Keychron K8 Max vs SteelSeries Apex Pro TKL Gen 3

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K8 Max compared with Apex Pro TKL Gen 3

	KeychronK8 Max	SteelSeriesApex Pro TKL Gen 3
Overview
Released
Released	August 2024	September 2024
Typing
Layout
Layout	Tenkeyless	Tenkeyless
Switches
Switches	Mechanical	Magnetic (Hall effect)
Backlight
Backlight	RGB	RGB
Keys labelled for
Keys labelled for	Mac, Windows and more	Windows
Touch ID
Touch ID	No	–
Switches
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	OmniPoint 3.0 adjustable HyperMagnetic switches (analogue Hall effect magnetic sensors, not mechanical contacts), rated for up to 100 million keystrokes; per-key lubrication; 0.7 ms response time
Key travel
Key travel	–	Actuation point adjustable from 0.1 to 4.0 mm; 45 g bottom-out force
Keycaps
Keycaps	Double-shot PBT, OSA profile; keycaps for Windows and macOS plus extra Esc and Enter keys	Double-shot PBT
Layouts
Layouts	87 keys (80% TKL); ANSI (keychron.com); UK ISO (keychron.uk)	–
Backlight
Backlight	22 RGB backlight effects; a white-backlight version is also sold	Dynamic per-key RGB, 16.8 million colours, with reactive typing effects
Special keys
Special keys	12 multimedia keys; separate keymaps for Mac and Windows; N-key rollover wireless and wired	OLED smart display; Rapid Trigger, Rapid Tap and Protection Mode; 5 onboard profiles; 32-bit ARM processor
Connections and battery
Connects by
Connects by	Bluetooth, USB receiver and Cable	Cable
Devices it switches between
Devices it switches between	3	–
Power
Power	Rechargeable	Cable
Battery life (maker's claim)
Battery life (maker's claim)	Up to 190 hours	–
Receiver
Receiver	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)	–
Works with
Works with	macOS, Windows and Linux	Windows 10 and above; macOS 11 Big Sur and above with SteelSeries GG and Engine (not all features supported on macOS)
Software
Software	QMK firmware; Keychron Launcher web app for key remapping and macros	SteelSeries GG with Engine and QuickSet
Design
Weight
Weight	1158 g	974 g (better)
Width × depth × height
Width × depth × height	354.21 × 124.18 × 43.09 mm	355 × 129 × 42 mm
Size
Size	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°	355 × 129 × 42 mm (width × depth × height); rubber tri-level feet
Materials
Materials	ABS or ABS and aluminium frame; steel plate; IXPE, PET and EPDM foams; screw-in PCB stabilisers	Aluminium top plate; sound-dampening foam
Colours
Colours	Black, White (keychron.com)	Black; other finishes on steelseries.com
In the box
In the box	–	Keyboard, detachable braided USB-C to USB-A cable, extension adapter, wrist rest, keycap puller, product information guide