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Head to head · Prices checked Nov 12, 2026

Keychron C4 HE vs Royal Kludge S98 JP

Get the Keychron C4 HE for hall effect. Get the Royal Kludge S98 JP for knob.

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Quick verdict

Which one should you get?

Get the

Keychron C4 HE

Hall effect

Build quality in the top 10% of 100% boards under $100.

Rules this board out

  • Magnetic switches only. Standard MX switches will not fit.
  • North-facing LEDs. Cherry-profile keycaps can hit the switch housing.

Get the

Royal Kludge S98 JP

Knob

Build quality in the top 40% of 96% boards under $150.

Rules this board out

  • Compact full-size layout. The numpad is present, the gaps of a full-size board are not.

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 C4 HE

Royal Kludge S98 JP

  • Layout size

    100%

    96%

  • Hall effect (magnetic)

    Yes

    No

    Adjustable actuation helps in games and not in normal typing

  • Connection

    Wired

    Bluetooth, 2.4 GHz, Wired

    Wireless for several devices and wired for lower latency

  • Mount style

    Gasket Mount

    Top Mount

  • Knob

    No

    Yes

KeebFinder scores

How we score
  • Keychron C4 HE
  • Royal Kludge S98 JP
Performance
89
78
Build quality
83
70
Productivity
95
91
Customizability
92
79
Portability
45
57

What they share

  • Hot-swappable
  • Sound dampening
See every spec side by side

Full specs

Keychron C4 HE vs Royal Kludge S98 JP specs

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

18 of 29 specs differ

Keychron C4 HE

Royal Kludge S98 JP

Typing & switches

Switch options

Clicky, Linear, Tactile
—

Hall effect (magnetic)

Yes
No

Hot-swappable

Yes
Yes

Mount style

Gasket Mount
Top Mount

Sound dampening

Yes
Yes

Screw-in stabilizers

Yes
Yes

Layout

Layout size

100%
96%

Layout standard

ANSI
JIS

Ergonomics

Standard
Standard

Knob

No
Yes

Display

None
LCD

Media keys

Yes
No

Connectivity & battery

Connection

Wired
Bluetooth, 2.4 GHz, Wired

Max polling rate

8,000 Hz
—

Battery

Wired only
3,750 mAh

USB passthrough

No
Yes

USB-C

Yes
Yes

Build & materials

Case material

Plastic
—

Plate material

Steel
—

Keycaps

PBT
ABS

Weight

970 g
1,880 g

Dimensions

30 x 446 x 138 mm
140 x 410 x 40 mm

Typing angle

9°
5°

Backlight

RGB, north-facing
RGB

Firmware & software

QMK

Yes
No

VIA

Yes
No

N-key rollover

No
Yes

Mac & Windows

Yes
Yes

Extras

Released

2026
2025

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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