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Head to head · Prices checked Nov 1, 2026

Dareu A98 Pro vs Keychron Q1 Max

Get the Keychron Q1 Max for knob.

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Quick verdict

Which one should you get?

Get the

Dareu A98 Pro

Build quality in the top 30% of 98% boards under $200.

Rules this board out

  • 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 Q1 Max

Knob

Build quality in the top 5% of 75% boards under $200.

Rules this board out

  • 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.

Dareu A98 Pro

Keychron Q1 Max

  • Layout size

    98%

    75%

  • Case material

    Aluminum, Plastic

    Aluminum

  • Switch options

    Linear

    Clicky, Linear, Tactile

  • Mount style

    Gasket Mount

    Gasket Mount, Plate Mount

  • Knob

    No

    Yes

KeebFinder scores

How we score
  • Dareu A98 Pro
  • Keychron Q1 Max
Performance
49
82
Build quality
70
89
Productivity
87
97
Customizability
74
98
Portability
56
81

What they share

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

From real owners

What owners say

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

Dareu A98 Pro

5.0

2 owner reviews

Praise
“EDIT: UPDATED TO 5 STARS BECAUSE I WAS MAKING A MISTAKE. For some reason, I cannot read properly and did not realize the switch on the far left of the KB is how you manually switch which input you're using to connect the KB. I switched it from wired to dongle…”
William W.Verified buyer· via Epomaker

Keychron Q1 Max

4.3

25 owner reviews

Praise
“As a software analyst who do a lot of coding, emailing and editing this is the one. Why would I build one when there is one ready that is better than what I could build?”
JayVerified buyer· via Keychron
Critique
“This product is a downgrade relative to the previous version. I deeply regret not unpacking it and testing it out in the return period: (1) The keyboard is much louder -- on the Pro, keypresses were basically silent with the right switches; now, they are very…”
TyperVerified buyer· via Keychron

Full specs

Dareu A98 Pro vs Keychron Q1 Max specs

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

15 of 27 specs differ

Dareu A98 Pro

Keychron Q1 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%
75%

Layout standard

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

Ergonomics

Standard
Standard

Knob

No
Yes

Display

TFT
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

Yes
Yes

Build & materials

Case material

Aluminum, Plastic
Aluminum

Plate material

—
Polycarbonate

Keycaps

PBT
PBT

Weight

1,200 g
1,724 g

Dimensions

37 x 388 x 139 mm
23 x 145 x 328 mm

Typing angle

—
5°

Backlight

RGB
RGB, south-facing

Firmware & software

QMK

No
Yes

VIA

No
Yes

N-key rollover

No
Yes

Mac & Windows

Yes
Yes

Extras

Released

2022
2023

For EU buyers

ISO layouts by store

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

Dareu A98 Pro

No ISO layout at the stores we track.

Keychron Q1 Max

  • Input Gear

    ISO-DE

    Out of stockShips to you

  • Keychron

    ISO-DE, ISO-UK, ISO-Nordic, ISO-CH

    Out of stockShips to you

  • Keychron (DE)

    ISO-DE, ISO-UK, ISO-CH

    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.

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