Keychron launches… just about everything
Keychron is launching the F4 HE 8K Vibe Coding Keypad, a macro pad with just four keys. It’s made for people who talk to their computer and vibe code with their voice. The whole thing costs $34.99.
Keychron as a brand has fascinated me for a long time. They launch so many different products! I don’t get it. Where do they find buyers for all this?
Who wants a macro pad with 100 keys? Or a keyboard in solid copper, or in concrete?
Now they’re launching a macro pad with only four keys, aimed squarely at vibe coders.
The F4 HE 8K in white and black. / Credit: Keychron (YouTube)
Four keys is just enough
For the non-vibers out there: when vibe coding, you hold down the space bar while you talk, and the computer transcribes your speech to text. Then you hit Enter to send the message. Throw in a cancel key like Esc, and you’re basically done.
It’s a great workflow, and in my experience it works well in Norwegian with ChatGPT Codex and Gemini. Claude Code currently treats all speech as English, at least when the OS is set to English.
Beyond that, you barely need more than copy/paste. That’s five keys.
The point is that people who like this exact workflow don’t need a full keyboard. In theory, at least.
In theory, they can lean back in the armchair, pull the macro pad over on the desk, talk to the machine and get things done.
Keychron has taken that to its logical conclusion. All four keys are fully configurable, as macros, single keys or shortcuts.
The extra icon keycaps, swapped to match what each key does. / Credit: Keychron (YouTube)
Tiny, but with 8000 Hz
Keychron hasn’t cut corners on anything except the size. The F4 HE 8K has magnetic switches (Keychron Ultra-Fast Lime), the same kind of tech as in the Q1 HE. That means you can adjust how far down a key has to travel before it registers.
I liked the Q1 HE a lot when I tested it, so check out the review!
It also has an 8000 Hz polling rate, which means the macro pad reports to the computer every 0.125 milliseconds instead of every millisecond. On a keypad where you wait 30 seconds for an AI model to answer, that’s complete overkill.
Everything is configured in the browser through Keychron Launcher, no separate app needed.
Otherwise it’s tiny. It measures under 5 × 5 cm and stands 3.4 cm tall including keycaps and feet. The case is ABS plastic, the plate is aluminium, and the keycaps are PBT in Cherry profile. It connects with a USB-C cable and has no built-in battery.
The F4 HE 8K next to a regular keyboard. Four keys, lit in blue. / Credit: Keychron (YouTube)
I suggested this in April
I don’t want to take credit for this, I’m a modest guy after all, but I suggested something similar to Keychron’s CTO back in April.
Did I get a reply to my email and a thank you for the idea? No.
Did they launch a product without talking to me? Yes.
My idea was similar, but the pitch was to launch it on Kickstarter, and of course I would have asked for an ISO Enter if anyone had ever asked me. There were also a lot of AI renders of tiny keyboards popping up on Reddit around that time, so the interest seemed to be there. Keychron skipped that step and sells the F4 HE 8K straight from its own store.
The F4 HE 8K is available now at keychron.com for $34.99.
I’m not sure whether it will show up in stores here in the Nordics, but for the record, I’ve asked Keychron.
