I couldn't believe my eyes when I found a mechanical keyboard for $39 — and it's even wireless

I love mechanical keyboards. There is just something about hearing the satisfying clack of keys while working, having the perfect switches to give me the edge I need in games, or an impressive personalized visual design that really ties my desk together. My setup feels truly incomplete without a great keyboard — but this is a bit of a problem.

When I was at college, there was no way I could afford a second keyboard for my dorm room with my student budget. Starting a new semester meant leaving my favorite peripherals at home — I didn’t want to drag my pricey, full-sized wired keyboard around campus with me. But now, I imagine things would have been very different if I'd had the Newmen GM610 around back then.

Newmen GM610: was $34 now $29 @ Amazon
This 60% wireless mechanical keyboard has RGB backlighting with 19 effects, 4 brightness levels, and 5 lighting speed levels. It has double-shot keycaps which are hot-swappable, and it's compatible with Windows, Mac, and Android. View Deal

New year, Newme-n

I was genuinely shocked by the price of the Newmen GM610 when I came to review it — the affordable $39 is a fraction of what you can expect to pay for the average mechanical keyboard. Now consider that the GM610 boasts wireless compatibility, a feature that usually costs about $40 to $50 in itself. There is no need to spend big on a keyboard for the new semester.

There is a lot about Newmen’s GM610 which is impressive, beyond its wallet-friendly cost. For your cash, you get both Bluetooth 3.0 and 5.0 compatibility, connecting up to 3 devices at once. This means your desktop, mobile and laptop could be connected to the board at the same time — its easy to switch between your gaming desktop and school laptop for that classic moment you suddenly remember your overdue paper, mid-gaming session.

Sticking the LAN-ding

Having a light, portable but high performance keyboard is an absolute must for gaming get-togethers. Many PC-centric gamers may well consider a gaming laptop for college. After all, it's less of a stress than carrying a monitor and desktop with you to the next LAN party or tournament.

The GM610 is the perfect companion to a gaming laptop setup— the light and sturdy construction means you can keep it in your bag and simply switch it on when you're ready to play. At just 21 ounces, you'll forget you're carrying it with you. The small size saves on desk space, too — with a compact 61 key format, this will be at home in even the messiest of dorm room desks.

Cheap, but not so cheerful

With this being said, we should address the elephant in the room — a few corners were cut to get this manufactured at such a low price. The ABS plastic case and keycaps might be too much of a drop in quality to stomach over a more premium board. The metallic ping from hitting the keys, reverberating through the hollow casing, might be too much to bear.

Unless it is your thing, the off-white keycaps might be too reminiscent of an early 2000's computer lab, rather than your slick new gaming keyboard. For $39, you are getting a substance over style keyboard.

I completely forgive the Newmen GM610 for cutting costs where it can. By some miracle, the manufacturer was able to build a board with mechanical switches and Bluetooth support, at an accessible price. Bigger companies, take note!

When the alternatives are over $150, there is something so refreshing at seeing an admirable keyboard that does what it says it will on the box. Fun RGB lighting and an extra set of multicolored keycaps are just cherries on top. You can read more about this keyboard in my full review , but suffice to say, the GM610 is my favorite ultra-budget keyboard right now.

More from Tom's Guide

• The Newman GM610 might be my new favorite budget mechanical keyboard — and it costs less than $50
• I used this $80 Bluetooth keyboard for a week and it's a game-changer
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