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Head to head · Prices checked Nov 7, 2026

Keychron K3 Max SE vs K5 Ultra

Get the Keychron K5 Ultra for the 2,600 mAh battery and the 8,000 Hz polling rate.

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Quick verdict

Which one should you get?

Get the

Keychron K3 Max SE

Build quality in the top 30% of 75% boards under $150.

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 ISO layout. ISO-DE, UK, and other ISO variants are not offered.
  • No numpad.

Get the

Keychron K5 Ultra

Battery

Build quality in the top 15% of 100% boards under $150.

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.

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 K3 Max SE

Keychron K5 Ultra

  • Layout size

    75%

    100%

  • Battery

    1,550 mAh

    2,600 mAh

    A larger battery means fewer cables during the day

  • Max polling rate

    1,000 Hz

    8,000 Hz

    Higher polling helps competitive FPS and does nothing for typing

  • Case material

    ABS, Wood

    ABS, Metal, Wood

  • Knob

    No

    Yes

KeebFinder scores

How we score
  • Keychron K3 Max SE
  • Keychron K5 Ultra
Performance
80
91
Build quality
74
75
Productivity
89
93
Customizability
86
89
Portability
80
56

What they share

  • Connection: Bluetooth, 2.4 GHz, Wired
  • Hot-swappable
  • Low profile
  • Switch options: Clicky, Linear, Tactile
  • Weight: 566 g
  • QMK
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 K3 Max SE

5.0

2 owner reviews

Praise
“Beautiful service from yourselves, got updates at every point required. Product is amazing and arrived wrapped well. Only issue was the courier delivering the parcel by throwing it into the house rather than handing it in person. Already reviewed their poor…”
RyanVerified buyer· via Keychron

Keychron K5 Ultra

5.0

4 owner reviews

Praise
“This keyboard is exactly what I was looking for. Low profile, great switches, not uber gamery. Very happy so far, hopefully it keeps working for a long time.”
StephenVerified buyer· via Keychron

Full specs

Keychron K3 Max SE vs K5 Ultra specs

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

6 of 24 specs differ

Keychron K3 Max SE

Keychron K5 Ultra

Typing & switches

Switch options

Clicky, Linear, Tactile
Clicky, Linear, Tactile

Hot-swappable

Yes
Yes

Low profile

Yes
Yes

Sound dampening

Yes
Yes

Layout

Layout size

75%
100%

Layout standard

ANSI
ANSI, ISO, ISO-DE, ISO-ES, ISO-FR, ISO-IT, ISO-PT

Ergonomics

Standard
Standard

Knob

No
Yes

Display

None
None

Connectivity & battery

Connection

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

Max polling rate

1,000 Hz
8,000 HzBetter

Battery

1,550 mAh
2,600 mAhBetter

USB-C

Yes
Yes

Build & materials

Case material

ABS, Wood
ABS, Metal, Wood

Plate material

Aluminum
Aluminum

Keycaps

PBT
PBT

Weight

566 g
566 g

Dimensions

20 x 319 x 126 mm
—

Backlight

RGB, north-facing
RGB, north-facing

Firmware & software

QMK

Yes
Yes

VIA

Yes
Yes

N-key rollover

Yes
Yes

Mac & Windows

Yes
Yes

Extras

Released

2026
2026

For EU buyers

ISO layouts by store

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

Keychron K3 Max SE

No ISO layout at the stores we track.

Keychron K5 Ultra

  • Keychron (DE)

    ISO-DE, ISO-FR, ISO-ES, ISO-IT

    In stockDoes not ship to you

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.

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