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Head to head · Prices checked Nov 7, 2026

Heavy shell Kira96 vs Keychron V3

Get the Keychron V3 for knob and qmk.

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Quick verdict

Which one should you get?

Get the

Heavy shell Kira96

Build quality in the bottom 20% of 96% 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 V3

Knob

Build quality in the top 5% of 80% boards under $100.

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.

Heavy shell Kira96

Keychron V3

  • Layout size

    96%

    80%

  • Connection

    Bluetooth, 2.4 GHz, Wired

    Wired

    Wireless for several devices and wired for lower latency

  • Case material

    Aluminum, Plastic

    ABS, Plastic

  • Knob

    No

    Yes

  • QMK

    No

    Yes

    The deep option when you want to remap every key

KeebFinder scores

How we score
  • Heavy shell Kira96
  • Keychron V3
Performance
49
91
Build quality
51
89
Productivity
66
98
Customizability
75
98
Portability
57
58

What they share

  • Hot-swappable
  • Switch options: Clicky, Linear, Tactile
See every spec side by side

Full specs

Heavy shell Kira96 vs Keychron V3 specs

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

13 of 27 specs differ

Heavy shell Kira96

Keychron V3

Typing & switches

Switch options

Clicky, Linear, Tactile
Clicky, Linear, Tactile

Hot-swappable

Yes
Yes

Mount style

—
Gasket Mount, Plate Mount, Tray Mount

Sound dampening

No
Yes

Screw-in stabilizers

No
Yes

Layout

Layout size

96%
80%

Layout standard

ANSI
ANSI, ISO, ISO-DE, ISO-ES, ISO-FR, ISO-SW, ISO-UK, JIS

Ergonomics

Standard
Standard

Knob

No
Yes

Display

None
None

Media keys

No
Yes

Connectivity & battery

Connection

Bluetooth, 2.4 GHz, Wired
Wired

Max polling rate

—
8,000 Hz

Battery

3,500 mAh
Wired only

USB-C

Yes
Yes

Build & materials

Case material

Aluminum, Plastic
ABS, Plastic

Plate material

—
Polycarbonate, Steel

Keycaps

PBT
ABS, PBT

Weight

—
1,360 g

Dimensions

—
19 x 141 x 367 mm

Typing angle

—
4°

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
2022

For EU buyers

ISO layouts by store

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

Heavy shell Kira96

No ISO layout at the stores we track.

Keychron V3

  • Keychron

    ISO-DE, ISO-UK, ISO-FR, ISO-ES, ISO-SW

    In stockShips to you

  • Keychron (DE)

    ISO-DE, ISO-ES

    In stockDoes not ship to you

  • Keychron (DE)

    ISO-DE, ISO-UK, ISO-FR, ISO-ES, ISO-SW

    Out of 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.

Keychron V34 stores

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