Getting a keyboard with customizable Hall effect sensors is more affordable than it used to be, and you don’t need to compromise on quality to get a good deal. Keychron’s aluminum-clad K2 HE with a 75-percent layout is down to $103.99 (was $130) at Amazon, which matches the lowest price we’ve seen occur a few times throughout the year. The option with wood siding is $111.99 at Amazon, also 20 percent off its original price.
The keyboard can connect via USB-C, or wirelessly via Bluetooth or with a more reliable 2.4GHz connection. Its key bindings, actuation points, and much more can be configured in Keychron’s web-based tool. Or, you can flash your own firmware to the keyboard thanks to its open source QMK support.
In case you haven’t owned a Hall effect keyboard before, they’re worth considering if you’ve wanted more granular control over how much (or how little) effort is needed to press a key. What’s more, the sensors support Rapid Trigger, which primes each switch for another input long before it has been fully released, possibly letting you get the jump on opponents. The switches are hot-swappable, and the keyboard natively supports Windows, macOS, and Linux. This is a nice-looking keyboard for the money.
Other solid Verge-approved deals
- I don’t really like to recommend Nvidia RTX 5060-equipped gaming laptops that cost more than $1,000, but there’s a good deal happening at Walmart on a $1,099 model that’s $600 off. Gigabyte’s Aero X16 has a 16-inch 1600p 165Hz IPS screen, AMD’s capable Ryzen AI 7 350 processor, the aforementioned Nvidia GPU, rounded out with 16GB of 5,600MHz DDR5 RAM and a 1TB SSD. I haven’t used this exact laptop, but we’re familiar with Gigabyte’s wares around here, and this is a sleek, almost Razer Blade-esque laptop with specs that mostly warrant its price. If the price of RAM and storage ever goes down, the laptop can be upgraded with up to 64GB and 4TB, respectively, with its additional slots. The configuration that has an RTX 5070 and 32GB of RAM is currently $1,499.99 at Best Buy.
- A couple of Sony’s recent InZone gaming headset releases have hit their lowest prices today. The InZone H9 Mk. 2 is its flagship wireless headset with the same drivers as the WH-1000XM6 headphones, plus a comfy design and great active noise cancellation. Their original $349.99 price felt high considering their near-all-plastic design, but $248 at Amazon and $249.99 at Best Buy is more reasonable. They sound phenomenal. Sony’s wired InZone H6 Air are discounted for the first time, and cost $178 (was $199) at Amazon and $179.99 at Best Buy. They are lightweight and have an open-back design, which to some adds a more realistic sound to games and movies (at the expense of sound isolation — they don’t block any noise whatsoever). Read our coverage of the H9 Mk. 2 and the H6 Air.
- Hoto’s USB-C-chargeable electric screwdriver is almost always discounted for major deal events, but it’s also cheaper on any given Monday, apparently. The screwdriver, which has three torque settings and includes 12 two-inch-long bits, is selling at Amazon for $27.99 when you enter the code WH4J6L4A at checkout (otherwise it’s $50). It’s nice to let technology take over sometimes, especially when what the Hoto screwdriver specializes in can possibly save you some pain from repetitive wrist motions. Also, it’s nice that it has a built-in circular LED light to illuminate dark spaces you’re working in. Walmart has a very similar Hoto screwdriver for $29.99, though it comes with fewer Torx bits.
