Keyboards
Hall-effect switches, explained without the marketing
Magnetic switches are the most oversold feature in keyboards right now. Here is the part that is real.
A conventional mechanical switch closes a circuit at a fixed point in its travel. A hall-effect switch instead measures a magnetic field, which means the keyboard knows how far the key is pressed — continuously, not just open or closed.
What that actually changes
Three things, and only three.
- Actuation point becomes software. You choose where the key registers, from a feather touch to a deliberate deep press, per key.
- Rapid trigger becomes possible. The key resets the moment it moves back up, not at a fixed reset distance. In a game that is the difference between one tap and two.
- Analogue input exists. The switch reports a value from 0 to 100 rather than 0 or 1, so a game can treat a key like a trigger.
If none of those matter to you, a good conventional board at half the price will type better than a cheap magnetic one.
Why the actuation point matters more than the polling number
Marketing leads with polling: 1,000 Hz, 4,000 Hz, 8,000 Hz. Polling is how often the keyboard talks to the computer. It matters at the margin, but the thing you feel in daily use is where the key fires.
Typing wants a deeper actuation point — around 2 mm — so a resting finger does not trigger a letter. Gaming wants a shallow one, often 0.4 mm or less. The same board can do both if it stores profiles per application, which ours does.
The honest trade-offs
Magnetic switches feel slightly different on the upstroke: there is no tactile bump telling you where the reset is, which some typists dislike for the first week. They are also heavier per key to manufacture, so boards cost more.
And battery: a wireless hall-effect board drains faster than a conventional one, because the sensors are always sampling. Ours ships wired for that reason.
When to buy one
Buy one if you play anything where reaction time matters, or if you have strong opinions about where a key should fire. Do not buy one because a review said it is faster — the difference is real but it is measured in single-digit milliseconds.
Our Halo 87 exists for the first group. If you are in the second, the Drift 65 is cheaper, quieter and travels better.
Mentioned in this article
Halo 87 — Hall-effect TKL with adjustable actuation. $189.00.
