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Head to head · Prices checked Oct 21, 2026

Keychron K17 Max vs Royal Kludge S98

Get the Royal Kludge S98 for the 3,750 mAh battery.

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 K17 Max

Royal Kludge S98

  • Battery

    2,000 mAh

    3,750 mAh

  • Low profile

    Yes

    No

  • Switch options

    Clicky, Linear, Tactile

    Linear, Tactile

  • Mount style

    PCB Mount

    Gasket Mount, Top Mount

  • Display

    None

    TFT

KeebFinder scores

How we score
  • Keychron K17 Max
  • Royal Kludge S98
Performance
83
66
Build quality
81
72
Productivity
93
82
Customizability
91
72
Portability
53
53

What they share

  • Layout size: 96%
  • Connection: Bluetooth, 2.4 GHz, Wired
  • Hot-swappable
  • Knob
  • Sound dampening
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 K17 Max

4.8

4 owner reviews

Praise
“Wish it was metal but i do love the low profile keyboard”
LyleVerified buyer· via Keychron

Royal Kludge S98

No owner reviews collected yet.

Full specs

Keychron K17 Max vs Royal Kludge S98 specs

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

16 of 27 specs differ

Keychron K17 Max

Royal Kludge S98

Typing & switches

Switch options

Clicky, Linear, Tactile
Linear, Tactile

Hot-swappable

Yes
Yes

Mount style

PCB Mount
Gasket Mount, Top Mount

Low profile

Yes
No

Sound dampening

Yes
Yes

Layout

Layout size

96%
96%

Layout standard

ANSI, ISO
ANSI

Ergonomics

Standard
Standard

Knob

Yes
Yes

Display

None
TFT

Media keys

Yes
No

Connectivity & battery

Connection

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

Max polling rate

1,000 Hz
—

Battery

2,000 mAh
3,750 mAhBetter

USB passthrough

No
Yes

USB-C

Yes
Yes

Build & materials

Case material

ABS, Aluminum
—

Keycaps

PBT
ABS, PBT

Weight

750 g
1,879 g

Dimensions

27 x 119 x 387 mm
41 x 140 x 41 mm

Typing angle

4°
—

Backlight

RGB, north-facing
RGB, south-facing

Firmware & software

QMK

Yes
No

VIA

Yes
No

N-key rollover

Yes
No

Mac & Windows

Yes
Yes

Extras

Released

2024
2023

Where to buy

Compare prices

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

Lowest price across stores, Amazon excluded.

  • KeychronHK

    In stock
    $94Visit
  • Keychron (DE)DE

    In stock
    $119Visit
  • AmazonGlobal

    Check price
    Visit
  • Royal KludgeUS

    In stock
    $89Visit
  • AmazonGlobal

    Check price
    Visit

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