I tried Gboard's alternative keyboard layouts, but QWERTY still wins

Published Nov 4, 2026, 11:00 AM EST A tech writer who enjoys exploring new gadgets, trying out apps, and capturing moments through photography. He likes getting hands-on with technology and sharing what he learns with readers. I use QWERTY when I type on my phone. I've never had much reason to look for an alternative, and maybe it's the same for most of us; when a keyboard works, there's little reason to change it. Gboard offers several alternatives, including Dvorak, Colemak, AZERTY, and QWERTZ. I've seen some of these layouts before, but I never tried using them on a phone. Since typing on a touchscreen differs from a physical keyboard, I was curious about how well these alternatives would work with just my thumbs. I tried several Gboard layouts to see how they compare with QWERTY in everyday use and whether any are worth getting used to. I wanted to find out whether changing the arrangement of familiar letters offered a practical benefit, or whether I'd rather stick with QWERTY. Some layouts feel familiar; others make me rethink how I type Dvorak and Colemak took more effort I didn't realize how much I relied on muscle memory until I started switching layouts. The further a layout moved from the QWERTY layout I knew, the more I had to think about where each letter was placed. Even typing a simple sentence took more effort when I couldn't rely on familiar key positions. AZERTY felt relatively easy to approach at first, although the changed positions of A, Q, W, and M caught me off guard. I could see myself getting used to those differences with practice, but I wondered what I would gain by relearning key positions when QWERTY worked for me. QWERTZ, on the other hand, felt more familiar because its arrangement was close to QWERTY. The major difference was the swapped Y and Z keys. I occasionally expected those letters in their usual QWERTY positions, which could lead to mistakes when I typed quickly. These errors were manageable, but the change didn't give me a reason to switch. Dvorak was a bigger adjustment, as I kept searching for individual letters and struggled to finish even a simple sentence without stopping. Although autocorrect resolved some of my mistakes, it couldn't make the layout feel natural during my brief test. I spent more time finding keys than concentrating on what I wanted to write. Colemak gave me a better first impression, but I still had to search for letters in almost every word. Although I knew the layout placed some frequently used letters along the home row, that didn't make the keyboard easier to use. Swipe typing was also difficult when I hadn't learned the layout. A few minutes isn't enough to judge how quickly someone could type after proper practice. AZERTY and QWERTZ were easier for me to pick up because they retained a more familiar arrangement, while Dvorak and Colemak demanded more effort before I could type naturally. Not every Gboard keyboard works the way I expect Alternatives to conventional typing, but each has its own trade-offs ClearFlow is geared toward swipe typing, making it different from the other layouts I tried. I liked having a spacebar on each side, but because I rarely swipe to type, I found the layout difficult to use without practice. Its potential benefit depends on how comfortable you are with gesture typing. Handwriting was less suited to the way I used my phone. Although Gboard offers controls for writing speed and stroke width, longer phrases and sentences take more effort. Punctuation and numbers could also be hit or miss. By the time I finished writing a thought, I felt I could have typed it faster. Morse code, on the other hand, was the most unfamiliar option. Gboard replaces the usual letter grid with dot-and-dash inputs and includes controls for character and word timeouts. While it may be useful for people who benefit from this type of input, it serves a different purpose from a conventional keyboard and doesn't fit my everyday typing needs. PC mode was familiar in terms of key arrangement, but its small keys made it uncomfortable on a phone. Although I could locate letters easily, the layout felt better suited to a physical-keyboard arrangement than a touchscreen. After trying these options, I found that familiarity wasn't the only factor that mattered. Each layout involved a different trade-off, but none offered enough advantage to justify switching. While I could appreciate what each layout was designed to achieve, QWERTY remained the most comfortable and practical choice for everyday typing on my phone. Trying other layouts made me appreciate the one I already use QWERTY still holds the crown I went into this experiment wondering whether another layout might work better on a touchscreen. After trying Gboard's alternative offerings, I still prefer QWERTY. I'm used to its letter positions, can type with both thumbs without constantly searching for keys, and don't have to relearn something that feels natural. That doesn't mean the alternatives have nothing to offer. Users who regularly type with AZERTY or QWERTZ may find those layouts more familiar, while Dvorak and Colemak could become comfortable with regular practice. Other input options are designed to suit different preferences and needs, just like how trying a few simple Gboard tricks can help speed up your everyday typing. However, after trying them, I found that QWERTY remains the best fit for my everyday typing, and I don't feel any need to change my keyboard layout simply for the sake of it. In the end, the answer is still QWERTY. I didn't find a reason to give up, and none of the alternatives gave me a strong enough reason to relearn years of muscle memory. They were interesting to try, but for everyday typing, I'll stick with the layout I already know.