OnePlus Featuring Keyboard 81 Pro hits all the right buttons
Built with know-how from mechanical specialist Keychron
It’s best known for flagship killer smartphones and keenly priced wireless earphones, but now OnePlus is branching out into PC peripherals for the first time. The OnePlus Featuring Keyboard 81 Pro was crafted with help from mechanical keyboard specialist Keychron, and aims to deliver textbook typing at a price befitting the firm’s affordable roots.
The 75% size ‘board, which was officially revealed alongside the OnePlus 11 smartphone and OnePlus Buds Pro 2 wireless in-ears, has an aluminium body and double-gasket key switch design, which the firm says will provide a satisfying sound that won’t also drive nearby colleagues or family members crazy.
A mix of white and grey keycaps are on the subtle side, but OnePlus has jazzed things up with red enter and escape keys. They’re all made of a thermoplastic material the firm calls “Marble-mallow”, for a soft bounce and extra durability. It’s based on open-source firmware, which lets owners fully remap the entire board.
There’s RGB lighting, and a rotary knob in the top right corner that can be customised. Around the back there’s a USB-C port for charging, a Windows/Mac toggle switch, and a power/Bluetooth pairing slider that looks an awful lot like the ones found on the firm’s smartphones.
OnePlus first confirmed a keyboard was in the works last December, after it was voted for by fans to become the firm’s next community co-creation project. Keychron’s involvement is a first for the scheme, which has so far been run entirely in-house – although it’s not the first time another company’s logo has appeared on OnePlus gear. You’ll find camera manufacturer Hasselblad on the OnePlus 11, and audio expert Dynaudio on the OnePlus Buds Pro 2.
The OnePlus Keyboard should hit mass production son, and should be on sale in the coming months. It’ll be available worldwide, but there’s currently no word on how much it will cost.
Tom Morgan-Freelander
Deputy Editor