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Head to head · Prices checked Nov 10, 2026

Ducky Year of the Horse vs Desktop Tribe Balance 103

Get the Desktop Tribe Balance 103 for hall effect and the 5,800 mAh battery.

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Quick verdict

Which one should you get?

Get the

Ducky Year of the Horse

Build quality in the top 20% 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.

Get the

Desktop Tribe Balance 103

Hall effect

Build quality in the top 10% of 100% boards under $200.

Rules this board out

  • Magnetic switches only. Standard MX switches will not fit.

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.

Ducky Year of the Horse

Desktop Tribe Balance 103

  • Hall effect (magnetic)

    No

    Yes

    Adjustable actuation helps in games and not in normal typing

  • Connection

    Bluetooth, 2.4 GHz, Wired

    Wired, Wireless

    Wireless for several devices and wired for lower latency

  • Battery

    4,200 mAh

    5,800 mAh

    A larger battery means fewer cables during the day

  • Case material

    ABS, Aluminum

    Aluminum

  • Switch options

    Linear

    Linear, Magnetic

KeebFinder scores

How we score
  • Ducky Year of the Horse
  • Desktop Tribe Balance 103
Performance
78
75
Build quality
68
84
Productivity
59
82
Customizability
68
86
Portability
52
63

What they share

  • Layout size: 100%
  • Hot-swappable
  • Max polling rate: 1,000 Hz
  • VIA
See every spec side by side

Full specs

Ducky Year of the Horse vs Desktop Tribe Balance 103 specs

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

13 of 25 specs differ

Ducky Year of the Horse

Desktop Tribe Balance 103

Typing & switches

Switch options

Linear
Linear, Magnetic

Hall effect (magnetic)

No
Yes

Hot-swappable

Yes
Yes

Mount style

Plate Mount
Gasket Mount

Sound dampening

No
Yes

Layout

Layout size

100%
100%

Layout standard

ANSI
ANSI

Ergonomics

Standard
Standard

Display

None
None

Connectivity & battery

Connection

Bluetooth, 2.4 GHz, Wired
Wired, Wireless

Max polling rate

1,000 Hz
1,000 Hz

Battery

4,200 mAh
5,800 mAhBetter

USB-C

Yes
No

Build & materials

Case material

ABS, Aluminum
Aluminum

Plate material

Aluminum
FR4, Polycarbonate

Keycaps

PBT
—

Weight

—
1,800 g

Dimensions

—
20 x 396 x 138 mm

Typing angle

—
6°

Backlight

RGB, south-facing
None

Firmware & software

QMK

No
Yes

VIA

Yes
Yes

N-key rollover

Yes
Yes

Mac & Windows

No
Yes

Extras

Released

2026
2025

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.

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