By Robin Owens 19 days ago, Keyboards
Stylish Cherry MX Brown keyboards.
Cherry MX Brown models represent a terrific, reasonably-priced option that has a well-defined color, which highlights its features. Mechanical keyboards are widely accepted to be the better choice for gaming compared to rubber dome models, as they’re mostly designed for low-current applications.
Whether you’re using a keyboard for work or running around in an intense video game – your experience should be something you enjoy, not suffer.
Thankfully, over the last ten years, the keyboard market has become filled with quality mechanical products. Below, you’ll find a review of 10 candidates for the title of the best Cherry MX Brown keyboard, with each of them being capable of serve as a fantastic addition to your PC setup.
Interface: Wired | Keyboard backlighting: Yes
⊕ Adjustable backlight
⊕ Stylish design
⊕ Multicolor RGB
⊕ Convenient and silent
⊖ Lacks special macro keys
⊖ Software takes time to master
This Brown switch keyboard lets you enjoy convenient multimedia and backlight controls without having to open various menus or software. Simply use the FN+F buttons to adjust the volume, play and pause songs and videos, skip tracks, mute, turn the backlight on and off, enable gaming mode, etc.
You can also get Logitech G software to personalize the backlight, game mode, and macro keys further. The G513 is available with either “Romer-G Tactile” or “Romer-G Linear” switches, which were manufactured by Logitech and Omron, the same brand that produces high-end switches that you’ll find in some of the best gaming mice on the market.
Interface: Wired | Keyboard backlighting: Yes
⊕ Highly responsive
⊕ Individual RGB backlight for each key
⊕ Stylish case finish
⊕ Can be personalized
⊖ Wrist rest should have some padding
⊖ Configuration software can suffer from errors
The ROG Strix is a mechanical Cherry MX Brown keyboard that allows you to enjoy high responsiveness, intuitive gaming performance, and subtle tactile feedback with every keypress. It's supplied with anti-ghosting technology, onboard memory, instant macro recordings, a Windows lock button, and an under-frame cable, offering everything you need for comfortable gaming sessions.
The only thing that stops this model from being the best in its class is the slightly limited feature set and underdeveloped configuration software.
Interface: Wired | Keyboard backlighting: No
⊕ Comes with two cables
⊕ Multi-compatible
⊕ USB-C input
⊕ Sturdy
⊖ Expensive
This is probably the best Cherry MX Brown keyboard if you’re looking for a full-sized, minimalist, and compact model that gives you more space on your desk and for moving your mouse around. Offering 100% anti-ghosting and N-key rollover features, and a deactivated Windows button in gaming mode, the Taurus K310 is suitable for both playing video games and typing.
The vintage look of the keyboard adds another level of appeal to it as the off-white and grey keycaps will remind you of the classic IBM Model M keyboards from the good old days. However, in contrast to the Model M, this device offers all the features you’d expect from a modern keyboard.
Interface: Wired | Keyboard backlighting: Yes
⊕ Long-lasting Brown switches
⊕ 12 media controls
⊕ Reasonable price
⊕ Terrific tactile typing feel
⊖ Keycap texture is disappointing
The VM01 is a mechanical keyboard with Brown switches that produce minimum noise and provide useful tactile feedback for each keypress. Even though it does make more noise than your standard membrane model, Browns are far quieter than Cherry Blues.
Being a mechanical keyboard, it weighs quite a lot, which makes it feel sturdier. Sadly, the quality of the keycaps is a bit disappointing in terms of both texture and the selected character font, but that isn’t a major setback considering all the strengths of this option.
Interface: Wired | Keyboard backlighting: No
⊕ Sleep mode
⊕ Durable build
⊕ Aluminum top finishing
⊕ USB 3.0 compatibility
⊖ Costs quite a lot
⊖ Doesn’t have a backlight
Das Keyboard 4 just might be the best Cherry MX Brown keyboard if you’re not tight on funds and don’t mind the lack of RGB backlighting. It’s also fully Mac-compatible as it offers both Command and Alt/Option buttons as well as instant access to several Mac-only functions.
This model comes with an extra-large volume knob and separate multimedia controls on the top right. The multimedia keys include play, rewind, fast-forward, and mute functions and a special button to send the PC into sleep mode.
Interface: Wired | Keyboard backlighting: Yes
⊕ Elgato Stream Deck compatibility
⊕ Lots of built-in profiles
⊕ Comfortable wrist rest
⊕ PBT double-shot keycaps
⊖ Costs too much for what it offers
Supplied with individual RGB lights and a 19-area LightEdge on the top of the frame, this brown switch mechanical keyboard offers cool and colorful lighting effects that can be customized in any way you want. It also has a removable, padded leatherette wrist rest that gives you the comfort necessary to enjoy long gaming sessions.
Measuring 1.4x18.3x6.7 inches (not counting the wrist rest) and weighing 2.9lbs, it’s a tad smaller compared to other feature-heavy keyboards, but still requires quite a lot of desk space. It’s a full-sized model with added 6 special macro keys, bumping up the total key number to 110.
Interface: Wired | Keyboard backlighting: Yes
⊕ Convenient
⊕ Durable steel build
⊕ Special multimedia controls
⊕ Software is completely optional
⊖ Oversized footprint
⊖ Software takes up 1.1GB of storage space
This Cherry MX Brown mechanical keyboard comes with state-of-the-art software that gives you a plethora of configuration options. You can create and save up to 3 backlight and macro profile settings in the integrated memory.
The steel frame offers the necessary sturdiness for the Brown switches that have already proven to last a long time. The keyboard also has a convenient, removable wrist rest with pleasant coating. However, its footprint is a bit too large for comfort as there's a lot of space for seemingly no reason. You have the keyboard and above it, there’s an inch-big area of emptiness.
Interface: Wired | Keyboard backlighting: Yes
⊕ Highly responsive buttons
⊕ Separate multimedia controls
⊕ Intuitive and convenient
⊕ Brushed aluminum top layer
⊖ High price
⊖ Lacks an audio input
The K57 is probably the best Brown switch keyboard if you’re looking for a durable model, as its frame was built using aircraft-grade anodized brushed aluminum. Moreover, it manages to combine its ruggedness with a lightweight design, which is exactly the combination you need for intense gaming sessions.
The K57 has 8MB of onboard storage and macro and lighting playback features while letting you save 3 user profiles without using external software. If you want to boost the gaming functionality of your keyboard even further, get K57 as it comes with Speed Silver switches that have a smaller actuation point and travel distance compared to this one.
Interface: Wired | Keyboard backlighting: Yes
⊕ Brushed aluminum build
⊕ RGB backlight
⊕ Multi-compatible
⊕ Sturdy frame
⊖ High cost
⊖ Lacks dedicated macro keys
The K70 RGB 2m.2 is a top-tier Cherry MX Brown gaming keyboard that is ready to serve you for years to come. Supplied with a light and sturdy aluminum frame and gold-plated switches, this product offers both durability and precision.
By purchasing this keyboard, you receive an enhanced version of the original K70 paired with useful new features, although most of them aren't necessary. While the boost in quality may seem a bit underwhelming compared to its predecessor, this Corsair keyboard is still among the best mechanical models you can buy in 2024.
| Image | Name | Features | |
|---|---|---|---|
 |
Logitech G513
Our Choice |
CHECK PRICE→ | |
 |
Durgod Taurus K310
Comfortable |
CHECK PRICE → | |
 |
ASUS ROG Strix
Customizable |
CHECK PRICE → |
Cherry MX Brown keyboards all belong to the mechanical type and have separate switches under each key. While the technology behind such devices is old, the quality of mechanical keyboards has skyrocketed during the last decade. Besides, nothing can ever replace that pleasant feeling of hearing the keys click as you press them.
Akin to most mechanical models, Cherry Brown keyboards are great at reducing the number of typos you make. Additionally, you get to enjoy specific tactile feedback when pressing any key, which will immediately let you know a button press was registered, meaning you never have to second-guess whether you’ve clicked a key or not. Another benefit of such Cherry keyboards is the longevity they bring to the table. Mechanical switches can last for years of active daily use while remaining comfortable and offering a satisfying typing and gaming experience.
Modern mechanical keys look like distant relatives of the flat disks you’ll find on classic typewriters. The shape of the keys and their tactile feel have been revised numerous types over the last decade. Nowadays, most models offer comfortable keys so the choice between them should boil down to your personal preference.
When looking at the current market, you’ll see that most popular mechanical keyboards are supplied with Cherry MX switches of various types, which are produced by ZF Electronics. Each type of switches provides distinct feedback (sound or tactile) and requires a different level of force to register a keypress. You can distinguish different types of switches based on color, which is why when someone says ""Cherry MX Brown switches” they aren’t referring to the aesthetic design of a keyboard, but rather the characteristics of specific switches. The first thing you have to do when picking a mechanical Cherry keyboard is choose what kind of switches you want. For instance, a Cherry MX Blue switch offers a subtle bump and a high-pitched click when being pressed and sending a signal to your computer.
High-quality MX Brown keyboards are pure pleasure to work on, but they are not as great for your family members or colleagues due to the never-ending clicking that the keys make. This is why all products that were featured in this review have been tested with a sound level meter to make sure none of them are obnoxiously loud. While it’s true that the average mechanical keyboard makes more noise than the majority of membrane models, the specific sound level is determined by the switch type and the user’s typing technique, with Brown switches being one of the quietest on the market.
Cherry MX Brown switches are equally well suited for office use and gaming, as they’re commonly referred to as the perfect “middle-ground” option for people, who will use a keyboard for both. Since the tactile bump is provided by the interruption fin, the hysteresis is less noticeable compared to Blues.
Having received acclaim for the high level of comfort and terrific feedback they provide, Browns are superior when it comes to handling gaming and typing. They offer a tactile bump at the actuation height of 2mm, meaning you can type with high speed and precision without being required to press the buttons all the way down.
Not really. Akin to Reds, Browns don’t have a separate clicky element that is present in Blue switches. Pretty much the only difference between these 2 types is that Browns come with a tactile bump that is nearly silent.
The Cherry MX Speed (Silver) switches offer the best performance, being equally well-suited for fast typists and competitive gamers. According to the manufacturer’s tests, Silvers are up to 40% quicker compared to regular Cherry MX switches.
