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Head to head · Prices checked Oct 21, 2026

Keychron J12 HE vs Q1 HE

Get the Keychron Q1 HE for the 8,000 Hz polling rate and knob.

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 J12 HE

Keychron Q1 HE

  • Max polling rate

    1,000 Hz

    8,000 Hz

  • Case material

    Plastic

    Aluminum

  • Mount style

    Gasket Mount

    Gasket Mount, PCB Mount

  • Knob

    No

    Yes

  • Weight

    952 g

    4,000 g

KeebFinder scores

How we score
  • Keychron J12 HE
  • Keychron Q1 HE
Performance
88
100
Build quality
76
90
Productivity
89
97
Customizability
86
98
Portability
80
81

What they share

  • Layout size: 75%
  • Hall effect (magnetic)
  • Rapid trigger
  • Connection: Bluetooth, 2.4 GHz, Wired
  • Hot-swappable
  • Switch options: Clicky, Linear, Magnetic, Tactile
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 J12 HE

No owner reviews collected yet.

Keychron Q1 HE

4.8

20 owner reviews

Praise
“Neither big legs nor small legs. No legs at all 🤣 For me, this is not what I've expected from keychron, because every keyboard has legs.”
YurkoVerified buyer· via Keychron
Critique
“I love this thing. I wish there were these changes: Cable mode was switch in position closest to the outer edge of keyboard. Extra usb-c which is another port, I'd like to plug my 2fa device in there. Sort out why the programmer doesn't work under arch linux…”
Mawlzz· via Keychron

Full specs

Keychron J12 HE vs Q1 HE specs

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

12 of 29 specs differ

Keychron J12 HE

Keychron Q1 HE

Typing & switches

Switch options

Clicky, Linear, Magnetic, Tactile
Clicky, Linear, Magnetic, Tactile

Hall effect (magnetic)

Yes
Yes

Rapid trigger

Yes
Yes

Hot-swappable

Yes
Yes

Mount style

Gasket Mount
Gasket Mount, PCB Mount

Sound dampening

Yes
Yes

Screw-in stabilizers

No
Yes

Layout

Layout size

75%
75%

Layout standard

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

Ergonomics

Standard
Standard

Knob

No
Yes

Display

None
None

Media keys

No
Yes

Connectivity & battery

Connection

Bluetooth, 2.4 GHz, Wired
Bluetooth, 2.4 GHz, Wired

Max polling rate

1,000 Hz
8,000 HzBetter

Battery

—
4,000 mAh

USB-C

Yes
Yes

Build & materials

Case material

Plastic
Aluminum

Plate material

—
Aluminum, Polycarbonate

Keycaps

PBT
ABS, PBT

Weight

952 g
4,000 g

Dimensions

30 x 148 x 342 mm
23 x 145 x 328 mm

Typing angle

—
5°, 6°, 7°

Backlight

RGB, south-facing
RGB, south-facing

Firmware & software

QMK

Yes
Yes

VIA

Yes
Yes

N-key rollover

No
Yes

Mac & Windows

Yes
Yes

Extras

Released

2026
2023

Where to buy

Compare prices

Live prices from the stores we track, cheapest in-stock offer first.

Lowest price across stores, Amazon excluded.

  • Keychron (DE)DE

    In stock
    $175Visit
  • AmazonGlobal

    Check price
    Visit
  • KeychronHK

    Out of stock
    $109Visit
  • Input GearDE

    In stock
    $160Visit
  • MKUS

    In stock
    $180Visit
  • Keychron (DE)DE

    In stock
    $212Visit
  • KeychronHK

    In stock
    $219Visit

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