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Cherry Xtrfy has utilised its CES 2026 appearance to show what it has been working on. With the industry moving towards magnetic switches (Hall Effect, TMR, and inductive being the three most common), Cherry has decided to follow the trend. The German company has settled on TMR, which measures changes in electrical resistance rather than voltage shifts. These new sensors can detect key travel with 0.01 mm resolution while drawing significantly less power, increasing the battery life of magnetic keyboards.
The first Cherry keyboard to use this technology is the MX 8.2 Pro TMR Wireless, a tenkeyless (TKL) chassis with a premium aluminium top frame and double-shot PBT keycaps. This model implements an 8,000 Hz polling rate in both wired and 2.4 GHz wireless modes. The Cherry MK Crystal Magnetic switches used on this board provide a linear feel, but the board's “DualMaster” hot-swap sockets allow users to mix and match standard mechanical MX switches.
For enthusiasts who prefer a smaller footprint, the K5 Pro TMR delivers the same technological advantages in a 65% more compact layout. This wired model builds on the foundation of the popular K5 series, replacing the standard mechanical switches with MK Crystal TMR units. Beyond the switch upgrade, the K5 Pro received a polling rate increase from 1,000 Hz to 8,000 Hz to ensure parity with the flagship TKL model. Both keyboards are fully supported by the new Cherry MagCrate software, which enables advanced features such as Rapid Trigger, Dynamic Keystroke (assigning up to four actions to a single key based on depth), and SnapKey for SOCD-like movement prioritisation.
The MX 8.2 Pro TMR Wireless is scheduled to hit retail shelves on January 29th, 2026, for €229.99/$249.99. The more compact K5 Pro TMR is slated for a spring release, with pricing to be confirmed closer to the launch.
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KitGuru says: The ability to hot-swap between mechanical and magnetic switches on a single board is interesting, but we wonder whether buyers would actually take advantage of it.
