The hobbyist scene around mechanical keyboards has been wild to see flourishing with an abundance of custom builds, aftermarket keycaps, and non-traditional layouts. And we’ve seen the usual suspects like Corsair, Logitech and Razer lean a bit more into this enthusiast space, straying slightly from typical gaming-style keyboards (and I’d say most have done away with the extravagant features and garish branding of yesteryear). Cherry’s new wireless MX-LP 2.1 reflects the evolution of the keyboard niche, because out of the box it looks exactly like the kind of compact keyboard I would have fitted myself.
Cherry was a pioneer in mechanical switches with the likes of linear MX Reds and clicky MX Blues, and everything in between – if you’ve used a mechanical keyboard, chances are they have Cherry switches. The company also has its own line of keyboards, including one we recently reviewed: the Cherry KW X ULP Wireless. But despite being an ultra-thin, ultra-thin version of a mechanical keyboard, it didn’t really do well for gaming. With the MX-LP 2.1, however, we have a low-profile keyboard that excels in almost every way, from typing in the workspace to competitive gaming, all packed into a 65% form factor.
The heart of what makes the MX-LP 2.1 so great out of the box are the MX Speed Silver switches. These are smooth, linear switches similar to the MX Red but with a shorter actuation point and total travel distance – 1.2mm and 3.4mm, respectively. This allows the keyboard itself to retain a slimmer profile without sacrificing the precision and feel of a proper mechanical switch. It also gives you that satisfying “thock” sound on every keystroke while being noticeably quieter than my Keychron K4 and Razer Huntsman, even when hammering and bottoming out. The smooth feel and responsiveness made me a little more excited to just type. But if I lose $130 on a keyboard, it will be used in games.
As with all previous PC peripherals I’ve reviewed, I put the MX-LP 2.1 through its paces in the MMORPG Final Fantasy XIV and a competitive shooter – Valorant in this case – to get a feel for gaming performance. My main concern playing FFXIV on a compact keyboard is not having the extra keys to map actions or the numpad to enter values on the market board, but admittedly that’s not necessarily an issue unique to the MX-LP 2.1. It just comes with the territory with any keyboard of this style. That said, the smooth feel of the MX Speed Silver switches made long raid sessions easy on my fingers and nice to crush on my attack rotation. Despite the short actuation point, I rarely made wandering inputs as I got used to the spacing between the keys and the firmness of the keys themselves.
When it comes to Valorant, I had no issues with MX-LP 2.1. In fact, the shorter actuation point and travel distance of the MX Speed Silver switches allowed me to strafe quickly and peek quickly around turns, or crouch or any of my Agent abilities with ease. It may not have improved my personal performance (it is on me), but at least I know my keyboard was as good as it gets in the heat of ranked matches. And having the extra space on my desk mat was a nice bonus when I needed wider mouse sweeps, as I game with relatively low sensitivity.
What completes the elegant design of the MX-LP 2.1 are its slim and discreet ABS keys. Whichever color scheme you get, it comes with three key tones – I received the white version with light blue and bright red accent keys. This mimics the trend of keyboard enthusiasts outfitting their custom boards with multicolored schemes to visually group certain types of keys, such as highlighting WASD, the spacebar, or functions. The original keycaps pop out easily if you want to swap them out or need to enter the board itself to clear it. While I don’t plan on replacing the stock keycaps, it should be noted that low-profile keycaps are a little harder to find on the aftermarket, so customizing the MX-LP 2.1 in a way consistent with its stock design might be a challenge.
What’s nice about these caps is that the lettering is transparent, letting the RGB lighting shine through the cap itself and not just as an ambient effect between the keys. And the simple Cherry software allows you to extensively customize the RGB effect with various patterns, reactions and individual key colors. This is where you can program macros and also remap key functions. This is also the only way to monitor battery life.
The MX-LP 2.1 can be used wirelessly via the included 2.4GHz dongle, which I used while playing FFXIV, so I can attest that the rated 1ms response time is accurate. There’s Bluetooth connectivity to add versatility, although I tend to avoid Bluetooth for input-based devices, especially for gaming. Of course, the keyboard can also be used wired via USB-C, which also charges its 650 mAh battery. After approximately 20 hours of using the MX-LP 2.1 wirelessly for work and gaming at full RGB brightness, the battery would be drained to approximately 20%. Plugging in a desktop keyboard to charge isn’t a big deal, but relatively speaking, that would put it at the bottom of battery life for wireless keyboards.
Due to the truncated layout, the MX-LP 2.1, you sacrifice some usability like a numeric keypad, individual function keys, and a dedicated docking row. You can access the F1-F12 keys by holding down the FN key and using the number row, and things like media control or swapping different keyboard functions, which takes some getting used to. But personally, this compromise to have a nice little keyboard that leaves a small footprint for more desk space (and at least still has all the necessary functions) is one I can accept. The only other thing I wish it had were keyboard feet for a steeper angle, but the reversible rubber feet on the bottom of the base work just fine.
While physical customization is at the heart of the enthusiast keyboard space, the Cherry MX LP 2.1 is designed to deliver that kind of out-of-the-box experience. Finding the right mechanical keyboard largely comes down to preference, and for me the MX LP 2.1 ticks most of the boxes, especially when it comes to mechanical switches, overall design, and gaming performance. I’m still a 96% proponent of the layout, like my Keychron K4, because it has the functionality and versatility I need for various situations. But the Cherry MX-LP 2.1 is one of the best keyboards I’ve used in recent memory and may have convinced me to fully embrace the 65% compact style.
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