Head to head · Prices checked Nov 7, 2026

Nuphy Gem80 vs Royal Kludge S98 ES

Get the Nuphy Gem80 for the 4,000 mAh battery. Get the Royal Kludge S98 ES for knob.

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Battery

Nuphy Gem80

from$170at Nuphy

Compare 4 stores

Knob

Royal Kludge S98 ES

S98-ES Teclado Mecánico Inalámbrico 96% QWERTY

from$109at Royal Kludge

Compare 2 stores

Quick verdict

Which one should you get?

Get the

Nuphy Gem80

Battery

Build quality in the top 10% of 80% 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.

$170 at Nuphy

Get the

Royal Kludge S98 ES

Knob

Build quality in the top 45% of 96% boards under $150.

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.

$109 at Royal Kludge

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.

Nuphy Gem80

Royal Kludge S98 ES

Layout size
80%
96%
Battery
4,000 mAh
3,750 mAh
A larger battery means fewer cables during the day
Mount style
Gasket Mount
Top Mount
Knob
No
Yes
Display
None
LCD
A case display rather than a typing feature

KeebFinder scores

How we score

Nuphy Gem80
Royal Kludge S98 ES

Performance: 79
78
Build quality: 84
70
Productivity: 88
91
Customizability: 94
79
Portability: 76
56

What they share

Connection: Bluetooth, 2.4 GHz, Wired
Hot-swappable
Sound dampening

See every spec side by side

Full specs

Nuphy Gem80 vs Royal Kludge S98 ES specs

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

16 of 28 specs differ

Spec

Nuphy Gem80

Royal Kludge S98 ES

Typing & switches

Switch options

Mechanical

—

Hot-swappable

Yes

Mount style

Gasket Mount

Top Mount

Sound dampening

Yes

Screw-in stabilizers

Yes

Layout

Layout size

80%

96%

Layout standard

ANSI, ISO, ISO-DE

ANSI

Ergonomics

Standard

Knob

Yes

Display

None

LCD

Media keys

Yes

Connectivity & battery

Connection

Bluetooth, 2.4 GHz, Wired

Max polling rate

1,000 Hz

—

Battery

4,000 mAhBetter

3,750 mAh

USB passthrough

Yes

USB-C

Yes

Build & materials

Case material

Aluminum, Polycarbonate

—

Plate material

Aluminum, FR4, Polycarbonate, POM

—

Keycaps

ABS, PBT

ABS

Weight

1,120 g

1,879 g

Dimensions

37 x 358 x 141 mm

42 x 409 x 140 mm

Typing angle

6°

—

Backlight

RGB, south-facing

RGB

Firmware & software

QMK

Yes

VIA

Yes

N-key rollover

Yes

Mac & Windows

Yes

Extras

Released

2024

2025

For EU buyers

ISO layouts by store

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

Nuphy Gem80

Input Gear
ISO-DE
Out of stockShips to you

Royal Kludge S98 ES

No ISO layout at the stores we track.

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.

Nuphy Gem804 stores