Since the Cherry MX patent first expired in 2014, keyboard technology has come on in leaps and bounds. But it is only in recent years that multiple technologies have begun competing to take their spot on your desk. Moving beyond the binary control of classical mechanical switches, consumers can now choose between Optical, Hall Effect, and Tunnel Magnetoresistance (TMR) switches for all the analog control that they offer.
Razer has classically stuck with Optical switches for their premium offerings focused on delivering the fastest key actuation for professional gamers. But with the introduction of the new Huntsman V3 HE Magnetic line, the company is throwing its hat into the Hall Effect ring too. While Optical remains the fastest switch in the west, Razer hopes that the Hall Effect offerings will suit the needs of the casual gamers, while offering a better value proposition, and I tend to agree with them.
Table of contents
Razer Huntsman V3 HE Magnetic 8KHz – specs and price
| Specification | Razer Huntsman V3 HE Magnetic 8KHz / Mini 65% |
|---|---|
| MSRP (USD) | $139.99/$119.99 |
| Form Factor | Tenkeyless/65% |
| Switches | Razer Hall Effect Magnetic Switches |
| Keystroke Lifespan | 100 million |
| Actuation Range/Point | 0.1 mm – 4.0 mm |
| Total Key Travel | 4.0 mm |
| Rapid Trigger Mode | Yes |
| Razer Snap Tap | Yes (Up to 4 Pairs) |
| Polling Rate | 8000 Hz |
| Average Latency | 0.6 ms |
| Connectivity | Wired (USB-C) |
| RGB Lighting | Per-key RGB |
| Keycaps | Doubleshot PBT |
| Internal Foam | Multi-Layered Foam |
| Wrist Rest | No |
| Media Controls | Secondary Layer |
| Others | Onboard actuation adjustment, Rapid Trigger Adjustment, Snap Flex, Dynamic Keystroke, Dual Keypress Priority |
Razer Huntsman V3 HE Magnetic Mini – hardware overview
The new Hall Effect Huntsman line features both a Ten Key Less and a 65% form factor. The latter is often my preference, giving me ample room for mouse movement, while still keeping the keyboard useful for typing and editing.
Right off the bat, the first thing that you notice on the keyboard is its build quality. While the chassis itself is plastic, the hefty aluminum mid-plate gives it incredible rigidity, and an understated visual identity. In fact the keyboard lacks any significant branding, with just an understated Razer wordmark on the front. And if you tinker with your keyboard as much as I do, you’ll find it easy to work on thanks to a lack of a vertical lip surrounding the keys.
The Hall Effect Magnetic switches
Popping off the PBT-double shot keycaps, we get our first look at Razer’s new Hall Effect Magnetic Switch. Unlike Razer’s Optical offerings, these feature a shell design similar to classic Cherry MX switches, with a translucent shell diffusing the lighting for a soft glow. And it is these switches that make this keyboard unique.
According to Razer’s testing, the Hall Effect switches reach a new level of consistency in their actuation point, even beating their Optical counter-parts. What the new switches gain in consistency though, they lose in their minimum actuation point. By default the switches have a minimum actuation point of 0.2mm with Razer’s software tuning bringing it down to 0.1mm with additional optimizations. That’s compared to a flat 0.1mm actuation point on the Optical switches.
Between the switches, the keycaps, and Razer’s ample use of chassis foam, the keyboard offers a solid typing experience with little to nitpick, especially once you customize the switch’s actuation points.
What’s included in the box?
If you’ve ever unboxed a Razer product, the whole packaging will feel fairly familiar, with the green color distinctly identifying the brand even from a distance. Here’s everything you’ll find within the box.
- Huntsman V3 HE Magnetic Mini
- USB-A to C Cable
- Documentation
- Stickers
Compared to competitors’ offerings, the only item really missing from the package is a keycap puller, which not only lets you swap away from the simple Black keycaps to a set of your choosing, but is also incredibly useful for regular maintenance and cleaning. While I had my own puller to hand, I hope Razer can look at adding one to the package in a future revision.
Razer Synapse software: Snap Tap, Rapid Trigger, and more
Peripheral software suites used to be bloated and laggy in the past, even leading to me running my mouse and keyboard with just the onboard profiles. And if Razer Synapse gave me a similar experience, I would have hardly been surprised.
But the software was a breath of fresh air for me. While it does take about 300MB of your system memory, it also makes switching between your various profiles a breeze, which you will want to do to tap into all the features the software offers.
The installer only installs the portions of the software you want, so if you don’t like to mess around with RGB lighting all too much, you don’t even have to install the Chroma portion of the suite. Plus, you can ever forgo the installation all together, and use Razer’s Synapse Web suite to customize your keyboard instead.
Snap Tap and Rapid Trigger – critical for FPS gameplay
Right off the bat is Snap Tap or SOCD. This, now ubiquitous, feature on gaming keyboards first came to light with the Huntsman line itself in 2024. Unlike on a regular keyboard, where pressing both A and D together causes your character to freeze in place, Snap Tap takes the most recent keypress into account, quickly changing our movement direction in a pixel-perfect counter-strafe.
Related—False Snap Tap detections boot innocent CS2 players who strafe too quickly
While it is banned in Counter-Strike, the feature is incredible to use in other FPS titles like Apex Legends, where quick movement can often mean the difference between elimination and victory. Those quick reactions are also improved by using Rapid Trigger, a feature which reacts to even a 0.1mm movement of your key upwards to deactivate its signal.
Together these two features made me see movement in a completely new light. While I already only play games with smooth and fast movement, Snap Tap and Rapid Trigger made it feel even smoother by simply getting the keyboard “out of the way”.
My Personal Setup for FPS Games After much experimentation, I found these settings to be the best for my playstyle, giving me rapid movement on WASD, while controlling accidental presses everywhere else:
– W,A,S,D → 0.4mm Actuation Point, Snap Tap, Rapid Trigger
– Other Gaming Keys → 2.0mm Actuation Point
– Everything Else → 4.0mm Actuation Point
Thus far, this setup has given me impeccable movement control, with hardly any mispresses over the two weeks of use.
Analog input – a controller alternative?
Finally, there’s Analog input, the keyboard which first brought Hall Effect switches to the mainstream. This feature turns your keys into something more akin to the triggers on modern controllers. The farther you press down the higher the signal your computer receives. This feature allows you to mimic the functionality of a controller, while still playing on the WASD.
In racing games for example, traditional keyboards only tell the car whether to turn left or right, whereas with analog control you can precisely control how much steering you want to apply to either direction as well. In the F1 games in particular, controlling the car with a keyboard is almost impossible. But with Analog input enabled, I could atleast complete a lap without crashing, though the controller remains the better bet for most.
Still, if you’re playing casual party games like PlateUp or Golf With Friends, the analog mode will be enough for you to focus on having fun instead.
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The typing experience
Professional gamers may only use their keyboards for gaming, but for me a keyboard’s typing experience is just as important if not more. And this is where I think this keyboard shines. When I’m gaming I tend to fight light actuation forces preferrable for their fast activation. But when typing I hate accidental presses as my finger grazes past another key.
That’s why immediately upon installing Synapse, I setup a “Writer’s Profile” setting every key to 4.0mm. This means that when I’m done with my gaming session, my keys transform into heavy switches that need to be bottomed out for a keystroke to register.
That profile, combined with the great natural key feel of the Hall Effect switches meant that I was back up to my typing speed within minutes. And by the end of my first work session, I had set a new personal best at over 128WPM. For someone who types thousands of words every day, that’s about as much of a recommendation as I can give to a keyboard.
Verdict
Between the incredible typing experience, and the benefits of Snap Tap and Rapid Trigger that I enjoyed, I think this keyboard is a solid peripheral, backed by Razer’s customer support and quality standards.
It won’t play the perfect mechanical note for a keyboard enthusiast, but for most others, the keyboard checks enough boxes, while significantly undercutting the company’s own Optical offerings. In fact, I personally would pick the HE 65% over the $179.99 Huntsman V3 Pro Mini every time, thanks to the former including a set of arrow keys.
If you’re coming from a more budget-focused board, and looking to upgrade to something premium, I think the Razer Huntsman V3 HE Magnetic 8KHz offers a solid level up, offering nearly every feature that’s available on the professional range, for a significantly lower cost.
8 A solid keyboard, offering the best of Razer's software suite for a more affordable price point. Pros
- Snap Tap + Rapid Trigger
- Great Build Quality
- Synapse 4 support
- Lower price than the Huntsman Pro
Cons
- Wired Connectivity only
This keyboard was provided by Razer for review.
