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Head to head · Prices checked Oct 21, 2026

Keychron Q5 Max vs Royal Kludge S98

Get the Keychron Q5 Max for the 4,000 mAh battery.

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.

Keychron Q5 Max

Royal Kludge S98

  • Battery

    4,000 mAh

    3,750 mAh

  • Switch options

    Clicky, Linear, Tactile

    Linear, Tactile

  • Mount style

    Gasket Mount, PCB Mount, Plate Mount

    Gasket Mount, Top Mount

  • Display

    None

    TFT

  • Weight

    2,215 g

    1,879 g

KeebFinder scores

How we score
  • Keychron Q5 Max
  • Royal Kludge S98
Performance
81
66
Build quality
91
72
Productivity
97
82
Customizability
98
72
Portability
55
53

What they share

  • Layout size: 96%
  • Connection: Bluetooth, 2.4 GHz, Wired
  • Hot-swappable
  • Knob
  • Sound dampening
See every spec side by side

From real owners

What owners say

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

Keychron Q5 Max

5.0

4 owner reviews

Praise
“I don't like writing reviews but I do like reading them lol. What I am trying to say is that don't sleep in this keyboard. I even liked it more than my Lemokey L3. I got the one with the side printed keys and banana switches. This is my 3rd keychron keyboard.”
Raul B.Verified buyer· via Keychron

Royal Kludge S98

No owner reviews collected yet.

Full specs

Keychron Q5 Max vs Royal Kludge S98 specs

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

14 of 28 specs differ

Keychron Q5 Max

Royal Kludge S98

Typing & switches

Switch options

Clicky, Linear, Tactile
Linear, Tactile

Hot-swappable

Yes
Yes

Mount style

Gasket Mount, PCB Mount, Plate Mount
Gasket Mount, Top Mount

Sound dampening

Yes
Yes

Screw-in stabilizers

Yes
No

Layout

Layout size

96%
96%

Layout standard

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

Ergonomics

Standard
Standard

Knob

Yes
Yes

Display

None
TFT

Media keys

Yes
No

Connectivity & battery

Connection

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

Max polling rate

1,000 Hz
—

Battery

4,000 mAhBetter
3,750 mAh

USB passthrough

No
Yes

USB-C

Yes
Yes

Build & materials

Case material

Aluminum
—

Plate material

Polycarbonate
—

Keycaps

PBT
ABS, PBT

Weight

2,215 g
1,879 g

Dimensions

23 x 145 x 408 mm
41 x 140 x 41 mm

Typing angle

5°
—

Backlight

RGB, south-facing
RGB, south-facing

Firmware & software

QMK

Yes
No

VIA

Yes
No

N-key rollover

Yes
No

Mac & Windows

Yes
Yes

Extras

Released

2023
2023

Where to buy

Compare prices

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

Lowest price across stores, Amazon excluded.

Keychron Q5 Max4 stores

  • KeychronHK

    In stock
    $219Visit

  • MKUS

    In stock
    $219Visit

  • Keychron (DE)DE

    In stock
    $295Visit

  • AmazonGlobal

    Check price
    Visit
Royal Kludge S982 stores

  • Royal KludgeUS

    In stock
    $89Visit

  • AmazonGlobal

    Check price
    Visit

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