For the past 9 months or so, Glorious’ GMMK Pro has been my daily keyboard for getting work done and gaming. Then suddenly, rumbles of a direct predecessor to their original keyboard, the GMMK was coming directly from Glorious themselves. The GMMK 2 (Glorious Modular Mechanical Keyboard 2 - $119.99) is a new and improved version of the first with all-new layouts, improved lighting, and a few other cool bells and whistles that I’ll get into later.

They were nice enough to send me a sample of both their Full-Sized 96% and Compact-TKL 65% versions of their brand-new GMMK 2, and I’ve been using them for a few weeks so far. I’ve used them in both work and play and have become accustomed to their existence in my daily routine. But will they bump the Pro off of my desk? Not entirely.

What’s In The Box

When it comes to the experience of unboxing, each one of these suckers has the fanfare and excitement that any enthusiast would enjoy. You have the board itself, its color-coded cable, a keycap puller, a switch puller, a novelty Glorious ESC key, and a sticker. Glorious has always done a good job at making unboxing their products feel like Christmas morning, and these products are no exception.

Aesthetics and Build Quality

When it came to looks, it’s hard to deny the fact that the Pink version of this keyboard is a show-stopper. Its cotton candy keys perfectly run against its almost rose-gold metal frame around it. The difference between the two materials and paint jobs makes this the centerpiece to any good desk space. Not many major manufacturers are creating keyboards that look like this and it truly sets Glorious apart from the rest in embracing what a lot of consumers want.

On the flip side, the Black color scheme actually took me some time to get used to. At first, I thought it resembled a keyboard I may have seen back in the days when I worked in a customer service phone room (shivers). Eventually, though, I actually grew to appreciate its goth rendition of what the Pink version was doing. I even tried putting other colored keycaps onto the board to switch things up but eventually came back running to the original look anyway.

Build quality is pretty solid in most aspects of these keyboards. The frames themselves are insanely sturdy and won’t twist a bit. They aren’t as heavy as the Pro by any means as they do incorporate polymer in their designs though they don’t seem to give up structural integrity to do so. My singular complaint about the board itself would have to be that the legs on the back of them feel insanely cheap. Maybe a thicker plastic would have served these things better.

Specs and Special Features

New Layouts - “Compact-TKL” (65%) or “Full Sized” (96%) layouts. Fully compatible with all Glorious GPBT and Aura V2 keycaps.

Improved Lighting - All versions include a fully-customizable sidelight, similar to the GMMK PRO. Per-key RGB backlighting with 16.8 million colors. Lighting can be adjusted via hotkeys without requiring software.

5-Pin Hotswap Support - Easily customize your typing experience by inserting any standard 3 or 5 pin switch.

Open-Source Software Support - GMMK 2 is fully compatible with Glorious CORE software as well as QMK and VIA.

Improved Stabilizer Support - Comes with pre-installed pre-lubed clip-on stabilizers. Fully compatible with the new screw-in GSV2 stabilizers.

Updated Cables - All models of GMMK 2 support USB-C 2.0 and come with a braided, removable cable included. Compatible with all Glorious Coiled Cables.

Adjustable Height - 65% can be set to a 6° or 11° typing angle. 96% can be set to 7° or 14°.

Improved Build-Quality - Top frame is made of anodized aluminum for a uniform and durable finish. Comes pre-installed with thick, internal case foam.

New Glorious Fox Switches - Pre-Built versions of the GMMK 2 and GMMK PRO will come pre-installed with the all-new Glorious Fox switches. Transparent housing allows for maximum RGB support.

New ABS Doubleshot Keycaps - Pre-installed, ABS doubleshot, shinethrough keycaps. Paired with the transparent housing of the Fox Switches, these keycaps allow for max RGB. High-quality look and feel, with Fn key combos printed on the side legends for easy access.

As always, the Glorious CORE software is a joy to work with. Getting the keyboards up and customized to my liking easily, is always a plus in my book. The RGB is intuitive to set up and the new keycaps truly allow for it to shine directly through, especially in a dim setting. The Pink keyboard absolutely radiates light like the heart of the sun. The Black version, while still RGB-tastic, manages to contain the light solely to its translucent legends and the space around each key.

I’m also a fan of the fact that the side lighting has made a return. I really enjoyed its inclusion in the Pro and it just feels right being here as well. There are a bunch of different Fn combos to use on a daily basis as each keyboard has its own layout entirely. Eliminating the F buttons on the top of the Compact-TKL is not a problem since you can just Fn + 1 and so on whenever you need to. The Full-Sized version doesn’t need these types of combos as much, but it’s cool to see both utilizing them.

Customization is a big part of these keyboards even when it comes to going with additional hardware or software choices. The fact that the GMMK 2 can use any of their Glorious Coiled Cables and the plethora of different keycaps that they offer is insanely cool. They were nice enough to send me their brand-new Pink Coiled Cable and it’s the only thing I’ve used with the tasty Pink keyboard. Lest we forget the fact that these boards are hot-swappable and you can use open-source software to further customize them. Enthusiasts are going to love these bad boys.

One really cool draw to the keyboard is its exclusive use of Glorious’ new Fox Switches. They’re soft and while offering a satisfying sound, don’t click as if there’s a skeleton shivering inside of it. It serves a great purpose as being satisfying to the user but not a bother to those you may be chatting with on a headset.

Gameplay

Though all work and no play make Nate a dull boy, I made sure to work each of these into my daily life in the fullest way possible. I delegated the Full-Sized version to my day job as the TKL design just doesn’t seem to ever fit there. I found it to be a fantastic asset as with its low lighting, it gives me that spark of joy during work without burning out my retinas. Though I’d have to admit that I would’ve liked a bit more space between the meat of the main keyboard keys and the keypad keys to having been a bit more pronounced. I found, at times, that I would hit buttons that I didn’t mean to or bump the Num key whilst backspacing.

When it came to kicking my feet up after a long day’s work or just sending out some good old-fashioned writing pieces, the Compact-TKL was my copilot. I’ve got to say, I thought switching from the already compact GMKK Pro to this was going to be a learning situation but it turned out to be pretty good even with a few shrank parts or missing ones. I’m not someone who uses every key in their life anyway so it was really easy to just get comfortable with the keyboard.

Gaming on either one is terrific as the keys, again, are soft to the touch but super responsive. Gaming in dim light is a breeze as well thanks in part to the keycaps that work with you rather than against you. I sort of got a bit tired of the keycaps I got with the Pro as gaming at night was a dealbreaker due to their non-translucent legends.

What It Could Have Done better

Though I truly enjoyed my experience with both keyboards, they both suffer from some hardware hiccups that can be overlooked depending on how they’d affect you personally. For one, there are the flimsy legs which really could’ve been avoided by using a stronger thickness or eliminating them entirely. Then there’s the keypad that just sits a bit too close to the main cast of keys on the 96%.

Additionally, while I love the switches, they weren’t all that great at first. It took them a good week or so to really break them in and have a consistent feel throughout the keyboard. At first, most didn’t even feel like the same key and there are still a few still being worked out here and there. Even now I feel as the spacebar on both is pretty rusty when comparing it to the rest of the keys.

Verdict

After using both keyboards extensively for the last few weeks, I can wholeheartedly say that these are a fantastic investment for gamers looking to either upgrade from the original GMMK or those who want to take their first step into the world of Glorious. The color schemes are fantastic, the customization is abundant, and the exclusive switches bring something entirely new to the table. Though there are a couple of small hardware shortcomings, this new line-up of keyboards is yet another welcomed expansion to the ever-growing products from Glorious.