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Head to head · Prices checked Oct 23, 2026

Royal Kludge F99 AI vs Keychron R5

Get the Royal Kludge F99 AI for usb passthrough. Get the Keychron R5 for qmk and media keys.

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.

Royal Kludge F99 AI

Keychron R5

  • Connection

    Wired

    Bluetooth, 2.4 GHz, Wired

  • Switch options

    Linear

    Linear, Tactile

  • QMK

    No

    Yes

  • USB passthrough

    Yes

    No

  • Media keys

    No

    Yes

KeebFinder scores

How we score
  • Royal Kludge F99 AI
  • Keychron R5
Performance
63
79
Build quality
50
63
Productivity
77
84
Customizability
60
79
Portability
45
54

What they share

  • Layout size: 96%
  • Hot-swappable
  • Sound dampening
  • Keycaps: PBT
See every spec side by side

Full specs

Royal Kludge F99 AI vs Keychron R5 specs

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

7 of 24 specs differ

Royal Kludge F99 AI

Keychron R5

Typing & switches

Switch options

Linear
Linear, Tactile

Hot-swappable

Yes
Yes

Mount style

—
Plate Mount

Sound dampening

Yes
Yes

Layout

Layout size

96%
96%

Layout standard

ANSI
ANSI

Ergonomics

Standard
Standard

Display

None
None

Media keys

No
Yes

Connectivity & battery

Connection

Wired
Bluetooth, 2.4 GHz, Wired

Max polling rate

—
1,000 Hz

Battery

Wired only
4,000 mAh

USB passthrough

Yes
No

USB-C

Yes
Yes

Build & materials

Case material

—
ABS

Plate material

—
Plastic

Keycaps

PBT
PBT

Weight

1,020 g
—

Dimensions

43 x 391 x 147 mm
—

Backlight

RGB, south-facing
RGB, south-facing

Firmware & software

QMK

No
Yes

N-key rollover

No
Yes

Mac & Windows

Yes
Yes

Extras

Released

2025
2026

Where to buy

Compare prices

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

Lowest price across stores, Amazon excluded.

  • Royal KludgeUS

    In stock
    $79Visit
  • AmazonGlobal

    Check price
    ~$79Visit
Keychron R52 stores
  • MKUS

    In stock
    $89Visit
  • AmazonGlobal

    Check price
    ~$89Visit

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