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Theyre much better for repeat presses, last longer, and can be adjusted with customized actuation points.

Exactly how they do that requires the toolbox.

SteelSeries Apex Pro TKL Gen 3 Hall effect keyboard with caps removed to show switches

What’s the difference between Hall effect and mechanical keyboards?

Cracking open a traditional mechanical switch, youll find five main parts.

The most important part of the stem is its two little arms at the back.

Red linear mechanical switch disassembled and parts laid out on a wooden table

Thats where the metal contacts come into play.

A separate contact plate sits between the leaf and the stem.

This is the actuation point, the moment at which a key press is registered by a computer.

Hand holding a SteelSeries Hall effect switch with magnet pressed to bottom of housing

Its also pretty rigid.

A Hall effect switch can reset pretty much instantaneously.

The keyboard knows this, its measuring the magnetic field.

Glorious Lynx HE switches inside a GMMK 3 gaming keyboard

This use of a magnet turns our keyboard inputs from fixed to dynamic.

Do you need a Hall effect keyboard?

This off point can move dynamicallywithyour keystroke.

SteelSeries Apex Pro TKL Gen…

A word of warning, this takes some getting used to.

Once youve got it down, its pretty hard to go back.

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