OnePlus 81 Pro keyboard, review

We have tested the first mechanical keyboard in the history of OnePlus.

Smartphones, tablets, watches, televisions, monitors, and now, also, mechanical keyboards. Little by little, and without making too much noise, oneplus is gradually expanding its portfolio with new products, with which the Chinese brand tries to take advantage of its experience to open a gap in hitherto unexplored segments of the technology market. The last one is the one of the mechanical keyboardsa particularly complicated niche, but one that OnePlus has decided to face in the hands of one of the expert firms in this field.

He OnePlus 81 Pro Keyboard is one of the most striking products and one that has intrigued us the most since we the brand announced it at the beginning of the year. It caught our attention for its design and features, and although the wait has been long, now he is among us.

We have been testing the first OnePlus mechanical keyboardand in this analysis, we have a lot to tell about him.

OnePlus Keyboard 81 Pro price and where to buy it

The OnePlus 81 Pro keyboard is for sale in the official online store of the brand At a price of 249 or 259 eurosdepending on the model chosen.

At the time of publishing this review, the keyboard is being sold through a invitation system which reminds us of the mechanism that OnePlus used in its beginnings when selling its mobile phones. It is not clear when can it be purchased without having to have an invitation.

Spec Sheet

Design

The OnePlus logo, located on the “Esc” key of the keyboard / Image: Christian Collado

One of the most striking aspects of this keyboard is His physical appearancealthough I fear that part of the credit here goes to keychronexpert company in the design and creation of mechanical keyboards for several years now.

And it is that the OnePlus Keyboard 81 Pro is basically a Keychron Q1 Pro keyboard to which OnePlus has given a coat of paint in order to adapt to its brand aesthetic. This is not a bad thing at all, and in fact OnePlus advertises this product as the the result of a collaboration with Keychron.

That being said, the reality is that the OnePlus 81 Pro is an extremely well built keyboardthat combines different metallic elements in a heavy, robust and refined body. It’s basically impossible to make the keyboard “vibrate” or make unwanted movements when typing, thanks to the solidity of its construction and the materials used.

To offer an aesthetic in line with that of the rest of its products, OnePlus has included a set of keys that combine different shades of gray with red so characteristic of the brand. The aesthetic is sober and without stridency, but the bright tones and the transparent roulette located in the upper right corner give it a modern and futuristic touch.

The rotary dial is configurable, and by default it allows you to modify the volume level of the equipment / Image: Christian Collado

One of the most interesting details is found in its lower part. It’s about a adjustable bracketthat allows to vary the inclination of the keyboard. Following the line of the keyboard, the support it is extremely robustand it has the advantage of allowing the inclination to be adjusted to any desired level, and not just a few predefined ones as in other cases.

In its back we find a pair of switches and a USB C port. The first switch allows switching between Bluetooth or wired modeor turn off the keyboard completely. The second is directed to choose compatibility modedepending on whether you plan to use it with a Windows or macOS computer.

The keyboard also has RGB backlightwith different predefined lighting effects and the option of adjust brightness level, blink speed or completely turn off the light. It is also possible create our own lighting profiles via software such as QMK or VIA.

user experience

The OnePlus Keyboard 81 Pro stands out for being an extremely comfortable keyboard to write and play / Image: Christian Collado

The OnePlus Keyboard 81 Pro that we have analyzed uses some switches or switches “Summer Wind” blue, developed using Keychron technology. They are linear click switches, with a tactile peak point of 0.5 millimeters and a greater rebound force than others switches of the same category.

draw attention to it extremely silent which results in writing with this keyboard, comparable to that of a classic membrane keyboard. The experience, however, nothing to do with it: typing with the Keyboard 81 Pro is infinitely more enjoyable by the combination between the travel of the keys, the response of the switches and the touch of the keys themselves.

It is necessary to dwell on the latter, since the brand has used a new type of material to build the “keycaps” of the keyboard. OnePlus refers to this material as “Marble-Mallow” (marble and mauve), and stands out for its Soft touchslightly rough and with the ability to prevent dirt from getting easily impregnated. According to OnePlus, it should also be more resistant than other materials commonly used to build keys of mechanical keyboards.

The keys have a soft and slightly rough texture / Image: Christian Collado

The only key that is not built using this material is the rotating dialmade of transparent plastic. The roulette function is completely customizable, and although by default it allows control volume level of the computer to which the keyboard is connected, it is possible to give it other capabilities such as zoom in in image-editing programs, change the level of keyboard lighting, and more.

Despite being compatible with almost all operating systems, the keyboard is primarily intended to be used with macOS and Windows. Especially with macOS, because by default it comes with CMD and “Option” keys features of macOS keyboards, and their function keys they are designed to take advantage of Windows features. In the box are included additional keys for Windows, as well as a tool to easily extract the keys.

Thanks to the different switches located on the back, it is possible to select the operating mode that best suits each case / Image: Christian Collado

battery and charging

The 4000mAh capacity of the battery that integrates the keyboard should be enough to an autonomy of up to 100 hours using Bluetooth mode and keeping RGB lighting off or at a minimum brightness level. Furthermore, it is also possible use the keyboard via the included USB cable in the box, red in color and with braided cable.

Once the time comes charge the batteryyou will have to keep the keyboard connected about five hours to a power source (the USB port of the computer is more than enough) to be able to carry out the full charge.

Conclusion

The Keyboard 81 Pro is an excellent keyboard, priced a little higher than we would have liked / Image: Christian Collado

OnePlus could not have chosen a better ally to enter the mechanical keyboard market. The 81 Pro demonstrates all of Keychron’s expertise, combined with the OnePlus aesthetic and some other interesting addition.

For 249 euros in its cheapest version, it is a somewhat expensive keyboardand the Keychron model may be a more logical purchase for most people. But for true OnePlus fans and lovers of mechanical keyboards, I’m afraid this is a A dream come true.