AULA S98 Pro: Specs, Price, Pros & Cons
The kind of keyboard that looks impossible on paper: a 96% board with hot-swap sockets, a gasket mount with sound dampening, tri-mode wireless, a small screen and a volume knob, for well under a hundred dollars.
AULA gets there the way budget brands usually do — by spending on the parts you can see and saying as little as possible about the rest. That is why several fields on this page are empty. We would rather show gaps than numbers nobody will stand behind.
Category strengths
Where the AULA S98 Pro beats the average
- More connection options ?
- Has hot-swappable switches ?
- Has rotary knob ?
- Has sound dampening ?
- Has configuration software ?
- Has media controls ?
- Has programmable keys ?
Where the AULA S98 Pro trails the average
- No n-key rollover ?
- No onboard profiles ?
- No rapid trigger ?
- No adjustable actuation ?
- No analog input ?
- No USB passthrough ?
Editor’s note
The S98 Pro is the kind of keyboard that looks impossible on paper: a 96% board with hot-swap sockets, a gasket mount with sound dampening, tri-mode wireless, an LCD screen and a volume knob, for under ninety dollars. AULA gets there the way budget brands usually do – by spending on the parts you can see and saying as little as possible about the rest.
And AULA really does say very little. There is no published weight, no dimensions, no polling rate, no actuation force, and I could not even pin down the battery capacity: one AULA page suggests 5,000 mAh, another 8,000 mAh, and the official manual is a scanned picture with no readable text. That is why so many cells on this page sit empty. I would rather show you gaps than numbers nobody will stand behind.
What is confirmed is still a lot of keyboard. The hot-swap sockets take both 3-pin and 5-pin switches, the linear switches come pre-lubed with two spares in the box, and you get all three connection modes. The LCD screen is honestly a toy – it shows a clock, a GIF, a mode icon – but the knob is genuinely useful, and 735 Amazon buyers rate the board at 4.5 stars.
Two caveats from AULA's own FAQ are worth knowing. Do not charge it from a fast-charging phone adapter – AULA warns this can permanently damage the board – and the configuration software is Windows-only, distributed as a bare download rather than a signed installer.
I would buy this as a first mechanical keyboard, or as a cheap platform for trying switches. If you need a spec sheet you can compare line by line, or Mac software support, the Keychron equivalents publish everything this page cannot.
Specifications
Quality bars are generated automatically against 95 other keyboards.
Switches & typing
The key switch technology; later types are generally more responsive.
The specific switch used (e.g. Cherry MX Red).
The force needed to register a key; lower is lighter to type on.
Swap switches without soldering.
Registers every simultaneous keypress.
Set the actuation point per key (analog / Hall-effect boards).
Keys report their travel depth for variable gamepad-style input and multi-stage actions.
Performance
How often the keyboard reports input; higher can reduce latency.
End-to-end keypress latency over a wired connection; lower is better.
End-to-end keypress latency over the fastest wireless mode; lower is better.
Resets a key dynamically as it moves, enabling faster repeated inputs.
Layout & size
The keyboard size and layout.
The number of keys.
The overall width.
The overall depth.
The front case height without keycaps; lower boards can reduce wrist extension.
The keyboard's weight.
Connectivity
The supported connection types.
How many paired devices it can switch between.
Battery life for wireless models.
The rated capacity of the internal battery.
A built-in USB port for other devices.
Build & sound
Keycap plastic; PBT resists shine and wear better than ABS.
The case material (e.g. aluminium, ABS plastic).
The switch plate material, which influences stiffness and typing sound.
How larger keys are stabilised (e.g. screw-in PCB or plate-mounted).
The plate / PCB mounting style (e.g. gasket mount).
Internal foam or dampening for a quieter, fuller sound.
The per-key lighting.
Features
Remap keys and record macros.
Dedicated volume and playback controls.
A control knob for volume or custom actions.
Stores layouts on the board itself.
Companion configuration software (e.g. VIA / QMK).
Specs last verified August 19, 202620 of 34 specs verified (59%)Unverified specs show as Unknown — never estimated, never scored
Where to buy
Prices and availability may change. Check the retailer before buying. We may earn a commission on purchases.
Price history
Keyboards with similar specs to the AULA S98 Pro
Ratings & reviews
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The bottom line
The AULA S98 Pro earns a VS Score of 40, trailing most of the 96 keyboards we compare here, at least on the spec sheet.
- Who it’s for
- A first mechanical keyboard, or a cheap hot-swap platform for trying switches – you get gasket mount, tri-mode wireless and a knob for well under a hundred dollars.
- Who should look elsewhere
- Anyone who compares keyboards by spec sheet. AULA publishes no weight, dimensions, polling rate or confirmed battery figure, and the software is Windows-only.
- The trade-off that matters
- Flagship features at a budget price, paid for in documentation and polish – unknown battery, unsigned software, and a fast-charger warning buried in the FAQ.
- The main alternative
- Keychron K4 Max covers the same 96% wireless hot-swap ground with a fully published spec sheet and proper Mac support, for a little more money.
The VS Score is calculated from the weighted specifications above, measured against every other keyboards we track — a shortlisting guide, not a substitute for your own priorities. See how we score.
