Cherry, the company behind the iconic MX mechanical switch, might not be having the smoothest time financially right now, but that hasn't stopped it from making a serious push into next-gen gaming keyboards.
The company's gaming division, Cherry XTRFY announced its first keyboards built around magnetic switches recently at CES 2026. But unlike the growing wave of Hall Effect boards, Cherry is using tunnel magnetoresistance (TMR) technology instead. The company claims it offers higher precision, faster response times, and significantly lower power consumption – essentially promising wireless magnetic performance without the usual trade-offs.
The headline feature on the MX 8.2 Pro TMR is flexibility: it's not only Cherry's first TMR keyboard, it's also one of the only magnetic boards that lets you hot-swap most of its switches for traditional mechanical ones.
The model I'm looking at here is the black version (there's also a white option) of the tenkeyless Cherry XTRFY MX 8.2 Pro TMR. It comes in at a whopping $250, so the big question is whether Cherry's new tech actually justifies the price.
First Impressions
The design of the MX 8.2 Pro TMR is somewhat understated but still gamer. For some people that's going to be a plus. There are no flashy screens or gimmicks here, despite OLED displays becoming increasingly common even on mid-range boards.
It doesn't have quite the wow factor of something like the Asus ROG Azoth (also $250 when we reviewed it three years ago), but there's no question the Cherry feels premium. It's an sturdy, well-built piece of kit, with an aluminum top frame that rises slightly above the board to create a subtle lip around the keys.
More evidence of the build quality is in the flex – or almost complete lack of it. It's a stark contrast to the admittedly almost $200 cheaper Redragon K686 Pro SE Anime board I tested recently, which I could almost certainly twist in two if I so wished.
Cherry has also nailed the weight. I love the sturdiness of the 2.6-pound Azoth, but it's not ideal for carrying around. The MX 8.2 is a slightly lighter 2.1 pounds: satisfyingly weighty without bordering on excessive.
I was a little surprised to see the box contained just the board itself, a USB-A to USB-C Cable, a keycap/switch puller, the manual, and the receiver. The Azoth comes with a load of extras, including spare switches, all contained inside some Apple-like fancy packaging.
Elsewhere on the board, there's a USB-C input at the back and a switch for selecting your preferred connection method: 2.4GHz, Bluetooth, or USB, each with its own LED indicating the connection status.
Underneath are a pair of flip-out feet, though they only offer a single height setting. There's also some "DUALMASTER" branding and a red accent on the spacebar that won't be to everyone's taste.
TMR Explained
TMR, for those unfamiliar, relies on a quantum tunneling effect to detect extremely small resistance changes within a magnetic field.
Hall Effect boards also use magnetic sensing rather than physical electrical contacts, but they rely on a more conventional Hall sensor that translates magnetic field changes into a voltage signal, rather than measuring resistance directly.
Cherry claims TMR offers several advantages, including detecting inputs with an accuracy of 0.01mm. In theory, that means higher sensitivity, faster response times, lower power consumption, improved signal stability, and longer-lasting performance.
The keyboard also supports an 8,000Hz polling rate in both wired and 2.4GHz wireless mode, reporting up to eight times every millisecond.
The Receiver
One of the stranger surprises when unboxing the MX 8.2 Pro TMR is the wireless receiver. I initially searched around the keyboard for a hidden dongle – something basically every wireless keyboard includes – but there isn't one.
Instead, Cherry uses a small (if chunky) external receiver that connects to your PC via a cable (USB-C on the receiver side). It features two LEDs: one for power and one indicating connection status.
The board's 8,000Hz wireless mode only works using the receiver or with a direct cable to connection to the PC (not Bluetooth, basically). The receiver exists to improve signal consistency for 8 kHz operation, reduce latency and jitter, lessen interference, and provide better antenna performance. Cherry isn't the first to use this sort of thing, but it's still pretty rare.
The benefits are real, but some people will definitely prefer the cleaner look of a tiny USB dongle rather than a box hanging off their PC.
Typing Experience
If you want the bottom line right away, here it is: this is the best keyboard I've ever used for typing, in terms of speed, accuracy, and comfort.
This is the best keyboard I've ever used for typing, in terms of speed, accuracy, and comfort.
Switch preference is personal, of course. I tend to love smooth linear switches with a little bounce, and the included Cherry Crystal switches feel fantastic.
The other major element is that you can customize every key on the MX 8.2 Pro TMR individually, from the actuation point to the dead zone. It's ideal as I kept making mistakes on the super-sensitive low-profile boards I've tried in the past: they were great for gaming, not so much for typing.
A bit of experimentation, and I found 1.8mm to be my sweet spot (the range is 0.1mm to 3.3mm), though I switched to a different profile with a more sensitive actuation when playing games.
Elsewhere, the PBT keycaps and 5-layer sound dampening, also found in the likes of the Redragon keyboards, add to the typing experience, making it a pleasure for both the user and anyone in the same room. It has a similarly satisfyingly "thock" sound as the ROG Azoth, but a little lower in pitch.
While the navigation cluster and arrow keys are slightly closer together than on some other TKL layouts, it never bothered me. I did occasionally hit End instead of Del, but that's probably just me adjusting.
I never thought I'd find a keyboard that offered a more satisfying typing experience than the Azoth, but the Cherry's customization and a near-perfect level of resistance in the keys mean I'm sticking with this one. It's also worth noting that I've used it for work and play across almost 12 hours in a single day with no finger fatigue.
Battery Life
Cherry says that the 8,000 mAh battery in the MX 8.2 Pro TMR offers 300 hours of gaming – obviously a best-case scenario with the lighting off. I like my RGB set to max brightness and as solid, unchanging colors while working and gaming. With around 8 - 10 hours of use each day, the keyboard lasted about four days before needing a recharge, which is better than any other wireless board I've used.
It seems the claims that TMR results in better battery life hold water.
Customization Software
Cherry's MagCrate software is where you access most of the MX 8.2 Pro TMR's features. It isn't the prettiest or most intuitive suite – some sections felt like trial and error – but it is extremely expansive.
In addition to picking the preferred actuation point, users can set key bottom dead zones on a per-key basis – the distance from the bottom to the top before the key is released. There's also a simulation tester to make sure everything's to your liking.
One of the most compelling features is the ability to hot-swap the magnetic switches for your favorite mechanical switches if you so wish, though the navigation and arrow keys can only use magnetic switches.
Lighting
The lighting in the MX 8.2 Pro TMR is nice and bright; I'd say it's very slightly brighter than the Azoth. However, there is quite a bit of visible light shining between some gaps, so it could be argued that the Azoth has a cleaner and more uniform look – the Cherry board certainly lights up a darkened room.
As expected, there are a plenty of lighting effects on offer and you can create your own with various colors and speeds.
Gaming Features
The MX 8.2 Pro TMR is packed with gaming-focused features, including Dynamic Key Travel. This allows one key to perform up to four different actions depending on how deeply it's pressed or released. In an FPS, for example: light press to walk, deeper press to sprint, bottom out to slide, then release to cancel.
In the same vein, the Mod Tap action lets a key perform different functions depending on whether it's tapped or held. Toggle switch, meanwhile, lets a key toggle an action on/off with one press, instead of only working while the key is held.
In a gaming scenario, you could tap once to keep sprinting, auto-fire, or continue aiming down sights, then tap again to turn it off.
There's also one-tap rapid fire, or Rapid Trigger. Cherry writes that the switch in this feature no longer resets at a fixed point. It resets instantly with even the slightest lift of your finger. This lets you press the same key much faster and gives you a significant advantage in FPS games, apparently.
Finally, the MX 8.2 Pro TMR also offers the controversial Snap Key (aka Snap Tap) feature, which instantly cancels one directional input when the opposite direction is pressed, allowing faster left-right or forward-back movement changes in games.
Many said it gives gamers an unfair advantage when Razer introduced the feature in 2024. Valve banned this type of keyboard automation in Counter-Strike 2 a few months later.
How many of these features you'll actually end up using will depend on what type of gamer you are. I'm sure hardcore FPS players, especially any who like competitive titles, will appreciate them most. I definitely found myself whizzing around Doom Eternal's level with a lot more ease and control than usual.
The Rest
The MX 8.2 Pro TMR's tenkeyless layout means there's simply no room for dedicated media buttons. Instead, media controls – along with other functions like changing lighting effects, enabling gaming mode, launching programs, and more – can all be assigned to different keys or key combinations through the software.
MagCrate also includes a slew of macro creation tools, giving power users plenty to play with. What you don't get, though, is built-in onboard memory for profiles, which is something the Asus ROG Azoth does offer.
The Not So Good
There's no denying that the MX 8.2 Pro TMR is a phenomenal keyboard for both typing and gaming. It offers an incredible level of customization and more game-focused features than most people will ever realistically need.
But here's the elephant in the room: $250 is an enormous asking price.
The price was also the main point of contention with the Azoth, but that board is truly exceptional in terms of build quality, the embedded OLED screen, all the extras, and a few other elements the Cherry lacks.
Cherry's keyboard absolutely has compelling reasons to buy it, but it's entering a market packed with Hall Effect rivals that deliver actuation point tuning, rapid trigger, SOCD, per-key curves, profiles, and more in the $40 to $120 range.
Verdict
To reiterate: I love the Cherry MX 8.2 Pro TMR, and I now use it exclusively for both work and gaming. It looks and feels fantastic, it's incredibly customizable, it's excellent for gamers and typists alike, and it lasts ages on a single charge.
Still, while TMR clearly has its benefits, it's difficult to argue that the technology is so far ahead of Hall Effect keyboards that it fully justifies such a steep price tag. It's also worth pointing out that Monsgeek is already using TMR in some current and upcoming boards, while selling them at much lower prices.
Had Cherry priced the MX 8.2 Pro TMR more aggressively, it would be an easy recommendation and probably worth another 10 points in the final score. But at $250, it's a hard pill to swallow, even for hardcore FPS gamers who will actually take advantage of all the features.
Still, if you're willing to spend the money despite cheaper alternatives offering similar functionality, you're not going to walk away disappointed in what is a fantastic keyboard.
Pros
- Near-perfect, super-smooth typing experience
- Tons of gaming-focused features
- Can hot-swap (most) magnetic switches for mechanical ones
- Incredible customization
- Stylish, understated looks
- Wireless TMR technology
- Long-lasting charge
Cons
- Needs to be cheaper
- No on-board profiles
- Software could be better
- The receiver isn't pretty