Maybe the pictures you were referencing weren’t very good but the switches aren’t covered by anything.
There’s a top plate that covers the PCB, but the switches are fully exposed and fit snugly against the top plate to prevent dust from going down onto the PCB.
I took a couple of pictures of my K8 Pro which is identical in construction to the K10 Pro. One with the keycap removed, and one with the switch pulled.
I know you mentioned Keychron seems low form factor, but that’s not my experience with the K10 Pro. I have been using this keyboard for a few months now and I love it. I got mine with Red switches.