Rejoice all ye mechanical keyboard aficionados. For the big noise in keyboard switches, Cherry, has announced a new version of the ubiquitous Cherry MX switch. Behold the Cherry MX2A, smoother, quieter and good for 100 million clicks.
So, what exactly has been optimised and changed for this new switch? First, there's high-precision ring lubrication ensuring every keystroke remains smooth and, most importantly, silent.
Next up, updated spring geometry is said to result in more precise key presses. Cherry says this involves a change from cylindrical to barrel geometry and represents a "revolution".
Meanwhile, updated stem geometry improves stability thanks to six meticulously engineered ribs, affectionately termed the "crown" and elevating your typing or gaming experience to new heights. Er, OK!
As if that wasn't enough, revised glide optimised guidance ribs deliver, "a harmony of design and purpose, standing as a testament to our commitment to impeccable keypress precision and comfort."
There are plenty more upgrades besides, but at the same time the new switch retains key features including genuine gold contacts which ensure optimal electricity transmission with a substantial gold layer, "setting the industry's gold standard quite literally".
Yup, Cherry is pretty proud of these new switches. And that 100 million durability claim? It's double that of those now-presumably-rubbish MX switches.
The broader context here is that Cherry's patent on the original MX switch has expired, allowing various competitors to not just copy the design but iterate and improve it. So, a revised MX which addresses what some see as its shortcomings, including wobbly key strokes, cheap sounding actuation noises and a feeling of friction makes a lot of sense.
Of course, as you'd expect the new switch is available in a range of specifications denoted by colours, including red, brown, silver, blue and black. Some are built for speed, others silence.
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And don't panic if all the talk of smoothness and silence has you worried. There's a lube-free "clicky" option, so you'll still be able to thrash away defeaningly in the office.
What's more, the original MX isn't dying. The new MX2A simply enters the product stack at a roughly 10 percent premium.
Anyway, what a world we live in where the finer ponits of keyboard switches can be and indeed are of such forensic interest. Truly the arc of human progress in unbroken.
For now it's unclear when the first keyboards featuring MX2A switches will appear. Watch this space.
