Ultra customisable keyboards used to be in the high-end or niche categories until companies like Glorious adopted features for customisation. Today, our Glorious GMMK2 96% Review will feature the successor of the original Glorious Modular Mechanical Keyboard.
The GMMK2 96% is the ultimate custom keyboard at the best value. It has premium components, stunning aesthetics, and superior versatility. Read our Glorious GMMK2 96% Review to learn more about its design, features, performance, and other essential details.
Glorious GMMK2 96% Packaging
Glorious GMMK2 96% Review – Design and Functionality
Glorious offers the GMMK2 as a pre-assembled or barebone keyboard. Purchasing the latter lets you build the keyboard with your preferred 3-pin or 5-pin switches and keycaps.
The pre-assembled GMMK2 uses the Glorious Fox Linear Switches, which balance control and speed. However, you can customise the keyboard on the site and choose your preferred parts. You can select the keycaps, switches (options include Kailh, Gateron, and Glorious), and the cable.
The keyboard featured in this Glorious GMMK2 96% Review has a 96% layout, which is more compact than full-size keyboards. Despite the reduced size, it consists of a row of dedicated function keys, a navigation cluster, and a Numpad.
Glorious also offers this keyboard in a compact 65% form factor with 67 keys.
The GMMK2 96% is a well-built mechanical keyboard with premium plastic. It also has an aluminium top plate carrying over the sides of the keyboard, making it durable and solid. Inside is a sound-dampening foam that reduces higher-pitched rattles and pings from switches and stabilisers.
This keyboard has a high-profile design with two incline settings, allowing you to adjust the ergonomics. Even when inclined, the keyboard remains steady in its position.
The RGB lighting of the GMMK2 96% is stunning and vibrant. You can customise the colours and effects of these individually lit keys via Glorious CORE.
Keycaps and Switches
The GMMK2 96% uses ABS doubleshot keycaps. Although they are not PBT, doubleshot keycaps are effectively resistant to oil, so these will not fade over time.
The top legends have a shine-through design, making the RGB backlighting more vibrant. You will also find printed hotkey legends on the side.
The keys feel stable with minimal wobble. These made our typing experience enjoyable during our tests for this Glorious GMMK2 96% Review.
Hot-Swappable Design
Customisation features set this keyboard apart from its competitors, making it noteworthy in our Glorious GMMK2 96% Review. It has a hot-swappable design compatible with any compatible 3-pin or 5-pin switches. You can also replace the keycaps and build a keyboard with the ultimate typing and gaming experience.
Key Features of the Glorious GMMK2 96%
Perfect for Redesigning and Customisation
Transform and make the keyboard more personalised by replacing the keycaps with your favourites. Customise how it sounds and feels when swapping its switches. Or, instead of its braided cable, trade it for a colourful coiled one for a more personal aesthetic.
Less Stress and Better Performance
The company ensured that the GMMK2 offers comfort and efficiency. It is the ideal keyboard if you want to enjoy enhanced performance and better typing experiences.
With the Glorious CORE software, you can reduce the switch latency of this keyboard.
Setting the polling rate to 1000Hz lets you select the fastest debounce for your switches.
Glorious Fox Switches
The pre-assembled GMMK2 96% has custom-designed lightweight linear switches. They offer 45G operating force and 3.9mm travel distance, making them highly responsive.
These have tight manufacturing tolerances to perform excellently. When we tested the keyboard for our Glorious GMMK2 96% Review, we enjoyed our typing experiences with these switches. With pre-lubed parts, typing on this keyboard felt smooth and satisfying.
Aside from a superior typing feel, the Glorious Fox Switches have clear housings for vibrant RGB to shine through.
Superior Acoustics
The GMMK2 96% uses high-quality materials with a tray mounting system and has strict build requirements. These are necessary to ensure durability and eliminate potential creaks and squeaks.
Lubricated switches and stabilisers reduce rattling and pinging, while thick dampening foam absorbs typing vibrations to produce a full-bodied sound.
Customisable RGB
Toggle between the 18 pre-installed effects or customise the colours per key via Glorious CORE.
Aluminium Top Frame
The GMMK2 96% offers superior strength and satisfying weight due to its aluminium top frame. Since the aluminium is anodised, it has an impressive resistance against scratch and corrosion. Plus, the fine brushing makes a smooth, matte finish.
Custom Compact Layout
With its 96% form factor, this keyboard uses an optimised layout with a full Numpad and function row in a compact frame. It is smaller than full-size keyboards but larger than TKL keyboards, making it excellent for productivity tasks and gaming.
Vibrant Lighting
The RGB of this keyboard is a noteworthy feature we want to highlight in our Glorious GMMK2 96% Review. It has north-facing LEDs shining directly underneath the transparent keycap legends, making them highly readable. Plus, these offer a stunning appearance with superb aesthetics.
Aside from the keycap legends, the sidelights flanking the body of this keyboard offer a smooth, subtle glow.
Hands-on with the Glorious GMMK2 96%
Like all Glorious peripherals, the GMMK2 96% uses the Glorious CORE. This companion software is simple and user-friendly, allowing easy adjustments and customisations.
With Glorious CORE, you can set macros, customise RGB backlighting, and reassign keys. There are also settings for adjusting input latency and polling rate. Plus, you can save three profiles into the onboard memory of the GGMK2 96%.
RGB customisation is on a per-key level, perfect for users who love comprehensive customisation. With its intuitive interface, customising the lighting is a breeze.
We used the keyboard for typing and gaming to share our experience in this Glorious GMMK2 96% Review. This keyboard impressed us since we had an excellent typing experience.
The Doubleshot ABS keycaps offered a high-quality feel on each keypress, while the compact design saved desk space. As a result, we could work more comfortably. Since it retains most keys from a full-size keyboard, typing on the GMMK2 96% was also comfortable.
As we mentioned, the keys were stable, and we did not notice any wobbling or rattling. They offered a satisfying sound when typing, and the dampening foam reduced the noise of the keys.
Gaming was also enjoyable when we used the GMMK2 96%. Although the keys were soft to the touch, they were highly responsive. Using macros and key assignments was beneficial for different games.
Glorious GMMK2 96% Review Summary
The Glorious GMMK2 96% keyboard delivers exceptional value and performance, combining premium features with extensive customisation options. Its compact 96% layout offers a full Numpad and function row, making it ideal for both productivity and gaming, all while saving valuable desk space. The keyboard’s sturdy construction, featuring an aluminium top plate and high-profile design, ensures durability and comfort for long-term use.
Customisation is where the GMMK2 shines. With a hot-swappable design, users can easily swap switches and keycaps to create their ideal typing and gaming setup. The Glorious CORE software further enhances personalisation, allowing users to adjust RGB lighting, reassign keys, and reduce latency for a tailored experience. The RGB lighting is particularly vibrant, with individual key customisation and side lighting that enhances the keyboard’s aesthetic.
Performance-wise, the GMMK2 excels with its responsive switches, stable keys, and sound-dampening features. The pre-lubed Glorious Fox Linear Switches offer smooth, satisfying keypresses, making both typing and gaming a pleasure. The build quality eliminates unwanted noise, thanks to the thick dampening foam and well-lubricated stabilisers, resulting in a superior acoustic experience.
The Glorious GMMK2 96% stands out as a versatile, premium mechanical keyboard that offers both style and substance. Whether you’re a gamer, a typist, or simply a customisation enthusiast, this keyboard delivers on all fronts with an outstanding balance of performance, durability, and aesthetic appeal.
