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Head to head · Prices checked Oct 21, 2026

8BitDo Retro87 vs Keychron K4 HE

Get the Keychron K4 HE for hall effect and rapid trigger.

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 K4 HE

  • Layout size

    80%

    96%

  • Hall effect (magnetic)

    No

    Yes

  • Rapid trigger

    No

    Yes

  • Connection

    Bluetooth, 2.4 GHz, Wired

    Bluetooth, Wired, 2.4 GHz

  • Case material

    Aluminum, Plastic

    ABS, Aluminum, Plastic, Wood

KeebFinder scores

How we score
  • 8BitDo Retro87
  • Keychron K4 HE
Performance
63
92
Build quality
53
87
Productivity
73
94
Customizability
68
89
Portability
76
56

What they share

  • Hot-swappable
  • Battery: 4,000 mAh
  • Max polling rate: 1,000 Hz
  • Plate material: Aluminum
See every spec side by side

From real owners

What owners say

Ratings and quotes collected from verified store reviews, including the critical ones.

8BitDo Retro87

No owner reviews collected yet.

Keychron K4 HE

4.2

10 owner reviews

Praise
“So far it have met my expectations for the use i wanted it for, had a small hic up the first day i started ysing it but got easily resolved with the provided user manual”
PabloVerified buyer· via Keychron
Critique
“The keyboard is smooth to the touch, and has the nice feel. For me, it's almost an ideal keyboard but the one thing that gets me and it's a hard issue is that when connected, it takes away input from my controller when I game, especially for live service…”
Vick L.Verified buyer· via Keychron

Full specs

8BitDo Retro87 vs Keychron K4 HE specs

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

18 of 28 specs differ

8BitDo Retro87

Keychron K4 HE

Typing & switches

Switch options

Clicky
Clicky, Linear, Magnetic, Tactile

Hall effect (magnetic)

No
Yes

Rapid trigger

No
Yes

Hot-swappable

Yes
Yes

Mount style

Top Mount
Tray Mount

Sound dampening

No
Yes

Screw-in stabilizers

No
Yes

Layout

Layout size

80%
96%

Layout standard

ANSI
ANSI, ISO, ISO-CH, ISO-DE, ISO-ES, ISO-FR, ISO-Nordic, ISO-SW, ISO-UK

Ergonomics

Standard
Standard

Knob

Yes
No

Display

None
None

Connectivity & battery

Connection

Bluetooth, 2.4 GHz, Wired
Bluetooth, Wired, 2.4 GHz

Max polling rate

1,000 Hz
1,000 Hz

Battery

4,000 mAh
4,000 mAh

USB-C

Yes
Yes

Build & materials

Case material

Aluminum, Plastic
ABS, Aluminum, Plastic, Wood

Plate material

Aluminum
Aluminum

Keycaps

ABS
PBT

Weight

1,100 g
1,090 g

Dimensions

46 x 169 x 376 mm
31 x 126 x 373 mm

Typing angle

—
5°, 8°

Backlight

RGB
RGB, north-facing

Firmware & software

QMK

No
Yes

VIA

No
Yes

N-key rollover

Yes
Yes

Mac & Windows

Yes
Yes

Extras

Released

2024
2025

Where to buy

Compare prices

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

Lowest price across stores, Amazon excluded.

  • MechkeysCN

    In stock
    $109Visit
  • AmazonGlobal

    Check price
    ~$109Visit
  • WhatGeekCN

    Out of stock
    $139Visit
  • MKUS

    In stock
    $118Visit
  • KeychronHK

    In stock
    $134Visit
  • Keychron (DE)DE

    In stock
    $180Visit
  • AmazonGlobal

    Check price
    Visit

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