Summary

• The Cherry Xtrfy K5V2 offers fantastic typing experience with MX2A Red switches and compact 65% layout.
• Highly customizable design with personalization options, RGB lighting, and various switch choices available.
• Changing settings can be clunky without software, but the keyboard is a great choice for gaming and personalization.

I only recently started developing an interest in mechanical keyboards that interest really flared up last year and I've been wanting to try more of them ever since. The Cherry Xtrfy K5V2 is the latest one to land on my desk, and it might just be my favorite one yet.

This is a 65% keyboard with a wide range of customization options from the moment you buy it, plus the ability to change a lot of things yourself. I love the extremely compact design and the latest MX2A switches, particularly in the Red variant, make for a typing experience unlike anything I've ever had. The compact design does have its downsides, but as someone who loves a clean desk, I didn't have a problem adjusting to it in return for the extra free space.

About this review: Cherry sent me the Xtrfy K5V2 keyboard in translucent white and with MX2A Red linear switches for the purposes of this review. Additional configuration options are available at purchase. Cherry did not have any input in the contents of this review.

Pricing and availability

The Cherry Xtrfy K5V2 was formally announced back in August 2023, but it hasn't become widely available for purchase yet. It's set to go on sale in March, and there's already a listing on Amazon if you want to get ready for it.

Pricing starts at $149, which includes the basic necessities, such as the base, switches, keycaps, cable, and frame. However, you can opt to buy more (or fewer) parts to get the build you want. Cherry sells additional custom keycaps, wrist rests, and desk pads, among other things.

Typing and comfort

MX2A Red switches are smooth and quiet

The version of the Cherry Xtrfy K5V2 I was sent comes with Cherry's MX2A Red linear switches, and I can say right off the bat that I'm sold. Linear switches are my favorite kind after I reviewed the SteelSeries Apex Pro TKL last year, so getting these automatically makes this an excellent keyboard for me. The MX2A Red switches feel incredibly smooth and they're very quiet compared to what I saw on the SteelSeries Apex Pro TKL.

That's not just because of the switch itself, though. It feels like there are better (or more) dampeners in use here, and the impact of the keys hitting the bottom of the keyboard is absorbed much better here. The key travel itself feels similar, though the MX2A Reds require slightly more pressure, which I consider a positive.

Cherry also sells the keyboard with a lot of switch options out of the box

Of course, you can use any kind of switch you want. The switches are hot-swappable, and I got a couple of extra ones in the box, along with the tool needed to remove them so I can play around with it. Cherry also sells the keyboard with a lot of switch options out of the box, not just its own. You can get Kailh, Gateron, and some other brands, too.

The whole build quality of the chassis feels exceptional. Despite being made of some kind of plastic or resin, it feels really solid and hefty, and not at all flimsy. You do hear some creaking if you try to flex the keyboard, but why would you do that?

I'd love to give some insight into how much faster or slower I type with this keyboard, but I'm a clumsy typist regardless of what keyboard I use, so I can't truly say you'll type a lot faster with this keyboard. However, Cherry does offer a useful setting where you can adjust the speed of the key release when lifting your finger from it, which can help you nail the perfect typing experience for your needs.

Design

A 65% layout for small desks

As you can probably tell, the Cherry Xtrfy K5V2 doesn't have the full set of keys you may be familiar with on some keyboards. It comes in a very compact 65% design, the first one I've used with this kind of layout. Personally, I love it this way. I've found myself increasingly hunting for more open space on my desk, so the more compact things are, the better. Compared to a full-size layout, like the Cherry KC 200 MX, this saves a ton fo space, and it makes it much more comfortable to have my mouse next to my keyboard.

Cherry makes good use of this small layout by cramming secondary functions into every key (aside from the spacebar), and it's almost overwhelming, but it's really cool. You can use things like volume controls and — coolest of all — mouse controls this way. Indeed, I can move my mouse in any direction, scroll the wheel, or click the three main buttons without having an actual mouse. I'm not crazy enough to remove the mouse from my setup, but if you're in a pinch, this works surprisingly well.

You can use things like volume controls and — coolest of all — mouse controls this way.

Many of the secondary functions are used to change settings for the keyboard itself, but I'll dive deeper into that later.

Beautiful and highly customizable

Cherry prides itself in the customization options it offers for the Xtrfy K5V2, and it's easy to see why. Short of selling the PCB itself separately, the K5V2 offers a ton of options before you even buy it. I got the relatively basic white model, but even that comes with a translucent base and frame that looks absolutely stunning with the RGB lighting shining through the entire chassis. I don't usually look for tons of RGB in my keyboards, but this looks sick.

But this is just the beginning. There are tons of parts you can customize. You can get the base keycaps in a few different color options, but some of the add-on keys have even more options sold separately, and then some others that are commonly used in gaming can come with rubber keycaps for extra grip and comfort. The frame, USB cable, and even the little logo plate above the right arrow key all come in different colors, too, and you can add desk pads and wrist rests with some cool custom designs as well.

There are tons of parts you can customize.

And if you don't like the designs Cherry offers (or their prices), you can always get your own sets of keycaps to make it a more custom experience. I took some from my SteelSeries keyboard just to see if I could change them around, and I could. I still prefer the all-white look, though some translucent keycaps would be sweet for this build.

My only complaint here is that it the logo plate doesn't seem to be as customizable as it could be. It seems like something that would be easy to 3D print, but it would be cool if Cherry offered a platform to easily find, create, and share those designs so you can 3D print one for yourself. The logo plate uses a magnet that seems like it would be removable, but I couldn't get it to come off, and there's no indication that I'm supposed to. That's something Cherry could fix easily with an update to its website, so hopefully that happens in the near future.

Changing settings

"No software needed" isn't always the best approach

Something Cherry touts with this keyboard is that all of its settings can be changed using the keys on the keyboard itself, meaning you don't need any software to customize it. It also means you can't use software to customize it, which is where things fall a little flat. Whatever you want to change in this keyboard has to be done with the keys themselves, and while this works, using only a series of RGB lights and keys for changing settings is obviously going to have limitations.

For example, you can cycle between a few RGB effects, but there are only about 7 patterns to choose from. You can then choose lighting settings for individual keys, but doing this requires you to read the manual on how to use these shortcuts to change the settings you want. Manuals are important, but I feel like a product will often fail at its job if it requires a normal user to read a manual to know how to use it, and that's certainly the case here. For example, if I want to change the color of a specific key, I can press Fn + ; to activate the secondary K-Color key, and then I can press the keys I want to change the color of, then press Fn again to choose the color I want by pressing one of the keys that's colored. You can also record macros, but that too isn't the most intuitive.

Another "fun" quirk of this setup is that if you want to check the firmware version on the keyboard, you need to open a text document and press Fn + V to write out the firmware version on whatever screen you're looking at. It's ingenious, and I'm glad this is an option, but having some software to make things a bit easier would be great, as long as it wasn't required. The keyboard doesn't seem to work with the Cherry Utility software, either.

Should you buy the Cherry Xtrfy K5V2?

Using the Cherry Xtrfy K5V2 has probably been the best typing experience I've had, and combined with the compact layout and the beautiful RGB-covered design, this is easily my favorite keyboard right now. I thought the 65% layout might be too limiting, but it works well, and Cherry found ways to get around the limitations of the size with the numerous shortcuts available as a second layer on the keyboard. Plus, with a ton of customization options available, you can get the best experience for your needs and preferences. Really, the biggest downside is how complicated it can be to change some settings. Otherwise, though, this is a fantastic keyboard.

You should buy the Cherry K5V2 if:

• You want a compact keyboard
• You want to be able to customize the look and feel of your keyboard, including the switches
• You like RGB

You shouldn't buy the Cherry K5V2 if:

• You need the number pad
• You don't like the built-in settings adjustment