Keychron 81 Pro vs K2 HE
Get the Keychron K2 HE for hall effect and rapid trigger.
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5.0 (4)5.0 · 4 reviews
from$145at Input Gear
4.3 (55)4.3 · 55 reviews
from$129at Keychron
Which one should you get?
Get the
Keychron 81 Pro
Build quality in the top 5% of 75% boards under $150.
- 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.
Get the
Keychron K2 HE
Hall effect
Build quality in the top 5% of 75% boards under $150.
- Magnetic switches only. Standard MX switches will not fit.
- North-facing LEDs. Cherry-profile keycaps can hit the switch housing.
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.
Keychron 81 Pro
Keychron K2 HE
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
Connection
Bluetooth, Wired
Bluetooth, 2.4 GHz, Wired
Wireless for several devices and wired for lower latency
Case material
Aluminum
ABS, Aluminum, Resin, Wood
Switch options
Clicky, Linear, Tactile
Linear, Magnetic
- Keychron 81 Pro
- Keychron K2 HE
- Performance
- 8293
- Build quality
- 8791
- Productivity
- 9797
- Customizability
- 9498
- Portability
- 8281
- Layout size: 75%
- Hot-swappable
- Battery: 4,000 mAh
- Max polling rate: 1,000 Hz
- Knob
- QMK
What owners say
Ratings and quotes collected from verified store reviews, including the critical ones.
Keychron 81 Pro
4 owner reviews
“Love the sound and feel. Thr kickstand is cool too. Only thing is I wish there were more options for keycap colors, the red doesn't match my stuff.”
Keychron K2 HE
55 owner reviews
“Lowering the actuation depth improved my reaction time in competitive games. Analog mode in racing titles feels surprisingly natural. The mouse glide is smooth.”
“I thought the macro didn't have infinite repetitions, but there are no helpful images anywhere on the internet. I still haven't found the answer.”
Keychron 81 Pro vs K2 HE specs
Every tracked spec, side by side. Rows marked with a dot differ between the boards.
13 of 29 specs differ
Keychron 81 Pro
Keychron K2 HE
Switch options
Hall effect (magnetic)
Rapid trigger
Hot-swappable
Mount style
Sound dampening
Screw-in stabilizers
Layout size
Layout standard
Ergonomics
Knob
Display
Media keys
Connection
Max polling rate
Battery
USB-C
Case material
Plate material
Keycaps
Weight
Dimensions
Typing angle
Backlight
QMK
VIA
N-key rollover
Mac & Windows
Released
ISO layouts by store
Which stores sell ISO-DE, UK, and the other regional layouts.
Keychron 81 Pro
No ISO layout at the stores we track.
Keychron K2 HE
Keychron
ISO-DE, ISO-UK, ISO-Nordic, ISO-CH
In stockShips to you
Input Gear
ISO-DE
Out of stockShips to you
Keychron (DE)
ISO-DE, ISO-UK, ISO-FR, ISO-ES, ISO-CH
In stockDoes not ship to you
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.
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