The GMMK 3 Pro HE, at least on paper, looks like the only keyboard you’ll ever need for your battlestation. It offers a fully customizable design, a durable aluminum case, gasket mounting with sound dampening material for a soft and comfortable typing experience, support for both MX and Hall effect switches, and more. It carries an expensive price tag, but it ticks almost every box for an enthusiast, ensuring it stands as a highly customizable option for all your needs. I’ve been using this as my primary keyboard for both work and play over the last few weeks, and I’m here to tell you whether it’s worth the premium price tag. Hit the jump for a closer look at the keyboard along with all the details.
Glorious is a well-established name in the keyboard space with more than a few offerings on the market. It debuted the GMMK 3 lineup last year ahead of the Black Friday sale last year in several configurations including the one featured here with a 75% layout. The most affordable barebones configuration for the GMMK 3 starts at $79.99 shipped, and the prices gradually increase from there depending on the variant you pick. The unit featured here is the GMMK 3 Pro HE wired version, and it’s priced at $319.99 shipped. It is, however, not the most expensive variant you can spend your money on.
Glorious GMMK 3 Pro HE keyboard features at a glance
- Hall Effect Gaming Performance
- Full Aluminum Body
- Up to 8,000 Hz Polling Rate (Wired)
- 9 Points of Modularity
- Glorious Fox HE Switches
- Dual HE/MX Hotswap Support
- Modular Gasket System
Build quality and feel
Before diving into the heaps of customization options offered by Glorious, lets get into the details of the design and build quality of the GMMK 3 Pro HE. The case here is made of aluminum which makes it feel premium and sturdy, and the keyboard has a lot of weight which adds to the overall premium experience. My prebuilt unit came completely assembled and ready to go out of the box, meaning it had both the switches and even keycaps pre-installed.
You’ll find a rotary knob on the top right corner of the unit, and there are accented RGB lights on the sides to give it a unique look as well. The chamfered edge on the top case makes it comfortable to rest your palm while typing, and the 6-degree typing angle also adds to the comfort even without a palm rest. Some other design highlights specific to this keyboard include a magnetic badge plate, a mode switcher at the back along with a USB-C port, and minimal Glorious branding at the back.
Customization options
One of the highlights of GMMK 3 Pro HE is that it lets you use both magnetic Hall effect as well as the regular MX style switches. This dual hot-swap switch socket in a clever implementation, in my opinion, as it gives you a rare ability to to opt for magnetic or traditional mechanical switches as you prefer, rather than being confined to one. The unit shipped to me came pre-installed with Glorious’ Fox red magnetic switches, but I was able to quickly swap them out for some spare MX style switches lying around. The process of removing the pre-installed switches and installing new ones was a breeze and the brand even includes both a keycaps puller and a switch remover in the box.
For additional customization, you can easily pop open the GMMK 3 Pro using the included screwdrivers to get into its guts. From there you can play around by removing the sound dampening material or by adjusting the gasket placements. I personally like to use my keyboard without any sound dampening materials, and I also prefer having no gaskets underneath the spacebar. After making the necessary adjustments, you can also top the switches off with keycaps of your choice and truly customize the look and feel of your unit. I highly recommend picking up the barebones version of the GMMK 3 keyboard if you’d like to experiment with switches and add your own keycaps to avoid paying more for the added items you’ll eventually swap out anyway.
I already have a separate Wooting Hall effect keyboard for gaming, which is why I currently have my GMMK 3 Pro configured for typing with Cherry’s MX Black Hyperglide switches installed on it instead of Hall effect magnetic switches. I love being able to switch between MX and Hall effect and that alone earns this keyboard a spot on my desk over some other options I currently have in rotation.
Hall effect, Rapid Trigger, Dynamic Keystroke, and more
Having the flexibility of using Hall effect switches means the GMMK 3 Pro HE could be a great option for gaming. Though the pre-installed Fred magnetic switches weren’t my absolute favorites in terms of the typing, but I had no qualms using them for gaming. The Glorious software allows you to enable the rapid trigger function, and you can even use to roll up the polling rate from 1,000 to 8,000Hz without a hitch. You can also use the Core software to assign a modifier key for, say, crouching and moving at the same time if you want to be particularly stealthy in games like Counter Strike 2.
Notably, you can use the Dynamic keystroke feature to customize and enable four different functions on a single key at different points of actuation. This is again a clever implementation of the software and a good use of the magnetic nature of the Hall effect switches. These features aren’t exclusive to Glorious keyboards, but the fact they are well-implemented means you don’t have to worry about the software hiccups getting in the way of your gaming experience.
The Glorious Core software also works as advertised and lets you play around with a bunch of keyboard settings. As a Hall effect compatible model, you can customize everything from switch actuation to assigning custom macros. The software also lets you program the RGB lighting and there are a bunch of options to choose from. The Glorious CORE software even detects when you install MX switches instead of Hall effect, and it lets you use both MX and Hall effect switches on the same board, letting you custom the experience for just the Hall effect switches. That being said, the software did die on me a few times while trying to tweak the settings, and there were even times when it simply wouldn’t remember some of my settings.
Price
Glorious’ GMMK 3 lineup, as previously mentioned, starts at $79.99 shipped. The variant featured in this review is a fully built unit with a $319.99 price tag. That puts it right alongside some other premium boards on the market, but it’s arguably the most customizable keyboard out there. It has a clever design and the ability to switch between MX and Hall effect switches is nicely implemented. This is a solid option to consider overall, especially for those looking for a keyboard with a blend of gaming and productivity features. It also has great build quality, RGB lighting, and comes in a few different configurations with decent connectivity options. The GMMK 3 Pro HE certainly stands out the pack and offers a unique experience for enthusiasts looking for a board to tweak and obsess over.
Buy the GMMK 3 Pro HE keyboard
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