ZDNET’s key takeaways
- The Cherry Xtrfy MX 3.1 mechanical keyboard is obtainable now for $120.
- It is a smooth and well-designed RGB keyboard with a handful of customizable lighting results and sturdy, mechanical keys.
- It isn’t hot-swappable and it is not precisely low-cost
As one of many premier producers of keyboard switches, Cherry’s elements seem in a variety of gaming keyboards, however the firm additionally makes its personal line of merchandise. The Cherry Xtrify MX 3.1, for instance, is the German model’s newest mechanical keyboard with RGB lighting and a bunch of customizable choices in premium aluminum housing.
The Xtrify MX 3.1 is a wired gaming keyboard with Cherry’s MX2A crosspoint swap know-how that provides every particular person key a powerful journey distance. It is extraordinarily responsive, with a handy guide a rough and satisfying 1ms response time that leads to correct typing in each gaming and productiveness.
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The bodily design is compact, with the keys going proper as much as the sting of the system, with a pleasant slope that positions the keys in an natural, accessible design. Regardless of the compact design, it is nonetheless comparatively chunky, weighing 2.5 kilos and measuring 17 inches lengthy from finish to finish.
The underside of the keyboard options rubber stops that hold it planted firmly in place on the desk, a much-appreciated characteristic for these of us who discover our keyboards pushed round in awkward positions after intense gaming moments (or bursts of inspiration throughout targeted writing classes).
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The intensive RGB lights on the MX 3.1 are the board’s call-out characteristic. It is a gorgeous keyboard in its personal proper, however the lights are well-balanced — illuminating each the person keys and the encircling edges, making it fairly however not overly garish.
The keyboard helps all the everyday lighting results, from a “respiratory” rainbow washing over the keys to explosions of shade emanating from every key press to Pac-Man-style lights following the size of the keyboard row by row. Alternatively, you’ll be able to simply decide a static shade to light up the keyboard.
There are a number of other ways to pick out lighting results on the MX 3.1. Essentially the most instant is to familiarize your self with the built-in hotkeys (listed within the included guide). In the event you’re new to this, it is not precisely intuitive, and a streamlined cheatsheet with probably the most generally accessed capabilities can be a pleasant future addition.
Hitting Fn + F12 on the keyboard cycles by the preset lighting impact profiles listing. As soon as you discover the one you need, hit Fn + Area to convey up the colour palette and customise the colour. Simply hit the important thing corresponding with the precise shade, and voila. The icons on the Operate row correspond to different instructions to extend or scale back brightness or flip off the lights altogether with Fn + F4.
The opposite option to customise the lighting results, create macros, and replace the system’s firmware is within the Cherry Utility app from the web site. It is fairly bare-bones, however it’s useful and simpler to make use of than scouring the guide for the precise key combos.
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Mechanical keyboards have a fame for being noisy, and though the MX 3.1 is assured to be louder than your laptop computer, it is not as dangerous as you’d anticipate, with inside dampening contained in the MX2A switches that hold issues to a constant stage. This additionally makes it a strong keyboard for people who swap between gaming and productiveness on the identical pc, as it’s sensible sufficient to assist lengthy typing classes.
The concave form of every particular person key and the closeness of the spacebar make for a snug typing expertise that allowed me to acclimate in a short time, as most new keyboards have a lag time for the thoughts/muscle connection earlier than you’ll be able to really really feel “used to” it. The setup on the MX 3.1 feels common and predictable.
For that cause, this keyboard feels good to make use of for lengthy days at work, as I forgot simply how a lot of a distinction it makes over the long term. Though you won’t discover it instantly, the influence of particular person keystrokes provides up on lower-end keyboards.
Concerning among the drawbacks of this keyboard, the keycaps are manufactured from ABS (acrylonitrile butadiene styrene), the extra widespread type of plastic present in keyboards for its low value. I’d have appreciated to see the Xtrify MX 3.1 include PBT (polybutylene terephthalate) keycaps as an alternative, that are slightly extra premium and textured, and resist the “shine” that develops on keyboards over time from contact publicity.
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Secondly, this keyboard is not hot-swappable, that means you’ll be able to’t take away or change particular person keycaps your self. It is a area of interest characteristic for keyboard fans, certain, however it will probably turn out to be useful if a sure key begins sticking or a chunk of particles will get caught, permitting for a fast repair as an alternative of fully changing the board.
ZDNET’s shopping for recommendation
Fanatics would possibly miss a number of of the keyboard’s area of interest options, however for many customers in search of a customizable, smooth mechanical keyboard, the Cherry Xtrify MX 3.1 delivers the expertise.
Avid gamers will recognize the near-instant response time and sturdiness of among the finest keyboard swap mechanisms within the trade. Different customers looking for reprieve from their laptop computer’s mushy keyboard with comfy key journey will recognize the MX 3.1’s compact body and durable, enticing kind issue.
