CHERRY GENTIX Desktop review: Great keyboard, decent mouse with design flaw

Cherry is well known for its CHERRY MX mechanical switches. You may not know that they make various keyboards and mice for other purposes, like the office. While they do not feature mechanical switches, the company has a proven track record in quality.

Estimated reading time: 9 minutes

Our CHERRY GENTIX Desktop review looks at a wireless mouse and keyboard combo with long battery life, customizable keys, and more. Read on for our full review!

NOTE: Even though the CHERRY GENTIX mouse is available in a few wired variations by itself, the keyboard is only available as part of this set. As such, the final ratings will be an average between the mouse and the keyboard, but we’ll explain the split where applicable!

Specifications

The CHERRY GENTIX Desktop we reviewed has the following features and specifications:

• Proven CHERRY technology
• Chic and ergonomic design
• Integrated palm rest
• Flat height
• High-quality standard thanks to robust construction
• Durable key labeling
• 3 stable feet
• Wireless 2.4 GHz technology (up to 10 m range)
• Battery life up to 3 years and integrated battery status display
• Symmetrical 6-button mouse with switchable resolution (1,000/2,000 dpi)

Keyboard
Design	Fullsize layout with number pad
Keystroke life	> 10 million key operations
Anit-slip feet	6 pieces
Status LED	Caps Lock, scroll- and num-key, battery status
Number of additional keys	10
Additional keys function	Windows Lock, Browser, E-Mail program, Calculator, Volume up, Mute, Volume down, Previous title, Next title, Play/pause
Mouse
Design	Symmetrical
Sensor	PixArt optical sensor
Resolution	1000/2000 dpi (adjustable)
Number of buttons	6
Button functions	Right/Left-click, Scroll wheel; Browser forward; Browser back, DPI-switch
Mouse wheel design	Scroll wheel with click
Status LED	DPI, battery status
Other specifications
Interface	Wireless USB
Transmission range	~10m/3.29′
Frequency range	2.4 – 2.4835GHz
Battery life	Up to 3 years
System requirements	USB Type-A, Windows 7, 8, or 10
Keyboard dimensions	456 x 170 x 21 mm (17.95 x 6.69 x 0.83 in)
Mouse dimensions	111 x 69 x 35 mm (4.37 x2.72 x 1.38 in)
Receiver dimensions	19 x 14 x 6 mm (0.75 x 0.55 x 0.24 in)
Keyboard weight	875g (30.86 oz) with battery
Mouse weight	92g (3.25 oz) with battery
Receiver weight	2g (0.07 oz)

What’s in the box

• CHERRY GENTIX Wireless Keyboard
• CHERRY GENTIX Wireless Mouse
• Nano USB receiver
• 3x AAA batteries
• Manual
• 2-year limited warranty

Design

GENTIX Keyboard

If you’ve seen a slim office keyboard, the CHERRY GENTIX keyboard is quite similar. Measuring 17.95 by 6.69 inches, it is just over 3/4-inch thick. Constructed from solid plastic, the top is black while the base is grey. At the front of the keyboard is a translucent grey wrist rest that curves downward. It is pretty small, though but does offer up some wrist support. The CHERRY logo is printed in silver just beneath the surface.

While the GENTIX keyboard has a standard six-row layout with a full-sized number pad, it does have some extra keys. The keys themselves are slim and low profile, not full-height like you’d expect if you’re familiar with CHERRY switches. Located above the number pad are keys for Windows lock, web browser, email, and calculator. The keyboard also has media keys which are located along the bottom, below the space bar. There are three keys for volume control towards the left and three for playback control towards the right. At first, I thought this was an odd layout, but it works quite well with easier access to the volume, mute, skip, and play/pause keys.

The underside of the keyboard is pretty standard as well. There are three kickstand feet along the back with three rubber strips towards the front for added height and grip. Located in the middle towards the front is the AAA battery compartment. Just to the left of this is the on/off switch.

Given the design and typing performance of the keyboard, it scores a 9.5/10.

GENTIX Mouse

I’m used to using larger mice, primarily due to my “man hands.” The CHERRY GENTIX Mouse is much slimmer, sitting at 1.38-inches in height. It has a split design; that is, the two buttons are a single piece that goes down the mouse’s left and right sides. A thin grey strip separates these. With the strip are the mouse wheel/button, DPI button, and the CHERRY logo printed towards the bottom. Both sides have the mouse have a rubber grip, and herein lies the design flaw — at least in my opinion. The grip is nice, but it doesn’t go edge to edge on the sides. As a result, after even a bit of use, I found that my right finger had quite an indentation in it, and it wasn’t comfortable at all. My thumb was generally o.k., seeing as there are two buttons along the mouse’s left side, so I wasn’t pressing against the grip as much as my finger was.

The bottom of the mouse is pretty standard as well, with a PixArt optical sensor, an on/off switch, and a compartment for the AAA batteries and nano-USB receiver. While the mouse works decent enough, the grip style was uncomfortable enough for me not to like using it. Because of this, the mouse gets an 8.5/10 in this section.

Nano-USB receiver

There is one nano-USB receiver for the GENTIX Desktop which allows both the keyboard and mouse to connect to your computer via 2.4GHz signal. It is small and compact, with a red casing and the CHERRY wordmark printed in black on the edge.

Ease of Use

Like most wireless keyboard/mouse combos, the CHERRY GENTIX Desktop is easy to use. Insert the included batteries in the keyboard and mouse, plug the nano-USB receiver into a free USB-A port on your computer, turn them on, and you should be good to go.

Both the keyboard and mouse work out of the box. The dedicated keys on the keyboard work as intended, while the mouse buttons default to forward and back browsing in your web browser. If you want to configure those keys and buttons to different shortcuts or macros, you can do so with the CHERRY KEYS software, but it’s not an absolute requirement.

Software

The optional CHERRY KEYS software lets you program another shortcut or macro to the Fn keys, as well as the email, calculator, web browser, and media control keys. You can also program the two side buttons on the mouse, but not the DPI button. On that note, you can’t adjust your two DPI settings either and are stuck with the default 1000/2000 options. It’s not the end of the world, but some flexibility would be nice.

The software also lets you update the firmware should there be an update. It is pretty straightforward and simple enough to use should you choose to install it.

Performance

As far as performance goes, both the keyboard and mouse (discomfort aside) perform well. Even though they don’t have CHERRY MX switches, I was still able to get around 100wpm on MonkeyType.com with the keyboard. The keys are nice and quiet as well, so you won’t be disturbing your office neighbours if you’re in a more open office environment.

The mouse was responsive. I used it primarily on the 1000 dpi setting, even though I typically use 1600 dpi for the most part. It would have been nice to be able to manually adjust your DPI presets, as mentioned in the software section. Aside from that, I had no real issues with the mouse performance or the macro executions once assigned to the side buttons.

Reception

With it’s 2.4Ghz nano-USB receiver, the CHERRY GENTIX Desktop offers up to 10m (33′) of range. I had no issues using it in a regular desktop setting with the computer close. I also tested it in a large boardroom with the keyboard about 20 feet way from the computer and I had no issues either.

One thing that would be nice, given today’s mobile work environment, is the option for a Bluetooth connection on the keyboard and mouse as well for more versatility. This would make it more useful for laptops without USB-A ports or even smartphones.

Battery Life

We’ll have to take CHERRY’s word on the up to 3 years of battery life, but after a couple of months of use, the keyboard shows no sign of slowing down. I’d assume the mouse is the same, but as mentioned above I didn’t use it nearly as much due to the side grip.

Price/Value

The CHERRY GENTIX Desktop is really reasonably priced at US$50. Unfortunately, the company is in the middle of a restock so it is a bit hard to find at the moment. You can always check on Amazon or find a retailer from the CHERRY website.

As far as value is concerned, I’d actually pay the $50 for the keyboard alone, it’s unfortunate that I wasn’t equally thrilled with the mouse. Since you can’t purchase the keyboard alone, if you do want it, you’ll have to purchase it in this combo.

Photo Gallery

Wrap-up

The CHERRY GENTIX Desktop is a mixed bag. The keyboard is fantastic, nicely designed, and works well. The mouse, on the other hand, works decently enough, however, the side grip design leaves a lot to be desired.

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