Cherry is best-known for making the MX switches that kicked off the mechanical gaming keyboard craze circa 2010 and remain the most critical component of modern keyboards, but the German firm has only flirted with producing gaming keyboards of its own. That’s changed following its acquisition of Swedish peripheral maker Xtrfy five months ago, whose products turn up in plenty of our keyboard and mouse recommendations, and earlier this week the combined firms finally showed off their new designs at an event in Cologne.
There are five new products in total, all of which speak towards the direction Cherry is taking after the acquisition – and more general trends in the gaming peripheral space too.
In short, Cherry has historically shied away from gaming wares despite supplying many gaming brands with their switches, but now we’re seeing a firmer commitment with three esports-focused yet wireless designs from Cherry’s designers: the MX-LP 2.1 Compact Wireless, the MX 3.0S Wireless and the MX 8.2 TKL Wireless.
Meanwhile, the Xtrfy side of the garage announced two products, the K5 Compact keyboard and the M8 mouse, the former of which comes with some incredible customisation options and the latter of which is the company’s lightest wireless mouse ever. These additions are right on trend, with customised keyboards being available at ever-lower prices while ultra-light mice continue to become the new standard.
My favourite of the bunch is the MX-LP 2.1 Compact Wireless. This is a compact 65 percent gaming keyboard with Cherry’s MX Low Profile Speed switches, which offer a short throw and light 45cN actuation force. They feel snappy to use, making them ideal for fast-paced gaming, but Cherry has also massively pushed out the number of colours offered with – something that Xtrfy has used successfully to set themselves apart from competitors with their past keyboard and mouse releases.
Beyond the intriguing colours, you get the standard mechanical keyboard accoutrements: NKRO (each key can be pressed and recognised simultaneously), RGB lighting, a Win key lock function and a 650mAh battery. This board ought to go for around £120/$120/€120 – cheap for a name-brand wireless mechanical model.
Moving up the price ladder is the only full size offering in the lineup, the MX 3.0S Wireless, which also comes with full-height Red or Brown switches. The 3.0S comes in black or white, with an aluminium housing and double-shot ABS keycaps; its other features are the same. For this, you pay a bit more – around £150/$150/€150.
As for the dearest product in Cherry’s new lineup, the MX 8.2 TKL Wireless is an evolution of the earlier MX Board 8.0, which drops the numpad and comes in white or black with an aluminium top housing. You get Red or Brown switches, the usual mechanical features, and, unusually, a metal carry case that goes some way to justifying the premium ~£180/$180/€180 asking price. All three keyboards come with Cherry’s Advanced Wireless tech, with 2.4GHz wireless via USB-A dongle, Bluetooth 5.2 or wired USB-C to USB-A cable connections.
As for the two Xtrfy-based products announced, the K5 Compact keyboard is fully customisable with over 150 different options for switches, keycaps, cords, frames, and logo plates – so you can really make it your own. It’s available pre-built with Kailh Red switches, although the board is hot-swappable so you can put plenty of other switches inside if you prefer. The K5 also comes with ‘super-scan technology’ for faster keystroke recognition and especially vibrant RGB to boot. In its pre-built config, the K5 retails for circa £129/$129/€129, which seems like a solid value.
Rounding off the keyboard announcements is Xtrfy’s M8 wireless mouse. Like Xtrfy’s other offerings, it’s available in a wide range of colourways – black, white and retro – and it’s the lightest Xtrfy mouse to date at 55g. It also has a 26K DPI sensor and sizeable 300mAh battery, going for around £99/€99/$99.
All in all then, it’s an interesting time for Cherry as the company looks to be adopting a more modern outlook in the 70th year of its founding, and there are clear opportunities for both design teams to learn from one another – imagine Xtrfy’s keyboards and mice with Cherry’s wireless capabilities, for example, or more Cherry keyboards with Xtrfy’s colourways and customisation options. These releases are a promising first step – but we won’t know for sure until the products have been tested in the real world.
Full disclosure: my father works for Cherry Europe GmbH, so take all value judgements with a grain of salt. The article has been checked for factual accuracy.
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