There are two fruits that stand above all others within the tech world — the Apple and the Cherry. Whereas the Cherry KW X ULP Wi-fi Keyboard may not have a reputation as snappy because the iPhone, there’s extra magic inside Cherry’s clavier than something the Cupertino giants may hope to assemble in reply.
I don’t say that to be flippant, both, Cherry’s change engineering is among the many most interesting and most desired there’s. The key to its success is almost 70 years of expertise in growing high-quality microswitches and 50 years of expertise within the manufacturing of laptop keyboards. In reality, Cherry is the producer of laptop keyboards — the oldest and most pioneering of all of them.
Cherry’s ultra-low profile KW X ULP Wi-fi Keyboard has a formidable legacy to reside as much as, so does it do the model justice?
Cherry KW X ULP Wi-fi Keyboard worth and availability
The KW X ULP is Cherry’s very personal Mannequin T, not as a result of it’s an archaic relic of yesteryear, however as a result of it’s a product the corporate can afford to face behind as a near-complete product for anybody on the lookout for a top-of-the-line keyboard. Additionally, it’s accessible in any coloration you want — simply as long as it’s black.
The Cherry KW X ULP Wi-fi Keyboard is presently accessible for $249.99 from Amazon in UK, US, and Pan-Nordic QWERTY layouts with French (AZERTY) and German (QWERTZ) layouts additionally accessible.
Cherry’s keyboard doesn’t come low-cost, and that’s one thing which may steer folks away from this providing, particularly if you issue within the board’s lack of replaceable switches or keycaps — a mechanical must-have for a lot of. Cherry’s premium keyboard expertise doesn’t even include a wrist relaxation, simply the board itself and a 5 ft USB-C to USB Sort-A charging cable. For the value, it feels a bit of barebones of a package deal.
That is normally the a part of the overview the place I inform of us to stay round till the top to totally understand the worth of a premium product like Cherry’s KW X ULP Wi-fi Keyboard. To guarantee them that they’ll finally see why the value is so excessive, and why the product is price each penny…
Onto design, then.
Cherry KW X ULP Wi-fi Keyboard design
The Cherry KW X ULP is a fairly ugly title, one thing that isn’t mirrored within the slightest on the subject of its design. It’s arduous to not swoon over one thing that appears nearly as good as Cherry’s wi-fi keyboard does — a marvel of engineering, and one of many thinnest mechanical keyboards ever produced.
That is what it appears like when a producer has full confidence in its skill to show an thought right into a remaining product. From the beautiful, brushed aluminum deck to the chrome band tracing the board’s impeccably slim edges, every thing appears and appears like a super-premium product.
Having a look on the underside of the keyboard isn’t fairly as spectacular, as the bottom is manufactured from a starkly contrasting plastic materials. Nonetheless, every thing from the bevels that give the board a snug angle to the three adjustable ft feels tight and exquisitely designed.
Its elongated but slender 17.3 x 5.2 x 0.63-inch body homes a full-size (100%), 111-key structure together with perform, navigation, media, lock, arrow keys, and quantity pad. Every gently concave, polycarbonate secret is laser etched and UV coated — permitting clear pass-through of the keyboard’s 10-stage white backlighting, with inexperienced and cherry pink illumination on numerous perform keys.
Beneath these keycaps are the KW X ULP’s most interesting options — Cherry’s tactile, Mechanical MX Extremely Low Profile switches. These precision-engineered switches are certainly one of Cherry’s signature choices and are the exact same that you just’d discover in a number of the greatest gaming laptops just like the Alienware m17 R5 and the MSI Titan GT77 HX — each of which profit significantly from Cherry’s mechanical experience and are praised for his or her typing experiences.
The Cherry KW X ULP is a shocking product, of that there’s no query. However its magnificence is about greater than appears alone, it’s a masterclass of design each inside and outside.
Cherry KW X ULP Wi-fi Keyboard connectivity and battery life
One of the vital spectacular options of the Cherry KW X ULP comes by the use of its skill to regulate as much as 4 units directly. This may be accomplished by connecting the board by way of USB-C to at least one machine, 2.4 GHz wi-fi to a different with the included dongle, and two additional units by separate Bluetooth 5.2 channels.
Switching between connections requires nothing greater than a fast Perform key shortcut, with the keyboard’s backlight illuminating in inexperienced to your chosen machine. It’s well-presented, straightforward to know, and comparatively intuitive — affording a incredible assortment of connectivity choices which can be every fast and easy to arrange.
Whether or not you’re connecting by Bluetooth or 2.4 GHz wi-fi utilizing the provided dongle, the Cherry KW X ULP’s rechargeable lithium-ion battery has a decently sized 2800 mAh capability that ought to preserve you wire-free for a substantial period of time.
Throughout my week with the keyboard, I by no means charged it as soon as, and it’s nonetheless going robust. In keeping with Cherry, it’ll take “a number of weeks” to fully run down the cost of its keyboard following regular day-to-day utilization.
Cherry KW X ULP Wi-fi Keyboard software program
The Cherry KW X ULP doesn’t require any further software program to stand up and working. Nonetheless, if you wish to make the most of the machine’s programmable perform keys you’ll must obtain Cherry Keys.
Cherry Keys is a light-weight app that lets customers swap out actions for the board’s perform keys. The software program itself is straightforward to make use of, retaining the UI to a minimal in order to not overly complicate the duty at hand.
The quantity of customization you possibly can configure is fairly spectacular too, utilizing the app you possibly can set customized shortcuts in your numbered perform keys to open a program or folder location, open a web site in your default browser, play recorded macros, repeat recorded textual content, entry multimedia controls, disable keys, or carry out a system shutdown/restart. If you wish to revert again to the default state for these keys, you are able to do so with a single click on of the “Reset” button.
Cherry KW X ULP Wi-fi Keyboard efficiency
Cherry’s Extremely Low Profile switches characteristic the identical no-click, tactile response of the bigger MX Brown mechanical switches whereas working like a tighter, quickly responding model of the model’s MX Clear mechanical switches attributable to its 65cN actuating pressure.
It takes all of 0.88mm of journey earlier than the MX ULP switches register an enter, leading to a satisfying snap till bottoming out at cushioned 1.8mm of journey in whole. Because the pressure of every press dissipates, the actuating pressure of the switches retaliates with a quick push-back, leading to a mild bounce that appears to gas your fingertips with momentum for the subsequent keystroke.
With full N-key curler and anti-ghosting on board, each enter will likely be precisely and reliably captured, irrespective of what number of keys you strike inside the same window. This lets you actually set your fingers free and go all out together with your typing. And also you’ll need to, too. The sensation of typing on the KW X ULP is flawless, together with your fingers effortlessly bounding and gliding from keycap to keycap as if guided by some unseen pressure.
After getting used to the texture of Cherry’s keyboard, I took to 10FastFingers.com to tackle my private greatest — and I used to be shocked by the outcomes. I’m not precisely at transcriptionist ranges of typing by any means, my common phrases per minute (WPM) sits at a modest 67.
Nonetheless, whereas utilizing the Cherry KW X ULP keyboard my WPM virtually instantly shot as much as the mid-to-high-70s. The tactile suggestions of every keypress afforded me the arrogance to shortly transfer on to the subsequent, constructing pace over time and giving me significantly better scores the extra I went on.
Undoubtedly, the Cherry KW X ULP was among the finest typing experiences I’ve had with a keyboard thus far. From having the ability to effortlessly change backwards and forwards between my laptop computer and iPad Professional to establishing customized shortcuts to hack away on the extra monotonous moments of clicking throughout my day, Cherry’s keyboard was one thing uniquely particular.
Backside line
If you happen to’re on the lookout for a grade-A typing expertise, premium appears, and a wealth of connectivity choices, that is the keyboard that has all of it. Nonetheless, I’m not letting go of my gripes with the value tag so simply. Premium merchandise get premium costs, that a lot I perceive. However $249.99 for a keyboard continues to be a wild amount of cash — particularly given how tight all people is pulling on their purse strings on the minute.
I’ve been uhm’ing and ahh’ing over whether or not it’s justifiable, and I believe the very fact I’ve to debate it so closely provides me my reply already. Is the Cherry KW X ULP one of many greatest keyboards you possibly can lay your palms on right this moment? Completely. Simply not at its present worth.
If yow will discover this cheaper elsewhere sooner or later, or possibly even await a sale, then Cherry’s board is without doubt one of the most high-quality keyboards I’ve come throughout and I extremely suggest it. The extent of craft and engineering that’s gone into the Cherry KW X ULP makes it a terrific match for each pair of palms, simply not for each finances.
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