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Alienware, Cherry made an all-new mechanical keyboard switch for gaming laptops

Alienware's m15 and m17 will be the first gaming laptops available with the new mechanical keyboard as an option.

Joshua Goldman Managing Editor / Advice
Managing Editor Josh Goldman is a laptop expert and has been writing about and reviewing them since built-in Wi-Fi was an optional feature. He also covers almost anything connected to a PC, including keyboards, mice, USB-C docks and PC gaming accessories. In addition, he writes about cameras, including action cams and drones. And while he doesn't consider himself a gamer, he spends entirely too much time playing them.
Expertise Laptops, desktops and computer and PC gaming accessories including keyboards, mice and controllers, cameras, action cameras and drones Credentials
  • More than two decades experience writing about PCs and accessories, and 15 years writing about cameras of all kinds.
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Joshua Goldman
2 min read
cherry-mx-ultra-low-profile-switch-comparison

Cherry's new Ultra Low Profile switch was made for gaming laptops.

 Cherry

Gaming laptops might have all the performance you need to be competitive, but their keyboards might not be up to the task. Alienware wanted to fix that so it partnered with switch-maker Cherry more than three years ago to develop a mechanical switch that would fit in a thin gaming laptop. Today, the Alienware m15 R4 and Alienware m17 R4 can now be configured with a mechanical keyboard using the first Cherry MX Ultra Low Profile switch. 

The clicky tactile switch (you can have a listen in the tweet embedded below) is made from stainless-steel components with 1.8mm of travel and has a self-cleaning mechanism to keep them dust-free. A two-piece keycap design and gold-based cross-point contact system promise precise, wobble-free keystrokes, Alienware said in its announcement.

The mechanical switch also gives you 100% anti-ghosting and n-key rollover, which you won't find on a majority of laptops, so you can bang away on the keys knowing all your presses will register. The keyboard has per-key RGB backlighting, too, and is fully programmable with Alienware's software. 

What's nice is you can get this keyboard and it doesn't make these thin gaming laptops any thicker. It does add to the price, though. Adding the keyboard to your configuration will set you back an additional $150. That converts to approximately £110 or AU$195.

Alienware is hosting a live AMA on its Discord channel today at 3 p.m. ET (12 p.m. PT) with Eddy Goyanes of Alienware and Michael Schmid of Cherry for a deeper dive on the partnership and key switch. 

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