Head to head · Prices checked Nov 11, 2026

Keychron J1 vs Pulsar Xboard MS

Get the Pulsar Xboard MS for the 8,000 Hz polling rate and knob.

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Keychron J1

4.0 (1)4.0 · 1 reviews

from$59at Keychron

Compare 3 stores

polling rate

Pulsar Xboard MS

No reviews

from$110at MK

Compare 2 stores

Quick verdict

Which one should you get?

Get the

Keychron J1

Build quality in the top 40% of 75% boards under $100.

Rules this board out

Low-profile switches and keycaps only. Standard MX keycaps will not fit.
North-facing LEDs. Cherry-profile keycaps can hit the switch housing.
No numpad.

$59 at Keychron

Get the

Pulsar Xboard MS

polling rate

Build quality in the top 35% of 80% boards under $150.

Rules this board out

South-facing LEDs. Shine-through legends stay dark, and some sculpted keycaps can clip the LED.
No numpad.

$110 at MK

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 J1

Pulsar Xboard MS

Layout size
75%
80%
Connection
Bluetooth, 2.4 GHz, Wired
Wired
Wireless for several devices and wired for lower latency
Low profile
Yes
No
Max polling rate
1,000 Hz
8,000 Hz
Higher polling helps competitive FPS and does nothing for typing
Knob
No
Yes

KeebFinder scores

How we score

Keychron J1
Pulsar Xboard MS

Performance: 82
85
Build quality: 71
63
Productivity: 89
85
Customizability: 86
69
Portability: 80
61

What they share

Hot-swappable
Case material: ABS
Sound dampening
Keycaps: PBT

See every spec side by side

Full specs

Keychron J1 vs Pulsar Xboard MS specs

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

9 of 26 specs differ

Spec

Keychron J1

Pulsar Xboard MS

Typing & switches

Switch options

Clicky, Linear, Tactile

—

Hot-swappable

Yes

Mount style

—

Gasket Mount

Low profile

Yes

Sound dampening

Yes

Layout

Layout size

75%

80%

Layout standard

ANSI

Ergonomics

Standard

Knob

Yes

Display

None

Connectivity & battery

Connection

Bluetooth, 2.4 GHz, Wired

Wired

Max polling rate

1,000 Hz

8,000 HzBetter

Battery

2,000 mAh

Wired only

USB-C

Yes

Build & materials

Case material

ABS

Plate material

—

Aluminum

Keycaps

PBT

Weight

661 g

—

Dimensions

23 x 327 x 144 mm

—

Typing angle

19°

—

Backlight

RGB, north-facing

RGB, south-facing

Firmware & software

QMK

Yes

VIA

Yes

N-key rollover

Yes

Mac & Windows

Yes

Extras

Released

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.

Keychron J13 stores