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Head to head · Prices checked Oct 28, 2026

8BitDo Retro87 vs Keychron Q4

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Quick verdict

Which one should you get?

Get the

8BitDo Retro87

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 Q4

Build quality in the top 5% of 60% boards under $100.

Rules this board out

  • South-facing LEDs. Shine-through legends stay dark, and some sculpted keycaps can clip the LED.
  • Compact layout only. No function row, dedicated arrow keys, or numpad.
$59 at Keychron

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 Q4

  • Layout size

    80%

    60%

  • Connection

    Bluetooth, 2.4 GHz, Wired

    Wired

    Wireless for several devices and wired for lower latency

  • Case material

    Aluminum, Plastic

    Aluminum

  • Switch options

    Clicky

    Clicky, Linear, Tactile

  • Mount style

    Top Mount

    Gasket Mount, Plate Mount

KeebFinder scores

How we score
  • 8BitDo Retro87
  • Keychron Q4
Performance
63
66
Build quality
53
90
Productivity
73
95
Customizability
68
98
Portability
77
71

What they share

  • Hot-swappable
  • Max polling rate: 1,000 Hz
  • Knob
See every spec side by side

Full specs

8BitDo Retro87 vs Keychron Q4 specs

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

18 of 27 specs differ

8BitDo Retro87

Keychron Q4

Typing & switches

Switch options

Clicky
Clicky, Linear, Tactile

Hot-swappable

Yes
Yes

Mount style

Top Mount
Gasket Mount, Plate Mount

Sound dampening

No
Yes

Screw-in stabilizers

No
Yes

Layout

Layout size

80%
60%

Layout standard

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

Ergonomics

Standard
Standard

Knob

Yes
Yes

Display

None
None

Media keys

No
Yes

Connectivity & battery

Connection

Bluetooth, 2.4 GHz, Wired
Wired

Max polling rate

1,000 Hz
1,000 Hz

Battery

4,000 mAh
Wired only

USB-C

Yes
Yes

Build & materials

Case material

Aluminum, Plastic
Aluminum

Plate material

Aluminum
Steel

Keycaps

ABS
ABS, PBT

Weight

1,100 g
1,500 g

Dimensions

46 x 169 x 376 mm
20 x 121 x 303 mm

Typing angle

—
7°

Backlight

RGB
RGB, south-facing

Firmware & software

QMK

No
Yes

VIA

No
Yes

N-key rollover

Yes
No

Mac & Windows

Yes
Yes

Extras

Released

2024
2022

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 Q4

  • Keychron

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

    In stockShips to you

  • Keychron (DE)

    ISO-DE, ISO-UK, ISO-Nordic, ISO-FR, ISO-ES, 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
Keychron Q44 stores

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