Glorious GMMK 3 keyboard review: Deep options, deep flaws

Michael Crider/Foundry

Michael Crider/Foundry

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    </div></figure><p class="imageCredit">Michael Crider/Foundry</p></div>

That’s a huge amount of customization, some seriously premium parts, and tons and tons of options for a keyboard. It’s also a lot of money to pay. While the base wired model of the GMMK 3 costs $135 in 65 percent size, if you want all those options maxed out on a wireless, hot-swap board with adjustable actuation, you’re looking at a $370 keyboard. 

That makes the GMMK 3 Pro HE that I’m testing one of the most expensive keyboards I’ve ever reviewed, and the priciest gaming keyboard from a major vendor. And as amazing as its options and technical capabilities are, there are some definite low points in this design, like the wireless connection, battery life, and software support. 

So unfortunately a full-fat, all-the-trimmings GMMK 3 is almost impossible to recommend. Cheaper configurations might make more sense, especially if you don’t need wireless. But as the ultimate, no-compromises gaming keyboard that Glorious advertises, this package just doesn’t add up. 

A hot-swap first

First thing’s first: Glorious has managed a trick no other keyboard company has so far, combining the popular and very important hot-swap switch capability with adjustable actuation. 

To be clear, other keyboards have gotten close. Keychron offers hall-effect boards that can swap out switches, but only among a tiny selection of HE-modified options. The GMMK3 HE lets users choose between those limited hall-effect switches, and hundreds of different switch options using the standard MX format. 

Michael Crider/Foundry

            <div class="lightbox-image-container foundry-lightbox"><div class="extendedBlock-wrapper block-coreImage undefined"><figure class="wp-block-image size-large enlarged-image"><img decoding="async" data-wp-bind--src="selectors.core.image.enlargedImgSrc" data-wp-style--object-fit="selectors.core.image.lightboxObjectFit" src="" alt="GMMK 3 keyboard disassembled" class="wp-image-2450553" width="1200" height="676" loading="lazy" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption"><p>See those little black squares next to the central switch holes? Those are the magnetic sensors. That’s the special hot-swap sauce here. </p></figcaption></figure><p class="imageCredit">Michael Crider/Foundry</p></div>

    </div></figure><p class="imageCredit">Michael Crider/Foundry</p></div>

Glorious told me that it has managed this by placing the magnetic sensor to the side of the switch under the PCB, instead of directly below it. I had to open it up to take a look for myself. As you can see, moving the sensor allows the board to preserve compatibility with standard two-pin switches and their electrically simple design. 

Also worth noting here: The GMMK 3 is crazy-easy to open, just pop off the four rubber feet (no glue!) and take out four screws. That’s it. A big boon for the small amount of people who want to buy a keyboard this expensive, then mod it further.

Hot swap plus hall effect is a huge deal for that middle of the Venn diagram which includes both dedicated PC gamers and premium keyboard fans. In addition to the usual approach of putting the same type of switch on every key, you could, for example, use only hall-effect switches on the WASD keys, the ones most crucial for analog-style game movement. The rest of the keys could be reserved for Holy Ice Cream Red Panda Deluxe Edition switches, or whatever the trendy one is at the moment. 

Michael Crider/Foundry

            <div class="lightbox-image-container foundry-lightbox"><div class="extendedBlock-wrapper block-coreImage undefined"><figure class="wp-block-image size-large enlarged-image"><img decoding="async" data-wp-bind--src="selectors.core.image.enlargedImgSrc" data-wp-style--object-fit="selectors.core.image.lightboxObjectFit" src="" alt="GMMK 3 keyboard hot swap" class="wp-image-2450555" width="1200" height="676" loading="lazy" /></figure><p class="imageCredit">Michael Crider/Foundry</p></div>

    </div></figure><p class="imageCredit">Michael Crider/Foundry</p></div>

And you can