OnePlus formalizes a surprising mechanical keyboard designed in partnership with Keychron

After a few images published on the Net in recent weeks, OnePlus has just confirmed an unusual release alongside that of its new OnePlus 11 smartphone, since it concerns… a keyboard: the Keyboard 81 Pro, a mechanical model with a retro look that could well turn out to be very interesting. It is indeed designed in partnership with the specialist in mechanical keyboards Keychron. The latter offers excellent models with an attractive price-quality ratio, which bodes well for this OnePlus.

If the design inspired by Cherry or IBM keyboards from the 80s and 90s will put some people off, the execution seems neat and the aluminum construction solid. Although OnePlus has chosen a TKL format (without numeric keypad), the 81 Pro is quite massive, with a noticeable thickness. Two versions will be available: a Summer Breeze adorned with mostly light gray marble-mallow plastic keys — a plastic patented by the brand — and linear switches, and a Winter Bonfire worn in dark gray, with PBT keys and tactile switches. The high-end ambitions of the 81 Pro are confirmed by the presence of absorption foam for limited resonance, as well as O-rings for a quieter strike.

A priori intended for office automation, the keyboard can be used in games, in particular thanks to dual Bluetooth or 2.4 GHz connectivity. It will also be Mac and PC compatible, with a small switch allowing you to choose one or the other of the configurations. RGB backlighting will be on the menu to add a touch of personalization.

Two original elements will also be present: a button-wheel in the upper right corner, which can be personalized and no doubt used to manage the volume, and a metal foot allowing the keyboard to be positioned upright to save space when don’t manipulate it. A very daring option in our opinion, and which may not be really useful, but which will have to be evaluated on a daily basis during a test.

Unfortunately, only an ANSI (American layout) and qwerty configuration is planned for the moment, even if an ISO FR in qwerty is not excluded a little later. Other size unknowns, the price and the exact date of availability, which were not communicated by OnePlus: the addition could be salty given the characteristics offered.