Not sure which keyboard to choose? Try the Keyboard Finder now!

Head to head · Prices checked Oct 30, 2026

KBDFans Cat vs Keychron Q3 HE

Get the Keychron Q3 HE for hall effect and rapid trigger.

KeebFinder may earn a commission when you buy through these links, at no extra cost to you.

Quick verdict

Which one should you get?

Get the

KBDFans Cat

Rules this board out

  • Switches are soldered. Swapping them means soldering.
  • No ISO layout. ISO-DE, UK, and other ISO variants are not offered.
  • Compact layout only. No function row, dedicated arrow keys, or numpad.

Get the

Keychron Q3 HE

Hall effect

Build quality in the top 5% of 80% boards under $300.

Rules this board out

  • Magnetic switches only. Standard MX switches will not fit.
  • South-facing LEDs. Shine-through legends stay dark, and some sculpted keycaps can clip the LED.
  • No numpad.

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.

KBDFans Cat

Keychron Q3 HE

  • Layout size

    60%

    80%

  • Hall effect (magnetic)

    No

    Yes

    Adjustable actuation helps in games and not in normal typing

  • Rapid trigger

    No

    Yes

    Faster resets help in games and not in normal typing

  • Hot-swappable

    No

    Yes

    Switch changes without soldering

  • Knob

    No

    Yes

KeebFinder scores

How we score
  • KBDFans Cat
  • Keychron Q3 HE
Performance
43
100
Build quality
54
88
Productivity
41
97
Customizability
49
98
Portability
63
78
See every spec side by side

Full specs

KBDFans Cat vs Keychron Q3 HE specs

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

16 of 29 specs differ

KBDFans Cat

Keychron Q3 HE

Typing & switches

Switch options

—
Clicky, Linear, Magnetic, Tactile

Hall effect (magnetic)

No
Yes

Rapid trigger

No
Yes

Hot-swappable

No
Yes

Mount style

—
Gasket Mount, Plate Mount

Sound dampening

No
Yes

Screw-in stabilizers

No
Yes

Layout

Layout size

60%
80%

Layout standard

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

Ergonomics

Standard
Standard

Knob

No
Yes

Display

None
None

Media keys

No
Yes

Connectivity & battery

Connection

—
Bluetooth, 2.4 GHz, Wired

Max polling rate

—
8,000 Hz

Battery

—
4,000 mAh

USB-C

No
Yes

Build & materials

Case material

—
Aluminum, Metal

Plate material

—
Aluminum

Keycaps

—
PBT

Weight

—
1,775 g

Dimensions

—
23 x 137 x 365 mm

Typing angle

—
5°

Backlight

None
RGB, south-facing

Firmware & software

QMK

No
Yes

VIA

No
Yes

N-key rollover

No
Yes

Mac & Windows

No
Yes

Extras

Released

2026
2024

For EU buyers

ISO layouts by store

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

KBDFans Cat

No ISO layout at the stores we track.

Keychron Q3 HE

  • Keychron

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

    Out of 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.

KBDFans Cat2 stores

Still torn?

Answer a few quick questions and the keyboard finder ranks 2,000+ boards by how you will actually use yours.