Not sure which keyboard to choose? Try the Keyboard Finder now!

Head to head · Prices checked Oct 28, 2026

Keychron J3 SE vs Royal Kludge S98 ES

Get the Keychron J3 SE for the 4,000 mAh battery and qmk. Get the Royal Kludge S98 ES for knob.

KeebFinder may earn a commission when you buy through these links, at no extra cost to you.

Quick verdict

Which one should you get?

Get the

Keychron J3 SE

Battery

Build quality in the top 50% of 96% boards under $150.

Rules this board out

  • North-facing LEDs. Cherry-profile keycaps can hit the switch housing.

Get the

Royal Kludge S98 ES

Knob

Build quality in the top 45% of 96% boards under $150.

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 J3 SE

Royal Kludge S98 ES

  • Battery

    4,000 mAh

    3,750 mAh

    A larger battery means fewer cables during the day

  • Knob

    No

    Yes

  • Display

    None

    LCD

    A case display rather than a typing feature

  • Weight

    1,145 g

    1,879 g

    Heavier boards stay planted and lighter ones travel

  • QMK

    Yes

    No

    The deep option when you want to remap every key

KeebFinder scores

How we score
  • Keychron J3 SE
  • Royal Kludge S98 ES
Performance
80
78
Build quality
68
70
Productivity
89
91
Customizability
86
79
Portability
57
56

What they share

  • Layout size: 96%
  • Connection: Bluetooth, 2.4 GHz, Wired
  • Hot-swappable
  • Sound dampening
See every spec side by side

Full specs

Keychron J3 SE vs Royal Kludge S98 ES specs

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

12 of 25 specs differ

Keychron J3 SE

Royal Kludge S98 ES

Typing & switches

Switch options

Clicky, Linear, Tactile
—

Hot-swappable

Yes
Yes

Mount style

—
Top Mount

Sound dampening

Yes
Yes

Screw-in stabilizers

No
Yes

Layout

Layout size

96%
96%

Layout standard

ANSI
ANSI

Ergonomics

Standard
Standard

Knob

No
Yes

Display

None
LCD

Connectivity & battery

Connection

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

Max polling rate

1,000 Hz
—

Battery

4,000 mAhBetter
3,750 mAh

USB passthrough

No
Yes

USB-C

Yes
Yes

Build & materials

Case material

ABS
—

Keycaps

PBT
ABS

Weight

1,145 g
1,879 g

Dimensions

43 x 406 x 139 mm
42 x 409 x 140 mm

Backlight

RGB, north-facing
RGB

Firmware & software

QMK

Yes
No

VIA

Yes
No

N-key rollover

Yes
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.

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.

Still torn?

Answer a few quick questions and the keyboard finder ranks 2,000+ boards by how you will actually use yours.