As a writer and gamer, there’s nothing quite like the feel of a great mechanical keyboard. There’s just something so satisfying about the «thwok» of each keypress as I take to the battlefield or craft my next story. Surprisingly, though, it can be challenging to find a keyboard that’s fantastic at being both a gaming keyboard and a daily-use keyboard — at least at an affordable price.
You might recognize the name Cherry as the maker of the eponymous switches that have dominated the mechanical keyboard world for nearly 70 years. Not long ago, it started making its own keyboards and recently launched the Cherry MX 3.0S gaming mechanical keyboard. It’s a fairly affordable entry point into the world of wireless gaming mechanical keyboards, but I’m not sure if it serves as the best dedicated gaming keyboard.
What I like about the Cherry MX 3.0S mechanical keyboard
Cherry was one of the first, and has certainly been the best-known, maker of mechanical keyboard switches for decades. And for good reason — its switches are clicky, tactile and robust. Many keyboard enthusiasts still prefer them over the myriad of other brands that have popped up over the years.
As a keyboard tester, I’ve used many other switches, and for a while, I’ve been using the fantastic OnePlus-branded keyboard. Coming back to the Cherry switches on the MX 3.0S felt oh so sweet. It was like coming home. I forgot what I was missing until I used them again. The MX Red switches on my MX 3.0S sample are linear — so not quite as clicky as the Brown switches, which are also available — but still provide quite a bit of tactility. This is perfect for gaming, as you can get more granular feedback with each keypress.
Design
At first glance, the MX3.0S doesn’t stand out too much. Looking at it a bit closer shows off a somewhat unusual design. The bottom aluminum casing sort of wraps around the center of the keyboard from back to front, with the edges folded over to hold it up. You don’t really notice unless you hold the keyboard up to look at it, but it’s better than just flat sides.
The metal casing gives it a good heft, but the sides, and I assume the single gasket as well, are plastic. I’m assuming a single gasket because you can hear the springs ever so slightly as you type, as well as the hollowness of the board. It’s not too distracting, but you can hear it if you’re listening. The per-key RGB is nice, and there are several different available patterns. It gets bright enough that you can see all the icons on the keys, even the lower ones, so that’s helpful. Even with that level of brightness, battery life on the MX 3.0S is quite impressive. Starting from a full charge, I’ve been using it exclusively for several weeks now with the LEDs fully on and I still have 30% left in the tank.
There are both wired and wireless versions of the MX 3.0S. The wireless version gives all the connectivity you’d expect. You can pair up to three devices via Bluetooth. A 2.4GHz wireless dongle is included as well. The dongle doesn’t hide away in the board like some others, which I find helpful for not losing them, but at least Cherry made it red, so it’s easy to spot.
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What could be better about the Cherry MX 3.0S mechanical keyboard
I think the biggest disappointment of the MX 3.0S is that aside from the switches — which you can easily get and install on a whole range of keyboards — there isn’t really much to differentiate it from other gaming keyboards. It doesn’t have anything that adds to your gaming experience. You can program macros for the keys, but you can do that on nearly every gaming keyboard and unlike many of those, there aren’t any extra programmable keys.
The MX 3.0S does support full n-key rollover so you don’t lose an input by pressing two keys at the same time, and it supports anti-ghosting, but again, those are par for the course with most modern gaming keyboards.
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Lag
I ran into a few bugs when using the MX 3.0S wirelessly. For starters, the dongle would lag quite a bit when connected via a docking station. Yes, it could have been my docking station, but no other keyboard I’ve used has had that issue, so I’m willing to bet it’s the keyboard.
Also, when using Bluetooth, there were a few times it would randomly reconnect itself, or even disconnect from my computer entirely. There were also a few ghost presses and some sticky keys when using Bluetooth. Again, not entirely saying it was the keyboard’s fault, but these are not issues I’ve come across on nearly every other keyboard I’ve used.
Software leaves a lot to be desired
When I first started writing this review, Cherry’s Utility software was pretty rough. The UI was outdated and the functionality was quite limited. You can adjust the lighting and add macros, but that’s about it. It’s pretty basic. You can create up to nine profiles which is nice, but again, the customization is limited. Plus, it only detects the keyboard when physically connected, not over Bluetooth or the dongle. That means every time you want to change a setting, you have to either manually do it through several key presses, or dig out a cable. Neither of which is ideal.
To Cherry’s credit, literally the day I finished this review, the software got a huge facelift. It looks much better than it did, but it didn’t add any functionality, which is a bummer. The keyboard does support a dedicated key for launching the software, but since it doesn’t work unless it’s plugged in, and the software doesn’t do a whole lot, it feels like a waste of a key.
Price
Cherry priced this a tad too high for what you get. The full retail price is $160. However, at the time of writing, you can grab it for $100 on Amazon for the white model with Red switches. To me, that’s a much better price and probably close to what Cherry should be charging for it. I don’t know if I can recommend it at $160, especially considering the competition.
Should you buy the Cherry MX 3.0S mechanical keyboard?
As with most things, it depends. If you need a reliable mechanical keyboard that gives you the goodness of those Cherry switches, then yes, but only if you can find it on sale. The solid build and excellent typing experience are worth $100. For me, it works great as both a gaming keyboard and a daily-use keyboard. If you want a more dedicated gaming keyboard that gives you more gaming-specific features and customization, however, you’ll need to look somewhere else.
