Detailed Analysis of Cherry MX Brown Switches on Ultimate Gaming (UGP) Keyboards: A Blend of Tactility & Durability

Key Takeaways

• The KW X ULP keyboard is responsive and has tactile keys to enhance the typing experience.
• You can quick-swap between four connections easily.
• The backlight and active light indicators make the board very functional.

Cherry’s KW X ULP ultra slim wireless mechanical keyboard is a nice change of pace from bulky mechanical keyboards with their high-profile keys, though its utilitarian design is quite deceptive. Whereas mechanical gaming keyboards are flashier with their RGB lighting and customizable switches, Cherry opts for a sleeker, more practical design that hides the necessary features of a latency-free gaming keyboard.

Cherry KW X ULP

9/ 10

Cherry’s KW X Ultra-Low-Profile wireless mechanical keyboard offers a sturdy and durable typing experience whether you’re working at the office, traveling with your laptop, or enjoying AAA gaming.

Brand

Cherry

Wireless

2.4GHz radio

Backlight

White with red accents

Media Controls

Volume, brightness

Battery

Li-Ion

Num Pad

Yes

Switch Type

Tactile low-profile

Number of Keys

104

Wired operation

USB-C

Dimensions

18.2 x 7 x 1.4in

Material

Aluminum

Bluetooth

5.2

Multi-device pairing

Yes, 4

Keycaps

PC

Key encryption

AES-128

Pros

• Responsive, tactile keys
• Quick-swap between four connections
• Functional backlight indicates when locks are active
• Long-lasting battery makes long-term wireless possible

Cons

• wide length, so not easily portable
• No real customization, even through companion app
• No hot-swappable switches means what you have is what you get

Expand

$200 at Amazon

A Thin Profile That Doesn’t Feel Cheap

When a manufacturer goes thin, it always risks creating a product that feels cheap and flimsy. That’s not the case with the KW X ULP wireless keyboard, which boasts an aluminum plate for overall durability. Even the three kickstands that give the board some height are held in place well, ensuring they won’t randomly fold in while in use.

All of this leads to a very sturdy typing experience, where at no point did I feel like something would give out after so many hours of use. The keys didn’t feel loose, and there was no part of the keyboard that had any give like a lower-quality plastic board may have. Overall, it’s something you can move around freely, so long as there’s space for a full-sized width.

The keyboard is thin, but it’s also wide across a desk. At nearly 17.4 inches, it’s not the most portable, which is a shame considering it offers three quick-swap wireless connections that make it easy to use the board on virtually any Windows-based device. Sorry, Mac users. You’ll need to find your own ultra-thin board.

Latency-Free Quadruple Connectivity

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Sergio Rodriguez / How-To Geek

One feature I didn’t expect to use as much as I did is the four-way connectivity. I often bounce between my desktop and laptop but never use a full keyboard on the road. As fate would have it, the board on my laptop broke while testing out the Cherry wireless keyboard, so I had to use the dual Bluetooth connections frequently.

I appreciated how quickly I could swap between the two bands. Assigned to the F2 and F3 keys, I just had to press the corresponding key when I needed to swap devices, and the board connected nearly instantly. Swapping between the USB-C wired and 2.4GHz wireless was easy, though I didn’t use that nearly as much,.

Sergio Rodriguez / How-To Geek

On the rare occasion, while connected via Bluetooth, it seemed I needed to wake the board up before it registered keystrokes. It seemed to happen when the battery was lower. I read through the keyboard’s manual but found nothing suggesting it went into sleep mode to conserve power.

What I really liked about the keyboard is its battery life. I used the board for a full workweek and still didn’t have to charge it. You’ll easily get at least two weeks out of one charge, which is especially helpful if access to a plug isn’t convenient.

The Click You Get is the Click You Get

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Sergio Rodriguez / How-To Geek

If you like a keyboard you can customize with different switches , you may want to skip the Cherry KW X ULP. The low-profile keys sit atop a mechanical MX ULP switch, which is satisfyingly clicky for the type of board it is, but not hot-swappable. Having bounced between higher profile keys on hot-swappable switches and thinner, less dynamic boards, I can see the merits of this design.

It makes for a comfortable typing experience as my fingers don’t have to stretch to compensate for keys that are more spread out. The switches are still tactile, so you get that satisfying resistance, which is really helpful when typing fast. While recessed keys may not appeal to all users, the lack of wobble with longer keys like the spacebar or shift maximizes responsiveness with each keystroke. I don’t second guess whether I’ve hit every key nearly as much with Cherry’s MX ULP switches as I do on the CyberPowerPC CK60 mechanical board I used previously.

My biggest gripe with any low-profile key is that they’re not easy to remove to clean the board. There’s no tool to help lift the keys, and the switches are far more fragile than hot-swappable alternatives.

Cherry Keys Companion App

Mark LoProto / How-to Geek

Sometimes, there’s a lot to say about a companion app. However, the Cherry Keys desktop app is a barebones program that doesn’t provide many options when paired with the KW X ULP. You can assign macros, but only to the FN keys. Those already have alternate functions that are helpful for quick navigation, adjusting volume and brightness, or swapping between connections.

It would be nice to have more options for customizing keys, but if you’re not big on creating macros, you won’t even notice Cherry Keys’ limitations.

The Office-Ready Keyboard Built for Gamers

Though the KW X ULP seems like a better fit for an office environment, Cherry didn’t want to limit its audience. Personally, I wouldn’t game on a low-profile board, but if you did want to, it offers an n-key rollover , so every key pressed is registered as an individual input when hit simultaneously with other keys.

For reference, a keyboard with a 2-key rollover will only read up to two keys. This is especially helpful in gaming when you need to perform button combinations, such as in fighting games. Since it does feature n-key rollover, the wireless board also has anti-ghosting, which prevents special characters or erroneous keys from being registered when too many keys are pressed.

Lighting and Additional Functions

Unlike most mechanical keyboards built for gamers, Cherry opted against RGB lighting and went for a simple but bright white backlight. Each laser-etched key shines unmistakably so you can type confidently, even in low light.

Sergio Rodriguez / How-To Geek

Maybe even more helpful is that status keys like for the Caps lock, Num lock, and Scroll lock turn red when activated. The Windows buttons also turn red when the keyboard’s Gaming mode is activated, and the buttons are disabled to prevent accidental popups mid-game.

Should You Buy Cherry’s KW X ULP Wireless Keyboard?

With so many different keyboards on the market, it’s tough to say which is the best. I can say without hesitation that Cherry’s KW X ULP ultra slim wireless keyboard is certainly up there, so long as you don’t mind its opinionated design choices.

Its low-profile keys and thin design are comfortable to type on, but you may feel out of place if you’re used to taller keys and a thicker, heavier frame. While the mechanical keys are tactile and responsive, they’re not hot-swappable. They emit a nice click that’s not too overpowering, but that’s it. If you want something softer or harsher, you don’t have much choice. There’s no customizability unless you assign macros, and even then, you’re limited to the Function keys.

All of that aside, though, this wireless keyboard is a great companion for both office life and gaming. While I personally wouldn’t use it as a gaming board, it has staples like n-key rollover, anti-ghosting, and backlit keys, so you never lose your place. No matter how you use it, you can expect a wireless board that will last for weeks at a time without a charge. Though I wouldn’t mind a 75% version, so I could travel more easily with this high-quality wireless board.

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Cherry KW X ULP

9/ 10

Cherry’s KW X ultra-low-profile keyboard features an aluminum frame, mechanical tactile switches, and a white backlight to enhance the user experience. You may not be able to change out switches for a more satisfying or quieter click, but KW X ULP board offers plenty to offset its shortcomings. Connect up to four devices to be able to take this high-quality, responsive keyboard virtually anywhere.

$200 at Amazon