Attention hot-swap fans, this Cherry keyboard can make your magnetic dreams come true - at a price | Review

Cherry's keyboards have been faltering recently, stuck in a fairly boring pattern that never seemed to challenge the best gaming keyboards on the market. The Cherry XTRFY MX 8.2 Pro TMR leapfrogs that progress, though, offering magnetic and mechanical hot-swappability for the first time and using newer TMR sensors to keep things nimble and juiced up for hours.

While its software will be a headache and its otherwise slick design is marred by some gaudy stamps, a premium typing feel and wireless connection will reward anyone willing to invest in a specific set of must-haves.

What I love about the Cherry XTRFY MX 8.2 Pro TMR

Luxurious typing

After spending the last year testing all manner of stuffy, woolly Hall effect keyboards, the TMR switches inside the Cherry XTRFY MX 8.2 Pro TMR feel like a welcome relief. This is an extremely smooth keypress, with very little resistance behind every clack. Combine that with a set of perfectly textured keycaps (soft and comfortable, but with a faint hint of grain to grip onto) and you've got a keyboard that feels glorious even during longer typing sessions.

I use a lot of different decks, but every now and then my fingers land on a set of keys that sit a step higher than the rest in terms of feel and the Cherry XTRFY MC 8.2 Pro TMR has that luxury in swathes.

That feel holds up in the speed department as well. With so little resistance under each keycap, and the additional grip, I was able to nudge slightly ahead of my current 95.7 WPM / 95.5% accuracy average, running at 97.6 WPM at 97% accuracy during testing.

Take all the gaming features

Cherry uses TMR sensors inside its first magnetic keyboard, an alternative to the sensors used in Hall effect decks that's slowly picking up steam. TMR clackers provide benefits in precision, sensitivity, and power efficiency (which is why the Cherry XTRFY MX 8.2 Pro TMR can get away with a wireless connection). Still, the actual returns on those upgrades aren't going to be too noticeable to the everyday player.

Instead, it's worth noting that you're keeping all the features of your regular Hall effect keyboards, with the added bonus of four actuations per input (most opt for two, save for premium options like the Asus ROG Falcata and Glorious GMMK 3 Pro HE). Rapid trigger, SOCD, and an 8,000Hz polling rate (for the truly competitive among us) keep things competitive with the rest of the Hall effect market.

If you're going for a particularly deep keypress, though, it's worth noting that the MX 8.2 Pro TMR caps out at 3.2mm (most go to four).

Rare flexibility in switch swapping

I've always had a question mark looming over each of my Cherry gaming keyboard reviews. From the original Cherry MX 8.2 to the full-sized Cherry MX 3.1, I've always been astonished that the biggest switch brand on the market wouldn't make its keyboards hot-swappable. The MX 8.2 Pro TMR has come through, though, beating the rest of the Hall effect market to true switch freedom.

These decks have been trying to threaten the best hot-swappable keyboards for a couple of years now, but they're generally limited to a handful of compatible HE options. Cherry's latest deck is fully hot-swappable with both magnetic and mechanical clickers, the first I've had on the desk.

Yes, you'll lose those additional gaming features by ripping out the Cherry MK Crystal switches straight out the box, but extra versatility for mechanical fans is always a win in my books.

Remarkable battery life

There's a reason the best wireless gaming keyboards are rarely magnetic. More traditional Hall effect sensors drain that power incredibly quickly, I've had decks last less than a day's work and play in the past. The power efficiency of those TMR sensors, however, plus the massive 8,000mAh battery hiding inside this chassis means the Cherry XTRFY MX 8.2 Pro TMR can run for up to 300 hours, as quoted by the brand itself.

That's an optimistic estimate likely with RGBs switched off and more power-hungry features un-toggled. However, I've only had to charge this deck once every week or so, with full RGB blaring for an average of 10 hours per day. That's far more distance than I'll usually get in a magnetic keyboard.

What to consider

High price tag

At $249.99 / £209.99, the MX 8.2 Pro TMR is sitting a little higher than the rest of the TKL competition. While magnetic keyboards generally skew more expensive than their mechanical counterparts, especially if they have that wireless 2.4GHz connection, a wired device can offer the same core features for a lot less.

Sure, you've got giants like the Stream Deck-toting Corsair Galleon 100 SD up for $349.99, but cheaper alternatives like the Razer Huntsman V3 Pro Mini and Logitech G Pro X TKL Rapid won't cost you more than $180.

If that wireless connection is a must-have then this is a reasonable price tag, though you are losing out on additional features like extra displays, more keys, and additional macro controls on something cheaper like the Corsair Vanguard Pro 96.

Some questionable design choices

Cherry generally releases understated (sometimes verging on boring) gaming keyboard designs, and things are largely the same here. However, there are a few logos and icons that could get in the way of a more minimalist setup. Fairly retro-looking 'DualMaster' logos are stamped across the escape bar and, more egregiously, the top lip of the keyboard. They're fairly gaudy and taint what would otherwise be a slick looking deck, complete with brushed aluminum top plate and premium 'Cherry XTRFY' embossed logo above the arrow keys.

Considering there's no mention of this DualMaster branding, or what it represents, on marketing or packaging, it's a little confusing and takes up a surprising amount of space in the final design.

Tricky software

Cherry's MagCrate software will need to be downloaded to make full use of all those switch and RGB features, but it's a pretty awkward piece of kit. Booting it up is pretty slow (heck, even switching between tabs introduces a loading screen), there are some strange translations running through the software, and the interface itself is pretty cluttered.

Certain features are explained with bizarre text that takes a serious amount of thought to parse meaning, while the whole thing is squished into a smaller window that can't be resized easily. It gets the job done and all customization options work as expected, but it's far from a pleasant experience.

Should you buy the Cherry XTRFY MX 8.2 Pro TMR?

Those hunting down a magnetic gaming keyboard that still allows for a wireless connection and versatile hot-swappability will find excellent value in that $249.99 price tag. This is a glorious keyboard once it's under the fingertips and initial setup through that software has been put to bed. However, if hot-swappability and a cord-free connection aren't high on your must-have list there are far better options out there.

The Corsair Vanguard Pro 96 is my top pick at the moment, and that still stands now that Cherry's model has been under the microscope. It's a more robust typing feel than the MX 8.2 Pro TMR's light, clacky offering, with the additional benefit of an OLED display, a volume wheel, a compact but full-sized layout, and five extra macro keys. It's also slightly cheaper, with MSRPs sitting at $229.99 / £209.99.

Further down the price scale, you've got the Logitech G Pro X TKL Rapid. Here, you're keeping the slimmer form factor but adding dedicated media controls and dropping the MSRP down to $189.99 (though it's regularly on sale for less than $150 at Amazon). It's a heavier typing experience for sure, but it's also excellent value for those mainlining for magnetic switches.

How I tested the Cherry XTRFY MX 8.2 Pro TMR

I used the Cherry XTRFY MX 8.2 Pro TMR for two weeks, running the deck as my main keyboard for daily work and play in the evenings. I primarily tested across CS2 and Doom: The Dark Ages, with some lighter play in Planet Coaster as well. I completed three one minute tests at Medium difficulty on TypingTest.com. For more information on how we test gaming keyboards, check out the full GamesRadar+ Hardware Policy.

If you're after something a little cheaper, check out the best membrane gaming keyboards on the market right now, Or, for a full setup refresh take a look at the best gaming mouse and best wireless gaming mouse models I've tested so far.