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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
    5. Latency
  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 Q3

Side-by-Side Comparison

Products

Keychron K8 Pro [K2 Pro, K3 Pro, K4 Pro, etc.]
Keychron Q3

Tested using Methodology v1.3.1

Updated Apr 08, 2025 04:39 PM

SEE PRICE
Amazon.com

Tested using Methodology v1.0

Updated Jun 23, 2023 01:13 PM

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Walmart.com
Keychron K8 Pro [K2 Pro, K3 Pro, K4 Pro, etc.] Picture
Keychron Q3 Picture

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%)
  • Q3 (Carbon Black)
  • Q3 (Navy Blue)
  • Q3 (Silver Grey)

Our Verdict

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

Keychron Q3

The Keychron Q Series and the Keychron K8 Pro [K2 Pro, K3 Pro, K4 Pro, etc.] are both mechanical keyboard lineups from the manufacturer Keychron. The Keychron Q3 is a TenKeyLess size available in the Q Series. As a whole, the Q Series features a better build quality thanks to their gasket-mounted design. On the other hand, the K Pro Series are wireless keyboards that support multi-device pairing via Bluetooth, and they have a tray-mounted design. Otherwise, both keyboards are very customizable, are compatible with the VIA companion software, and have a hot-swappable PCB. 

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100%
K5 Pro (Low Profile)
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60%
K9 Pro (Low Profile)
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65%
K7 Pro (Low Profile)
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75%
K3 Pro (Low Profile)
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80% (TKL)
K1 Pro (Low Profile)
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80% (TKL)
K13 Pro (Numpad)
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80% (TKL)
K8 Pro
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96%
K17 Pro (Low Profile)
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Main Differences for
Gaming

Threshold 

0.10

Gaming 

8.2
8.4

Pre-Travel 
 

2.3 mm
2.8 mm

Single-Key Latency 
 

8.3
7.3

Operating Force 
 

57 gf
49 gf

Full Comparison

Design

Dimensions 
 

Top Picture  

Keychron K8 Pro [K2 Pro, K3 Pro, K4 Pro, etc.] Top Picture
Keychron Q3 Top Picture

Size 
 

TenKeyLess (80%)
TenKeyLess (80%)

Height 
 

1.7" (4.3 cm)
1.7" (4.4 cm)

Width  

14.1" (35.8 cm)
14.4" (36.7 cm)

Depth 
 

5.1" (13.0 cm)
5.4" (13.8 cm)

Depth With Wrist Rest 
 

N/A
N/A

Weight 
 

2.95 lbs (1.336 kg)
4.53 lbs (2.055 kg)
Show Text 

Build Quality 
 

8.5
9.0

Build Quality Close Up  

Keychron K8 Pro [K2 Pro, K3 Pro, K4 Pro, etc.] Build Quality Close Up
Keychron Q3 Build Quality Close Up

Keycap Material  

PBT
PBT
Show Text 

Ergonomics 
 

6.0
6.0

Side Picture  

Keychron K8 Pro [K2 Pro, K3 Pro, K4 Pro, etc.] Side Picture
Keychron Q3 Side Picture

Curved/Angled 
 

No
Straight

Split Keyboard 
 

No

Key Alignment 
 

Staggered

Minimum Incline 
 

5.2°

Medium Incline 
 

N/A

Maximum Incline 
 

10.5°
N/A

Home Row Height 
 

35.5 mm (1.4")

Wrist Rest  

No
Show Text 

Hardware Customizability 
 

10

Customizability Overview  

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

Replaceable Cherry Stabilizers 
 

Yes

Stabilizer Fixation 
 

Screw-in

Spacebar Stabilizer Size 
 

6.25u

Size Of Right Mod Keys 
 

1.25u

Hot-Swappable Switches 
 

Yes

Switch Stem Shape 
 

Cherry MX Style

Switch PCB Socket 
 

5-pin Cherry

North-Facing Cherry MX Interference 
 

No
Show Text 

Backlight Features 
 

10
9.7

Backlighting Picture  

Keychron K8 Pro [K2 Pro, K3 Pro, K4 Pro, etc.] Backlighting Picture
Keychron Q3 Backlighting Picture

Brightness Max  

Keychron K8 Pro [K2 Pro, K3 Pro, K4 Pro, etc.] Brightness Max
Keychron Q3 Brightness Max

Backlighting  

Yes
Yes

Brightness Min  

Keychron K8 Pro [K2 Pro, K3 Pro, K4 Pro, etc.] Brightness Min
Keychron Q3 Brightness Min

White Shot 
 

Keychron K8 Pro [K2 Pro, K3 Pro, K4 Pro, etc.] White Shot
Keychron Q3 White Shot

RGB 
 

Yes

Per-Key Backlighting 
 

Yes
Yes

Effects 
 

Yes
Yes

Software Controllable 
 

Yes
Yes

Color 
 

RGB

Color Mixing 
 

Ok
Show Text 

Backlight Clarity 
 

4.0

White Shot  

Keychron K8 Pro [K2 Pro, K3 Pro, K4 Pro, etc.] White Shot
Keychron Q3 White Shot
Show Text 

Cable & Connector  

Connectivity  

Wireless
Wired

Detachable 
 

Yes (Wired Mode and Charge)
Yes (Wired Only Keyboard)

Length  

3.9 ft (1.2 m)
5.9 ft (1.8 m)

Connector (Keyboard side) 
 

USB type-C
USB type-C
Show Text 

Wireless Versatility 
 

10
0.0

Bluetooth 
 

Yes
No

Bluetooth Multi-Device Pairing 
 

3
No

Proprietary Receiver 
 

No
No

Battery Type 
 

Rechargeable
No Batteries
Show Text 

Macro Keys And Programming 
 

4.0

Dedicated Macro Keys Count  

0

Onboard Macro Programming 
 

No

Macro Programming With Software 
 

Yes
Show Text 

Extra Features 
 

Extra Features  

Keychron K8 Pro [K2 Pro, K3 Pro, K4 Pro, etc.] Extra Features
Keychron Q3 Extra Features

Media Keys 
 

Non-Dedicated
Hot Keys

Trackpad / Trackball  

No
No

Scroll Wheel 
 

No
No

Control Knob 
 

No

USB Passthrough 
 

No
No

Numpad  

No
No

Windows Key Lock 
 

No
No

Lock Indicator  

Caps Lock
No Indicator

Macro Programmable Keys 
 

All
Show Text 

In The Box  

Bundle Picture  

Keychron K8 Pro [K2 Pro, K3 Pro, K4 Pro, etc.] Bundle Picture
Keychron Q3 Bundle Picture
Show Text 
Typing Experience

Typing Quality 
 

8.0
8.5

Key Spacing 
 

19.0 mm (0.748")
Show Text 

Typing Noise 
 

4.3
10

Typing Sample  

Average Loudness 
 

55.9 dBA

High Pitch Clicks 
 

Yes

Noise 
 

Very Quiet
Show Text 

Switches 
 

Wobble Video  

Switch Name 
 

Gateron G Pro Blue
Gateron G Pro Brown

Switch Type 
 

Mechanical

Feel 
 

Clicky
Tactile

Analog 
 

No
Show Text 

Keystrokes 
 

Key Switch Actuation Graph  

See details on graph tool
See details on graph tool

Key Switches 
 

Gateron G Pro Blue
Gateron G Pro Brown

Mechanical 
 

Yes

Feel 
 

Clicky
Tactile

Operating Force 
 

57 gf
49 gf

Actuation Force 
 

43 gf
42 gf

Pre-Travel 
 

2.3 mm
2.8 mm

Total Travel 
 

4.5 mm
4.2 mm
Show Text 

Latency 
 

8.3
7.3

Latency Video  

Latency Wired 
 

9.8 ms
11.5 ms

Latency Receiver 
 

N/A
N/A

Latency Bluetooth 
 

19.9 ms
N/A
Show Text 
Performance

Single-Key Latency 
 

8.3
7.3

Single-Key Latency Graph  

See details on graph tool

Best Connection 
 

9.8 ms

Best Connection Std Dev  

±1.0 ms

Wired 
 

9.8 ms
11.5 ms

Receiver 
 

N/A
N/A

Bluetooth 
 

19.9 ms
N/A

PCB (Estimated) 
 

6.6 ms
Show Text 

Multi-Key Latency 
 

8.0

Latency Video  

Multi-Key Latency Graph  

See details on graph tool

Connection Evaluated  

Wired

Key Press 
 

9.9 ms

Key Release 
 

12.9 ms
Show Text 

Data Transmission 
 

8.2

Multi-Key Raw USB  

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

Connection Evaluated  

Wired

USB Polling Rate 
 

1,000 Hz

Effective Update Rate 
 

1,000 Hz

N-Key Rollover (NKRO) 
 

Yes

Multiple Keys Per USB Report 
 

No
Show Text 

Chord Split 
 

8.8

Chord Split Graph  

See details on graph tool

4 Chord Split Delay 
 

3.3 ms

8 Chord Split Delay 
 

10.8 ms
Show Text 
Software and Operating System

Configuration Software 
 

Software Picture  

Keychron Q3 Software Picture

Software Tour  

Software Name  

VIA
VIA

Software Windows Compatible 
 

Yes
Yes

Software macOS Compatible 
 

Yes
Yes

Onboard Memory 
 

Yes
Yes

Profiles 
 

6+
6+

Account Required 
 

No

Cloud Sync 
 

No

Macro Programming 
 

Software

Ease Of Use 
 

Easy
Show Text 

Computer Compatibility 
 

10
8.2

Windows 
 

Fully Compatible
Full

macOS 
 

Fully Compatible
Full

Linux (Ubuntu 22) 
 

Fully Compatible
Full

Media Key Compatibility 
 

Windows, MacOS & Linux

Android  

Fully Compatible
No

iOS  

Fully Compatible
No

iPadOS  

Fully Compatible
No
Show Text 

Wireless Mobile Compatibility 
 

10

Android 
 

Fully Compatible
No

iOS 
 

Fully Compatible
No

iPadOS 
 

Fully Compatible
No

Media Key Compatibility 
 

Android, iPhone & iPad
Show Text 

Check Price

100%
K5 Pro (Low Profile)
Searching
Finding store
60%
K9 Pro (Low Profile)
Searching
Finding store
65%
K7 Pro (Low Profile)
Searching
Finding store
 
75%
K3 Pro (Low Profile)
Searching
Finding store
 
80% (TKL)
K1 Pro (Low Profile)
Searching
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80% (TKL)
K13 Pro (Numpad)
Searching
Finding store
 
80% (TKL)
K8 Pro
Searching
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96%
K17 Pro (Low Profile)
Searching
Finding store
 

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

Keychron Q3

Comments

  1. Comparison

Keychron K8 Pro [K2 Pro, K3 Pro, K4 Pro, etc.] vs Keychron Q3: Main Discussion

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