Razer has finally gone magnetic; it just hasn't changed its mind about optical.
At the end of July, the company launched its first Hall-effect Huntsman keyboards: the Huntsman V3 HE Magnetic Tenkeyless 8KHz and Huntsman V3 HE Magnetic Mini 65 per cent 8KHz.
Three weeks later came the Huntsman V3 Pro Low-profile Tenkeyless 8KHz, built around a new set of low-profile analogue optical switches.
Razer calls the Huntsman V3 Pro Low-profile the world's first low-profile analogue optical esports keyboard. It's also the most expensive keyboard in the Huntsman range.
Low-profile analogue boards already exist, but models such as Logitech's G515 Rapid use Hall-effect (HE) sensing instead.
Its new optical switches offer 0.1-2.8mm adjustable actuation across 2.8mm of total travel. The keyboard has a 19.5mm front height, lubricated switches and internal foam dampening, with settings stored onboard or adjusted through Synapse and Synapse Web.
So what's the difference when they are functionally quite similar?
Both Hall-effect and optical switches can track how far a key has travelled, rather than simply registering on or off like conventional switches.
However, HE switches measure changes in a magnetic field as the switch moves, while Razer's analogue optical switches measure infrared light through the switch mechanism.
The key difference between HE and analogue optical is how quickly and precisely they register clicks. Based on Razer's tests, the HE switches averaged 0.60ms from actuation to the signal reaching the USB port, while the low-profile optical keyboard managed 0.39ms.
Razer also adds that its optical sensing methodology allows tighter factory calibration and more consistent position readings through a switch's travel.
As with all things, these are manufacturer tests under specific lab conditions, so your mileage may vary. However, the performance numbers do help explain the hierarchy within the Huntsman line.
Both new Huntsman branches offer adjustable actuation, Rapid Trigger (movement-based key reset) and 8,000Hz polling, along with newer controls such as Snap Flex (separate press and release actions), Dynamic Keystroke (up to four actions by key depth), and Dual-Keypress Priority (prioritises intended directional inputs).
As a result, the feature set will likely feel largely the same for most gamers if they don’t notice the reduced latency. However, they will notice one difference — the price.
With the new HE keyboards, Razer now offers a more affordable alternative to the existing Huntsman V3 and V3 Pro models, which remain optical.
Razer is unusually explicit about where it thinks the two technologies belong; analogue optical as its benchmark for players seeking the ‘absolute best in esports performance’, while pitching the new magnetic models at players who specifically want HE, or think HE is good enough.
Razer has priced its new HE Huntsmans below its analogue-optical siblings, with the $209 HE TKL undercutting several mainstream Hall-effect rivals while the $179 Mini lowers Razer’s entry point further. The $369 low-profile optical Pro remains the clear flagship.
The HE models give Razer a direct answer to the magnetic keyboards already competing for this buyer. The new low-profile Pro cements the fact that Razer still stands by analogue optical for top-of-the-line performance.
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This article was first published in Potions.sg.
