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Head to head · Prices checked Nov 11, 2026

KBDFans Athena 1800 vs Keychron Q19 HE

Get the Keychron Q19 HE for hall effect and rapid trigger.

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Quick verdict

Which one should you get?

Get the

KBDFans Athena 1800

Build quality in the top 15% of 100% boards under $150.

Get the

Keychron Q19 HE

Hall effect

Build quality in the top 40% of 60% boards under $300.

Rules this board out

  • Magnetic switches only. Standard MX switches will not fit.
  • 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.
  • 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.

KBDFans Athena 1800

Keychron Q19 HE

  • Layout size

    100%

    60%

  • Hall effect (magnetic)

    No

    Yes

    Adjustable actuation helps in games and not in normal typing

  • Rapid trigger

    No

    Yes

    Faster resets help in games and not in normal typing

  • Ergonomics

    Split Backspace

    Standard

  • Max polling rate

    1,000 Hz

    8,000 Hz

    Higher polling helps competitive FPS and does nothing for typing

KeebFinder scores

How we score
  • KBDFans Athena 1800
  • Keychron Q19 HE
Performance
68
96
Build quality
78
67
Productivity
68
73
Customizability
82
67
Portability
43
76

What they share

  • Connection: Wired
  • Hot-swappable
  • Case material: Aluminum
  • Sound dampening
  • Keycaps: PBT
See every spec side by side

Full specs

KBDFans Athena 1800 vs Keychron Q19 HE specs

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

16 of 24 specs differ

KBDFans Athena 1800

Keychron Q19 HE

Typing & switches

Switch options

—
Clicky, Linear, Tactile

Hall effect (magnetic)

No
Yes

Rapid trigger

No
Yes

Hot-swappable

Yes
Yes

Mount style

Top Mount
Gasket Mount

Sound dampening

Yes
Yes

Layout

Layout size

100%
60%

Layout standard

ANSI, ISO
ANSI

Ergonomics

Split Backspace
Standard

Display

LED, LCD
LED

Connectivity & battery

Connection

Wired
Wired

Max polling rate

1,000 Hz
8,000 HzBetter

USB-C

Yes
Yes

Build & materials

Case material

Aluminum
Aluminum

Plate material

Aluminum, Brass, CarbonFiber, FR4, Polycarbonate, Steel
FR4

Keycaps

PBT
PBT

Weight

3,000 g
1,488 g

Dimensions

—
40 x 303 x 115 mm

Typing angle

9°
7°

Backlight

RGB
RGB, south-facing

Firmware & software

VIAL

Yes
No

N-key rollover

No
Yes

Mac & Windows

No
Yes

Extras

Released

2025
2026

For EU buyers

ISO layouts by store

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

KBDFans Athena 1800

  • KBDfans

    ISO

    Out of stockShips to you

  • MonacoKeys

    ISO

    Out of stockDoes not ship to you

Keychron Q19 HE

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.

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Lowest price across stores, Amazon excluded.

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