Cherry Xtrfy launches its first magnetic switch keyboards
Cherry Xtrfy is launching its first magnetic switch keyboards, using tunnel magnetoresistance sensing instead of Hall effect. Magnetic switches are increasingly used in gaming keyboards for their speed, adjustable actuation, and consistent input behavior.
Magnetic switch keyboards work without physical electrical contacts. Instead they detect key presses by measuring changes in a magnetic field as a key moves, which allows actuation points to be tuned and inputs to register earlier in the press.
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Most magnetic keyboards use Hall effect sensors. In those designs, a magnet inside the key stem moves closer to a sensor on the circuit board during a key press, changing the voltage the sensor reads.
Hall effect sensing enables rapid triggering and analog style input, but it typically draws more power. That often leads to many high polling rate magnetic keyboards relying on wired connections to keep up responsiveness.
Cherry Xtrfy is using tunnel magnetoresistance as an alternative. TMR, as it's known, detects magnetic changes by measuring shifts in electrical resistance rather than voltage, offering finer sensing and using less power, which makes wireless operation more practical at higher polling rates. It also reduces the impact on battery life during extended use.
Magnetic switch keyboards
Cherry's first keyboard built on this platform is the MX 8.2 Pro TMR Wireless. This uses a tenkeyless layout and is aimed at players who want a smaller keyboard without ditching navigation keys.
The keyboard features an aluminum top frame and PBT keycaps. It ships with Cherry MK Crystal Magnetic switches that use TMR sensing and provide linear input with actuation precision down to 0.01mm.
Wireless polling reportedly reaches 8000Hz, allowing inputs to be reported up to 8x per millisecond, reducing input delay during fast gameplay.
The Cherry MagCrate software will let users can tweak actuation points, assign multiple actions to a single key based on press depth, and also set different behaviors for taps and holds.
The board also supports dual hot swap across most keys. Magnetic and mechanical switches can be swapped without soldering, so users can mix switch types or change the typing feel.
A second model, the K5 Pro TMR, is planned for release later in the spring. It uses a 65 percent layout and will build on the existing K5 series with the same magnetic switches and TMR sensing.
The smaller keyboard increases its polling rate from 1000Hz to 8000Hz and supports the same software features and customization options as the larger model.
“The demand for magnetic switch keyboards keeps growing, but with TMR, we’re taking it further. The MX 8.2 Pro TMR delivers ultra-fast wireless performance and everything users expect from a magnetic keyboard, but with higher precision and more flexibility. With hot-swap support for both magnetic and mechanical switches, the typing experience can be customized in more ways than ever. And this is just the beginning. We’re expanding the TMR lineup with the K5 Pro TMR keyboard this spring,” said Joakim Jansson, Director of Product Management at Cherry.
The MX 8.2 Pro TMR Wireless is priced at $249.99. Pricing for the K5 Pro TMR will be announced in due course.
What do you think about Cherry Xtrfy’s first magnetic switch keyboards? Let us know in the comments.
