Introduction

So far 2024, and no doubt 2025 too, is looking to herald in the age of Hall effect magnetic switch keyboards. We've seen entries from a lot of brands already, with everyone using these switches to showcase the customizable actuation point and near-instantaneous actuation, in addition to a few other features that have even led to bans in games owing to how powerful they can be. This has become a new playing ground for most brands, since almost everyone is starting from scratch and there are very few magnetic switch manufacturers. This allows for new brands to come out and compete directly with the big boys, and we've already seen some upsets from Asian brands in particular. Today we take on another newcomer and see if LUMINKEY has something to interest our readers with the Magger68 HE keyboard.


Createkeebs is a China-based keyboard brand that started in 2020 and has focused on custom high-end keyboards, including group buys and the sale of individual parts you can mix and match to assemble your own dream keyboard. LUMINKEY is a sister brand which started later, possibly even this year itself, and goes for pre-assembled keyboards in various colors and combinations that feel premium and have some carefully implemented tweaks to help differentiate them from the norm, but manage to do so at more affordable prices. LUMINKEY has a few mechanical keyboards in its product line already, with the Magger68 being its first Hall effect keyboard. For what it's worth, I've seen it being referred to as Magger68 and Magger 68 by both LUMINKEY and its retailer network, with the former seemingly correct based on my research. The keyboard comes in "Performance" or "Professional" versions which differ on the switch used as well as the case design itself, although either version is available in your choice of three colors/finishes to the aluminium alloy chassis. I have the Magger68 Pro in the anodized black finish, and the photo above shows the champagne gold for reference. The feature set and user experience should be identical across the colors, and very similar for either version too beyond the switches themselves. Thanks to Mechkeys for providing a review sample to TechPowerUp, and we begin with a look at the product specifications in the table below.

Specifications

Packaging and Accessories

This is my first time with a LUMINKEY keyboard, although I already have another on the way, and we see the brand has gone with a relatively simple product box in black. On the front is Magger in luminescent lettering—fitting for the brand—which, along with the generic series sticker on the back, suggests we will probably see more HE keyboards from LUMINKEY under this name, Magger75 feels like an obvious thing to make given the massive popularity of 75% keyboards in the enthusiast space today. There's not much else to see here so we can lift the lid to reveal the contents, with the keyboard placed inside a sealed clear plastic wrap and protected by thick foam on the sides.


The included accessories are found either in a separate marked cardboard box or underneath the keyboard in the case of the quick start guide seen here. We also get the expected USB Type-A to Type-C cable, in black and not necessarily custom-made to match the keyboard colors, as well as a combination metal wire keycap puller and switch remover tool—both look and feel nice though and should do the job well. A single spare switch of the same type used on the keyboard helps wrap up the unboxing experience.