Lemokey L5 HE 8K Keyboard Review: Strong Core Features

The traditional mechanical keyboards keep on improvising and are no longer limited to types of switches, hot-swappability, or customizable RGB lighting. High-end gaming keyboards are particularly quick to adapt to cutting-edge technology and at both software and hardware levels.

With premium keyboards adopting the Hall Effect technology and incredibly versatile customizations, Keychron is bringing its top-of-the-line magnetic switches keyboard called Lemokey L5 HE 8K. From the title, you can already guess its specialty but it aims to deliver the leading features in every area, catering to the demands of the enthusiasts.

The keyboard is live on Kickstarter and has already reached its funding goal before release, which makes its launch imminent. That said, I was fortunate to give it a try and will give my thoughts on what to expect from this compared to the traditional mechanical keyboards the masses are using at the moment.

Packaging and Contents

Inside the packaging, apart from the keyboard, Keychron offers plenty of utilities for customization. The Lemokey L5 HE is highly customizable on both hardware and software levels, and therefore, the box comes with Philips and Hex screwdrivers, screws, several gaskets, and a metallic keycap puller. There are no additional keycaps or sample switches provided.

Quick Specs And Core Features

The Lemokey L5 HE 8K is aimed at enthusiasts and it might feel overwhelming to users who have never used modern mechanical keyboards at first. It is no longer just another ‘mechanical’ keyboard that lets you choose between the types of switches or the form factors and stuff.

Lemokey L5 HE is strictly created to compete with top-of-the-line gaming keyboards on the market that promise competitive advantage through deploying features that enhance responsiveness and customizability for professional gamers.

8000Hz polling rate and Hall Effect switches are its notable features but the keyboard brings tons of premium specifications that promise enhanced gameplay and typing experience you usually wouldn’t find on budget mechanical keyboards. Lemokey L5 HE’s 8K polling rate is what gives it an edge over most competitors, offering eight times faster updates.

The keyboard also scans all the inputs much faster by deploying a 32K Hz scan rate and on top of that offers 0.14 ms latency. Of course, these are the upper limits and the keyboard won’t necessarily operate on these numbers all the time. Still, its quick responsiveness is promising for fast-paced gaming experiences where every millisecond matters.

Coming to the switches, the Lemokey L5 HE 8K uses the Ultra-Fast Lime Magnetic Switches and this is how it is able to implement Hall Effect technology for each of its switches. Unlike traditional mechanical switches, this one utilizes magnetic sensors to detect the movement and to leverage its potential, Keychron has introduced a Dynamic Rapid Triggering mode that allows you to configure how the keyboard should take inputs based on the applied pressure on the keys.

As per Keychron, you can not only change the distance for actuation but can assign multiple actions per key based on the pressure applied. As many as four actions can be assigned per key based on the actuation distance, starting from as low as 0.01mm all the way to 3.5mm. With a 0.01mm actuation distance, it is going to be extremely sensitive, which although isn’t practical in most cases, still makes it versatile enough if that’s what make some users happy.

That said, Lemokey L5 HE also introduces another feature that operates by prioritizing the keys pressed simultaneously. Keychron calls it Snap Click which actuates one of the two keys pressed at the same time based on the actuation distance. The other is LKP which only registers the first pressed key in case when a user presses two opposing direction buttons at the same time.

Build Quality and Feel

Lemokey L5 HE 8K uses a highly durable casing and this is the heaviest keyboard I have ever used. I didn’t know that a keyboard can weigh as much as 2 KG (Lemokey L5 HE weighs 1.9 KG) and make it almost immovable on the desk accidentally. This also introduces a poor portability problem but I do like how durable and reliable it feels.

There are three color themes available with the Lemokey L5 HE: Dark Master, Dawn Master, and Cyber. I received the Dawn Master, featuring an off-white color scheme, which goes well with my setup and has excellent contrast, making it ideal for office purposes. It does feature RGB lighting but the lighting doesn’t seep through the key legends.

The keyboard uses a CNC-Aluminum body, which feels almost like heavy-duty. On the top/front, you will see a silverish metallic prism that adds to its rigidity and aesthetics and also holds an RGB lighting strip that goes all the way from front to bottom. The bottom strip is totally invisible once you place the keyboard on the desk and the front RGB strip is only visible when you peak over the keyboard. Not something that I would consider an intelligent design but it’s just for adding a touch of RGB elegance.

The keys use double-shot PBT keycaps and have a quite smooth finish. As far as the design goes, the Lemokey L5 HE uses gasket mounting that does the job well for providing a softer typing experience. I am really impressed by how it felt compared to traditional keyboards. And no matter how many different types of mechanical keyboards you may have used before, you can only experience the difference once you use them yourself.

Even though it is hard to explain, in simple words, I felt almost no resistance when pressing the keys and they are incredibly buttery smooth and soft. It feels so satisfying that I want new reasons to type as much as I can. Keychron allows you to take this experience to the next level by offering you several gaskets included in the box that you can add by yourself using the provided utilities. That said, it also offers top mounts that allow you to choose between a firmer and a softer typing feel.

The Lemokey L5 HE 8K gives you a somewhat compact form factor with its 75% design and thankfully, you get the arrow keys that I think are crucial (at least for me). On the top right, you will find a volume roller that is handy for increasing/decreasing the volume and allows you to mute/unmute the audio with a single press. However, there are no other multi-media buttons on top, which many mid-range and high-end keyboards don’t miss these days. Still, considering it boasts a 75% form factor, it’s not a deal breaker and you can always assign media functions to whatever key you like from the software.

Now as far as ergonomics go, the wrist rest is absent and there aren’t any kickstands that let you elevate its height from the top. This is something that should have been taken care of.

Connectivity

The keyboard brings just a single mode of connectivity. The box comes with a USB Type C to A cable and that’s the only way to connect it to your system. Unfortunately, the keyboard doesn’t support wireless connection either through 2.4G mode or Bluetooth, which keeps it limited in compatibility with multiple platforms.

At the moment, the Lemokey L5 HE 8K works with Windows OS and MacOS. Compatibility with the latter can only be accessed via the launcher, which we will talk about in the next section. Now, since the connection is wired, you can expect the lowest possible latency but its direct competitors such as ASUS ROG Azoth 75 bring tri-mode connectivity for the same price. Plus the latter also brings an OLED display. So, the Lemokey L5 HE 8K lacks competitive connectivity for its price tag.

Customizations

The Lemokey L5 HE 8K is already incredible with default configuration at both hardware and software levels but the customization options are limitless as well. Apart from hot swappable switches, you can also choose the type of mount for your keyboard as we talked about earlier.

There are a few things I want to inform you though. Unlike how easier it is to detach or pull the keys from the switches from most mechanical keyboards, I found it a bit challenging on this one. In one way it’s good because you don’t want your keycaps to detach accidentally but at the same time, it can be bad if you want to remove the keycaps frequently.

I advise you not to use the keycap puller it came with but instead use a plastic one. With the included keycap puller, I always ended up chipping off some plastic from the keycaps, which is something you wouldn’t like to see on a $200 keyboard. I don’t know if this is something that only I encountered but to be on the safe side, use a sturdy plastic keycap puller.

As far as the customization for its functionality is concerned, it is supported on a dedicated Lemokey app but this one is only available on the browser. Meaning, that it isn’t a dedicated software for your Windows/MacOS that you can run offline. You can only access it if you have access to the internet, which is weird. I agree that most peripheral software allows you to keep your profiles on the cloud but they still let you customize the settings offline.

This is the default layout of the app and it allows you to customize numerous settings, including actuation distance, rapid trigger, backlight, macros, keymapping, and miscellaneous stuff. It’s incredibly easy to use and you can customize the parameters for individual keys quickly.

The default HE Mode tab offers several sections for customizations like one key multiple commands, snap action, and even allowing you to set custom curves. You can assign whatever function you want to on your desired key in the Keymap tab and just as I previously mentioned, even though the keyboard doesn’t have multi-media keys, you can assign one to a dedicated media function through the software.

You can record macros for custom functions and you can also change the lighting effects, brightness, and speed of the LEDs as well. I didn’t find it that appealing since there are only seven custom presets for lighting modes and considering how insanely customizable some RGB keyboards from several years ago are, the Lemokey L5 HE 8K doesn’t stand a chance.

The Verdict

If you are someone who cares about core features more than anything, then the Lemokey L5 HE 8K will suit your taste. Lemokey L5 HE 8K is an excellent package that does everything right but is a bit on the costlier side. Its durable and reliable construction impresses you right when you pull it from the box and even though it’s surely much heavier compared to the traditional keyboards, it’s a great investment unless you are looking for something more portable.

Even though the form factor looks compact enough to carry in a bag, I recommend you keep it strictly for desktop usage. The L5 HE 8K has some incredible smoothness and softness in typing and it’s hard for me to now switch back to my traditional mechanical keyboards. The performance is miles ahead in every area and the best part is how versatile it can be in customizations.

Surely it isn’t the best for $200 as we have some excellent options for this price tag from popular vendors but it would be incorrect to say that the Lemokey L5 HE 8K will lose to them in competitive features such as response time, polling rate, sensitivity, and feel. These are the notable reasons why the L5 HE 8K stands out and if you love competing in games or even just typing a lot, you will hardly regret buying it.

9.0

WCCFTECH RATING

Lemokey L5 HE 8K magnetic switch keyboard brings excellent core features, especially hall effect switches, 8K polling rate, and versatile customizability that keeps you ahead of your opponents in fast-paced games.

Pros

• Highly durable construction
• Incredibly responsive switches
• Buttery smooth key presses
• Unmatched per key customizations
• Hall Effect magnetic switches
• 8000Hz polling rate
• Dedicated volume roller

Cons

• Not very portable
• No wrist rest included
• App requires internet connection
• Only wired connection

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