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We need to talk about laptop keyboards

by Edward Harper

We need to talk about laptop keyboards

Out of everything that goes into choosing a laptop, the keyboard should be near the top of your list of priorities. Performance, portability, the display, and a dozen other factors are all important when you go to buy a laptop, but the keyboard can make all the difference. It's the input you'll probably most interact with, and one that can completely change how you feel using a laptop, despite the fact that the conversation around laptop keyboards largely boils down to preference.

I won't pretend there's some objective ranking of laptop keyboards, because it does come down to preference. My goal here is to help you understand how laptop keyboards work and the differences between them. That way, you can hopefully find a laptop keyboard that works for you, rather than blindly relying on someone's preference for one laptop keyboard over another.

Here's how laptop keyboards work

Simple mechanism, but a lot of variance

Short of a few exceptions, the vast majority of laptops use scissor switch keyboards. The way they work is simple. The switch is comprised of two pieces of plastic, one that's connected to the laptop and remains stable, and another that sits on hinges inside and connects to the key itself. When you press the key, the smaller inner bit collapses in, like a pair of scissors closing. Each of these switches live on top of a silicon membrane with domes that correspond to each key. That dome gets pressed in to complete the circuit and register an input, and then pops back out, returning the key to its resting position.

Despite the fact that most laptop keyboards work this way, there's a ton of variance. Some brands use thicker membranes or stiffer switches, others use taller domes. Some keys float above the laptop by a hair, while in other laptops, the keys sit completely inside the edges cut in the housing. There are three areas where you'll see major differences between laptops depending on these various factors:

  1. Travel distance
  2. Key stability
  3. Key resistance

Travel distance is the easiest one to parse, and it's something that several laptop brands even advertise, so you can get a better idea if you'll like a particular keyboard even if you haven't used it. There are a few things to keep in mind when looking at travel distance. First, a little goes a long way. The difference between 1mm and 1.5mm of travel couldn't be bigger. Additionally, the longer the travel is, the more likely you are to run into other issues. Key stability problems are exaggerated, key resistance can devolve into mushy territory, and an elongated opening in the switch mechanism can leave greater exposure to dust and debris. That's not to say a long travel distance is bad; you just need to keep in mind the other factors at play.

Source: Alienware

Key stability speaks for itself, but it goes beyond the comfort of typing. With scissor switches, they're designed for even pressure from the key, which is why the inner part of the switch is often attached directly to the key. If the keys aren't stable, the mechanism itself isn't stable. Bad key stability feels bad to type on, but it can also be a sign that your keyboard is more likely to stick or develop some sort of issue within the switch itself.

Finally, key resistance, which matters not only when you press a key down, but also when it returns to its resting position. For instance, the keyboard on the Alienware 16 Area-51 has a long travel, but it doesn't feel mushy. That's because there's a lot of key resistance, which returns the key to its resting position quickly. It makes the keyboard feel snappier than most keyboards with such a long travel distance.

Mechanical butterflies

Two big exceptions

msi-titan-18-review-18

Most laptops use scissor switches, but there are two notable exceptions: Apple's infamous butterfly switch, and mechanical laptop keyboards. The butterfly switch isn't something you need to worry about unless you're shopping for a MacBook released between 2015 and 2020. The butterfly switch was meant to be a more stable, more durable replacement for the scissor switch. It wasn't. The mechanism has a high failure rate, largely due to the fact that the U-shaped hinge leaves a lot of room for dust to get under the switch.

However, "mechanical" laptop keyboards persist, and they usually show up on high-end gaming laptops like the MSI Titan 18 HX AI. You need to be careful with mechanical keyboards in laptops, though. When talking about a standalone keyboard, a mechanical keyboard is almost always preferable to a membrane keyboard. Laptop brands know this, and will heavily market the inclusion of a mechanical keyboard, and usually upcharge for it. The problem is that fitting an entire mechanical switch into the space required for a laptop is difficult, and most mechanical keyboards on laptops aren't very good.

The basic mechanism for a mechanical laptop keyboard is very similar to the butterfly switch, but with a bottom housing that vastly increases the travel distance and size of the mechanism. There are some who prefer this type of feel on a laptop keyboard, but you should definitely approach mechanical laptop keyboards with caution. Given enough time, you'll probably have at least a switch or two fail on you. This happens even on regular mechanical keyboards. The difference is that you can't just pop a switch out and insert a new one with a laptop.

Don't discount the layout

More than extra keys

Keyboard on the Legion Pro 7i.

There are a few other elements that go into choosing a laptop keyboard, including the key size, height, and spacing, but that almost entirely comes down to preference. Something a little more concrete is the layout. Of course, there are some laptops with extra keys, and you'll know if you need those. Maybe you need full-sized arrow keys like the Lenovo Legion Pro 7i offers, or a numbe rpad like the Acer Swift Go 16 has. Even if you don't need these extra keys, it's important to keep them in mind as part of the overall key layout.

A centered layout is better for long typing sessions, while an offset layout is better for gaming and productivity apps where you need to use both your keyboard and mouse. Although you may not need the numberpad on the Legion Pro 7i, for example, the fact that there is a numberpad pushes the WASD keys toward the left side and makes the keyboard more comfortable to game on. The aforementioned Acer Swift Go 16 has a numberpad, but that also means you'll be typing on a keyboard offset to the left.

Get pedantic with your laptop keyboard

If there's any place to get overly concerned with details, it's the keyboard on your laptop. It's often an aspect of buying a laptop that falls by the wayside, but the right keyboard can turn a good laptop into a great one — and a great laptop into a bad one. Ultimately, the right laptop keyboard comes down to preference, but that doesn't mean you can't make an informed decision.

Look out for travel distance metrics, question "mechanical" laptop keyboards, and pay attention to any additional keys and how they impact the layout, even if you don't need them. Obviously, putting your fingers on a laptop keyboard is the only way to know for sure if it's right for you, but if you're not able to, this process will at least let you narrow down your options.

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