Over the course of the day, many people type thousands of words onto a keyboard, whether it’s one physically built into a laptop or a standalone model. Alongside the mouse, they’re the most important peripherals for modern computers and have attracted a huge following of enthusiasts looking for the best typing experience. The Verge covers them all, from Apple’s latest wireless peripherals to clacky mechanical models with custom keycaps and switches designed by enthusiasts and sold through forums.
The 80HE takes the 60HE formula and makes it bigger and better, with a new light bar and 8kHz polling.
Keycaps sold separately.
I believe the Razer BlackWidow V4 Pro 75% is only the company’s second-ever to let you swap out switches, after last year’s non-Pro version. It’s also got a cool screen, dial, and connects wirelessly. But at $300, I’d wait until the mech keyboard community weighs in!
Wonder if Razer has considered selling BYO-switch keyboard kits?
If you think Apple’s new iPhone lineup needs even more buttons, on October 7th you can preorder iPhone 16 versions of Clicks’ BlackBerry-like keyboard case, with shipping expected in November.
The cases will be available in three colors: surf, spice, and onyx, and will be $139 for the iPhone 16 and 16 Pro, or $159 for the iPhone 16 Plus and 16 Pro Max.
The GMMK 3 and GMMK 3 Pro are easy to configure and customize, though you can quickly blow your budget.
Apple could release a new keyboard accessory for “an entry-level iPad or the new iPad Airs” by mid-2025, according to Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman in today’s Power On newsletter.
The keyboard won’t have glitzier iPad Pro Magic Keyboard features like a metal palm rest, but could come with a function row, he writes.
Among Asus’ peripherals announced at Gamescom is a new $199.99 ROG Falchion Ace HFX keyboard. It has Hall effect switches, 8,000Hz polling, and a “Speed Tap mode,” which sounds like the Razer and Wooting features freshly banned in Counter-Strike 2.
Thanks for showing up with the beer after the party’s been raided, Asus.
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I don’t need a lot in a folding Bluetooth keyboard. It just needs to support multiple wireless devices, plus USB-C direct connect, and not get all floppy on my lap! Would you believe there aren’t a lot of keyboards like that?
Life with long nails is not for the weak, but at least typing can be less annoying.
Un Kyu Lee’s Micro Journal Rev.6 is a purpose-built writing tool that trades the polish of Astrohaus’ Freewright devices for a cheaper price tag. The $169 kit pairs a hot-swappable keyboard with a monochromatic LCD display, a 30-hour battery, and wireless Google Drive syncing. The design files are also available through GitHub, eventually letting anyone 3D print and build their own.
Slim and light and globally available in June for $79.99 / €89.99.
Keys-To-Go 2, available in Lilac, Pale Grey and Graphite, features scissor keys for a comfortable, efficient and more precise typing experience. Connect via Bluetooth with up to three devices via the Easy-Switch keys, and type seamlessly across tablets, phones and laptops. This compact keyboard is available in two layouts, Universal (Android, ChromeOS, Windows, iPadOS, iOS and MacOS) and dedicated Apple layout (iPadOS, iOS and macOS).
Ryan Norbauer wanted the perfect stabilizer for his upcoming Seneca keyboard, which will start at $3,400 (not a typo). And so, armed only with impossibly high standards, an unbelievable tenacity, and a “cash bazooka,” he set out to invent it.
[Ryan Norbauer]
Following Razer and Asus, Corsair is releasing a keyboard in the popular compact laptop-style layout, complete with a volume knob on the top right that brings to mind enthusiast keyboards like the Keychron Q1 and GMMK Pro. Hot-swap switches, Bluetooth and 2.4GHz wireless, PBT dye-sub keycaps, and up to 266 hours of battery life round out the K65 Plus Wireless’ specs.
Sure, other mechanical keyboards let you swap out their keycaps and switches, but what if you want to change their overall color? That’s where Drop’s CSTM65 has you covered.
I just got my copy of Shift Happens, an absurdly overengineered, utterly lovely, two-volumes-and-change book by Marcin Wichary on the history of the keyboard. It’s astonishing.
A small number of extras will be available soon.
The Verge’s Jon Porter spoke to Wichary last February just as the book’s Kickstarter launched. Check it out.
First came the KC 200. Now, Cherry is announcing its new MX 3.1 keyboard featuring its overhauled MX2A mechanical keyboard switches at CES 2024. It’ll be available to buy later this year for $129, when it’ll be joined by Cherry’s new M64 Pro Wireless and M68 Pro Wireless mice with responsive 8,000Hz polling rates and $139 price tags.
