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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 Q5 Max [Q1 Max, Q2 Max, etc.] vs NuPhy Gem80

Side-by-Side Comparison

Products

Keychron Q5 Max [Q1 Max, Q2 Max, etc.]
NuPhy Gem80

Tested using Methodology v1.3.1

Updated Apr 08, 2025 01:09 PM

SEE PRICE
Amazon.com

Tested using Methodology v1.3.1

Updated Jul 29, 2024 03:12 PM

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Keychron Q5 Max [Q1 Max, Q2 Max, etc.] Picture
NuPhy Gem80 Picture
  1. Recommended in 2 articles:
  2. Mechanical
  3. TKL

Variants

  • Q15 Max (Black - Ortholinear)
  • Q6 Max (Carbon Black - 100%)
  • Q2 Max (Carbon Black - 65%)
  • Q8 Max (Carbon Black - 65%/Alice)
  • Q1 Max (Carbon Black - 75%)
  • Q10 Max (Carbon Black - 75%/Alice)
  • Q3 Max (Carbon Black - 80%/TKL)
  • Q5 Max (Carbon Black - 96%)
  • Q14 Max (Carbon Black - 96%/Alice)
  • Q13 Max (Carbon Black - 96%/Alice)
  • Q12 Max (Carbon Black - 96%/Southpaw)
  • Q65 Max (Carbon Black - Special 65%)
  • Q60 Max (Retro - Special 60%)
  • Q6 Max (Shell White - 100%)
  • Q2 Max (Shell White - 65%)
  • Q8 Max (Shell White - 65%/Alice)
  • Q1 Max (Shell White - 75%)
  • Q10 Max (Shell White - 75%/Alice)
  • Q3 Max (Shell White - 80%/TKL)
  • Q5 Max (Shell White - 96%)
  • Q14 Max (Shell White - 96%/Alice)
  • Q13 Max (Shell White - 96%/Alice)
  • Q12 Max (Shell White - 96%/Southpaw)
  • Q65 Max (Shell White - Special 65%)
  • Q15 Max (White - Ortholinear)
  • Gem80 (Airy Lilac)
  • Gem80 (Cosmic Mocha)
  • Gem80 (Inca Rose)
  • Gem80 (Mystic Indigo)
  • Gem80 (Obsidian Black)

Our Verdict

Keychron Q5 Max [Q1 Max, Q2 Max, etc.]

NuPhy Gem80

The Keychron Q3 Max and the NuPhy Gem80 are wireless mechanical keyboards. The Keychron is available either as a barebones kit or in a prebuilt mode. It also offers better raw performance and has a solid aluminum case. The Gem80, on the other hand, is only available as a barebones kit, so you need to buy and install switches and keycaps yourself. Its case has an aluminum frame and a polycarbonate bottom. It also has more acoustic material inside the case.

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Main Differences for
Gaming

Threshold 

0.10

Gaming 

8.4
8.3

Single-Key Latency 
 

9.2
8.6

Full Comparison

Design

Dimensions 
 

Top Picture  

Keychron Q5 Max [Q1 Max, Q2 Max, etc.] Top Picture
NuPhy Gem80 Top Picture

Size 
 

Compact (96%)
TenKeyLess (80%)

Height 
 

2.0" (5.0 cm)
1.8" (4.6 cm)

Width  

16.1" (40.8 cm)
14.1" (35.7 cm)

Depth 
 

5.7" (14.5 cm)
5.6" (14.2 cm)

Depth With Wrist Rest 
 

N/A
N/A

Weight 
 

4.86 lbs (2.206 kg)
3.05 lbs (1.382 kg)
Show Text 

Build Quality 
 

8.5
9.0

Build Quality Close Up  

Keychron Q5 Max [Q1 Max, Q2 Max, etc.] Build Quality Close Up
NuPhy Gem80 Build Quality Close Up

Keycap Material  

PBT
PBT
Show Text 

Ergonomics 
 

6.0
6.0

Side Picture  

Keychron Q5 Max [Q1 Max, Q2 Max, etc.] Side Picture
NuPhy Gem80 Side Picture

Curved/Angled 
 

No
No

Split Keyboard 
 

No
No

Key Alignment 
 

Staggered
Staggered

Minimum Incline 
 

5.2°

Medium Incline 
 

N/A
N/A

Maximum Incline 
 

N/A
N/A

Home Row Height 
 

37.6 mm (1.5")
34.3 mm (1.4")
Show Text 

Hardware Customizability 
 

9.8
9.6

Customizability Overview  

Keychron Q5 Max [Q1 Max, Q2 Max, etc.] Customizability Overview
NuPhy Gem80 Customizability Overview

Replaceable Cherry Stabilizers 
 

Yes
Yes

Stabilizer Fixation 
 

Screw-in
Plate-Mounted

Spacebar Stabilizer Size 
 

6.25u
6.25u

Size Of Right Mod Keys 
 

1u
1.25u

Hot-Swappable Switches 
 

Yes
Yes

Switch Stem Shape 
 

Cherry MX Style
Cherry MX Style

Switch PCB Socket 
 

5-pin Cherry
5-pin Cherry

North-Facing Cherry MX Interference 
 

No
No
Show Text 

Backlight Features 
 

10
10

Backlighting Picture  

Keychron Q5 Max [Q1 Max, Q2 Max, etc.] Backlighting Picture
NuPhy Gem80 Backlighting Picture

Brightness Max  

Keychron Q5 Max [Q1 Max, Q2 Max, etc.] Brightness Max
NuPhy Gem80 Brightness Max

Backlighting  

Yes
Yes

Brightness Min  

Keychron Q5 Max [Q1 Max, Q2 Max, etc.] Brightness Min
NuPhy Gem80 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 Q5 Max [Q1 Max, Q2 Max, etc.] White Shot
NuPhy Gem80 White Shot
Show Text 

Cable & Connector  

Connectivity  

Wireless
Wireless

Detachable 
 

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

Length  

5.9 ft (1.8 m)
8.2 ft (2.5 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 
 

Yes
Yes

Battery Type 
 

Rechargeable
Rechargeable
Show Text 

Macro Keys And Programming 
 

6.0
4.6

Dedicated Macro Keys Count  

3
1

Onboard Macro Programming 
 

No
No

Macro Programming With Software 
 

Yes
Yes
Show Text 

Extra Features 
 

Extra Features  

Keychron Q5 Max [Q1 Max, Q2 Max, etc.] Extra Features
NuPhy Gem80 Extra Features

Media Keys 
 

Non-Dedicated
Non-Dedicated

Trackpad / Trackball  

No
No

Scroll Wheel 
 

No
No

Control Knob 
 

Yes
No

USB Passthrough 
 

No
No

Numpad  

Yes
No

Windows Key Lock 
 

Yes
Yes

Lock Indicator  

Caps & Num Lock
Caps Lock
Show Text 

In The Box  

Bundle Picture  

Keychron Q5 Max [Q1 Max, Q2 Max, etc.] Bundle Picture
NuPhy Gem80 Bundle Picture
Show Text 
Typing Experience

Typing Quality 
 

8.5
8.5

Key Spacing 
 

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

Typing Noise 
 

7.5
9.8

Typing Sample  

Average Loudness 
 

52.2 dBA
38.1 dBA

High Pitch Clicks 
 

No
No
Show Text 

Switches 
 

Wobble Video  

Switch Name 
 

Gateron Jupiter Banana
Cherry Silent Red Clear-Top

Switch Type 
 

Mechanical
Mechanical

Feel 
 

Tactile
Linear

Analog 
 

No
No
Show Text 

Keystrokes 
 

Key Switch Actuation Graph  

See details on graph tool
See details on graph tool

Operating Force 
 

55 gf
45 gf

Actuation Force 
 

38 gf
45 gf

Pre-Travel 
 

2.5 mm
2.1 mm

Total Travel 
 

3.2 mm
3.8 mm
Show Text 
Performance

Single-Key Latency 
 

9.2
8.6

Single-Key Latency Graph  

See details on graph tool
See details on graph tool

Best Connection 
 

3.2 ms
4.8 ms

Best Connection Std Dev  

±0.3 ms
±1.5 ms

Wired 
 

3.2 ms
4.8 ms

Receiver 
 

4.4 ms
6.8 ms

Bluetooth 
 

9.5 ms
14.3 ms

PCB (Estimated) 
 

1.0 ms
3.0 ms
Show Text 

Multi-Key Latency 
 

8.7
8.3

Latency Video  

Multi-Key Latency Graph  

See details on graph tool
See details on graph tool

Connection Evaluated  

Receiver
Receiver

Key Press 
 

4.5 ms
6.5 ms

Key Release 
 

6.7 ms
11.9 ms
Show Text 

Data Transmission 
 

8.2
8.2

Multi-Key Raw USB  

Keychron Q5 Max [Q1 Max, Q2 Max, etc.] Multi-Key Raw USB
NuPhy Gem80 Multi-Key Raw USB

Connection Evaluated  

Receiver
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 
 

7.8
7.1

Chord Split Graph  

See details on graph tool
See details on graph tool

4 Chord Split Delay 
 

5.6 ms
7.0 ms

8 Chord Split Delay 
 

13.9 ms
19.4 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 

Keychron Q5 Max [Q1 Max, Q2 Max, etc.]

NuPhy Gem80

Comments

  1. Comparison

Keychron Q5 Max [Q1 Max, Q2 Max, etc.] vs NuPhy Gem80: Main Discussion

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