Royal Kludge A72 Alice vs Keychron B40
Choose the A72 for hot-swappable mechanical switches and PBT keycaps, or the B40 for a lighter low-profile board with quiet scissor keys.
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Which one should you get?
Get the
Royal Kludge A72 Alice
Hot-swappable
Build quality in the bottom 45% of 65% boards under $100.
- Hot-swappable switches, with linear, tactile, and silent types listed.
- PBT keycaps and a gasket-mounted design.
- Five-layer sound dampening and RGB backlighting.
- 65% layout. No function row and no numpad.
Get the
Keychron B40
Build quality in the bottom 15% of 75% boards under $50.
- Low-profile Alice layout with quiet scissor keys.
- Light 595 g build and 7° typing angle listed in the product metadata.
- Tri-mode connectivity and a 1000 Hz polling rate over wired and 2.4 GHz.
- Switches are soldered. Swapping them means soldering.
- Low-profile switches and keycaps only. Standard MX keycaps will not fit.
- No numpad.
Pick the Royal Kludge A72 Alice if you want mechanical switches you can replace, PBT keycaps, RGB, and layered sound dampening. Choose the Keychron B40 if carrying weight and quiet scissor-key typing matter more, and you are comfortable with fixed low-profile keys. Check the B40's low-profile-only keycap and switch restriction before planning upgrades.
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.
Royal Kludge A72 Alice
Keychron B40
Layout size
65%
75%
Hot-swappable
Yes
No
Switch changes without soldering
Battery
7,500 mAh
800 mAh
A larger battery means fewer cables during the day
Low profile
No
Yes
Switch options
Linear, Silent, Tactile
Clicky, Linear, Tactile
- Royal Kludge A72 Alice
- Keychron B40
- Performance
- 5953
- Build quality
- 6346
- Productivity
- 8381
- Customizability
- 7346
- Portability
- 9478
- Connection: Bluetooth, 2.4 GHz, Wired
- Ergonomics: Alice
- Knob
What will you mostly use it for?
The A72 takes the edge for customization and lighting, while the B40 is the more convenient pick when low weight or quiet scissor-key typing matters. Programming is a close call because both combine an Alice layout, macro keys, and a knob, but differ in size and switch feel. For gaming, the B40's stated polling rate is a meaningful counterpoint to the A72's mechanical hot-swap design and RGB. Both support wired and wireless use, so connection options alone do not settle the choice.
Pick the Royal Kludge A72 Alice
- The A72 has hot-swappable mechanical switches, while the B40 uses fixed scissor keys.
- The A72 includes RGB lighting; the B40 has no backlight.
- The B40 lists a 1000 Hz polling rate for wired and 2.4 GHz connections, so it has a clear documented polling-rate advantage.
Royal Kludge A72 Alice vs Keychron B40 specs
Every tracked spec, side by side. Rows marked with a dot differ between the boards.
11 of 23 specs differ
Royal Kludge A72 Alice
Keychron B40
Switch options
Hot-swappable
Mount style
Low profile
Sound dampening
Layout size
Layout standard
Ergonomics
Knob
Display
Media keys
Connection
Max polling rate
Battery
USB-C
Case material
Keycaps
Weight
Dimensions
Typing angle
Backlight
Mac & Windows
Released
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Royal Kludge A72 Alice vs Keychron B40: your questions
Yes. The A72 is listed as hot-swappable, and Royal Kludge describes support for 3-pin and 5-pin switches. The B40's scissor keys are fixed, and replacing its switches requires soldering.
The B40's switches are soldered, so changing them requires soldering. Its low-profile design also requires low-profile switches and keycaps, not standard MX keycaps.
The Keychron B40 weighs 595 g, while the Royal Kludge A72 Alice weighs 1350 g. That makes the B40 the lighter option for carrying between locations.
Both are listed with Alice ergonomics. Royal Kludge describes the A72 as a compact Alice keyboard, and Keychron describes the B40 as a 75% Alice layout.
Neither keyboard has a numpad. The A72's compatibility notes also specify that its 65% layout has no numpad, and the B40's layout rules likewise exclude one.
No. The B40 is listed as non-backlit, while the A72 has RGB backlighting and Royal Kludge describes multiple RGB modes.
Keychron rates the B40 for up to 330 hours in 2.4 GHz mode. Royal Kludge lists up to 550 hours for the A72 with RGB off, so the stated maximum runtime is higher for the A72, but the figures use different stated conditions.
Yes. Both list Bluetooth, 2.4 GHz, and wired connections. Keychron says the B40 can hold up to three Bluetooth devices at once.
The B40 uses quiet scissor keys and is described by Keychron as a low-noise typing option. The A72 has silent switch options and five-layer sound dampening, but its mechanical design is different from the B40's scissor keys.
No. The B40 is restricted to low-profile keycaps, and standard MX keycaps will not fit. The A72 is listed with PBT keycaps, but its compatibility with specific replacement keycap sets is not established here.
Keychron lists the B40 at 1000 Hz over wired and 2.4 GHz connections, and 125 Hz over Bluetooth. No polling-rate figure is listed for the A72, so there is no directly stated A72 figure to compare.
Both have a knob and five M1-M5 macro keys. Royal Kludge describes the A72's keys as customizable, and Keychron says the B40's macro keys and knob can be configured in Keychron Launcher.
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