CONFIRMED: CHERRY has refreshed the base of its mechanical switch catalogue with the MX Illuma platform and the new MX Emerald Reef. Reported on 25 October 2026, the launch does not change the brand's classic forces: it aims to improve what the user feels with every key — less wobble, less noise and more even RGB lighting.
The core idea of Illuma is a new housing design. According to CHERRY, as cited by KitGuru, the stem's internal guidance was revised to reduce lateral movement and noise, and integrated lenses now spread the RGB LED light more evenly under the keycap. The contacts remain the brand's Gold Crosspoint design.
MX Illuma Red and Brown: what changes
The MX Illuma Red is linear, with no tactile bump, and a 45 cN actuation force. The MX Illuma Brown is tactile, with a gentle bump mid-travel and a 55 cN tactile force. Both are sold in packs of 36 switches, use the 5-pin format for hot-swap keyboards and are rated for more than 100 million keystrokes.
In practice, CHERRY is refining two profiles that are already benchmarks, rather than inventing new weights. For builders and switch swappers, that means a safer upgrade: the expected feel stays similar, while the housing promises a more controlled travel and less blotchy RGB.
MX Emerald Reef: tactile and quiet
The highlight for people typing in shared spaces is the MX Emerald Reef. Developed with feedback from the enthusiast community, it combines tactile feedback with dampening in both directions of the keystroke — on the way down and on the return — something not every silent switch offers. It has a 41 cN actuation force, a 2.0 mm actuation point, 3.8 mm total travel and a 50-million-keystroke lifespan.
Its look also makes it easy to identify: a turquoise top housing, a light blue base and a neon green stem. It also comes in packs of 36 and includes an integrated RGB lens.
Try before buying a full pack
Alongside the launch, CHERRY introduced the second edition of the MX Experience Box, a sampler with 10 hot-swap 5-pin switches, including the three new models and others such as MX Petal, MX Blossom, MX Falcon and MX Northern Light, in plastic-free cardboard packaging.
Prices reported in Europe, via io-tech and reproduced by PCTestBench, are €17.99 for a 36-pack of Illuma Red or Brown, €22.99 for a 36-pack of Emerald Reef and €14.99 for the Experience Box. STATEMENT / CAVEAT: these are reported prices, not a global official price list, and US availability was still unclear in the coverage consulted — so check price and stock in CHERRY's store before buying.
Gunnar Schreck, CHERRY's head of product management, said the community now pays closer attention to how a switch feels, sounds and looks — and that Illuma and Emerald Reef were designed for that more demanding eye, whether for smoothness, quiet tactility or RGB.
Sources
KitGuru — Cherry expands switch lineup with MX Illuma Red, Brown, and MX Emerald Reef; PCTestBench — CHERRY MX ILLUMA Red & Brown, MX EMERALD REEF Switches; CHERRY — MX SPECIAL switches; TechBuzz Ireland — CHERRY Launches MX ILLUMA and MX EMERALD REEF
Image credit: CHERRY, via PCTestBench, in the illustration of the MX Emerald Reef switch.
Transparency: this article was produced with the assistance of artificial intelligence, based on cross-checking public posts on X and the internet sources listed above. We recommend consulting the original sources to confirm the details.
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