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Head to head · Prices checked Nov 2, 2026

Keychron Q5 HE vs PBTfans Agar Mini

Get the Keychron Q5 HE for hall effect and rapid trigger.

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Quick verdict

Which one should you get?

Get the

Keychron Q5 HE

Hall effect

Build quality in the top 10% of 96% boards under $300.

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.

Get the

PBTfans Agar Mini

Build quality in the bottom 50% of 40% boards under $300.

Rules this board out

  • No ISO layout. ISO-DE, UK, and other ISO variants are not offered.
  • Compact layout only. No function row, dedicated arrow keys, or numpad.

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 Q5 HE

PBTfans Agar Mini

  • Layout size

    96%

    40%

  • 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

  • Connection

    Bluetooth, 2.4 GHz, Wired

    Bluetooth

    Wireless for several devices and wired for lower latency

  • Battery

    4,000 mAh

    300 mAh

    A larger battery means fewer cables during the day

KeebFinder scores

How we score
  • Keychron Q5 HE
  • PBTfans Agar Mini
Performance
100
43
Build quality
89
70
Productivity
97
60
Customizability
95
52
Portability
55
81

What they share

  • Hot-swappable
  • Sound dampening
  • Keycaps: PBT
See every spec side by side

Full specs

Keychron Q5 HE vs PBTfans Agar Mini specs

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

18 of 28 specs differ

Keychron Q5 HE

PBTfans Agar Mini

Typing & switches

Switch options

Clicky, Linear, Magnetic, Tactile
—

Hall effect (magnetic)

Yes
No

Rapid trigger

Yes
No

Hot-swappable

Yes
Yes

Mount style

Gasket Mount, Plate Mount
Gasket Mount

Sound dampening

Yes
Yes

Screw-in stabilizers

Yes
Yes

Layout

Layout size

96%
40%

Layout standard

ANSI, ISO, ISO-CH, ISO-DE, ISO-UK
ANSI

Ergonomics

Standard
Standard

Knob

Yes
No

Display

None
None

Connectivity & battery

Connection

Bluetooth, 2.4 GHz, Wired
Bluetooth

Max polling rate

8,000 Hz
—

Battery

4,000 mAhBetter
300 mAh

USB-C

Yes
No

Build & materials

Case material

Aluminum
Aluminum, Polycarbonate

Plate material

Aluminum
Aluminum, CarbonFiber, FR4, Polycarbonate

Keycaps

PBT
PBT

Weight

2,301 g
—

Dimensions

32 x 408 x 145 mm
—

Typing angle

5°
9°

Backlight

RGB, south-facing
None

Firmware & software

QMK

Yes
No

VIA

Yes
No

N-key rollover

Yes
No

Mac & Windows

Yes
No

Extras

Released

2024
2026

For EU buyers

ISO layouts by store

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

Keychron Q5 HE

  • Keychron

    ISO-DE, ISO-UK, ISO-CH

    In stockShips to you

  • Keychron (DE)

    ISO-DE, ISO-UK, ISO-CH

    In stockDoes not ship to you

PBTfans Agar Mini

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.

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