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  1. Home
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Ducky One 3 vs Keychron S Series

Which Keyboard Is Better?

    Top
    Main Differences
    Design
      DimensionsBuild QualityErgonomicsHardware CustomizabilityBacklight FeaturesBacklight ClarityCable & ConnectorWireless VersatilityMacro Keys And ProgrammingExtra FeaturesIn The Box
    Typing Experience
      Typing QualityTyping NoiseSwitchesKeystrokesLatency
    Performance
      Single-Key LatencyMulti-Key LatencyData TransmissionChord Split
    Software and Operating System
      Configuration SoftwareComputer CompatibilityWireless Mobile Compatibility
    Comments

Products

Ducky One 3
Keychron S Series

Tested using Methodology v1.3.1

Updated Jul 29, 2025 06:55 PM

SEE PRICE
Amazon.com

Tested using Methodology v1.2

Updated May 30, 2025 08:14 PM

SEE PRICE
Amazon.com
Ducky One 3 Picture
Keychron S Series Picture
ConnectivityWired
Size
Full-size (100%)
Switch Type
Mechanical
N-Key Rollover (NKRO)
Yes
Hot-Swappable Switches
Yes
ConnectivityWired
Size
Compact (75%)
Switch Type
Mechanical
Hot-Swappable Switches
Yes
  1. Recommended in 1 article:
  2. Ducky

Our Verdict

Ducky One 3

Keychron S Series

The Ducky One 3 and the Keychron S Series are wired mechanical keyboards with hot-swappable PCBs. The Ducky has significantly lower latency, making it a better option for gaming. Its hot-swappable PCB is also compatible with a much wider range of switches. On the other hand, the Keychrons are low-profile keyboards that have a robust software option for customization. Their hot-swappable variants are only compatible with other Gateron Low Profile mechanical switches.

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Variants

  • One 3 (Aura)
  • One 3 (Black)
  • One 3 Mini (Black)
  • One 3 SF (Black)
  • One 3 TKL (Black)
  • One 3 RGB (Black)
  • One 3 RGB TKL (Black)
  • One 3 (DayBreak)
  • One 3 SF (Daybreak)
  • One 3 TKL (Daybreak)
  • One 3 (Fuji)
  • One 3 (Matcha)
  • One 3 (Pure White)
  • One 3 RGB (Pure White)
  • One 3 RGB TKL (Pure White)
  • One 3 Mini (White)
  • One 3 SF (White)
  • One 3 TKL (White)
  • One 3 (Yellow)
  • One 3 Mini (Yellow)
  • One 3 SF (Yellow)
  • One 3 TKL (Yellow)
  • S1 (75%)

Review

See Ducky One 3 Review
See Keychron S Series Review
3 
2 

Check Price

Aura
One 3
SEE PRICE
Amazon.com
75%
S1
SEE PRICE
Amazon.com
Black
One 3
SEE PRICE
Amazon.com
75%
S1
SEE PRICE
Walmart.com
Black
One 3 Mini
SEE PRICE
Amazon.com
75%
S1
SEARCH
B&H
Black
One 3 SF
SEARCH
Amazon.com
75%
S1
SEARCH
BestBuy.com
Black
One 3 TKL
SEE PRICE
Amazon.com
75%
S1
SEARCH
Keychron
Black
One 3 RGB
SEARCH
Amazon.com
 
Black
One 3 RGB TKL
SEARCH
Amazon.com
 
DayBreak
One 3
SEE PRICE
Amazon.com
 
Daybreak
One 3 SF
SEE PRICE
Amazon.com
 
Daybreak
One 3 TKL
SEE PRICE
Amazon.com
 
Fuji
One 3
SEE PRICE
Amazon.com
 
Matcha
One 3
SEE PRICE
Amazon.com
 
Pure White
One 3
SEE PRICE
Amazon.com
 
Pure White
One 3 RGB
SEARCH
Amazon.com
 
Pure White
One 3 RGB TKL
SEARCH
Amazon.com
 
White
One 3 Mini
SEARCH
Amazon.com
 
White
One 3 SF
SEARCH
Amazon.com
 
White
One 3 TKL
SEARCH
Amazon.com
 
Yellow
One 3
SEE PRICE
Amazon.com
 
Yellow
One 3 Mini
SEE PRICE
Amazon.com
 
Yellow
One 3 SF
SEE PRICE
Amazon.com
 
Yellow
One 3 TKL
SEE PRICE
Amazon.com
 
Read more

Main Differences for
Gaming

Threshold 

0.10

Gaming 
 

8.3
8.8

Pre-Travel 
 

2.1 mm
1.7 mm

Backlight Features 
 

8.5
10

Macro Keys And Programming 
 

1.5
4.0

Full Comparison

Design

Dimensions 
 

Top Picture 
 

Compare High-Res
Ducky One 3 Top Picture
Compare High-Res
Keychron S Series Top Picture

Size 
 

Full-size (100%)
Compact (75%)

Height 
 

1.5" (3.8 cm)
0.9" (2.3 cm)

Width  

17.9" (45.5 cm)
12.2" (31.0 cm)

Depth 
 

5.4" (13.8 cm)
4.7" (11.9 cm)

Depth With Wrist Rest 
 

N/A
N/A

Weight 
 

2.86 lbs (1.296 kg)
2.05 lbs (0.930 kg)
Show Text 

Build Quality 
 

8.5
9.0

Build Quality Close Up 
 

Compare High-Res
Ducky One 3 Build Quality Close Up
Compare High-Res
Keychron S Series Build Quality Close Up

Keycap Material  

PBT
PBT
Show Text 

Ergonomics 
 

6.0
7.0

Side Picture 
 

Compare High-Res
Ducky One 3 Side Picture
Compare High-Res
Keychron S Series Side Picture

Curved/Angled 
 

No
No

Split Keyboard 
 

No
No

Key Alignment 
 

Staggered
Staggered

Minimum Incline 
 

5°
3°

Medium Incline 
 

9°
N/A

Maximum Incline 
 

12.5°
6°

Home Row Height 
 

29.1 mm (1.1")
21.5 mm (0.8")
Show Text 

Hardware Customizability 
 

8.9
7.5

Customizability Overview 
 

Compare High-Res
Ducky One 3 Customizability Overview
Compare High-Res
Keychron S Series Customizability Overview

Replaceable Cherry Stabilizers 
 

Yes
Mixed

Stabilizer Fixation 
 

Plate-Mounted
Plate-Mounted

Spacebar Stabilizer Size 
 

6.25u
6.25u

Size Of Right Mod Keys 
 

1.25u
1u

Hot-Swappable Switches 
 

Yes
Yes

Switch Stem Shape 
 

Cherry MX Style
Low Profile Cherry MX Style

Switch PCB Socket 
 

5-pin Cherry
Non-Cherry Pinout

North-Facing Cherry MX Interference 
 

Yes
No
Show Text 

Backlight Features 
 

8.5
10

Backlighting Picture 
 

Compare High-Res
Ducky One 3 Backlighting Picture
Compare High-Res
Keychron S Series Backlighting Picture

Brightness Max 
 

Compare High-Res
Ducky One 3 Brightness Max
Compare High-Res
Keychron S Series Brightness Max

Backlighting  

Yes
Yes

Brightness Min 
 

Compare High-Res
Ducky One 3 Brightness Min
Compare High-Res
Keychron S Series Brightness Min

RGB 
 

Yes
Yes

Per-Key Backlighting 
 

Yes
Yes

Effects 
 

Yes
Yes

Software Controllable 
 

No
Yes
Show Text 

Backlight Clarity 
 

4.0
4.0

White Shot 
 

Compare High-Res
Ducky One 3 White Shot
Compare High-Res
Keychron S Series White Shot
Show Text 

Cable & Connector  

Connectivity  

Wired
Wired

Detachable 
 

Yes (Wired Only Keyboard)
Yes (Wired Only Keyboard)

Length  

5.8 ft (1.8 m)
5.9 ft (1.8 m)

Connector (Keyboard side) 
 

USB type-C
USB type-C
Show Text 

Wireless Versatility 
 

0.0
0.0

Bluetooth 
 

No
No

Bluetooth Multi-Device Pairing 
 

No
No

Proprietary Receiver 
 

No
No

Battery Type 
 

No Batteries
No Batteries
Show Text 

Macro Keys And Programming 
 

1.5
4.0

Dedicated Macro Keys Count  

0
0

Onboard Macro Programming 
 

Yes
No

Macro Programming With Software 
 

No
Yes

Extra Features 
 

Extra Features 
 

Compare High-Res
Ducky One 3 Extra Features
Compare High-Res
Keychron S Series Extra Features

Media Keys 
 

Non-Dedicated
Non-Dedicated

Trackpad / Trackball  

No
No

Scroll Wheel 
 

No
No

Control Knob 
 

No
No

USB Passthrough 
 

No
No

Numpad  

Yes
No

Windows Key Lock 
 

Yes
No

Lock Indicator  

Caps, Scroll & Num lock
Caps Lock
Show Text 

In The Box  

Bundle Picture 
 

Compare High-Res
Ducky One 3 Bundle Picture
Compare High-Res
Keychron S Series Bundle Picture
Show Text 
Typing Experience

Typing Quality 
 

9.0
8.0

Key Spacing 
 

19.0 mm (0.748")
Show Text 

Typing Noise 
 

7.2
7.8

Typing Sample  

Average Loudness 
 

53.4 dBA
51.2 dBA

High Pitch Clicks 
 

No
No
Show Text 

Switches 
 

Wobble Video  

Switch Name 
 

Cherry MX Brown
Gateron Low Profile Brown

Switch Type 
 

Mechanical
Mechanical

Feel 
 

Tactile
Tactile

Analog 
 

No

Keystrokes 
 

Key Switch Actuation Graph  

See details
See details
 Compare in Graph Tool

Operating Force 
 

54 gf
55 gf

Actuation Force 
 

43 gf
50 gf

Pre-Travel 
 

2.1 mm
1.7 mm

Total Travel 
 

4.1 mm
2.7 mm
Show Text 

Latency 
 

9.0
8.6

Latency Video  

Latency Wired 
 

3.7 ms
6.6 ms

Latency Receiver 
 

N/A
N/A

Latency Bluetooth 
 

N/A
N/A
Show Text 
Performance

Single-Key Latency 
 

9.0
8.6

Single-Key Latency Graph  

See details

Best Connection 
 

3.7 ms

Best Connection Std Dev  

±0.9 ms

Wired 
 

3.7 ms
6.6 ms

Receiver 
 

N/A
N/A

Bluetooth 
 

N/A
N/A

PCB (Estimated) 
 

1.7 ms
Show Text 

Multi-Key Latency 
 

8.5

Latency Video  

Multi-Key Latency Graph  

See details

Connection Evaluated  

Wired

Key Press 
 

3.9 ms

Key Release 
 

17.7 ms

Data Transmission 
 

8.7

Multi-Key Raw USB  

Ducky One 3 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 
 

Yes

Chord Split 
 

7.9

Chord Split Graph  

See details

4 Chord Split Delay 
 

5.2 ms

8 Chord Split Delay 
 

16.7 ms
Software and Operating System

Configuration Software 
 

Software Tour  

Software Name  

No Software
VIA

Software Windows Compatible 
 

No
Yes

Software macOS Compatible 
 

No
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 
 

0.0
0.0

Android 
 

Not Compatible
Not Compatible

iOS 
 

Not Compatible
Not Compatible

iPadOS 
 

Not Compatible
Not Compatible

Media Key Compatibility 
 

Not Compatible
Not Compatible
Show Text 

Check Price

Aura
One 3
SEE PRICE
Amazon.com
75%
S1
SEE PRICE
Amazon.com
Black
One 3
SEE PRICE
Amazon.com
75%
S1
SEE PRICE
Walmart.com
Black
One 3 Mini
SEE PRICE
Amazon.com
75%
S1
SEARCH
B&H
Black
One 3 SF
SEARCH
Amazon.com
75%
S1
SEARCH
BestBuy.com
Black
One 3 TKL
SEE PRICE
Amazon.com
75%
S1
SEARCH
Keychron
Black
One 3 RGB
SEARCH
Amazon.com
 
Black
One 3 RGB TKL
SEARCH
Amazon.com
 
DayBreak
One 3
SEE PRICE
Amazon.com
 
Daybreak
One 3 SF
SEE PRICE
Amazon.com
 
Daybreak
One 3 TKL
SEE PRICE
Amazon.com
 
Fuji
One 3
SEE PRICE
Amazon.com
 
Matcha
One 3
SEE PRICE
Amazon.com
 
Pure White
One 3
SEE PRICE
Amazon.com
 
Pure White
One 3 RGB
SEARCH
Amazon.com
 
Pure White
One 3 RGB TKL
SEARCH
Amazon.com
 
White
One 3 Mini
SEARCH
Amazon.com
 
White
One 3 SF
SEARCH
Amazon.com
 
White
One 3 TKL
SEARCH
Amazon.com
 
Yellow
One 3
SEE PRICE
Amazon.com
 
Yellow
One 3 Mini
SEE PRICE
Amazon.com
 
Yellow
One 3 SF
SEE PRICE
Amazon.com
 
Yellow
One 3 TKL
SEE PRICE
Amazon.com
 
Back to Top

Ducky One 3

Keychron S Series

Comments

  1. Comparison
 • Posted 1 year ago

Ducky One 3 vs Keychron S Series: Main Discussion

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