Keychron K2 Max vs Keychron K8 Max

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K2 Max compared with K8 Max

	KeychronK2 Max	KeychronK8 Max
Overview
Released
Released	July 2024	August 2024
Typing
Layout
Layout	Compact	Tenkeyless
Switches
Switches	Mechanical	Mechanical
Backlight
Backlight	RGB	RGB
Keys labelled for
Keys labelled for	Mac, Windows and more	Mac, Windows and more
Touch ID
Touch ID	No	No
Switches
Switches	Keychron Super mechanical switches (Red, Brown or Banana), rated for 50 million clicks; south-facing; hot-swappable version accepts almost all 3-pin and 5-pin MX-style switches	Keychron Super mechanical switches (Red, Brown or Banana); south-facing; hot-swappable version accepts almost all 3-pin and 5-pin MX-style switches
Keycaps
Keycaps	Double-shot PBT, OSA profile; extra keycaps for Windows and macOS	Double-shot PBT, OSA profile; keycaps for Windows and macOS plus extra Esc and Enter keys
Layouts
Layouts	84 keys (75%); ANSI (keychron.com); UK, Nordic, German and Swiss ISO (ISO Layout Collection; UK ISO on keychron.uk)	87 keys (80% TKL); ANSI (keychron.com); UK ISO (keychron.uk)
Backlight
Backlight	South-facing RGB with 22 effects, adjustable hue, saturation, brightness and speed; a white-backlight version is also sold	22 RGB backlight effects; a white-backlight version is also sold
Special keys
Special keys	12 multimedia keys; Mac/Windows system toggle that keeps a separate layout for each; N-key rollover wireless and wired	12 multimedia keys; separate keymaps for Mac and Windows; N-key rollover wireless and wired
Connections and battery
Connects by
Connects by	Bluetooth, USB receiver and Cable	Bluetooth, USB receiver and Cable
Devices it switches between
Devices it switches between	3	3
Power
Power	Rechargeable	Rechargeable
Battery life (maker's claim)
Battery life (maker's claim)	Up to 190 hours	Up to 190 hours
Receiver
Receiver	2.4 GHz USB receiver at 1,000 Hz polling; Bluetooth 5.2 (spec table; the page text says 5.1) at 90 Hz to up to three devices; USB-C wired at 1,000 Hz	2.4 GHz USB receiver at 1,000 Hz polling; Bluetooth 5.1 at 90 Hz to up to three devices; USB-C wired at 1,000 Hz
Battery life detail
Battery life detail	4,000 mAh lithium-polymer battery; around 190 hours with the backlight off and around 100 hours with RGB at its lowest brightness (Keychron's lab tests)	4,000 mAh lithium-polymer battery; around 190 hours with the backlight off and around 100 hours with RGB at its lowest brightness (Keychron's lab tests)
Works with
Works with	macOS, Windows and Linux	macOS, Windows and Linux
Software
Software	QMK firmware; Keychron Launcher web app for key remapping and macros	QMK firmware; Keychron Launcher web app for key remapping and macros
Design
Weight
Weight	940 g (better)	1158 g
Width × depth × height
Width × depth × height	311.54 × 121.54 × 41.54 mm	354.21 × 124.18 × 43.09 mm
Size
Size	311.54 × 121.54 mm (plastic frame), 940 g; 316.62 × 126.56 mm (aluminium frame), 1,080 g; height with keycaps 32.06 mm at the front, 41.54 mm at the rear; typing angles of 5°, 9° and 12°	354.21 × 124.18 mm (plastic frame), 1,158 g; 359.20 × 129.20 mm (aluminium frame), 1,308 g; height with keycaps 35.32 mm at the front and 43.09 mm at the rear; typing angles of 3.4°, 7.7° and 10.7°
Materials
Materials	ABS or ABS and aluminium frame; steel plate; IXPE, PET and EPDM foams	ABS or ABS and aluminium frame; steel plate; IXPE, PET and EPDM foams; screw-in PCB stabilisers
Colours
Colours	Black, White (keychron.com)	Black, White (keychron.com)