The Keychron V5 Max at $109.99 (keychron.com, unchanged across the 2026-08-26 and 2026-09-06 checks, in stock on both) is now the only board in this answer this catalog can still place under $150: a gasket-mounted 96% with a PC plate, QMK/VIA, MX-standard hot-swap sockets and double-shot PBT keycaps in the box, in an ABS case rather than metal. Both all-metal boards left the bracket at the 2026-09-06 re-check. The Keychron Q1 Pro — full CNC-machined aluminum on a gasket mount — moved up to $167.99 and was out of stock at keychron.com on that date, and its priced SKU is Barebone, no switches and no keycaps, so a type-ready one cleared $150 even before the rise. The Glorious GMMK Pro, also CNC aluminum at 1.51kg with south-facing hot-swap, was recorded at CA$159.99 at gloriousgaming.com on 2026-09-06 — a Canadian-dollar figure this answer cannot measure against a US-dollar cap — with all four color/layout variants out of stock on both checks, on a listing Glorious itself tags end-of-life. Caveats: none of these boards has been handled or typed on by us, 'build quality' here means published case, plate and mount materials and nothing measured, every figure is a manufacturer specification read on the date given, and prices and stock change without notice.
The limits first: nothing here has been handled or typed on by us and 'build quality' means published case, plate and mount materials rather than anything measured, every figure below is a manufacturer specification read on the date given, and prices and stock are the 2026-09-06 re-check unless a line names 2026-08-26. The Q1 Pro (75%) is a full CNC-machined aluminum case on a gasket mount, with 3-pin and 5-pin MX hot-swap sockets and up to 300 hours of backlight-off battery life — the joint-longest figure in this catalog. But the $167.99 SKU Keychron actually sells is Barebone: no switches, no keycaps in the box. Add those and the true cost of a type-ready Q1 Pro clears $150 by more than the sticker says — and it was out of stock at keychron.com on 2026-09-06.
The GMMK Pro (75%, barebones by design) is also full CNC-machined aluminum, at 1.51kg, with 5-pin south-facing hot-swap sockets, gasket mounting, and QMK support alongside Glorious CORE software. Its 2026-09-06 reading is CA$159.99 at gloriousgaming.com, a Canadian-dollar figure; the 2026-08-26 reading was a US-dollar one sitting against a compare-at price on the same listing that made it a roughly 29% markdown — a markdown on a single SKU, not a price history — and the listing is tagged both 'EOL' and 'Sale_BDAY'. All four color/layout variants (Black Slate and White Ice, ANSI and ISO) were out of stock at both the 2026-08-26 and 2026-09-06 checks.
The V5 Max (96% with a rotary knob) is the one board here under $150 that ships ready to type: Gateron Jupiter Red switches and PBT keycaps included, at $109.99, with QMK/VIA and MX-standard hot-swap sockets for later changes. Its case is ABS plastic with a PC plate on a gasket mount, not metal — the trade for being buyable and usable in the same order, and it was in stock at keychron.com on both check dates.
If an all-aluminum board you can buy and use today, for under $150, is the actual ask, this corpus does not have one: both metal options are barebone-only, both were out of stock at the 2026-09-06 re-check, and neither is under $150 on that date's reading. Anyone who needs to type the same day should buy the V5 Max and accept the plastic case. Who this is NOT for: anyone who reads 'build quality' as metal and expects it ready to type under $150 — that board does not exist in this catalog. And it is specifically not for anyone set on the GMMK Pro: Glorious has tagged the listing end-of-life and all four of its color and layout variants were out of stock on both check dates, so its clearance price is not one you can act on.
| Spec | Keychron V5 Max | Keychron Q1 Pro | Glorious GMMK Pro |
|---|---|---|---|
| layout | 96% | 75%, full metal, gasket mount | 75%; 82 keys + 1 pressable rotary encoder (barebones); Knob Support: Yes |
| connectivity | 2.4GHz wireless + Bluetooth 5.1 + USB-C wired | Bluetooth 5.1, up to 3 devices + USB-C wired | wired, USB-C 2.0 (6 ft / 2 m braided cable) |
| battery | 4000mAh li-polymer; up to 190h backlight off, 100h RGB (lowest brightness); ~5h charge time | 4000mAh li-polymer; up to 300h backlight off, 100h RGB (lowest brightness) | |
| hot_swap | yes | yes (3-pin & 5-pin MX compatible: Gateron, Cherry MX, Kailh, etc.) | yes, 5-pin hot-swap, south-facing |
| firmware | QMK/VIA | QMK/VIA | |
| keycaps | Double-shot PBT, OSA profile | KSA double-shot PBT, not shine-through, on Fully Assembled version; Barebone variant priced ships without keycaps | not included (barebones) |
| switch_type | Gateron Jupiter Red (this variant); also offered in Brown/Banana | Keychron K Pro mechanical on Fully Assembled version; Barebone variant priced ships without switches | |
| mount_type | Gasket mount | Gasket mount | gasket-mounted |
| case_material | ABS plastic (body), PC plate | Full CNC machined aluminum | CNC-machined aluminum body |
| os_support | Windows/macOS/Linux | macOS/Windows/Linux | Windows, macOS, Linux |
| polling_rate | 1000Hz (2.4GHz & wired) / 90Hz (Bluetooth) | 1000Hz wired / 90Hz wireless | 1000 Hz |
| knob | Yes (rotary volume/media knob) | ||
| variant_priced | Fully Assembled Knob / Carbon Black / Gateron Jupiter Red | Barebone Knob / Carbon Black / Barebone (no switches or keycaps included) | |
| backlight | South-facing RGB LED | 16.8M-color per-key RGB, plus diffused side lights | |
| switches | not included (barebones); hot-swap sockets accept 3-pin or 5-pin MX switches, sold separately | ||
| weight | 3.3 lb (1.51 kg), per manufacturer spec table | ||
| software | Glorious CORE; QMK Support: Yes (Firmware Compatibility: Glorious CORE & QMK) | ||
| status | tagged EOL (end-of-life) on the manufacturer's own store as of 2026-08-26; all four listed variants (Black Slate/White Ice x ANSI/ISO) showed out of stock. The recorded $119.99 is a clearance price: every variant carries compare_at_price $169.99 (list) and the product is tagged "Sale_BDAY". This is the barebones-only listing; the switches-included GMMK Pro retail bundle is no longer sold direct. | ||
| warranty | 2 years (manufacturer) |
Last updated: 2026-09-10
Prices last checked 2026-09-06
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