Closer Examination

This review goes over the Compact TKL version of the GMMK 2, which is a creative way of saying this is a 65% form factor keyboard. It has dedicated arrow keys and four other keys from the Ins-Pg Dn cluster, and does so by taking up some room to the right of the alphanumeric section. There are 67 keys on this US ANSI layout rather than the usual 68, and ISO versions will be available separately. The missing key is on the bottom row—instead of three 1u keys to the right of the space bar, we have two 1.25u keys, which results in a somewhat ungainly gap there I would have rather seen filled with a third key. I am sure a dedicated Menu key would have gone well with many. It's not a case of standard keycap sizing throughout either, with R.Shift still shorter than on most other 65% form factors.

The GMMK 2 Compact TKL comes in three color options, and I have the white one characterized by its white case, white ABS keycaps, and a light silver aluminium frame. A black or pink option is available as well, with all of them having an orange Esc keycap with the new Glorious logo. The other form of branding is the Ascend print on the Enter keycap, but it's thankfully not done in a cringy manner. Bezels are about average in size, with the light sparkle off the aluminium frame catching your eye until the keyboard is plugged in and the side lighting turns on similar to what we saw on the GMMK PRO. The keycaps are quite clean too, with legends primarily placed on the top center to take advantage of the north-facing LEDs underneath, and they are doubleshot injected in a seamless manner. There are plenty of front-facing legends, too. These show the pre-programmed layer, which lowers the entry barrier for this smaller form factor keyboard.


Turning the keyboard around, the usual certification sticker is in the middle, as are four textured rubber pads on the corners for friction against the resting surface and to prevent scratches to the case. The case is made out of white ABS plastic and has a huge "GLORIOUS" branding that manages to blend into the background unless light directly shines on it. It has an in-built elevation of 7°, and there are two case feet at the top for a second elevation option of 14°. The rubber pads on the bottom of the feet are nice to see, as they will help the keyboard stay in place when used, although this is a fairly heavy keyboard at ~900 g given the plastic case and 65% form factor. The feet are also large enough not to collapse easily, which is the bare minimum.


A very subtle "Glorious" is etched into the case on the side facing away from the user, above a cutout where we find the Type-C port. The provided cable fits in snugly enough, but some aftermarket cables may struggle. If you want more flair, might I suggest looking at the Glorious coiled cable? The stock cable otherwise matches the case well enough, is sleeved well for durability, has gold-plated connectors for oxidation resistance, and is the standard 6' long. It plugs into an available USB Type-A port, and USB 3.2 Gen 1 (USB 3.0) is recommended.


A look from the side confirms the built-in elevation, with a maximum height of 37.5 mm that tapers down steeply enough not to necessitate a wrist rest. Note how the frame actually goes over the sides to where it's more than just a glorified plate as with most such implementations. Finally, I will point out the via a cutout in the frame and case integrated side lighting accent, and plastic diffuser immediately below. This is similar to what we saw on the more premium GMMK PRO, and it also indicates whether the Caps Lock is active, and is fully customizable accent lighting. The GMMK 2 uses a typical OEM profile for the keycaps, with the usual contouring on the five rows. You can use the replacement Esc keycap to better match the colors and profile, and have the backlit and opaque orange novelty keycap as options. The provided keycap puller works well enough, but it may scratch the sides of the keycaps, and I'd rather use the floating nature of the keycaps to remove and install them anyway. Glorious is using its new doubleshot-injected, thick ABS plastic keycaps which debuted on the recently launched pre-built editions of the GMMK PRO. So for those who appreciate the slicker feel of ABS plastic but still want durable, backlit legends, have at it. But note that most of the keycaps have front-facing legends which are not backlit.


The ABS doubleshot keycaps are not the only new thing here, but this other entry made its debut with the pre-built GMMK PRO. Glorious has a new switch in its portfolio called the Glorious Fox, which complements the tactile Glorious Panda by being linear instead, though it seems similar enough to the linear Glorious Lynx offered separately, too. The Glorious Fox is the only switch option for the pre-built GMMK 2, and is not sold separately at this time. Glorious says it comes pre-lubed, as do the clip-in stabilizers. The lube is arguably too generous in some places, but the GMMK 2 being compatible with many screw-in stabilizers, including the GSV2, will be useful information for many, no doubt. I also liked the small Easter egg with the model name printed on the exposed PCB underneath the space bar keycap.


Retained from the original GMMK keyboards is the hot-swap switch socket, but with 5-pin switch compatibility out of the box this time around. The included switch remover helps get a closer look at the socket, associated SMD RGB LED, and Glorious Fox switch. It has the same red crosspoint stem as the Cherry MX Red, but the entire casing is transparent for more lighting to travel through. It also provides a good look at the internals, and the Glorious Fox is a 3-pin mechanical switch. Those with the barebones kit can pretty much use any mechanical switch they can think of so long as it conforms to the Cherry MX style.