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  1. Table of Contents
  2. Top
  3. Main Differences
  4. Design
    1. Dimensions
    2. Build Quality
    3. Ergonomics
    4. Hardware Customizability
    5. Backlight Features
    6. Backlight Clarity
    7. Cable & Connector
    8. Wireless Versatility
    9. Macro Keys And Programming
    10. Extra Features
    11. In The Box
  5. Typing Experience
    1. Typing Quality
    2. Typing Noise
    3. Switches
    4. Keystrokes
  6. Performance
    1. Single-Key Latency
    2. Multi-Key Latency
    3. Data Transmission
    4. Chord Split
  7. Software and Operating System
    1. Configuration Software
    2. Computer Compatibility
    3. Wireless Mobile Compatibility
  8. Comments

Keychron K8 Pro [K2 Pro, K3 Pro, K4 Pro, etc.] vs Keychron K5 Max [K1 Max, K3 Max, etc.]

Side-by-Side Comparison

Products

Keychron K8 Pro [K2 Pro, K3 Pro, K4 Pro, etc.]
Keychron K5 Max [K1 Max, K3 Max, etc.]

Tested using Methodology v1.3.1

Updated Apr 08, 2025 04:39 PM

SEE PRICE
Amazon.com

Tested using Methodology v1.3.1

Updated Dec 09, 2024 06:10 PM

SEE PRICE
Amazon.com
Keychron K8 Pro [K2 Pro, K3 Pro, K4 Pro, etc.] Picture
Keychron K5 Max [K1 Max, K3 Max, etc.] Picture
ConnectivityWireless
Size
TenKeyLess (80%)
Switch Type
Mechanical
N-Key Rollover (NKRO)
Yes
Hot-Swappable Switches
Yes
ConnectivityWireless
Size
Full-size (100%)
Switch Type
Mechanical
N-Key Rollover (NKRO)
Yes
Hot-Swappable Switches
No
  1. Recommended in 1 article:
  2. Office

Variants

  • K10 Pro (100%)
  • K5 Pro (Low Profile) (100%)
  • K9 Pro (Low Profile) (60%)
  • K12 Pro (60%)
  • K6 Pro (65%)
  • K7 Pro (Low Profile) (65%)
  • K14 Pro (70%)
  • K2 Pro (75%)
  • K3 Pro (Low Profile) (75%)
  • K1 Pro (Low Profile) (80% (TKL))
  • K13 Pro (Numpad) (80% (TKL))
  • K8 Pro (80% (TKL))
  • K4 Pro (96%)
  • K17 Pro (Low Profile) (96%)
  • K5 Max (Gray - 100%)
  • K7 Max (Gray - 65%)
  • K11 Max (Gray - 65% (Alice))
  • K3 Max (Gray - 75%)
  • K15 Max (Gray - 75% (Alice))
  • K1 Max (Gray - 80%)
  • K17 Max (Gray - 96%)
  • K13 Max (Gray - Numpad 80%)

Review

See Keychron K8 Pro [K2 Pro, K3 Pro, K4 Pro, etc.] Review
See Keychron K5 Max [K1 Max, K3 Max, etc.] Review
5 
7 

Our Verdict

Keychron K8 Pro [K2 Pro, K3 Pro, K4 Pro, etc.]

Keychron K5 Max [K1 Max, K3 Max, etc.]

The Keychron K5 Max and the Keychron K8 Pro are wireless mechanical keyboard models that are each part of a wider series with other size variants available. The major difference between the keyboards in these two lineups is that the K Max keyboards have expanded wireless versatility with the addition of 2.4GHz receiver connectivity, offering better overall raw performance. The K Max boards also have more layers of internal acoustic material.

0 

Check Price

100%
K10 Pro
SEE PRICE
Amazon.com
Gray - 100%
K5 Max
SEARCH
Amazon.com
100%
K5 Pro (Low Profile)
SEE PRICE
Amazon.com
Gray - 65%
K7 Max
SEARCH
Amazon.com
60%
K9 Pro (Low Profile)
SEARCH
Amazon.com
Gray - 65% (Alice)
K11 Max
SEARCH
Amazon.com
60%
K12 Pro
SEARCH
Amazon.com
Gray - 75%
K3 Max
SEE PRICE
Amazon.com
65%
K6 Pro
SEE PRICE
Amazon.com
Gray - 75% (Alice)
K15 Max
SEARCH
Amazon.com
65%
K7 Pro (Low Profile)
SEE PRICE
Amazon.com
Gray - 80%
K1 Max
SEE PRICE
Amazon.com
70%
K14 Pro
SEE PRICE
Amazon.com
Gray - 96%
K17 Max
SEARCH
Amazon.com
75%
K2 Pro
SEE PRICE
Amazon.com
Gray - Numpad 80%
K13 Max
SEARCH
Amazon.com
75%
K3 Pro (Low Profile)
SEARCH
Amazon.com
 
80% (TKL)
K1 Pro (Low Profile)
SEARCH
Amazon.com
 
80% (TKL)
K13 Pro (Numpad)
SEE PRICE
Amazon.com
 
80% (TKL)
K8 Pro
SEE PRICE
Amazon.com
 
96%
K4 Pro
SEARCH
Amazon.com
 
96%
K17 Pro (Low Profile)
SEARCH
Amazon.com
 

Main Differences for
Gaming

Threshold 

0.10

Gaming 

8.2
8.4

Chord Split 
 

8.8
7.4

Single-Key Latency 
 

8.3
9.1

Full Comparison

Design

Dimensions 
 

Top Picture  

Keychron K8 Pro [K2 Pro, K3 Pro, K4 Pro, etc.] Top Picture
Keychron K5 Max [K1 Max, K3 Max, etc.] Top Picture

Size 
 

TenKeyLess (80%)
Full-size (100%)

Height 
 

1.7" (4.3 cm)
0.9" (2.4 cm)

Width  

14.1" (35.8 cm)
16.5" (42.0 cm)

Depth 
 

5.1" (13.0 cm)
4.7" (12.0 cm)

Depth With Wrist Rest 
 

N/A
N/A

Weight 
 

2.95 lbs (1.336 kg)
1.60 lbs (0.727 kg)
Show Text 

Build Quality 
 

8.5
8.5

Build Quality Close Up  

Keychron K8 Pro [K2 Pro, K3 Pro, K4 Pro, etc.] Build Quality Close Up
Keychron K5 Max [K1 Max, K3 Max, etc.] Build Quality Close Up

Keycap Material  

PBT
PBT
Show Text 

Ergonomics 
 

6.0
7.0

Side Picture  

Keychron K8 Pro [K2 Pro, K3 Pro, K4 Pro, etc.] Side Picture
Keychron K5 Max [K1 Max, K3 Max, etc.] Side Picture

Curved/Angled 
 

No
No

Split Keyboard 
 

No
No

Key Alignment 
 

Staggered
Staggered

Minimum Incline 
 

4°
3.3°

Medium Incline 
 

8°
4.5°

Maximum Incline 
 

10.5°
6.6°

Home Row Height 
 

35.5 mm (1.4")
20.9 mm (0.8")
Show Text 

Hardware Customizability 
 

10
4.4

Customizability Overview  

Keychron K8 Pro [K2 Pro, K3 Pro, K4 Pro, etc.] Customizability Overview
Keychron K5 Max [K1 Max, K3 Max, etc.] Customizability Overview

Replaceable Cherry Stabilizers 
 

Yes
No

Stabilizer Fixation 
 

Screw-in
Plate-Mounted

Spacebar Stabilizer Size 
 

6.25u
6.25u

Size Of Right Mod Keys 
 

1.25u
1.25u

Hot-Swappable Switches 
 

Yes
No

Switch Stem Shape 
 

Cherry MX Style
Low Profile Cherry MX Style

Switch PCB Socket 
 

5-pin Cherry
Soldered

North-Facing Cherry MX Interference 
 

No
Yes
Show Text 

Backlight Features 
 

10
10

Backlighting Picture  

Keychron K8 Pro [K2 Pro, K3 Pro, K4 Pro, etc.] Backlighting Picture
Keychron K5 Max [K1 Max, K3 Max, etc.] Backlighting Picture

Brightness Max  

Keychron K8 Pro [K2 Pro, K3 Pro, K4 Pro, etc.] Brightness Max
Keychron K5 Max [K1 Max, K3 Max, etc.] Brightness Max

Backlighting  

Yes
Yes

Brightness Min  

Keychron K8 Pro [K2 Pro, K3 Pro, K4 Pro, etc.] Brightness Min
Keychron K5 Max [K1 Max, K3 Max, etc.] Brightness Min

RGB 
 

Yes
Yes

Per-Key Backlighting 
 

Yes
Yes

Effects 
 

Yes
Yes

Software Controllable 
 

Yes
Yes
Show Text 

Backlight Clarity 
 

4.0
4.0

White Shot  

Keychron K8 Pro [K2 Pro, K3 Pro, K4 Pro, etc.] White Shot
Keychron K5 Max [K1 Max, K3 Max, etc.] White Shot
Show Text 

Cable & Connector  

Connectivity  

Wireless
Wireless

Detachable 
 

Yes (Wired Mode and Charge)
Yes (Wired Mode and Charge)

Length  

3.9 ft (1.2 m)
3.9 ft (1.2 m)

Connector (Keyboard side) 
 

USB type-C
USB type-C
Show Text 

Wireless Versatility 
 

10
10

Bluetooth 
 

Yes
Yes

Bluetooth Multi-Device Pairing 
 

3
3

Proprietary Receiver 
 

No
Yes

Battery Type 
 

Rechargeable
Rechargeable
Show Text 

Macro Keys And Programming 
 

4.0
6.7

Dedicated Macro Keys Count  

0
4

Onboard Macro Programming 
 

No
No

Macro Programming With Software 
 

Yes
Yes
Show Text 

Extra Features 
 

Extra Features  

Keychron K8 Pro [K2 Pro, K3 Pro, K4 Pro, etc.] Extra Features
Keychron K5 Max [K1 Max, K3 Max, etc.] Extra Features

Media Keys 
 

Non-Dedicated
Non-Dedicated

Trackpad / Trackball  

No
No

Scroll Wheel 
 

No
No

Control Knob 
 

No
No

USB Passthrough 
 

No
No

Numpad  

No
Yes

Windows Key Lock 
 

No
No

Lock Indicator  

Caps Lock
Caps Lock
Show Text 

In The Box  

Bundle Picture  

Keychron K8 Pro [K2 Pro, K3 Pro, K4 Pro, etc.] Bundle Picture
Keychron K5 Max [K1 Max, K3 Max, etc.] Bundle Picture
Show Text 
Typing Experience

Typing Quality 
 

8.0
8.0

Key Spacing 
 

19.0 mm (0.748")
19.0 mm (0.748")
Show Text 

Typing Noise 
 

4.3
9.4

Typing Sample  

Average Loudness 
 

55.9 dBA
41.3 dBA

High Pitch Clicks 
 

Yes
No
Show Text 

Switches 
 

Wobble Video  

Switch Name 
 

Gateron G Pro Blue
Gateron Low-Profile MX 2.0 Mechanical Red

Switch Type 
 

Mechanical
Mechanical

Feel 
 

Clicky
Linear

Analog 
 

No
No
Show Text 

Keystrokes 
 

Key Switch Actuation Graph  

See details on graph tool
See details on graph tool

Operating Force 
 

57 gf
48 gf

Actuation Force 
 

43 gf
48 gf

Pre-Travel 
 

2.3 mm
1.8 mm

Total Travel 
 

4.5 mm
2.9 mm
Show Text 
Performance

Single-Key Latency 
 

8.3
9.1

Single-Key Latency Graph  

See details on graph tool
See details on graph tool

Best Connection 
 

9.8 ms
2.9 ms

Best Connection Std Dev  

±1.0 ms
±0.5 ms

Wired 
 

9.8 ms
2.9 ms

Receiver 
 

N/A
4.4 ms

Bluetooth 
 

19.9 ms
9.7 ms

PCB (Estimated) 
 

6.6 ms
1.5 ms
Show Text 

Multi-Key Latency 
 

8.0
8.6

Latency Video  

Multi-Key Latency Graph  

See details on graph tool
See details on graph tool

Connection Evaluated  

Wired
Receiver

Key Press 
 

9.9 ms
4.5 ms

Key Release 
 

12.9 ms
8.7 ms
Show Text 

Data Transmission 
 

8.2
8.2

Multi-Key Raw USB  

Keychron K8 Pro [K2 Pro, K3 Pro, K4 Pro, etc.] Multi-Key Raw USB
Keychron K5 Max [K1 Max, K3 Max, etc.] Multi-Key Raw USB

Connection Evaluated  

Wired
Receiver

USB Polling Rate 
 

1,000 Hz
1,000 Hz

Effective Update Rate 
 

1,000 Hz
1,000 Hz

N-Key Rollover (NKRO) 
 

Yes
Yes

Multiple Keys Per USB Report 
 

No
No
Show Text 

Chord Split 
 

8.8
7.4

Chord Split Graph  

See details on graph tool
See details on graph tool

4 Chord Split Delay 
 

3.3 ms
6.5 ms

8 Chord Split Delay 
 

10.8 ms
17.6 ms
Show Text 
Software and Operating System

Configuration Software 
 

Software Tour  

Software Name  

VIA
VIA

Software Windows Compatible 
 

Yes
Yes

Software macOS Compatible 
 

Yes
Yes

Onboard Memory 
 

Yes
Yes

Profiles 
 

6+
6+
Show Text 

Computer Compatibility 
 

10
10

Windows 
 

Fully Compatible
Fully Compatible

macOS 
 

Fully Compatible
Fully Compatible

Linux (Ubuntu 22) 
 

Fully Compatible
Fully Compatible

Media Key Compatibility 
 

Windows, MacOS & Linux
Windows, MacOS & Linux
Show Text 

Wireless Mobile Compatibility 
 

10
10

Android 
 

Fully Compatible
Fully Compatible

iOS 
 

Fully Compatible
Fully Compatible

iPadOS 
 

Fully Compatible
Fully Compatible

Media Key Compatibility 
 

Android, iPhone & iPad
Android, iPhone & iPad
Show Text 

Check Price

100%
K10 Pro
SEE PRICE
Amazon.com
Gray - 100%
K5 Max
SEARCH
Amazon.com
100%
K5 Pro (Low Profile)
SEE PRICE
Amazon.com
Gray - 65%
K7 Max
SEARCH
Amazon.com
60%
K9 Pro (Low Profile)
SEARCH
Amazon.com
Gray - 65% (Alice)
K11 Max
SEARCH
Amazon.com
60%
K12 Pro
SEARCH
Amazon.com
Gray - 75%
K3 Max
SEE PRICE
Amazon.com
65%
K6 Pro
SEE PRICE
Amazon.com
Gray - 75% (Alice)
K15 Max
SEARCH
Amazon.com
65%
K7 Pro (Low Profile)
SEE PRICE
Amazon.com
Gray - 80%
K1 Max
SEE PRICE
Amazon.com
70%
K14 Pro
SEE PRICE
Amazon.com
Gray - 96%
K17 Max
SEARCH
Amazon.com
75%
K2 Pro
SEE PRICE
Amazon.com
Gray - Numpad 80%
K13 Max
SEARCH
Amazon.com
75%
K3 Pro (Low Profile)
SEARCH
Amazon.com
 
80% (TKL)
K1 Pro (Low Profile)
SEARCH
Amazon.com
 
80% (TKL)
K13 Pro (Numpad)
SEE PRICE
Amazon.com
 
80% (TKL)
K8 Pro
SEE PRICE
Amazon.com
 
96%
K4 Pro
SEARCH
Amazon.com
 
96%
K17 Pro (Low Profile)
SEARCH
Amazon.com
 
Back to Top

Keychron K8 Pro [K2 Pro, K3 Pro, K4 Pro, etc.]

Keychron K5 Max [K1 Max, K3 Max, etc.]

Comments

  1. Comparison
 • Posted 10 months ago

Keychron K8 Pro [K2 Pro, K3 Pro, K4 Pro, etc.] vs Keychron K5 Max [K1 Max, K3 Max, etc.]: Main Discussion

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