Keychron R3 vs Pulsar Xboard MS
Get the Keychron R3 for qmk. Get the Pulsar Xboard MS for hot-swappable and knob.
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Which one should you get?
Get the
Keychron R3
QMK
Build quality in the bottom 30% of 80% boards under $100.
- Switches are soldered. Swapping them means soldering.
Get the
Pulsar Xboard MS
Hot-swappable
Build quality in the top 35% of 80% boards under $150.
- South-facing LEDs. Shine-through legends stay dark, and some sculpted keycaps can clip the LED.
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 R3
Pulsar Xboard MS
Hot-swappable
No
Yes
Switch changes without soldering
Knob
No
Yes
QMK
Yes
No
The deep option when you want to remap every key
Sound dampening
No
Yes
Backlight
None
RGB, south-facing
RGB for looks and low light rather than speed
- Keychron R3
- Pulsar Xboard MS
- Performance
- 4485
- Build quality
- 5263
- Productivity
- 4685
- Customizability
- 4869
- Portability
- 5061
- Layout size: 80%
Keychron R3 vs Pulsar Xboard MS specs
Every tracked spec, side by side. Rows marked with a dot differ between the boards.
9 of 21 specs differ
Keychron R3
Pulsar Xboard MS
Switch options
Hot-swappable
Mount style
Sound dampening
Layout size
Layout standard
Ergonomics
Knob
Display
Media keys
Connection
Max polling rate
Battery
USB-C
Case material
Plate material
Keycaps
Backlight
QMK
Mac & Windows
Released
Compare prices
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Lowest price across stores, Amazon excluded.
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