Lemokey X3 review: A very cheap, but still solid mechanical keyboard

Summary

• Lemokey X3 is a budget mechanical keyboard with a mostly plastic build and single-color backlight.
• Typing experience is good with tactile brown switches, adjustable feet, and customizable functions.
• Supported by Keychron/Lemokey Launcher web app and VIA for remapping, macros, and firmware updates.

Keychron, along with its gaming-oriented Lemokey brand, make some of the best mechanical keyboards on the market, and I've loved every single one I've reviewed. But I've been mostly looking at the higher end of the market, so when I got the chance to review the $50 Lemokey X3, I wasn't totally sure what to expect.

As it turns out, it's still a solid keyboard, even if the cost-cutting required to get to this price point is extremely obvious. It feels good to type on, which is what matters the most, though the build quality is nowhere near the same level as it would be on Keychron's more expensive boards. Still, for a starter mechanical keyboard, you can't really go wrong with this one.

About this review: Keychron sent us the Lemokey X3 for the purposes of this review. The company had no input in its content.

Pricing and availability

The Lemokey X3 was launched earlier in April 2024, and it's available from Lemokey's own website as well as on Amazon, and potentially other retailers as well. The keyboard costs $49.99.

Design and build quality

It's a cheap keyboard, and you can tell

Unlike other keyboards I've reviewed from Keychron or Lemokey, the X3 is aimed at a very budget mechanical keyboard market, and as such, the build quality and materials take a big hit. Instead of the usual sturdy metal chassis, we get a mostly plastic build, and it's not the most sturdy plastic at that. I can get it to flex very easily, which isn't the case with other plastic keyboards I've tried like the 8BitDo Retro Keyboard or the Cherry Xtrfy K5V2. Similarly, the board itself seems to flex a bit at the edges. When I press the Shift key a bit harder, or one of the keys on the number pad, I can see all the surrounding keycaps sinking into the chassis. It definitely feels cheap.

But of course, that's because it is. The 8BitDo Retro Mechanical Keyboard costs twice as much, so there have to be some costs cut to get to this price. And once the keyboard is set down and you're typing normally, you probably won't notice any of this. That being said, for some games, where you might be holding down keys or pressing them harder due to the intensity of a game, the fact that the board flexes so much may actually get in the way.

The Lemokey X3 is still a backlit keyboard, though unlike the more expensive models, it's not RGB. In fact, it only has one color, and it's red, which is part of the theme of this keyboard, since some keycaps are also red (black versions are also included if you want to swap them). In addition to the lighting behind the keys, there are also light bars on each side of the keyboard for some extra flair. You can adjust the brightness of the backlight using the keyboard alone, as well as switch between a few different lighting effects.

One thing worth mentioning is that the Lemokey X3 is a strictly wired keyboard, though the cable is removable. The bottom of the keyboard also includes routing grooves so you can have the cable come out of either side.

Typing

It's still quite good

Setting aside the mostly plastic build, the Lemokey X3 is actually still a pretty solid keyboard to type on. The company sent me the version with tactile brown switches, and I actually like them a lot. They're not quite as silent as the reds, but typing on them is still very comfortable, and that tactile feedback also helps with reducing typos (which are pretty frequent with me). You also have the option of red linear switches, though, which I tend to prefer, or you can bring your own switches and swap them out.

The switches are pre-lubricated, which helps the keyboard be a bit quieter, but there's definitely not the same level of noise dampening here compared to Keychron's more expensive boards. It's not a super-loud keyboard, but certainly not an extra quiet one, either. It's totally fine for me working in my own office by myself, though I think it might get a bit more annoying in a shared office. It's definitely not as bad as the 8BitDo Retro keyboard with its blue switches, though.

Overall, typing on this keyboard feels pretty nice, and I didn't find myself frustrated in any way. I could type as fast as I usually do without much of a concern. If you want a different typing angle, you do get adjustable feet here so you can choose one of three height options. I was happy with the default height.

The function keys also double as a series of secondary functions, as per usual, so you get some media controls and shortcuts to features like Task View and even Copilot.

Lemokey Launcher

You get some software settings, too

As is typical for Keychron and Lemokey, the X3 is yet another keyboard supported by the company's Launcher web app, as well as VIA thanks to using QMK firmware. The Keychron/Lemokey Launcher is basically a way to simplify these settings for the user, so you don't have to upload your own JSON file while you wait for it to be approved for the general VIA app. It also has the benefit of supporting more languages. Plus it's the only way to use HE mode on the KKeycrhon Q1 HE.

In the Lemokey Launcher, you get the usual set of features. You can remap pretty much every key to something else, including mouse movements, and you have four different layers you can use, meaning you can assign that many more functions to a key by switching layers.

You can also create macros to automate more complex actions, and, of course, update the firmware or test the keys on the keyboard. Interestingly, there seem to be no lighting settings here, likely because the single-color backlight can easily be adjusted with just the keyboard alone.

Should you buy the Lemokey X3?

Obviously a $50 keyboard like the Lemokey X3 could never be on the same level as the company's more expensive boards, but the Lemokey X3 is still a solid option if you want to get into the world of mechanical keyboards. Typing feels pretty good and you get a good feel for what this kind of keyboard can offer before splurging on a super-expensive model.

There are obvious sacrifices, with build quality not being that great, the lack of wireless support, or the red backlight, but those are things you kind of expect at this price point.

You should buy the Lemokey X3 if:

• You want to get into mechanical keyboard without spending too much
• You want a full-sie keyboard
• You want some customizability options

You should NOT buy the Lemokey X3 if:

• You want a premium-feeling keyboard (and can afford it)
• You want RGB