When the Q6 Ultra 8K and V1 Ultra 8K models emerged, it was clear that Keychron would release new switches and new wireless mechanical keyboards, but Keychron confirmed in its response to Notebookcheck that the new Milk POM switches and keyboards are currently exclusive to Best Buy. However, the plan is to launch the Q6 Ultra 8K and V1 Ultra 8K – as part of the “Q Ultra 8K and V Ultra 8K series” – on the Keychron web store in early 2026.
In addition to the expected visual changes, Keychron has confirmed that the firmware for the new full-size mechanical keyboard and its Q and V Ultra siblings will be based on ZMK. While this may not be obvious to most users, especially if they use Keychron Launcher for customization, it could have implications for longevity and battery life. At the time of this writing, however, neither Keychron nor Best Buy have provided battery life estimates for the new full-size mechanical keyboard or the 75% version.
The ZMK is often considered a QMK alternative designed specifically for wireless mechanical keyboards, which usually makes it much more efficient than the QMK, on which most current Keychron mechanical keyboards are based. For example, the Keychron B2 Proche uses ZMK firmware, it is estimated to provide 300 hours of use with an 800 mAh battery. Meanwhile, the QMK-powered Keychron Q1 Max (currently $229.99 on Amazon), which has a 4,000 mAh battery, is estimated to have about 100 hours of battery life with the backlight turned off. Of course, this isn’t an equal comparison, but the gap in efficiency is clear and points to a huge improvement in battery life over Q Max keyboards.
