireless option, which is a first for Keychron's wireless keyboards and offers a 1,000 Hz wireless polling rate. (This is not the first Keychron keyboard with a 1,000 Hz polling rate for wired connections.)

Polling rate refers to how often a device communicates with the computer and updates its status or data. Many non-gaming devices have a polling rate of 125 Hz or even lower. At 125 Hz, the device checks in with the computer 125 times per second, or once every eight milliseconds, resulting in about eight milliseconds of latency. With a 1,000 Hz polling rate, the device checks in 1,000 times per second, or once every millisecond, reducing the latency to 1 millisecond.

A one-millisecond latency is quite low, and most people won't notice any lag. Moreover, there's minimal difference between 1 millisecond of lag and 0.5 milliseconds of lag, which is what you'll experience with the next-highest polling rate of 2,000 Hz. In summary, the gaming standard is 1,000 Hz, and you shouldn't perceive any lag while gaming using the L3 with a 2.4-GHz wireless connection. However, you may notice some lag when using Bluetooth, as it operates at a polling rate of 90 Hz.

The L3 boasts a 4,000mAh battery, which should last for approximately 200 hours when using the 2.4-GHz wireless connection with the lighting turned off. Over Bluetooth (also with the lighting turned off), it can last up to 300 hours. This battery life is quite decent for a wireless keyboard, although it may not be exceptionally impressive considering its weight.

The Bottom Line


The Lemokey L3 is a Keychron keyboard that can be used for gaming without wires, thanks to its 1,000 Hz polling rate. This is a good thing because Keychron is known for making strong and customizable mechanical keyboards. The L3 has all the features you'd expect from a high-quality Keychron keyboard that isn't specifically designed for gaming (which is essentially what it is, but with a 1,000 Hz polling rate).

At a price of around $214 when fully assembled, the L3 isn't exactly cheap, but it's more affordable compared to many other high-end gaming keyboards on the market. For instance, both the SteelSeries Apex Pro TKL and the Asus ROG Azoth keyboards are sold for $249 (though the Azoth is currently available for $199 on Amazon). Plus, the open-source QMK/VIA firmware and software package offer excellent programmability, as long as you're willing to spend a bit of extra time setting everything up.