Tom's Guide Verdict
While the ease of customization and options available lend itself well to those getting used to building their own keyboard, the high price of the Glorious GMMK Pro poses a barrier to entry that is hard to justify. The build quality just isn’t good enough for the premium price, though the metal case does look pretty on your desk.
Pros
- +
Great metal case
- +
Good performance
- +
Modular customization
Cons
- -
Dim RGB
- -
Not the best sound
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The Glorious GMMK Pro is an entry-level, albeit expensive custom keyboard, intended for those new to the world of enthusiast boards. It has a modular, customizable design, but also comes prebuilt for those who just want to dip their toes into what custom keyboards have to offer.
It has since been superseded by the GMMK 3, although the GMMK Pro is still available for purchase at Amazon and other retailers — you can save $60 by opting for the older version.
However, I found that the keyboard struggled from some poor lighting, and a typing experience held back by below-average sound quality. That said, this board still manages to pull its weight in 2024. So, should you buy it? Find out in my full Glorious GMMK Pro review.
Glorious GMMK Pro review: Cheat Sheet
- What is it? A fully metal custom keyboard
- Who is it for? Custom keyboard enthusiasts, if they have the money to spend
- What does it cost? For a pre-built version of the keyboard, you can expect to pay $179 on Amazon in 2024
- What do we like? Its durable metal frame and impressive modularity
- What don’t we like? Some weak elements of the build for the price, with a poor typing experience
Glorious GMMK Pro review: Specs
| Price | $179 / £179 |
| Switches | Linear ‘’Fox’’ (Prebuilt) |
| Layout | 75% |
| Hot swappable | Yes |
| Case | Aluminum |
| Operating System | Windows, macOS, Linux |
| Connectivity | Wired |
| Backlighting | RGB |
| Measurements | 13 x 5.3 x 1.3 inches |
| Weight | 3.89 pounds |
Glorious GMMK Pro review: The ups
There are a fair few places where the GMMK excels, which should keep it on any keyboard enthusiast’s radar. These include the fantastic metal case, and the modular customization allowing you to really make the board your own, on top of decent performance for gaming and productivity.
Build
The strongest aspect of the keyboard is the case — a mighty slab of metal that looks great on my desk. I was a big fan of the texture of the metal, and the weight kept the board firmly grounded while in use. Inside the case is a gasket mount between the plate and case, which lends a stable and comfortable type-feel.
The keyboard is not wireless, and uses a braided cable. It is both coiled and has a screwed attachment point which feels similar to that of a guitar jack. The coil itself, next to the keyboard-end of the cable, can be frustrating as it is not easily tucked away out of view, but it is by far the most durable-feeling keyboard cable I have ever come across.
Customization
The board is ideal for those into customizing keyboards — it’s easy to take apart and rebuild, and is available as a barebones kit for just $114 — great for modders who only want the case as a base for their build. Glorious offers its own keycaps, and switches, but the 5 pin slot for the switches allows for confirmed compatibility with Gateron, Cherry and Kailh switches, which gives you a lot of choice to pick your preference. These can be pretty expensive, though, so take this into account if you buy the barebones frame.
With that being said, if you have the extra cash, I would say that the new GMMK 3 Pro is the better purchase in 2024 and onwards thanks to the wonderful on-site build tool, allowing you to fully customize your keyboard prior to your order.
Performance
The prebuilt version of the keyboard I used, which came with Fox linear switches, were great for gaming on. They were similar to Cherry or Gateron Reds in responsiveness, allowing me to quickly maneuver my character in frantic games of Deadlock, and was comfortable to use while playing long games of League of Legends with my fingers on the atypical QWER keys.
The keyboard allows on-the-fly adjustment of response times via a keyboard shortcut, allowing you to crank this all the way down to 2ms from the default 16ms. I didn’t notice much difference between the two settings, but this provides adjustable performance for those who need it for the most competitive games.
| Keyboard | Type test speed (WPM) | Type Test Accuracy |
|---|---|---|
| KSI-Wombat Willow Pro | 83 | 93.94% |
| Newmen GM610 | 72 | 86% |
| Redragon K686 Pro SE | 79 | 91.63% |
| Keychron V3 Max | 92 | 95.24% |
| Cherry MX 3.1 | 93 | 93.76% |
| Glorious GMMK Pro | 82 | 92.34% |
| Eve's rolling average (all keyboards) | 84 | 91.76% |
I was also able to achieve decent typing speeds and accuracy on the GMMK Pro, although this was surpassed by Keychron custom boards like the Keychron V3 Max ($99). The GMMK Pro doesn’t boast the best-feeling or sounding experience in my opinion, which I’ll talk about more later.
QMK Firmware
The GMMK Pro supports QMK firmware, an open source utility that allows you to easily customize the keyboard from your web browser. This is a great way to adjust up to 15 layers of keys and set up macros, especially for those wanting to make the most of their custom board.
Be warned that the QMK firmware is not compatible with the CORE companion app. If you’re not intending to take full advantage of QMK customization, you can just stick to the app for quick adjustments.
Price
Even in 2024, with the release of the pricier GMMK 3 line, the GMMK Pro is still on the pricey side of custom keyboards at $179, although it’s no longer selling for its frankly ridiculous original list price of $299. There are certainly cheaper options out there if you’re on a tight budget, like the Keychron V1 ($94). However, as metal and highly customizable boards go, the GMMK Pro is now relatively competitive. The Keychron Q6 ($195), Keychron Q3 Max ($214) and Keychron Q1 Pro ($199), for example, all cost more (although are all wireless), while the wired NuPhy Nos75 costs $223. Just like the GMMK Pro, all are metal, run QMK, are hot swappable, and can be taken apart fully.
Undercutting them all, of course, is the wireless Lemokey P1 Pro ($129), which offers a metal case and loads of modding potential, while using the same Cherry profile keycaps as the GMMK Pro.That’d be my choice, especially if you need to save $50.
Glorious GMMK Pro review: The downs
I found a couple of aspects to be below what I would expect for a board of this price — notably the poor RGB quality and frustrations with the typing noise.
Dim RGB
The keyboard also suffers from poor lighting — the keys appear unintentionally translucent when in a dimly lit room, due to the RGB lights illuminating the inside of the keys in a cheap and unappealing way. The lighting does not help with legibility of keys, and seems tacked on as a more “gamer” orientated stylistic choice rather than a part of the board's visual identity — although the good level of customization via the Core 2.1 companion app is appreciated.
Metallic pings
Another weak element of the build given the price is the GMMK Pro’s sound dampening. Unlike the Lemokey P1 or Keychron Q3 Max, the sound is a little hollow — key presses have an unsatisfying, metallic noise. This isn’t a dealbreaker in such a customizable board, but is one of the basics that I would have hoped a keyboard at this price point would master. For a great sounding board under $200, check out the NuPhy Halo75 V2 ($129), or if you’d like plenty of modding potential, the Keychron Q3 Max ($214).
Glorious GMMK Pro review: Verdict
Is the GMMK Pro still worth it in 2024? The GMMK 3 Pro is currently available for $100 more than the GMMK Pro, so the original is still a great, cheaper option if you're looking for an alternative to the new release — you will have to accept a less in-depth purchasing experience, though, as the Glorious website offers a fantastic building tool for the GMMK 3 Pro.
Despite this, if you can get your hands on the GMMK Pro for a good price, you won’t be disappointed by the amount you can experiment with it. The board runs QMK firmware, keeping it relevant in today’s market, is built extremely well and offers lots of hardware customization potential. Given its lower price in today’s market, there’s never been a better time to buy the GMMK Pro.
