Closer Examination

GAMDIAS states that the HERMES E3 was conceptualized for gaming first, and with a compact size for portability in mind second. The 60% keyboard form factor can definitely play a role with both. What we see is exactly that, with what GAMDIAS deems unnecessary for gaming trimmed down from a full-size keyboard and only the alphanumeric section kept. As per usual for 60% keyboards, an Esc key also replaces the Tilde (~) key, which makes the HERMES E3 a 61-key product on this US ANSI layout. Losing out on the Tilde key may annoy programmers, but a quick look shows how the missing functions are brought back. The base layer has the legends doubleshot injected, which are a paler white as well as with seams in the looped characters. There are also a lot of pad-printed legends underneath the other legends, which appear more white in color to make it easier to distinguish from the rest. These are for the layered functions you use with the Fn key, so Fn + W would be the up arrow, for example.

GAMDIAS makes things slightly confusing by having two Fn keys, Fn1 and Fn2, but the Fn on the base layer (where you see Fn1) is what you use here. This is how you get back the functions you might want occasionally, as there is no reason for you to consider a 60% keyboard at all otherwise since there are larger form factors with lots of options between this and the full-size keyboards. The white version seems to have black legends for equivalent contrast. The smaller form factor means the HERMES E3 is among the smallest keyboards on the market, which the minimal case design further adds to. Bezels might as well be non-existent, with a high-profile single-piece plastic case paired with a steel plate. The plate is white here and black on the white sample. This makes for accent colors on an otherwise primarily single-colored keyboard. Branding comes in the form of "GAMDIAS" print on the space bar key, which is more gamery and aggressive than the other legends.


Flipping the keyboard around, we see the usual certification sticker in the middle in an oval shape. The angled cuts in the plastic case are for aesthetics no doubt, and another deeper cutout on the side feels like it was put there for something else on another keyboard; dip switches, for example. It is filled out here, and we also see four thin rubber pads at the corners for friction against the resting surface. There are no keyboard feet for more elevation steps, so what you get with the case will have to do.


The detachable cable has a USB Type-C connector on one end, and we see now that it goes to the Type-C port on the side facing away from the user, on the top-left corner as seen from the front. This leads the cable away from the mouse cable for right-handed users, and all aftermarket Type-C cables will fit without issue. On my sample, the cable gets black insulation to better match the rest of the keyboard and is the usual 6' long. It terminates in a full-size USB Type-A connector, and USB 2.0 will suffice for power and data alike.


A look from the side shows the higher case profile, bringing the HERMES E3 in at a height of 41 mm despite it being a single-piece case design, which is a more natural typing angle in the absence of keyboard feet. We also see that GAMDIAS used the OEM profile for all the keycaps, though there are only five rows instead of the usual six that are contoured and sculpted for good support and typing familiarity. The provided keycap puller works in a jiffy, but the cramped keys and higher profile case mean you may end up scratching the keycaps with it. I did use a wire-style puller to minimize any damage to the keycaps, and removing some confirms the use of relatively thin PBT plastic (average wall thickness 1.28 mm) with doubleshot injected legends for all the general functions, but in the seamed manner as seen before. The keyboard-specific secondary legends appear pad printed, and not even to where it allows for backlighting, unfortunately. So that's a double whammy considering these will also wear out sooner than the doubleshot injected legends, which will basically last forever.


As of the time of this review, there is a factual error on the GAMDIAS website that states the HERMES E3 comes with GAMDIAS-branded optical switches. I can confirm that is not the case, and GAMDIAS will be correcting the information on the product page. What we instead get are Outemu Red, Brown, and Blue mechanical switches to chose from. I have the Outemu Red on my sample, which is a linear switch built to resemble the Cherry MX Red RGB switch. As such, the top is translucent to allow light from the SMD RGB LEDs underneath each switch through, and the stem is red as well. Cherry-style stabilizers are used, and a small amount of lube has been applied at the contact points, which already makes this implementation far better than the switches on the HERMES M5, which were a letdown.