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Head to head · Prices checked Nov 2, 2026

Keychron Q12 HE vs Royalaxe XL98

Get the Keychron Q12 HE for hall effect and rapid trigger. Get the Royalaxe XL98 for the 8,000 mAh battery.

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Quick verdict

Which one should you get?

Get the

Keychron Q12 HE

Hall effect

Build quality in the top 20% of 96% boards at any price.

Rules this board out

  • Magnetic switches only. Standard MX switches will not fit.
  • South-facing LEDs. Shine-through legends stay dark, and some sculpted keycaps can clip the LED.
  • Compact full-size layout. The numpad is present, the gaps of a full-size board are not.
$310 at Keychron (DE)

Get the

Royalaxe XL98

Battery

Build quality in the bottom 25% of 98% boards at any price.

Rules this board out

  • Compact full-size layout. The numpad is present, the gaps of a full-size board are not.
$389 at Mechkeys

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 Q12 HE

Royalaxe XL98

  • Layout size

    96%

    98%

  • Hall effect (magnetic)

    Yes

    No

    Adjustable actuation helps in games and not in normal typing

  • Rapid trigger

    Yes

    No

    Faster resets help in games and not in normal typing

  • Battery

    4,000 mAh

    8,000 mAh

    A larger battery means fewer cables during the day

  • Ergonomics

    Southpaw

    Standard

KeebFinder scores

How we score
  • Keychron Q12 HE
  • Royalaxe XL98
Performance
93
56
Build quality
85
57
Productivity
97
76
Customizability
93
72
Portability
55
65

What they share

  • Connection: Bluetooth, 2.4 GHz, Wired
  • Hot-swappable
  • Knob
  • Keycaps: PBT
See every spec side by side

Full specs

Keychron Q12 HE vs Royalaxe XL98 specs

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

20 of 29 specs differ

Keychron Q12 HE

Royalaxe XL98

Typing & switches

Switch options

Clicky, Linear, Magnetic, Tactile
Linear

Hall effect (magnetic)

Yes
No

Rapid trigger

Yes
No

Hot-swappable

Yes
Yes

Mount style

Gasket Mount, Plate Mount
Gasket Mount

Sound dampening

Yes
No

Screw-in stabilizers

Yes
No

Layout

Layout size

96%
98%

Layout standard

ANSI
ANSI

Ergonomics

Southpaw
Standard

Knob

Yes
Yes

Display

None
Yes

Media keys

Yes
No

Connectivity & battery

Connection

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

Max polling rate

1,000 Hz
—

Battery

4,000 mAh
8,000 mAhBetter

USB-C

Yes
Yes

Build & materials

Case material

Aluminum
Aluminum, Plastic

Plate material

Aluminum
CarbonFiber

Keycaps

PBT
PBT

Weight

2,201 g
1,800 g

Dimensions

31 x 409 x 145 mm
67 x 220 x 543 mm

Typing angle

5°
—

Backlight

RGB, south-facing
RGB

Firmware & software

QMK

Yes
No

VIA

Yes
No

N-key rollover

Yes
No

Mac & Windows

Yes
Yes

Extras

Released

2025
2023

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 Q12 HE4 stores
Royalaxe XL983 stores

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