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Head to head · Prices checked Nov 12, 2026

Apos OLKB Preonic vs Varmilo VA100 Dream of the Red Chamber

Get the Apos OLKB Preonic for knob. Get the Varmilo VA100 Dream of the Red Chamber for hot-swappable.

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Quick verdict

Which one should you get?

Get the

Apos OLKB Preonic

Knob

Rules this board out

  • Switches are soldered. Swapping them means soldering.

Get the

Varmilo VA100 Dream of the Red Chamber

Hot-swappable

Build quality in the top 35% of 100% boards under $200.

Rules this board out

  • South-facing LEDs. Shine-through legends stay dark, and some sculpted keycaps can clip the LED.

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.

Apos OLKB Preonic

Varmilo VA100 Dream of the Red Chamber

  • Connection

    Wired

    Bluetooth, 2.4 GHz, Wired

    Wireless for several devices and wired for lower latency

  • Hot-swappable

    No

    Yes

    Switch changes without soldering

  • Ergonomics

    Ortholinear

    Standard

  • Case material

    Acrylic, Aluminum

    Plastic

  • Knob

    Yes

    No

KeebFinder scores

How we score
  • Apos OLKB Preonic
  • Varmilo VA100 Dream of the Red Chamber
Performance
61
64
Build quality
68
61
Productivity
56
76
Customizability
74
61
Portability
40
66

What they share

  • Keycaps: PBT
See every spec side by side

Full specs

Apos OLKB Preonic vs Varmilo VA100 Dream of the Red Chamber specs

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

11 of 21 specs differ

Apos OLKB Preonic

Varmilo VA100 Dream of the Red Chamber

Typing & switches

Switch options

—
Linear, Silent

Hot-swappable

No
Yes

Mount style

—
Gasket Mount

Sound dampening

No
Yes

Layout

Layout size

—
100%

Layout standard

Colemak
ANSI

Ergonomics

Ortholinear
Standard

Knob

Yes
No

Display

None
None

Connectivity & battery

Connection

Wired
Bluetooth, 2.4 GHz, Wired

Max polling rate

—
1,000 Hz

Battery

Wired only
8,000 mAh

USB-C

No
Yes

Build & materials

Case material

Acrylic, Aluminum
Plastic

Keycaps

PBT
PBT

Weight

—
1,450 g

Dimensions

—
41 x 438 x 136 mm

Backlight

RGB
RGB, south-facing

Firmware & software

QMK

Yes
No

Mac & Windows

No
Yes

Extras

Released

2026
2026

Where to buy

Compare prices

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

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