Honestly, unless you're looking to dump $100+ into a keyboard, HE doesn't make sense. Cheap HE boards are just not it in terms of reliability, build quality, and software experience. The cheapest HE board I can actively recommend is something like a NuPhy Field 75 HE or Air60/75 HE. Keychron's K2 HE or K4 HE are also a steal for what they cost. But it's all preference. Generally speaking, mechanical keyboards still have the upper hand when it comes to sound, and to a degree build quality. But if you're not particular about sound, and you can handle more or less only having linear switch options, HE is fantastic for both work and play. Answer from julian_vdm on reddit.com
🌐
Reddit
reddit.com › r/keyboards › hall effect vs mechanical
r/keyboards on Reddit: Hall Effect vs Mechanical
July 2, 2024 -

I'm considering buying a He keyboard to play valorant, just wanna know does using HE keyboard really help for valorant gameplay or just buy the standard mechanical keyboard with better switches. For HE keyboard im consider ATK 68 and mechanical one is AULA F75, also can suggest other option for each keyboard with value price...

🌐
XDA Developers
xda-developers.com › home › keyboards & mice › i tried hall effect and i'm sticking with mechanical keyboards for these 3 reasons
I tried Hall effect and I'm sticking with mechanical keyboards for these 3 reasons
October 12, 2024 - Essentially, magnetic (Hall effect) ... actuation points, Rapid Trigger, and Snap Tap possible. They're objectively faster than the top mechanical keyboards....
🌐
Coffeekeys
coffeekeys.eu › en-us › blogs › notizie › hall-effect-keyboards-vs-mechanical-keyboards
Hall Effect Keyboards vs Mechanical Keyboards – Coffeekeys
May 31, 2025 - • Circuit and power: Each Hall Effect switch contains a magnet and requires a sensor (chip) on the circuit. This means that the Hall Effect keyboard has a somewhat more complex and slightly more energy-hungry circuit than a simple mechanic (each ...
🌐
Rock Paper Shotgun
rockpapershotgun.com › home › hardware › features
Should You Bother With... Hall effect keyboards? | Rock Paper Shotgun
April 24, 2024 - The Lenovo Legion Go opted for Hall effect thumbsticks, and you can even swap your Steam Deck sticks for a third-party Hall effect set. Such advantages can also be applied to keyboards. When you slam down a key, the sensor picks up the movement of the magnet within, registering the input. But it doesn’t need two physical components to make contact, as a regular mechanical keyboard (or mushy membrane keyboard) does.
🌐
Keychron
keychron.com › blogs › news › what-are-hall-effect-switches
What Are Hall Effect Switches and How Do they Work? – Keychron
January 25, 2025 - ... Hall Effect switches are electronic devices that use magnetic fields to detect keypresses. Unlike mechanical switches, they rely on magnetic fields rather than physical contact.
🌐
RTINGS
rtings.com › home › keyboard › guide
What Is A Hall Effect Keyboard? - RTINGS.com
August 11, 2025 - Learn how Hall effect keyboards work using magnetic sensors. Explore their benefits, drawbacks, and how they compare to other switch types.
🌐
Reddit
reddit.com › r/mechanicalkeyboards › discussion about hall effect vs traditional mechanical keyboards.
r/MechanicalKeyboards on Reddit: Discussion about Hall Effect VS traditional mechanical keyboards.
April 12, 2025 -

What do you think about magnetic keyboards?
The main question is, can magnetic keyboards have a place in our hobby?

Nowadays, they are being shouted about from all corners, what it is a great blessing.
Here my story. I got one. I played around with the actuation point setting for about a week. I don't know why and what it gave me. It's just the only new feature for me. And then I returned it to the standard 2.0 mm)
And the most annoying thing is that the keyboard sounds bad, even though it has 3 basic layers of noise insulation. I've heard all magnetic keyboards sound worse than mechanical ones. Is that true? And I can't make many modifications, lay some switch pads, or anything like that, because its affects the accuracy. Also looks like HE keyboards doesnt have gasket mount or flex cuts. I can't replace the switches here. Well, technically it supports hot swap and there are several different magnetic switches on the market and... they are all linear, it's clear why. They all have about the same actuation force. This is incomparable to the number and variety of switches for traditional mechanical keyboards. I even thought if the hot swap socket breaks it's easy to replace, and if the sensor breaks here? Is that all?

And I felt like I was locked up like in a prison with this keyboard. Damn it... I got some cool new silent tactile switches and my first thought was if I had another mechanical keyboard right now instead of this magnetic one I would install these switches there. What do I have now? I played around with adjusting the actuation point and that's all I can do with this keyboard.

So I got the impression that magnetic keyboards are completely unsuitable for our hobby. They are just one-way gaming tools, unlike traditional mechanical keyboards that have room for customization and flexibility.

Share your thoughts, maybe I have the wrong impression.

Top answer
1 of 5
10
You just know this is going to be a thread where you get polarised opinions. Those with HE boards will say they're great, and those that don't need or want one will say they are bad. Always happens. Being sensible however..... The main question is, can magnetic keyboards have a place in our hobby? They do. You see people posting them in here all the time, and you can get HE PCBs for even Geon boards. Not sure what makes you think they aren't part of the hobby. It's a different kind of switch. They won't take over, or even become the dominant switch type for enthusiasts, but they're here to stay. There have always been different kinds of switches. I think the snobbery element of the hobby seems to look down its nose at HE because it's a gaming technology, not something that's particularly useful for a typist, and as most gaming boards are shit, by association, HE becomes shit in most people's minds. It's a simplistic, partisan type of opinion, but surely we're used to such in here by now, aren't we? :) Personally, I don't see the point unless you're a gamer and feel it gives you some advantage. I'm not sure what advantage it gives a typist - or at least I never found one. Technically, HE should me more reliable as there are fewer points of contact/friction, but realistically, when I have a MX keyboard here that's almost 40 years old and working just fine, I think this is a technicality, not something that makes any practical difference whatsoever in real life. I also used one for a while, and found that the actuation point that felt best was pretty much the same as the actuation point of a standard MX switch, so basically I was just recreating what I already have. Muscle memory is strong :) As for sound, there's no real reason I can see why they should sound any better or worse. I think it's because most HE boards are at the cheaper end of the market. I can see no reason why a Geon board with a venom PCB in it would sound any worse than one with a Galatea or Hineybush PCB. Different maybe... but different PCBs and switches will have a different sound even using traditional MX stuff. They're really for gamers, not typists. They have their place in the hobby, but the games I play are not really demanding enough to pretend that they will give an advantage, and I'm far more concerned about how a keyboards feels to type on, so they're not for me. No one can deny that they are here to stay though. They're just not for you, as they are not for me. Many things in this hobby are not for me though. Suggesting that they should not be part of the hobby because you don't like it is just being silly.
2 of 5
8
To each their own I guess. Sound aside, I like my HE board more than all of my other keyboards. So much so that I’ve got a second HE board on the way for a stealth build with GMK Cosmos. You not liking something doesn’t make it bad.
🌐
GravaStar
gravastar.com › home › learn › learn
Mechanical Keyboard vs Hall Effect Keyboard | Features & Benefits
January 29, 2025 - Keyboard use is a personal choice, but research shows that Hall effect keyboards seem to be becoming more popular than traditional mechanical keyboards. According to Market Research Future, the mechanical keyboard market size was valued at around $1.65 billion in 2023, expected to rise to $1.89 billion in 2024.
Find elsewhere
🌐
YouTube
youtube.com › shorts › bahibXXuwPs
What are Mechanical, Analog and Hall Effect keyboards??? 🤔💡 #mechanicalkeyboard #halleffect - YouTube
Chelsea explains the difference between all the keyboard switch types in this informational short video. There's pros and cons to each type with some more su...
Published   June 22, 2025
🌐
Reddit
reddit.com › r/keyboards › mechanical vs hall effect – which keyboard makes more sense for me?
r/keyboards on Reddit: Mechanical vs Hall Effect – Which keyboard makes more sense for me?
July 2, 2025 -

Hello,

I’m planning to buy a new keyboard but I’m a bit torn between going with a traditional mechanical keyboard or trying out a Hall Effect one. I work full-time as a software engineer, so I don’t get as much time to game as I used to. Back in the day I was more of a “sweaty” FPS gamer, but now I play whatever’s fun. Single player games, story driven titles, a bit of everything really. I know Hall Effect keyboards with features like rapid trigger and adjustable actuation are popular among competitive FPS players, but I’m wondering if those features offer any meaningful benefits for someone like me who mostly games casually now and sometimes competitive. I’m currently considering the EPOMAKER x AULA F75 for the mechanical option, and the MCHOSE Jet 75 HE, NUPHY Air 75 or the Keychron k2 HE for the Hall Effect side. I’d appreciate some insight—would Hall Effect be overkill for my use case, or still worth it in terms of typing experience, durability, or general feel? If anyone’s used either of these boards or has suggestions in the same range, I’d love to hear your thoughts.

🌐
RK Royal Kludge
rkgamingstore.com › blogs › community › mechanical-vs-magnetic-keyboards
Magnetic vs Mechanical Keyboards: How to Choose the Right One for Gami – RK Royal Kludge
October 28, 2025 - This design means there’s no physical contact between parts, resulting in ultra-smooth, fast, and consistent key presses. It also makes magnetic keyboards quieter and easier to maintain than traditional mechanical keyboards.
🌐
GamesRadar+
gamesradar.com › hardware › peripherals › gaming keyboards
These are the four Hall effect gaming keyboards I'd buy instead of a mechanical deck this weekend | GamesRadar+
June 20, 2025 - For customizable actuation points. A mechanical switch is either on or off, but Hall effect keyboards measure a magnetic field around a switch to know exactly how far down a keypress you are at any given moment.
🌐
Overclockers UK
overclockers.co.uk › home › blog › gaming › hall effect vs mechanical vs analog keyboard showdown
Hall Effect vs Mechanical vs Analog Keyboard Showdown | Overclockers UK
February 27, 2025 - Built with individual mechanical switches for each key, mechanical keyboards provide a tactile, responsive typing experience with superior durability and customisation compared to membrane keyboards.
🌐
MelGeek
melgeek.com › blogs › melgeek-lab › hall-effect-keyboards-the-future-of-typing-precision
Hall Effect Keyboards: The Future of Typing Precision – MelGeek
September 5, 2024 - In the case of Hall Effect keyboards, unlike other versions, there is no need for physical contact. Unlike mechanical keys that sense values when pressed due to touch contacts, these types work using magnetic principles.
🌐
GlacierPCGaming
glacierpcgaming.com › home › blogs › blogs/updates › hall effect vs mechanical switches: understanding the key differences
Hall Effect vs Mechanical Switches: Understanding the Key Differences – GlacierPCGaming.com
August 2, 2025 - Cons: More expensive and harder ... · Choose Mechanical Switches if: You want a wide variety of switch types and customization options, are budget-conscious, or prefer the classic mechanical feel and sound. Choose Hall Effect Switches if: You want a super durable keyboard that can withstand heavy use and harsh conditions, prefer a smooth and quiet typing experience, or want a niche, high-end keyboard...
🌐
YouTube
youtube.com › the provoked prawn
What are Hall Effect switches and why are they so great for gaming? - YouTube
In this video I'm explaining what Hall Effect keyboard switches are, how they work and what the benefits of them can be. I'm showing you these with the Glori...
Published   September 11, 2024
Views   3K
🌐
Glorious Gaming
gloriousgaming.com › pages › hall-effect-technology
Hall Effect Technology
The actuation point is how far you press a key before it registers. Mechanical keyboards have fixed points, while Hall Effect keyboards let you adjust when keys activate, offering more control.
🌐
Best Buy
bestbuy.com › best buy › computers & tablets › pc gaming › pc gaming accessories › gaming keyboards
Hall-effect Gaming Keyboards - Best Buy
Keyboard Technology · Mechanical · Hall-effect · Features · Wired · Palm Rest · Plug and Play · Adjustable Tilt Function · Price · to · Set · $75 - $99.99 · $100 - $149.99 · Lighting Type · RGB · Color · White · Black · Current Deals · Clearance · Discount ·
🌐
H|ard|Forum
hardforum.com › [h]ard|ware › mice and keyboards
Mechanical keyboards are dead? Magnetic keyboards? | [H]ard|Forum
November 18, 2024 - Yeah, the fancy way they're calling it is Hall Effect Keyboards. So, the way I understand it, each key is analog, a paired magnetic field sensor and a magnet. It'd 'understand' angles, and they could in theory modify a mechanical switch to work this way - just have the 'click' not actually do anything, leaving the detection to the sensor.
🌐
ATTACK SHARK
attackshark.com › home › blogs › blogs
Magnetic vs. Mechanical Switch Keyboards A Comprehensive Comparison for the Savvy Buyer
April 29, 2025 - People who like noticeable auditory or tactile feedback often prefer mechanical keyboards. ... PRODUCT COMPARISON Model X68 HE Check It Out X68PRO HE X68MAX HE Check It Out Connection Method Wired Bluetooth /... ... Magnetic keyboards work differently. They use sensors (often Hall effect sensors) to detect the position of a magnet attached to the moving part of the switch.