Head to head · Prices checked Nov 7, 2026

Keychron K1 Max vs Thunderobot K96

Get the Keychron K1 Max for hot-swappable and the 4,000 mAh battery.

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Hot-swappable

Keychron K1 Max

3.3 (16)3.3 · 16 reviews

from$89at Keychron

Down 42% this monthDown 42% this month

Compare 5 stores

Thunderobot K96

No reviews

from$69at Mechkeys

Compare 2 stores

Quick verdict

Which one should you get?

Get the

Keychron K1 Max

Hot-swappable

Build quality in the top 10% of 80% 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.

$89 at Keychron

Get the

Thunderobot K96

Build quality in the bottom 5% of 96% boards under $100.

Rules this board out

Switches are soldered. Swapping them means soldering.
Low-profile switches and keycaps only. Standard MX keycaps will not fit.
No ISO layout. ISO-DE, UK, and other ISO variants are not offered.
Compact full-size layout. The numpad is present, the gaps of a full-size board are not.

$69 at Mechkeys

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 K1 Max

Thunderobot K96

Layout size
80%
96%
Hot-swappable
Yes
No
Switch changes without soldering
Battery
4,000 mAh
1,900 mAh
A larger battery means fewer cables during the day
Case material
ABS, Aluminum, Plastic
Plastic
Switch options
Clicky, Linear, Tactile
Linear

KeebFinder scores

How we score

Keychron K1 Max
Thunderobot K96

Performance: 82
43
Build quality: 82
40
Productivity: 90
58
Customizability: 89
52
Portability: 73
47

What they share

Connection: Bluetooth, 2.4 GHz, Wired
Low profile

See every spec side by side

Full specs

Keychron K1 Max vs Thunderobot K96 specs

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

18 of 28 specs differ

Spec

Keychron K1 Max

Thunderobot K96

Typing & switches

Switch options

Clicky, Linear, Tactile

Linear

Hot-swappable

Yes

Mount style

PCB Mount, Plate Mount

—

Low profile

Yes

Sound dampening

Yes

Screw-in stabilizers

Yes

Layout

Layout size

80%

96%

Layout standard

ANSI, ISO, ISO-DE, ISO-Nordic, ISO-UK

ANSI

Ergonomics

Standard

Knob

Yes

Display

None

Media keys

Yes

Connectivity & battery

Connection

Bluetooth, 2.4 GHz, Wired

Max polling rate

1,000 Hz

—

Battery

4,000 mAhBetter

1,900 mAh

USB-C

Yes

Build & materials

Case material

ABS, Aluminum, Plastic

Plastic

Plate material

Plastic, Polycarbonate

—

Keycaps

ABS, PBT

PBT

Weight

608 g

636 g

Dimensions

24 x 346 x 119 mm

22 x 360 x 140 mm

Typing angle

3°

—

Backlight

RGB, north-facing

White

Firmware & software

QMK

Yes

VIA

Yes

N-key rollover

Yes

Mac & Windows

Yes

Extras

Released

2024

For EU buyers

ISO layouts by store

Which stores sell ISO-DE, UK, and the other regional layouts.

Keychron K1 Max

Keychron
ISO-DE, ISO-UK, ISO-Nordic
Out of stockShips to you
Keychron (DE)
ISO-DE, ISO-UK
Out of stockDoes not ship to you

Thunderobot K96

No ISO layout at the stores we track.

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 K1 Max5 stores