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Cherry MX LP 2.1 Review
Smooth, stable, and absolutely tiny, the Cherry MX LP 2.1 is one of the firm’s best yet
In This Article
Verdict
Smooth, stable, and absolutely tiny, the Cherry MX LP 2.1 mechanical keyboard is one of the firm’s best yet. It isn’t priced entirely out of its depth, and it excels in both style and substance, bit it’s not built for speed.
Pros
Cons
Key Features
Introduction
Ultra-compact keyboards are starting to show up all over the place now. With Cherry, the makers of the mechanical switches that kicked off the keyboard craze, continuing to put out its own boards, it’s the Cherry MX LP 2.1 that feels like one of their best.
This board is about as small as they come, with plenty of core commands mapped to pre-existing keys: the Print Screen lot to the YUI cluster, media keys beneath, and Home and more just below that.
Featuring triple profile Bluetooth pairing, snappy 2.4Ghz wireless, and USB-C, it’s ready to jump between devices and tasks. It’s also whisper quiet, following a recent trend of sweet but silent clackers that still manage to welcome sublime keystrokes.
Design
Typically available in three different colourways (black, red, and white) it’s the playful pastels of the white model we’ve fallen in love with.
The primary keys are all white, leaving secondary keys around everything but the top edge coated either a soft blue or soothing red. Bright and powerful RGB lighting illuminates the whole board.
The keys initially appear uniform in size, shape, and status, but there’s a very slight slope, best viewed from the far ends, that guides you toward the centre. When you consider its size, feature set, and 427g weight, it practically begs to be slid into a bag and taken for a ride.
Though slimline chiclet caps, the switches themselves still protrude from the deck. This isn’t an entirely flat board, but it still manages to have the air of one. At 27mm tall, 308mm long, and 99mm wide, it doesn’t eat up much desk space.
Despite typically folding flat, you won’t find any pop-out legs on the underside of the Cherry MX LP 2.1. Each corner features some small flexible rubber feet for grip and noise isolation. The back pair can be pulled out and reversed to bulge out, offering a slight bit of lift at the rear.
Neither is there a bezel, edge, or frame to the chassis. If you prefer a little ledge when typing, a wrist rest might be something you want to add to your basket at checkout.
The basic cardboard packaging has everything you need: a 1.63m USB-C/A cable, a tiny 2.4Ghz dongle with an instantly recognizable red tip, and the board wrapped in a clear plastic sheet.
Performance
Typing with the Cherry MX LP 2.1 can take some getting used to. Then again, my experience could be wholly linked to immediately coming from a board that couldn’t be further from this: a scissor switch beast.
The slim ABS keycaps feel fantastic. The legend font won’t be for everyone, but it’s not going anywhere: it’s laser-etched and UV-coated. The switches are built to last as well.
Using lubricated, Cherry MX Low Profile RGB Speed switches, which are best compared to traditional Linear Red switches, it’s a sublimely smooth typing experience. There’s minimal gap between the keys, making touch-typing nice and easy.
The lubricated nature and solid stability efforts make the Cherry MX LP 2.1 wonderfully quiet, too – which will alienate fans of loud and clicky keyboards, but immediately entice those who want the feel of a mechanical switch without the noise.
Red switches don’t click, but traditionally would still make noise as they hit the deck beneath. That’s still partially true here if you’re typing with force and speed, but it’s a considerably softer sound. Slow down, and near-silent use is a breeze. They actuate long before hitting their maximum travel distance: which isn’t even documented on the Cherry site.
The battery life, which is also undocumented, lasted throughout our week-long review period. It’s confirmed to support fast charging, though, so juicing up won’t take long.
2.4Ghz is always the preferred wireless protocol here, but hook up a wire when gaming. It isn’t immune to interference from everyday objects placed a little too close to the back, or too many wireless dongles hooked up to your machine.
Software and Lighting
Click around the Cherry website enough and you’ll come across two different software suites. Cherry Keys is the one you want for the Cherry MX-LP 2.1, but you don’t need it at all: it’s a driverless device.
The software is very clean and simple. Almost too simple. Device names are non-existent when connected over Bluetooth: you’ll need to rely on the icon to figure out which you’re working with.
Similarly, over Bluetooth, you can only use the software to record and set macros to the top row of keys, or assign pre-made instructions and shortcuts (like opening your preferred web browser) instead.
Hooking up a USB-C cable or running over 2.4Ghz wireless unlocks the full UI. Here, you can customize lighting and assign macros to more than just the Function keys.
The reference image won’t match your particular model nor will it animate to show configuration changes. You also can’t adjust anything like polling rate or auto standby time.
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Should you buy it?
You want a solid all-rounder for gaming and typing
Avoiding the issues of traditionally slim scissor switches or loud full-sized ones, these tiny mechanical switches fast gaming performance and portable, quiet everyday operation.
You don’t need a slim, wireless, or portable keyboard
If you want rock-solid performance for a single space, you can get more customisable boards with a similar feel for a much cheaper price.
Final Thoughts
The Cherry MX-LP 2.1 is a genuinely enjoyable keyboard to use. Whether you’re gaming, coding, frantically writing up assignments, or all of the above, the short actuation and smooth travel of the Cherry MX-LP 2.1 will back you up. Its small stature will leave plenty of space to fling your mouse around. It’s ultra-portable, too.
If you’re looking for something similar with a little more utility, theCorsair K65 Plus Wirelessis good with its media wheel. TheRoccat Vulcan II Mini Airis great for full-on RGB flair. Just want to feel like you’re getting more for your money? Move up to theKeychron Q1 Max: it’s the all-metal machine to go for. Otherwise, check out thebest gaming keyboardsif you’re not quite sold.
How we test
We use every keyboard we test for at least a week. During that time, we’ll check it for ease of use and put it through its paces across games and typical PC use.
We also check each keyboard’s software to see how easy it is to customise and set up.
Used over the course of a week across work and play
Used on a variety of devices like PCs, tablets, consoles, and phones
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FAQs
No, you can’t easily swap out the switches on this keyboard.
Both wireless protocols used by the Cherry MX LP 2.1 are rated for around 10m of maximum range.
Full specs
Josh studied Computer Programming and Repair during his college years. Now a freelance writer, he covers consumer tech and video games, with a particular expertise in gaming mice.
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We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.
Why trust our journalism?
Founded in 2003, Trusted Reviews exists to give our readers thorough, unbiased and independent advice on what to buy.
Today, we have millions of users a month from around the world, and assess more than 1,000 products a year.
Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.
