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Head to head · Prices checked Oct 30, 2026

zFrontier Smurve80 vs Keychron Q9

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Quick verdict

Which one should you get?

Get the

zFrontier Smurve80

Build quality in the bottom 45% 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 ISO layout. ISO-DE, UK, and other ISO variants are not offered.
  • No numpad.

Get the

Keychron Q9

Build quality in the top 5% of 40% boards under $150.

Rules this board out

  • South-facing LEDs. Shine-through legends stay dark, and some sculpted keycaps can clip the LED.
  • Compact layout only. No function row, dedicated arrow keys, or 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.

zFrontier Smurve80

Keychron Q9

  • Layout size

    80%

    40%

  • Connection

    Bluetooth, 2.4 GHz, Wired

    Wired

    Wireless for several devices and wired for lower latency

  • Ergonomics

    Standard

    Split Spacebar

  • Case material

    ABS

    Aluminum

  • Mount style

    Gasket Mount

    Gasket Mount, PCB Mount, Plate Mount

KeebFinder scores

How we score
  • zFrontier Smurve80
  • Keychron Q9
Performance
75
65
Build quality
60
91
Productivity
76
94
Customizability
59
96
Portability
86
70

What they share

  • Hot-swappable
  • Max polling rate: 1,000 Hz
  • Sound dampening
  • Keycaps: PBT
See every spec side by side

Full specs

zFrontier Smurve80 vs Keychron Q9 specs

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

15 of 26 specs differ

zFrontier Smurve80

Keychron Q9

Typing & switches

Switch options

—
Clicky, Linear, Tactile

Hot-swappable

Yes
Yes

Mount style

Gasket Mount
Gasket Mount, PCB Mount, Plate Mount

Sound dampening

Yes
Yes

Screw-in stabilizers

No
Yes

Layout

Layout size

80%
40%

Layout standard

ANSI
ANSI, ISO

Ergonomics

Standard
Split Spacebar

Knob

No
Yes

Display

None
None

Connectivity & battery

Connection

Bluetooth, 2.4 GHz, Wired
Wired

Max polling rate

1,000 Hz
1,000 Hz

Battery

8,000 mAh
Wired only

USB-C

Yes
Yes

Build & materials

Case material

ABS
Aluminum

Plate material

Aluminum
Steel

Keycaps

PBT
PBT

Weight

1,384 g
1,050 g

Dimensions

38 x 387 x 179 mm
20 x 94 x 326 mm

Typing angle

—
5°

Backlight

RGB, south-facing
RGB, south-facing

Firmware & software

QMK

No
Yes

VIA

No
Yes

N-key rollover

Yes
No

Mac & Windows

Yes
Yes

Extras

Released

2026
2022

For EU buyers

ISO layouts by store

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

zFrontier Smurve80

No ISO layout at the stores we track.

Keychron Q9

  • Input Gear

    ISO

    In stockShips to you

  • Input Gear

    ISO

    In stockShips to you

  • Keychron

    ISO

    In stockShips to you

  • Keychron (DE)

    ISO

    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 Q95 stores

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