Head to head · Prices checked Nov 10, 2026

Keychron Q1 Max vs Pulsar Xboard MS

Get the Pulsar Xboard MS for the 8,000 Hz polling rate.

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Keychron Q1 Max

4.9 (21)4.9 · 21 reviews

from$209at MK

Compare 5 stores

polling rate

Pulsar Xboard MS

No reviews

from$110at MK

Compare 2 stores

Quick verdict

Which one should you get?

Get the

Keychron Q1 Max

Build quality in the top 5% of 75% boards under $200.

Rules this board out

South-facing LEDs. Shine-through legends stay dark, and some sculpted keycaps can clip the LED.
No numpad.

$209 at MK

Get the

Pulsar Xboard MS

polling rate

Build quality in the top 35% of 80% boards under $150.

Rules this board out

South-facing LEDs. Shine-through legends stay dark, and some sculpted keycaps can clip the LED.
No ISO layout. ISO-DE, UK, and other ISO variants are not offered.
No numpad.

$110 at MK

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 Q1 Max

Pulsar Xboard MS

Layout size
75%
80%
Connection
Bluetooth, 2.4 GHz, Wired
Wired
Wireless for several devices and wired for lower latency
Max polling rate
1,000 Hz
8,000 Hz
Higher polling helps competitive FPS and does nothing for typing
Case material
Aluminum
ABS
Mount style
Gasket Mount, Plate Mount
Gasket Mount

KeebFinder scores

How we score

Keychron Q1 Max
Pulsar Xboard MS

Performance: 81
85
Build quality: 89
63
Productivity: 97
85
Customizability: 98
69
Portability: 81
61

What they share

Hot-swappable
Knob
Sound dampening
Keycaps: PBT

See every spec side by side

Full specs

Keychron Q1 Max vs Pulsar Xboard MS specs

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

13 of 27 specs differ

Spec

Keychron Q1 Max

Pulsar Xboard MS

Typing & switches

Switch options

Clicky, Linear, Tactile

—

Hot-swappable

Yes

Mount style

Gasket Mount, Plate Mount

Gasket Mount

Sound dampening

Yes

Screw-in stabilizers

Yes

Layout

Layout size

75%

80%

Layout standard

ANSI, ISO, ISO-CH, ISO-DE, ISO-Nordic, ISO-SW, ISO-UK, JIS

ANSI

Ergonomics

Standard

Knob

Yes

Display

None

Media keys

Yes

Connectivity & battery

Connection

Bluetooth, 2.4 GHz, Wired

Wired

Max polling rate

1,000 Hz

8,000 HzBetter

Battery

4,000 mAh

Wired only

USB-C

Yes

Build & materials

Case material

Aluminum

ABS

Plate material

Polycarbonate

Aluminum

Keycaps

PBT

Weight

1,724 g

—

Dimensions

23 x 145 x 328 mm

—

Typing angle

5°

—

Backlight

RGB, south-facing

Firmware & software

QMK

Yes

VIA

Yes

N-key rollover

Yes

Mac & Windows

Yes

Extras

Released

2023

2025

For EU buyers

ISO layouts by store

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

Keychron Q1 Max

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

Pulsar Xboard MS

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.

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.

Keychron Q1 Max5 stores