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Head to head · Prices checked Nov 7, 2026

Keychron 81 Pro vs V1

Get the Keychron V1 for the 8,000 Hz polling rate.

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Quick verdict

Which one should you get?

Get the

Keychron 81 Pro

Build quality in the top 5% of 75% boards under $150.

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.

Get the

Keychron V1

polling rate

Build quality in the top 5% of 75% boards under $50.

Rules this board out

  • South-facing LEDs. Shine-through legends stay dark, and some sculpted keycaps can clip the LED.

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.

Keychron 81 Pro

Keychron V1

  • Connection

    Bluetooth, Wired

    Wired

    Wireless for several devices and wired for lower latency

  • Max polling rate

    1,000 Hz

    8,000 Hz

    Higher polling helps competitive FPS and does nothing for typing

  • Case material

    Aluminum

    ABS, Plastic

  • Mount style

    Gasket Mount, Plate Mount

    Gasket Mount, Plate Mount, Tray Mount

  • Weight

    1,887 g

    995 g

    Heavier boards stay planted and lighter ones travel

KeebFinder scores

How we score
  • Keychron 81 Pro
  • Keychron V1
Performance
82
91
Build quality
87
89
Productivity
97
98
Customizability
94
98
Portability
82
64

What they share

  • Layout size: 75%
  • Hot-swappable
  • Switch options: Clicky, Linear, Tactile
  • Knob
  • QMK
  • VIA
See every spec side by side

From real owners

What owners say

Ratings and quotes collected from verified store reviews, including the critical ones.

Keychron 81 Pro

5.0

4 owner reviews

Praise
“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.”
T.T.· via Keychron

Keychron V1

4.8

63 owner reviews

Praise
“Even tho I live in the middle of Europe the shipping only took 11 working days. It feels and sounds great to type on. And the opening experience was also great.”
Jitka H.Verified buyer· via Keychron
Critique
“Good quality of build but its actually pretty trash keyboard, 2 years and started to not register keys, double typing ect and its not problem of the switch because i changed them with working ones and still had the problem”
Martin M.Verified buyer· via Keychron

Full specs

Keychron 81 Pro vs V1 specs

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

10 of 27 specs differ

Keychron 81 Pro

Keychron V1

Typing & switches

Switch options

Clicky, Linear, Tactile
Clicky, Linear, Tactile

Hot-swappable

Yes
Yes

Mount style

Gasket Mount, Plate Mount
Gasket Mount, Plate Mount, Tray Mount

Sound dampening

Yes
Yes

Screw-in stabilizers

Yes
Yes

Layout

Layout size

75%
75%

Layout standard

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

Ergonomics

Standard
Standard

Knob

Yes
Yes

Display

None
None

Media keys

Yes
Yes

Connectivity & battery

Connection

Bluetooth, Wired
Wired

Max polling rate

1,000 Hz
8,000 HzBetter

Battery

4,000 mAh
Wired only

USB-C

Yes
Yes

Build & materials

Case material

Aluminum
ABS, Plastic

Plate material

Polycarbonate
Polycarbonate, Steel

Keycaps

PBT
ABS, PBT

Weight

1,887 g
995 g

Dimensions

47 x 338 x 151 mm
18 x 149 x 329 mm

Typing angle

—
4°

Backlight

RGB, south-facing
RGB, south-facing

Firmware & software

QMK

Yes
Yes

VIA

Yes
Yes

N-key rollover

Yes
Yes

Mac & Windows

Yes
Yes

Extras

Released

2023
2022

For EU buyers

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 V1

  • Keychron

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

    In stockShips to you

  • Keychron (DE)

    ISO-DE, ISO-FR, ISO-ES

    In stockDoes not ship to you

  • Keychron (DE)

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

    In 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 V14 stores

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