Cherry Introduces 3.5mm Height MX Ultra Low Profile Switches

Cherry developed the MX Ultra Low Profile switches for laptop and desktop keyboards. The switches have a height of 3.5 millimeters and are integrated in, among other things, the m15 R4 and m17 R4 laptops from Dell Alienware.

The new mechanical switch follows the 11.9mm height MX Low Profile switch announced in 2018, but the MX Ultra Low Profile is an additional 70 percent smaller. To get to a height of 3.5 millimeters, the German manufacturer has used a completely different design.

For example, the mount consists of two parts of steel, with a spring in the middle for the mechanism, for which Cherry has developed a gold crosspoint contact system, without giving details about that contact mechanism. The switches also consist of at least two plastic parts and a metal base.

The mechanical switches have 1.8 millimeters of travel, according to the spec list require 65cN for full push and 52cN for actuation, which occurs at 0.8mm of travel. According to the press release, 45cN is already sufficient for actuation. The company emphasizes that the switches have an audible click and that RGB lighting is possible under the switches, which is made possible by the use of transparent plastic parts.

Dell has already announced it will use the switches with its m15 R4 and m17 R4 gaming laptops. It is not yet known which other laptops will be equipped with the MX Ultra Low Profile.