Cherry G80-3930

MX Board 6.0
Part number	G80-3930
Branding	Cherry
Manufacturer	Cherry
Product family	Cherry G80
Features	Windows lock; Detachable braided cable; Backlighting; Detachable palm rest
Layouts	108-key US-ANSI (EU), 109-key ISO (BE, DE, ES, FR, GB, Pan-Nordic)
Keyswitches	Cherry MX Red only
Switch mount	Plate mount
Interface	USB
Rollover	N-key rollover
Dimensions	482 × 237 × 70 mm /; 18.9 × 9.3 × 2.7 inches
Weight	1350 g / 3 lbs ; (+ 257 g / 0.56 lbs for wrist rest)
Introduced	2015
Supersedes	Cherry G80-3850
Price	$219 MSRP (retail $208-250)

Introduction

Cherry MX Board 6.0 is a standard (full) size mechanical keyboard from Cherry, announced at CES on January 6, 2015.

Description

The Cherry MX Board 6.0 (Cherry G80-3930) has a top made of cast aluminium with an anti-grease coating. The keycaps have a new low and slightly contoured profile that are black with red backlit legends in a new font. The Fn and Win keys have blue backlight, while the CapsLock, NumLock, and ScrollLock have dual backlight – red when not active that turns into blue when activated. The keycaps are lasered-etched ABS. The backlight can be turned OFF and ON by simultaneously pressing the Fn+F9 keys – notice the ON/OFF limitation of the Win and Fn keys always staying ON (blue backlit). The backlight levels (brightness/dimming) are controlled with the Fn+F5 through F8 keys. The three media keys that are accessed directly (backward, play/pause, forward) are placed above the numeric pad and the sound volume controls are accessed via the Fn+F1 through F3. The Win key can be directly disabled or enabled by pressing the key with the Cherry symbol that is positioned directly above the NumLock key.

Cherry MX Board 6.0 sports a type of analogue sensing called "Real Key" technology instead of a typical digital keyboard matrix with diodes. It is supposed to be faster while providing n-key rollover at the expense of higher current usage.^[1] It is rated to draw 479 mA, which is right under to the USB maximum of 500 mA.^[2]

Reception

In general, the Cherry MX Board 6.0 is a higher end, well made keyboard that has received mostly very positive reviews and reactions. Some of the criticism has been focused on:

the high cost (~ $208-250) that prevents a wider adoption of this keyboard;
a lack of clearly targeted audience/customers (Cherry states that the keyboard is for gamers, executives, executive admins, professional data input, office, home, writers, etc.);
the keyboard is available only with Cherry MX Red switches; and
turning off the backlight leaves some of the keys backlit (Win and Fn keys).