Keychron K5 Max vs K8 HE
Get the Keychron K8 HE for hall effect and rapid trigger.
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4.1 (16)4.1 · 16 reviews
from$94at Keychron
5.0 (6)5.0 · 6 reviews
from$129at MK
Which one should you get?
Get the
Keychron K5 Max
Build quality in the top 15% of 100% boards under $100.
- Low-profile switches and keycaps only. Standard MX keycaps will not fit.
- North-facing LEDs. Cherry-profile keycaps can hit the switch housing.
Get the
Keychron K8 HE
Hall effect
Build quality in the top 5% of 80% boards under $150.
- Magnetic switches only. Standard MX switches will not fit.
- North-facing LEDs. Cherry-profile keycaps can hit the switch housing.
- Missing ISO-DE, ISO-UK, ISO-Nordic. The other board is sold in those layouts.
- No numpad.
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 K5 Max
Keychron K8 HE
Layout size
100%
80%
Hall effect (magnetic)
No
Yes
Adjustable actuation helps in games and not in normal typing
Rapid trigger
No
Yes
Faster resets help in games and not in normal typing
Connection
Bluetooth, 2.4 GHz, Wired
Wired, Bluetooth, 2.4 GHz
Wireless for several devices and wired for lower latency
Battery
2,000 mAh
4,000 mAh
A larger battery means fewer cables during the day
- Keychron K5 Max
- Keychron K8 HE
- Performance
- 8192
- Build quality
- 8187
- Productivity
- 8894
- Customizability
- 8889
- Portability
- 5376
- Hot-swappable
- Max polling rate: 1,000 Hz
- QMK
- VIA
- Sound dampening
What owners say
Ratings and quotes collected from verified store reviews, including the critical ones.
Keychron K5 Max
16 owner reviews
“This is by far the best keyboard I've ever had. I did my research with AI defined the one I should get. I'm glad I did this first! I type about a hundred words a minute and do a lot of document creation as well as coding. This keyboard keeps up with me in the…”
“The printing quality of the Hungarian keycaps is very poor. The stroke thickness of the letters varies even within a single keycap—one letter is thick while another is thin. They look ugly. Also, on the internet the "esc" key appears orange, but in reality it…”
Keychron K8 HE
6 owner reviews
“Order arrived quickly with no damage to the packaging. Has a very premium feel and overall excellent piece of hardware.”
Keychron K5 Max vs K8 HE specs
Every tracked spec, side by side. Rows marked with a dot differ between the boards.
18 of 29 specs differ
Keychron K5 Max
Keychron K8 HE
Switch options
Hall effect (magnetic)
Rapid trigger
Hot-swappable
Mount style
Low profile
Sound dampening
Screw-in stabilizers
Layout size
Layout standard
Ergonomics
Display
Media keys
Connection
Max polling rate
Battery
USB-C
Case material
Plate material
Keycaps
Weight
Dimensions
Typing angle
Backlight
QMK
VIA
N-key rollover
Mac & Windows
Released
ISO layouts by store
Which stores sell ISO-DE, UK, and the other regional layouts.
Keychron K5 Max
Keychron
ISO-DE, ISO-UK, ISO-Nordic
In stockShips to you
Keychron (DE)
ISO-DE, ISO-UK
In stockDoes not ship to you
Keychron K8 HE
Keychron (DE)
ISO
In stockDoes not ship to you
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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