Epomaker RT98 vs Royal Kludge S98 ES
Get the Epomaker RT98 for its repositionable numpad, VIA support and larger 8000mAh battery, or choose the Royal Kludge S98 ES for its multifunction knob and USB passthrough.
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4.7 (24)4.7 · 24 reviews
from$101at Epomaker
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from$109at Royal Kludge
Which one should you get?
Get the
Epomaker RT98
Battery
Build quality in the top 25% of 98% boards under $150.
- Repositionable, detachable numpad for southpaw or right-handed placement.
- VIA support for macro and key remapping.
- 8000mAh battery and gasket-mounted design with five-layer dampening foam.
- 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.
Get the
Royal Kludge S98 ES
Knob
Build quality in the top 45% of 96% boards under $150.
- Multifunction knob for controls including volume, connection mode and RGB settings.
- USB passthrough port.
- Top-mount construction with screw-in stabilizers.
- Compact full-size layout. The numpad is present, the gaps of a full-size board are not.
Choose the Epomaker RT98 for a movable numpad, VIA remapping and a larger 8000mAh battery, features that set it apart from the S98 ES. Choose the Royal Kludge S98 ES if you want its multifunction knob and USB passthrough, which the RT98 does not list. Both use compact full-size layouts, so neither provides the gaps of a standard full-size board.
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.
Epomaker RT98
Royal Kludge S98 ES
Layout size
98%
96%
Battery
8,000 mAh
3,750 mAh
A larger battery means fewer cables during the day
Ergonomics
Southpaw
Standard
Mount style
Gasket Mount
Top Mount
Knob
No
Yes
- Epomaker RT98
- Royal Kludge S98 ES
- Performance
- 7778
- Build quality
- 7269
- Productivity
- 8491
- Customizability
- 7879
- Portability
- 6556
- Connection: Bluetooth, 2.4 GHz, Wired
- Hot-swappable
- Sound dampening
What will you mostly use it for?
The RT98 takes the lead in these use cases through its modular layout, VIA support and larger battery. Its lower listed weight also makes it the more travel-oriented option of the two. The S98 ES has distinct appeal if you want a physical multifunction knob or USB passthrough. Both have a screen and hot-swappable switches, so those features alone do not separate them.
Pick the Epomaker RT98
- The RT98 has a gasket mount and vendor-described five-layer dampening system.
- Its vendor description explicitly highlights wired USB-C for gaming and ultra-low latency.
Epomaker RT98 vs Royal Kludge S98 ES specs
Every tracked spec, side by side. Rows marked with a dot differ between the boards.
14 of 23 specs differ
Epomaker RT98
Royal Kludge S98 ES
Switch options
Hot-swappable
Mount style
Sound dampening
Screw-in stabilizers
Layout size
Layout standard
Ergonomics
Knob
Display
Connection
Battery
USB passthrough
USB-C
Case material
Keycaps
Weight
Dimensions
Backlight
VIA
N-key rollover
Mac & Windows
Released
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Epomaker RT98 vs Royal Kludge S98 ES: your questions
The RT98 has a detachable, repositionable numpad and VIA support. The S98 ES instead adds a multifunction knob and USB passthrough.
Yes, the RT98 vendor describes a detachable numpad that can be repositioned for southpaw or right-handed use. The S98 ES listing describes a compact 96% layout but does not list a movable numpad.
Yes, it has a multifunction knob. The vendor says it can control volume, connection mode, brightness and RGB settings.
The Epomaker RT98 has an 8000mAh battery, while the Royal Kludge S98 ES has a 3750mAh battery. The RT98 vendor also describes battery-saving and auto-sleep modes.
Both are listed as hot-swappable. The RT98 vendor specifies 3-pin and 5-pin switch support, and the S98 ES vendor also describes support for 3-pin and 5-pin switches.
Yes, VIA support is listed for the RT98, and its vendor describes macro and key remapping. VIA support is not listed for the S98 ES.
The Royal Kludge S98 ES has a USB passthrough port. The RT98’s listed features include USB-C, but do not list passthrough.
They are compact full-size layouts, with the RT98 listed at 98% and the S98 ES at 96%. Both include a numpad, but their compatibility notes specify that they do not have the gaps of a full-size board.
The RT98 is listed at 1200g, while the S98 ES is listed at 1879g. The listed weights make the RT98 the lighter of these two keyboards.
The RT98 is listed with PBT keycaps, while the S98 ES is listed with ABS keycaps. The S98 ES vendor page describes double-shot PBT, but the product metadata identifies its keycaps as ABS.
Yes, both are listed with a screen. The RT98 vendor describes a magnetic Mini TV display with custom GIF and image support, while the S98 ES vendor describes a display that can show items such as GIFs and battery status.
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