The mechanical keyboard community is full of people who participate for a variety of different reasons. Some users like to build their own keyboard from scratch, knowing that their board is customized to meet their exact preferences. Others prefer prebuilt mechanical keyboards, owing to their simplicity and reliability. In the past, you might have had to build your own keyboard to get the same level of build quality as if you painstakingly assembled one yourself. Now, that's not the case. Prebuilt mechanical keyboards are of high quality, feature unique designs, and still offer some degree of customization.

That's not to say you shouldn't build your own mechanical keyboard. I look at the best mechanical keyboards as an art piece — there are so many ways to construct them and none of them are right or wrong. Using that analogy, not everyone wants to make artwork themselves. Some people just want to buy art that they like, or in this case, a prebuilt mechanical keyboard that's appealing to them. If that sounds like you, there hasn't been a better time to buy a prebuilt mechanical keyboard than right now. These five emerging trends give buyers more options than ever, no matter what you're looking for.

5 Themed mechanical keyboard designs

You can pick up a keyboard that looks like it belongs in a Nintendo game

Nothing gets me more excited than when I see a mechanical keyboard cross my desk that has an excellent theme. One of my favorite mechanical keyboards of the year is the Lofree Block, which invokes a retro aesthetic and a chunky design. That's not the only stunning themed keyboard we've reviewed at XDA. My colleagues checked out an 8BitDo retro mechanical keyboard that's going to make your desk setup look like it belongs in a Super Mario game, as well as a Year of the Dragon keyboard from Ducky that feels more like a luxury jewelry item than a keyboard.

Companies are going all-in on mechanical keyboard theming, and I'm here for it. A keyboard with a neat theme can be the thing that ties your entire desk setup together, whether you want it to match a game style you like or whether you simply want it to match your aesthetic. This is one area where prebuilt mechanical keyboards really shine, because it's a lot trickier to apply these kinds of themes to a custom build.

4 PBT keycaps

I'm glad the industry is finally embracing premium materials

If I could sum up the year in prebuilt mechanical keyboards so far, I'd say 2024 saw companies embrace the premium materials and features we've seen in the custom community for years. Nearly all the high-end keyboards I've used this year feature polybutylene terephthalate (PBT) plastic keycaps. The more common keycap material is acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS) plastic, which is cheaper, easier to produce, and more brittle. PBT keycaps are more durable and are less prone to erosion from your skin oils.

Moreover, prebuilt mechanical keyboards aren't just heavily moving toward PBT keycaps. They're also using the double-shot injection molding process that results in more precise surface-level legends and designs. Using this process, the keycap surface/legend is injection-molded separately from the main part of the keycap. Put it all together, and double-shot PBT keycaps are decidedly more durable and premium than the older ABS plastic ones. It's great that prebuilt mechanical keyboards are starting to overwhelmingly use these materials and processes.

3 More budget options

A great mechanical keyboard for $40? Sign me up!

Mechanical keyboards are often viewed as expensive and time-consuming, but they don't have to be. We saw a lot of great keyboards debut this year, providing all the essentials for a crazy-low price. Take the Corsair K55 Core RGB for example, which is a $40 prebuilt mechanical keyboard for gamers. Even at this price point, the keyboard has rubber dome switches, 12-key selective rollover, single-stage feet, RGB lighting, and media controls. That's an impeccable value, and I'm glad to see prebuilt mechanical boards start bringing high-quality typing experiences to people on a budget.

2 Macros, macros, macros

Who needs a Stream Deck when you've got built-in macros?

What are macros? Essentially, they're custom keyboard shortcuts designed to eliminate a repetitive process or task you always have to do on your computer. That might come in handy while gaming or streaming, which is why the Stream Deck exists. However, you might not need a dedicated macro solution if you own a great keyboard. Prebuilt options are starting to feature a bunch of built-in macros of their own, and you can easily customize them to meet your needs. I recently reviewed the NuPhy Field75, which has a whopping eight unassigned buttons that can easily be turned into macros. I'm excited that mechanical keyboards are starting to bring seamless macro usage to the masses.

1 Hot-swappable switches

You can easily swap out your switches for a different style

We've saved the absolute best mechanical keyboard trend for last, and that's the prevalence of hot-swappable switches on prebuilt models. Razer made waves in the industry when it decided to add hot-swappable switches to its Razer BlackWidow V4 75% mechanical keyboard last year. That set the tone for 2024, where more prebuilt mechanical keyboards will let you change your keyboard switches as you please. Many of the boards I've reviewed this year feature hot-swappable switches, including the Lofree Flow, Alienware Pro Wireless Keyboard, and the NuPhy Field75.

If you're not familiar, hot-swappable switch designs let you remove and replace the switch mechanism in your mechanical keyboard without soldering. It's really as easy as using a keyboard/switch puller to remove the old switches, and using your fingers to pop the new ones into place. Anyone can do it, and that gives you great flexibility. It means that you can customize your prebuilt mechanical keyboard as you see fit. Say you bought a linear keyboard, and you now want to move to tactile switches — well, you can. Honestly, I'd recommend that everyone who even might want to customize their board down the road purchase a hot-swappable keyboard.

Which mechanical keyboard trend is your favorite?

If it isn't already obvious, my favorite mechanical keyboard trend is the emergence of hot-swappable switches. They've been around for a while, but we're now seeing them on mainstream offerings from companies like Razer and Dell. That represents an industry shift, and smaller brands are following suit. The idea behind investing in a mechanical keyboard is that it could be the only one you ever need to buy. You can continue to tinker with, upgrade, and alter the same keyboard for years or decades. In the past, that level of customization may have been relegated to custom keyboards. Now, you can get that same experience with prebuilt options.