Keychron Q1 vs S1Full-Height or Low-Profile
Choose the Q1 for its gasket mount, broader layout options, and more flexible build, or the S1 for a lighter, low-profile design.
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4.9 (10)4.9 · 10 reviews
from$109at Keychron
4.8 (12)4.8 · 12 reviews
from$82at Keychron
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Which one should you get?
Get the
Keychron Q1
Knob
Build quality in the top 5% of 75% boards under $150.
- Gasket mount with an aluminum case and listed aluminum, steel, or polycarbonate plate options.
- Hot-swappable, with QMK and VIA support.
- Vendor-listed ISO layout collection includes UK, German, Nordic, Swiss, French, and Spanish options.
- South-facing LEDs. Shine-through legends stay dark, and some sculpted keycaps can clip the LED.
Get the
Keychron S1
Build quality in the top 15% of 75% boards under $100.
- Low-profile design with double-shot PBT low-profile keycaps.
- Lighter than the Q1 at 960 g, with a thinner listed height.
- QMK and VIA support, with hot-swappable versions available.
- 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.
Choose the Q1 if you want a gasket-mounted build, broader layout choices, or the knob option for customizable controls. Choose the S1 if low-profile keycaps and a lighter, thinner aluminum board matter more. Both are wired 75% keyboards with QMK support and 1000 Hz polling, so neither has a clear stated advantage on those shared points.
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 Q1
Keychron S1
Low profile
No
Yes
Mount style
Gasket Mount, Plate Mount
Plate Mount, Tray Mount
Knob
Yes
No
Weight
1,825 g
960 g
Heavier boards stay planted and lighter ones travel
Sound dampening
Yes
No
- Keychron Q1
- Keychron S1
- Performance
- 7282
- Build quality
- 8982
- Productivity
- 9780
- Customizability
- 9889
- Portability
- 6565
- Layout size: 75%
- Connection: Wired
- Hot-swappable
- Max polling rate: 1,000 Hz
- Case material: Aluminum
- Switch options: Clicky, Linear, Tactile
What will you mostly use it for?
The Q1 has the edge for office work, programming, modding, and creative workflows, primarily through its layout options and configurable knob variant. The S1 is the more travel-friendly pick by listed weight and dimensions, though both require a wired connection. Gaming is a close match on the stated connectivity and polling rate. Buyers should also factor in the Q1's standard profile and gasket mount versus the S1's low-profile design and tray mount.
It's a tie
- Both keyboards are wired and list a 1000 Hz polling rate.
- Both offer linear, tactile, and clicky switch options in the metadata.
- The Q1 has south-facing RGB, while the S1 has north-facing RGB.
What owners say
Ratings and quotes collected from verified store reviews, including the critical ones.
Keychron Q1
10 owner reviews
“Very pretty and good quality, only con is it's kind of pingy but it's easy to mod and fix with some tape, force break mod.”
Keychron S1
12 owner reviews
“Got it today, hands on my first mechanical keyboard and feels so good. And a lot of difference in day-to-day way of typing.”
Keychron Q1 vs S1 specs
Every tracked spec, side by side. Rows marked with a dot differ between the boards.
13 of 27 specs differ
Keychron Q1
Keychron S1
Switch options
Hot-swappable
Mount style
Low profile
Sound dampening
Screw-in stabilizers
Layout size
Layout standard
Ergonomics
Knob
Display
Media keys
Connection
Max polling rate
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 Q1
Keychron
ISO-DE, ISO-UK, ISO-FR, ISO-ES, ISO-SW
In stockShips to you
MK
ISO
Out of stockShips to you
Keychron (DE)
ISO-DE, ISO-UK, ISO-FR, ISO-ES, ISO-SW
Out of stockDoes not ship to you
Keychron (DE)
ISO
Out of stockDoes not ship to you
Keychron S1
No ISO layout at the stores we track.
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 Q1 vs S1: your questions
The Q1 is a gasket-mounted 75% keyboard with a standard-profile design and multiple listed layout standards. The S1 is a low-profile, tray-mounted 75% keyboard with low-profile PBT keycaps.
Both are wired and list a 1000 Hz polling rate, so those specifications do not distinguish them. The Q1 has south-facing RGB and the S1 has north-facing RGB; the choice may come down to layout and typing profile.
The Keychron S1 is listed at 960 g, while the Q1 is listed at 1825 g. The S1 is the lighter option if weight is a priority.
Keychron lists knob and non-knob Q1 variants. The vendor says the knob can be customized through VIA for controls such as zoom, volume, or video clip selection.
The S1 features listed here include multimedia keys, but do not identify a knob option. The Q1 is the model with a vendor-described programmable knob variant.
Hot-swappable versions are listed for both keyboards. Keychron says the S1 hot-swap sockets support Gateron low-profile mechanical switches, while the Q1 vendor description specifies support for 3-pin and 5-pin MX-style switches.
The S1 vendor description identifies double-shot PBT low-profile keycaps that are not shine-through. The Q1 ISO vendor description identifies OSA-profile ABS shine-through keycaps, while the product metadata also lists PBT as a Q1 keycap material.
Both models list QMK and VIA support. Keychron describes the Q1 knob variant as configurable through VIA and describes the S1 as supporting key remapping through QMK and VIA.
The Q1 metadata lists ANSI, ISO, JIS, and several regional ISO standards, and Keychron describes an ISO collection for UK, German, Nordic, Swiss, French, and Spanish layouts. The S1 is listed with an ANSI layout.
Both are listed as wired-only keyboards with USB-C connectivity. Neither is described as offering wireless connectivity.
The Q1 is listed with a gasket mount, and its vendor description calls out a double-gasket design. The S1 uses a tray mount, so the mounting style is a key difference between them.
The S1 is lighter and has smaller listed dimensions than the Q1, making it the more practical choice if carrying weight and size are the main concerns. Both remain wired-only keyboards.
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