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Head to head · Prices checked Nov 7, 2026

Dareu A98 Master vs Keychron V5 Max

Get the Keychron V5 Max for knob.

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Quick verdict

Which one should you get?

Get the

Dareu A98 Master

Build quality in the bottom 40% of 98% boards under $200.

Rules this board out

  • South-facing LEDs. Shine-through legends stay dark, and some sculpted keycaps can clip the LED.
  • No ISO layout. ISO-DE, UK, and other ISO variants are not offered.
  • Compact full-size layout. The numpad is present, the gaps of a full-size board are not.

Get the

Keychron V5 Max

Knob

Build quality in the top 10% of 96% boards under $100.

Rules this board out

  • South-facing LEDs. Shine-through legends stay dark, and some sculpted keycaps can clip the LED.
  • Compact full-size layout. The numpad is present, the gaps of a full-size board are not.

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.

Dareu A98 Master

Keychron V5 Max

  • Layout size

    98%

    96%

  • Case material

    PBT

    ABS, Plastic

  • Switch options

    Linear

    Clicky, Linear, Tactile

  • Mount style

    Gasket Mount

    Gasket Mount, Plate Mount

  • Knob

    No

    Yes

KeebFinder scores

How we score
  • Dareu A98 Master
  • Keychron V5 Max
Performance
49
83
Build quality
59
86
Productivity
70
97
Customizability
62
98
Portability
49
53

What they share

  • Connection: Bluetooth, 2.4 GHz, Wired
  • Hot-swappable
  • Battery: 4,000 mAh
  • Sound dampening
See every spec side by side

Full specs

Dareu A98 Master vs Keychron V5 Max specs

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

15 of 27 specs differ

Dareu A98 Master

Keychron V5 Max

Typing & switches

Switch options

Linear
Clicky, Linear, Tactile

Hot-swappable

Yes
Yes

Mount style

Gasket Mount
Gasket Mount, Plate Mount

Sound dampening

Yes
Yes

Screw-in stabilizers

Yes
Yes

Layout

Layout size

98%
96%

Layout standard

ANSI
ANSI, ISO, ISO-DE, ISO-ES, ISO-FR, 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
Bluetooth, 2.4 GHz, Wired

Max polling rate

—
1,000 Hz

Battery

4,000 mAh
4,000 mAh

USB-C

No
Yes

Build & materials

Case material

PBT
ABS, Plastic

Plate material

—
Polycarbonate

Keycaps

PBT
ABS, PBT

Weight

980 g
925 g

Dimensions

31 x 151 x 393 mm
22 x 149 x 392 mm

Typing angle

—
4°

Backlight

RGB, south-facing
RGB, south-facing

Firmware & software

QMK

No
Yes

VIA

No
Yes

N-key rollover

No
Yes

Mac & Windows

No
Yes

Extras

Released

2023
2023

For EU buyers

ISO layouts by store

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

Dareu A98 Master

No ISO layout at the stores we track.

Keychron V5 Max

  • Keychron

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

    Out of stockShips to you

  • Keychron (DE)

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

    Out of stockDoes not ship to you

Where to buy

Compare prices

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

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Lowest price across stores, Amazon excluded.

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