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Head to head · Prices checked Oct 29, 2026

Hexgears Nova vs Keychron J2

Get the Keychron J2 for hot-swappable and qmk.

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Hexgears Nova Aluminum TKL RGB Laser Etched ABS Mechanical Keyboard

Hexgears Nova

No reviews

from$45at MK

90-day low

Quick verdict

Which one should you get?

Get the

Hexgears Nova

Build quality in the top 50% of 80% boards under $100.

Rules this board out

  • Switches are soldered. Swapping them means soldering.
  • No numpad.

Get the

Keychron J2

Hot-swappable

Build quality in the top 40% of 75% boards under $100.

Rules this board out

  • 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.

Hexgears Nova

Keychron J2

  • Layout size

    80%

    75%

  • Connection

    Wired

    Bluetooth, 2.4 GHz, Wired

    Wireless for several devices and wired for lower latency

  • Hot-swappable

    No

    Yes

    Switch changes without soldering

  • Switch options

    Clicky, Tactile

    Clicky, Linear, Tactile

  • QMK

    No

    Yes

    The deep option when you want to remap every key

KeebFinder scores

How we score
  • Hexgears Nova
  • Keychron J2
Performance
62
70
Build quality
62
71
Productivity
58
74
Customizability
60
86
Portability
56
73
See every spec side by side

Full specs

Hexgears Nova vs Keychron J2 specs

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

10 of 20 specs differ

Hexgears Nova

Keychron J2

Typing & switches

Switch options

Clicky, Tactile
Clicky, Linear, Tactile

Hot-swappable

No
Yes

Mount style

Plate Mount
—

Sound dampening

No
Yes

Layout

Layout size

80%
75%

Layout standard

ANSI
ANSI

Ergonomics

Standard
Standard

Display

None
None

Media keys

Yes
Yes

Connectivity & battery

Connection

Wired
Bluetooth, 2.4 GHz, Wired

Max polling rate

—
1,000 Hz

Battery

Wired only
3,750 mAh

Build & materials

Case material

Aluminum
—

Plate material

Aluminum
—

Keycaps

ABS
PBT

Backlight

RGB
RGB

Firmware & software

QMK

No
Yes

VIA

No
Yes

Mac & Windows

Yes
No

Extras

Released

2023
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.

Lowest price across stores, Amazon excluded.

Keychron J23 stores

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