7 reasons mechanical keyboards aren’t the best keyboards anymore

You’ve probably heard a lot about Hall Effect keyboards in recent months. With keyboards from the likes of Wooting, Glorious, SteelSeries, and more, Hall Effect keyboards are starting to take off in a big, big way. While you’ll be happy picking up any good mechanical keyboard, I would argue that mechanical keyboards are inarguably worse than Hall Effect keyboards for practically everyone, and there are a ton of reasons why.

7 Wear and tear

The obvious one

The biggest and most obvious reason that Hall Effect keyboards are better is the lack of wear and tear. Mechanical switches are self-contained units that house the components (stem, spring, and metal contacts) responsible for registering a keypress. When a key is pressed, the internal metal contacts within the switch close the circuit, sending a signal to the PCB. However, in the switch itself are a lot of moving parts, and those moving parts can wear out over time.

In a Hall Effect keyboard, there are significantly fewer moving parts. They use magnetic sensors to detect key presses, and the actuation occurs by sensing changes in the magnetic field. This is why actuation points are adjustable too, and has led to the proliferation of features like Rapid Trigger on SteelSeries keyboards.

6 Gaming

It’s a massive advantage for gamers

I play a lot of Counter-Strike 2 at a pretty high level, and while it took getting used to, I don’t think I could ever stop using Rapid Trigger. Rapid Trigger is a feature on the SteelSeries Apex Pro that can identify when you start to lift a key and dynamically adjust the actuation to stop pressing it. You know how on your keyboard you can lift your finger off the key by a small amount and it still keeps being pressed? Rapid Trigger identifies when you start doing that, and immediately lets go of the key for you. It’s basically reducing the actuation distance to a point not possible on mechanical keyboards.

In the case of Counter-Strike, I’d argue that it raises the skill ceiling significantly. Every movement you make is now intentional. If you lift your key a small bit, your keyboard will register that as a lifted key and act accordingly. Trying to swing a wide angle but you accidentally lift your finger? That’s on you, but likewise, it can also improve your reaction times. You can enable it on a per-key basis too, so in Counter-Strike, I turned off Rapid Trigger on my ‘E’ key. Otherwise, it would be really easy to accidentally cancel defusing the bomb during a round, and that… would not be good.

With Rapid Trigger, every movement feels perfectly like you did it, and that’s why I love it. It’s another skill to master, and if that’s something that interests you, I’d highly recommend giving it a go. It’s only available on Hall Effect keyboards.

5 Custom actuation

Great for typing, too

While the likes of Rapid Trigger are pretty overkill for someone who may just want to type a lot on a computer, custom actuation points are still a great feature of Hall Effect keyboards. Instead of a fixed actuation point, a magnetic switch’s actuation point can be adjusted from as low as 0.1mm to 4mm on most models (unlike optical switches). You can adjust it to whatever you feel comfortable with, and it doesn’t have to be insanely dynamic like you might want when gaming.

While you may never modify a feature like this and you may be happy with what you have, it’s something that’s worth looking into if you want to make your keyboard more you.

4 Noise levels

Typically quieter, though not always

Hall Effect keyboards tend to be quieter than mechanical keyboards, as there’s no physical switch to click when pressing down on the key. While you will likely hear keycaps hitting the keyboard housing, you’re not going to hear the clicking of a key like a Cherry MX Blue.

While you can also find the likes of Cherry MX Brown keys that are quiet without a click, there can still be some noise, which you can completely avoid on a Hall Effect keyboard if you really need to.

3 Input delay and debounce

You may never have heard of it

Input delay and debounce issues relate to how the keyboard registers and processes keypresses. Input delay refers to the time it takes for the keyboard to recognize a keypress and send that signal to the computer. In mechanical keyboards, this delay can be slightly longer due to the need to debounce the signal. Debouncing is where the keyboard has to account for the natural bounce of the metal contacts inside the switch. When a key is pressed, the metal parts may momentarily make and break contact multiple times, which could lead to multiple signals being sent for a single keypress. To prevent this, mechanical keyboards implement a short debounce delay to ensure only one signal is registered.

Hall Effect keyboards don’t suffer from debounce issues because they use magnetic fields to detect keypresses rather than relying on physical contact between metal parts. This allows them to avoid the need for debounce algorithms entirely, resulting in faster response times and more accurate key registration. Since there’s no physical contact to “bounce,” Hall Effect keyboards can register keypresses more consistently and immediately, reducing overall input delay. This makes them particularly advantageous in fast-paced environments like gaming.

2 Durability in harsh environments

This may not apply to everyone

In harsh environments, Hall Effect keyboards are fantastic. Since they rely on magnetic fields and don’t use exposed metal contacts, they’re far less susceptible to damage from dust, moisture, or extreme temperatures. Mechanical switches, with their physical metal components, are more vulnerable to these conditions as dust can block the contacts and moisture can cause corrosion.

Also, in environments where keyboards are exposed to heavy dust, dirt, or even outdoor elements, Hall Effect keyboards are more resilient, making them ideal for the most difficult environments where mechanical keyboards might degrade more quickly.

1 Consistent performance

It’ll feel the same for a long time after you buy it

Consistency over time is another key advantage of Hall Effect keyboards compared to mechanical ones. In mechanical keyboards, the physical contacts within each switch experience gradual wear with every keypress, which can lead to changes in how the switch feels and performs. Over time, this wear can cause variations in actuation force, making some keys feel stiffer or more worn out than others. Additionally, mechanical switches can develop issues like “key chatter,” where a single keypress registers multiple times due to worn contacts.

In contrast, Hall Effect keyboards maintain consistent performance throughout their lifespan. Since they rely on magnetic sensors and have no physical contact points that degrade, the actuation force and responsiveness of the switches remain the same even after millions of keypresses. This means that the typing or gaming experience feels just as smooth and reliable after years of use, and you won’t have chatter problems as there is no physical contact that can be damaged.