Head to head · Prices checked Oct 28, 2026

8BitDo Retro87 vs Keychron K3 V3

Get the 8BitDo Retro87 for the 4,000 mAh battery.

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Battery

from$109at Mechkeys

from$84at MK

Quick verdict

Which one should you get?

Get the

8BitDo Retro87

Battery

Build quality in the bottom 40% of 80% boards under $150.

Rules this board out

No ISO layout. ISO-DE, UK, and other ISO variants are not offered.
No numpad.

$109 at Mechkeys

Get the

Keychron K3 V3

Build quality in the top 10% of 75% boards under $100.

Rules this board out

Low-profile switches and keycaps only. Standard MX keycaps will not fit.
North-facing LEDs. Cherry-profile keycaps can hit the switch housing.
No numpad.

$84 at MK

What actually differs

The differences that matter

Skip the 40-row spec sheet. These are the specs that change how each board feels, sounds, and fits your desk.

8BitDo Retro87

Keychron K3 V3

Layout size
80%
75%
Connection
Bluetooth, 2.4 GHz, Wired
Bluetooth, Wired
Wireless for several devices and wired for lower latency
Battery
4,000 mAh
1,550 mAh
A larger battery means fewer cables during the day
Low profile
No
Yes
Case material
Aluminum, Plastic
ABS, Aluminum

KeebFinder scores

How we score

8BitDo Retro87
Keychron K3 V3

Performance: 63
82
Build quality: 53
83
Productivity: 73
80
Customizability: 68
89
Portability: 77
77

What they share

Hot-swappable
Max polling rate: 1,000 Hz
Plate material: Aluminum

See every spec side by side

Full specs

8BitDo Retro87 vs Keychron K3 V3 specs

Every tracked spec, side by side. Rows marked with a dot differ between the boards.

16 of 26 specs differ

Spec

8BitDo Retro87

Keychron K3 V3

Typing & switches

Switch options

Clicky

Clicky, Linear, Tactile

Hot-swappable

Yes

Mount style

Top Mount

PCB Mount, Plate Mount, Top Mount

Low profile

Yes

Layout

Layout size

80%

75%

Layout standard

ANSI

ANSI, ISO, ISO-DE, ISO-Nordic, ISO-SW, ISO-UK

Ergonomics

Standard

Knob

Yes

Display

None

Media keys

Yes

Connectivity & battery

Connection

Bluetooth, 2.4 GHz, Wired

Bluetooth, Wired

Max polling rate

1,000 Hz

Battery

4,000 mAhBetter

1,550 mAh

USB-C

Yes

Build & materials

Case material

Aluminum, Plastic

ABS, Aluminum

Plate material

Aluminum

Keycaps

ABS

ABS, PBT

Weight

1,100 g

540 g

Dimensions

46 x 169 x 376 mm

19 x 306 x 116 mm

Typing angle

—

3°

Backlight

RGB

RGB, north-facing

Firmware & software

QMK

Yes

VIA

Yes

N-key rollover

Yes

Mac & Windows

Yes

Extras

Released

2024

For EU buyers

ISO layouts by store

Which stores sell ISO-DE, UK, and the other regional layouts.

8BitDo Retro87

No ISO layout at the stores we track.

Keychron K3 V3

Keychron
ISO-DE, ISO-UK, ISO-Nordic, ISO-SW
In stockShips to you
Keychron (DE)
ISO-DE, ISO-UK, ISO-SW
In stockDoes not ship to you

Where to buy

Compare prices

Live prices from the stores we track, cheapest in-stock offer first.

Prices in USD are converted to your currency and can change at any time. KeebFinder may earn a commission when you buy through these links, at no extra cost to you.

Lowest price across stores, Amazon excluded.

8BitDo Retro873 stores