It seems Glorious is intent on converting you out of that old Amazon Basics keyboard you might have sat on your desk and into something with a little more of, well, everything. The new GMMK Eternal is the second product in the brand’s seemingly entry-level line of peripherals after the excellent Glorious Model O Eternal gaming mouse I tested a few months back. If that’s anything to go by, this is a keyboard that homes in on the fundamentals to make for a solid step-up mechanical product.
The brand’s own marketing materials focus on all the compromises you potentially make by going for a more affordable keyboard, such as a case that sounds like a biscuit tin, or even simply a sacrifice for a smaller layout. The GMMK Eternal aims to provide a magic bullet to all of the ailments to save you from, at best, a dissatisfactory keyboard that was at a tempting price in a sale.
The 96% layout the GMMK Eternal opts for provides virtually all of the functionality you could ask for. It squishes up the number pad and moves the nav cluster on top of it to provide a full-size keyboard in a reduced footprint to make for one of the easier abnormal key layouts to get used to.
Physical touches otherwise include some doubleshot keycaps with a pleasant texturing to them to aid grip under finger. I am quite sad to report they’re ABS rather than PBT, though. This is a marker of a cheaper keyboard, even though PBT has made its way down the price ladder to more wallet-friendly options in recent years, such as the Gamakay x NaughShark NS68. That said, I’m a fan of the side-printed legends on the function row for quick access to media controls, hotkeys for a calculator, web browser and more, plus access to RGB backlighting level and different patterns.
You don’t get any additional extras such as a rotary encoder for volume or any form of toggle switches for OS selection, though. The rear side has a set-in cut-out for a USB-C cable, and the underside has some grippy two-stage feet to raise the angle of the GMMK Eternal up. Otherwise, that’s about it.
I’m happy to report that, as much as the frame of this keyboard is virtually all plastic, build quality is largely okay. There’s a good amount of heft to the chassis and no deck flex to speak of thanks to an aluminium top plate—Glorious has at least put some thought into making a keyboard that’s not flimsy.
My only issue here is the aesthetic it has opted for—the open housing and all-black look gives the GMMK Eternal more of a dated aesthetic that takes me back to when this was the standard look for a ‘gaming’ keyboard. Rather, it’d have been pleasant to see a closed housing or some different colours used to differentiate this from a more non-descript finish. There’s barely even a Glorious logo anywhere, apart from underneath where you can’t see it.
Inside, Glorious has stuck with its tried-and-tested Fox linear switches that have been kitted to its mechanical keyboards for some time. They’re Cherry MX Red clones, so come with a light and linear 45g keypress and are pre-lubricated for a smooth feel and to aid this keyboard’s acoustics. For the most part, I’ve had no issues with these switches, as they offer decent consistency across the keyboard and it’s decently easy to get up to speed with them. It is the only default switch option, though, while rivals from Ducky and Keychron offer a degree of choice out of the box with different weights and feels.
If, for whatever reason, those switches aren’t to your taste, though, then as the GMMK Eternal is hot-swappable and is compatible with 3- or 5-pin MX-style options, you can change the switches out with the bundled keycap and switch puller and add in a completely different set with ease. I had some spare Cherry MX Falcon tactile switches left over from a different project, which I slotted into this Glorious keyboard, and swapping them in was a doddle, as it usually is with these keyboards, and it changed the feel to a heavier, tactile finish that I much prefer.
To help its enthusiast credentials, this board also comes with a range of foam and such inside for sound dampening for three total layers, and there isn’t any case rattle or ping in my experience. This is one area Glorious makes a lot of in its marketing bumf, so I’m pleased to report it sounds excellent.
✅ You want a no-nonsense, well-built mechanical keyboard: The GMMK Eternal provides a fuss-free experience that sounds great out of the box and is easy to customise with hot-swappable switches.
⌠You want more quality touches: By spending a little more, you can get extras such as higher-quality PBT keycaps, wireless connectivity and a less plasticky chassis.
Software powers are handled by Glorious Core, which has seen a bit of an overhaul in recent times compared to what it used to be with older Glorious keyboards, such as the GMMK 3 HE. Admittedly, the customisation on offer is quite basic, with the usual key remapping and RGB lighting configuration on a per-key basis, but that’s about it. It gets the job done, I suppose.
This leaves me with one key thing to mention—price. The GMMK Eternal is £90/$100, putting it in quite a competitive market sector. At this kind of price tag, we’ve got the Ducky Zero 6108, which adds wireless flexibility, PBT keycaps and genuine Cherry MX2A switches to the party. It sacrifices on software, though. A little up the price ladder is the new Keychron K8 Ultra 8K, which offers an aluminium chassis, PBT keycaps, solid wireless connectivity and clever software.
All of this has the potential to put the GMMK Eternal in a bit of a difficult position, although it holds its own for those who want a fuss-free mechanical keyboard that nails the basics. Okay, it could be wireless and a little more stylish, but for the most part, I don’t know if enough people would care too much.
