Keychron Q13 Ultra vs Q3 HEAlice or Hall Effect
Choose the Q13 Ultra for its Alice layout, numpad, and wireless options, or the Q3 HE for magnetic switches with adjustable actuation and Rapid Trigger.
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5.0 (4)5.0 · 4 reviews
from$249at MK
5.0 (8)5.0 · 8 reviews
from$224at MK
Which one should you get?
Get the
Keychron Q13 Ultra
Build quality in the top 35% of 96% boards under $300.
- 96% Alice layout with a numpad and knob.
- Bluetooth, 2.4 GHz, and wired connectivity.
- 8000 Hz polling rate over wired and 2.4 GHz connections.
- 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.
- Compact full-size layout. The numpad is present, the gaps of a full-size board are not.
Get the
Keychron Q3 HE
Hall effect
Build quality in the top 5% of 80% boards under $300.
- Magnetic switches offer adjustable actuation from 0.1 to 3.35 mm and Rapid Trigger.
- Dynamic Keystrokes supports up to four actions per key based on press depth.
- Wired polling rate options include 1000, 4000, and 8000 Hz.
- 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.
- No numpad.
Pick the Q13 Ultra if an Alice layout, numpad, and wireless connectivity matter more than magnetic-switch gaming features. Choose the Q3 HE if you want adjustable actuation, Rapid Trigger, and a more compact wired layout. Before buying the Q3 HE, note that its hot-swap sockets are for compatible magnetic switches rather than standard MX switches.
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 Q13 Ultra
Keychron Q3 HE
Layout size
96%
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
Ergonomics
Alice
Standard
Case material
Aluminum
Aluminum, Metal
- Keychron Q13 Ultra
- Keychron Q3 HE
- Performance
- 89100
- Build quality
- 7488
- Productivity
- 9497
- Customizability
- 7798
- Portability
- 5578
- Connection: Bluetooth, 2.4 GHz, Wired
- Hot-swappable
- Battery: 4,000 mAh
- Max polling rate: 8,000 Hz
- Mount style: Gasket Mount, Plate Mount
- Knob
What will you mostly use it for?
The Q3 HE is the stronger fit for gaming, with adjustable magnetic actuation, Rapid Trigger, and Dynamic Keystrokes. Its smaller layout and lower listed weight favor travel, though it is wired only. The Q13 Ultra suits office and content workflows that benefit from wireless connections, an Alice layout, or a numpad. For switch and internal-component changes, the Q13 Ultra accepts a broader range of standard MX-style mechanical switches, while the Q3 HE is limited to compatible magnetic switches.
Pick the Keychron Q3 HE
- The Q3 HE's magnetic switches support adjustable actuation from 0.1 to 3.35 mm and Rapid Trigger.
- Its wired polling rate can be set to 1000, 4000, or 8000 Hz.
- Dynamic Keystrokes can assign up to four actions to a key based on press depth.
What owners say
Ratings and quotes collected from verified store reviews, including the critical ones.
Keychron Q13 Ultra
4 owner reviews
“Absolutely brilliant keyboard, if your looking for a full alice keeb, with a solid frame, that looks and feels well built, this is the one for you, already pulled out all the original keycaps and switches, to truly make it a one of one”
Keychron Q3 HE
8 owner reviews
“I am loving this kb, the rapid trigger is solid and the sound is surprisingly great for linear switches. Finally, I can jiggle peek correctly all the time without my kb holding me off. The keyboard looks and feels great!”
Keychron Q13 Ultra vs Q3 HE specs
Every tracked spec, side by side. Rows marked with a dot differ between the boards.
13 of 29 specs differ
Keychron Q13 Ultra
Keychron Q3 HE
Switch options
Hall effect (magnetic)
Rapid trigger
Hot-swappable
Mount style
Sound dampening
Screw-in stabilizers
Layout size
Layout standard
Ergonomics
Knob
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 Q13 Ultra
No ISO layout at the stores we track.
Keychron Q3 HE
Keychron
ISO-DE, ISO-UK, ISO-Nordic, ISO-SW
Out of stockShips to you
Keychron (DE)
ISO-DE, ISO-UK, ISO-SW
In stockDoes not ship to you
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 Q13 Ultra vs Q3 HE: your questions
The Q13 Ultra is a wireless 96% Alice keyboard with a numpad, while the Q3 HE is a wired 80% board with magnetic switches. The Q3 HE adds adjustable actuation and Rapid Trigger.
Yes. The Q13 Ultra supports Bluetooth, 2.4 GHz, and wired USB-C connectivity. Keychron specifies up to 660 hours of use with the backlight off.
No. The Q3 HE product specifications list Type-C wired connectivity. Its 8000 Hz polling rate is specified for wired mode.
Yes. The Q3 HE's magnetic switches support Rapid Trigger, which Keychron describes as activating or resetting keys based on how far they travel. Its actuation point is adjustable from 0.1 to 3.35 mm.
No. The Q3 HE uses magnetic switch sockets, so standard MX mechanical switches will not fit. Keychron lists compatible magnetic switches, including its Lime switches and Gateron Jade.
Yes. The Q13 Ultra is hot-swappable, and Keychron says it accepts almost all 3-pin and 5-pin MX-style mechanical switches. This differs from the Q3 HE, which is limited to compatible magnetic switches.
The Q13 Ultra has a numpad in its compact full-size 96% layout. The Q3 HE is an 80% layout and has no numpad.
The Q3 HE listing includes ANSI and several ISO formats, including ISO-DE, ISO-UK, ISO-Nordic, and ISO-SW. The Q13 Ultra is listed as ANSI only.
The Q3 HE is listed at 137 x 365 mm and 1775 g, compared with the Q13 Ultra at 32 x 447 x 157 mm and 2440 g. The Q3 HE is also wired only, while the Q13 Ultra offers Bluetooth and 2.4 GHz connections.
Both have south-facing LEDs, and their compatibility notes warn that shine-through legends stay dark. The notes also caution that some sculpted keycaps can clip the LEDs.
Keychron describes Launcher web app support for key remapping and macros on both keyboards. The Q3 HE metadata also lists QMK and VIA support.
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