Product test
Wow, just wow: Akko dragon keyboard review
by Kevin Hofer
GMMK 3 Pro HE review: just too expensive
16/11/2024
The GMMK 3 Pro HE is in the same league as the Keychron Q1 HE and Akko MOD007 HE. But this keyboard ends up falling short because its price tag is far too high.
The Glorious brand made DIY keyboards socially acceptable in 2021 with its GMMK Pro. And now, the GMMK 3 Pro HE sees the company venturing into magnetic switches. This keyboard does a lot right, but it has two glaring weaknesses.
Glorious’s design focuses on curves. The lower part of the housing takes some getting used to as it protrudes towards the back. I’m not a fan. The layout doesn’t impress me either. I do like 75% keyboards, but in this case, the manufacturer has opted for a squished key layout. And the navigation keys on the right are too close to Enter and the like.
Like most aluminium keyboards, this one from Glorious has a fixed typing angle. It’s about 19 mm high at the front. If you’re used to flat keyboards, I’d recommend a wrist rest.
The GMMK 3 Pro HE comes with a USB cable, a puller for keycaps and switches, as well as Mac keycaps.
The software has its quirks
The software is much more important for hall effect keyboards than mechanical ones due to switch configurations. That’s why I’ve given it plenty of space in this review.
Unlike the first GMMK Pro, the GMMK 3 series isn’t compatible with QMK. All that’s left is the Glorious Core software. At first glance, it looks well-organised and tidy. I select my peripherals from the left-hand column and can access the settings via tabs at the bottom right.
I can select profiles under the «My Keyboard» tab. Three are available in the internal memory. When I register, I can also create cloud profiles to access them quickly.
Meanwhile, «Performance» lets me set the polling rate, with 1,000, 4,000 and 8,000 Hz. In wireless mode, you’re limited to a maximum of 1,000 Hz. That doesn’t bother me, as a higher polling rate also requires more juice. With just 24 hours of battery without lighting, the runtime is poor anyway. You can also set the input latency, choosing 0, 2, 8 or 16 ms.
As you’d expect, the «Lighting» tab houses the options for adjusting the lights. There are 18 presets available along with individually configurable Pro buttons. «Keybinding» allows you to reassign keys and create macros.
«Actuation» lets you alter the typical settings for bright effect keyboards, such as setting the trigger point between 0.1 and 4 mm in 0.1 increments. You can also configure the Rapid Trigger feature and turn it on or off. This defines the point at which a key press is triggered again. You can have these settings apply to all keys or just individual ones.
Dynamic keystrokes are also included. This allows up to four actions to be set when a key is pressed – depending on how much you depress it. With Mod Tap, you can also define what happens when you press a button quickly or hold it down. You can do all this for each key.
What’s missing is a snap tap feature that lets you change course without releasing the button for the other direction. There are also no analogue input options that you’d get with a controller.
Despite all these settings, I don’t enjoy using Glorious Core. Several times, it didn’t accept my modifications and it locked me out of options. Only when I restarted the software was I able to make changes again. Core can’t keep up with capturing macros, so I have to rework them. But what I miss most is a button to undo settings. In terms of lighting, the software also simply «forgot» my adjustments and reset them.
When it comes to gaming features, I miss having the option to create profiles for specific games that are automatically activated when opening them. Although there are a few lighting options, other brands offer more.
Glorious’s magnetic switch technology works in the same way as most other manufacturers, with a magnet placed under the stem. By pressing it down, it approaches the sensor on the circuit board. The shorter the distance between the two, the higher the voltage. This is measured, so the space between the magnet and sensor can be calculated precisely. In the case of the GMMK 3 series, you can set the key stroke between 0.1 and 4 mm in 0.1 mm increments.
When you’re gaming, these keys respond reliably and the features work well. Unfortunately, I can’t assess whether the set distances are exact, as I don’t have a tool for measuring them. But I can say that they feel correct.
As for the keycaps themselves, they’re good quality. In 2021 when the GMMK Pro was released, it showcased a considerable lead over other manufacturers in terms of keycap quality. In the meantime, however, the competition has caught up, particularly Razer and Corsair. The majority of them now also use high-quality PBT keycaps.
In a nutshell
Good quality keyboard that’s far too expensive
Glorious does a lot of things right with the GMMK Pro 3 HE. The typing feel, design and finish, for instance, are all good. The keyboard is also ideal for gaming. The switches aren’t as good, I’d replace them. Not because they don’t work, but because they don’t sound or feel nice.
Glorious also still has a lot of work to do on the software side of things. The app doesn’t work reliably and various features are missing, such as snap tap and specific profiles for games. Although Glorious is constantly working on its software, it makes the keyboard look like an unfinished product.
But the the real killer is the price. This keyboard costs significantly more than the comparable Akko MOD007 V3 HE and Keychron Q1 HE, offering nothing more. At this stage, I can only recommend the GMMK Pro 3 HE on the basis of certain caveats.
Pro
- Great finish
- Good typing feel
Contra
- Unreliable and unwieldy software
- Short battery life
- Scratchy switches
- Too expensive
Header image: Kevin Hofer
Kevin Hofer
Senior Editor
kevin.hofer@digitecgalaxus.chFrom big data to big brother, Cyborgs to Sci-Fi. All aspects of technology and society fascinate me.
