Cherry B.Unlimited 3.0 AES Wireless Desktop Set

Rating: 7.5.

Cherry is one of the most famous brands in the technology industry. From its inception in 1953 and subsequent move to Germany in 1979, it has now been producing keyboards for almost 45 years. While gamers are probably more familiar with Cherry's switches, the company also makes a full line up of complete keyboards, mice and other peripherals. Today, we will be taking a look at the rather business-like Cherry B.Unlimited 3.0 Wireless Desktop Set.

Silence is golden. Over the past 12 months my main keyboard has been a Tt eSports Poseidon Z with Kailh brown switches. I love it in every way except one: It. Is. Loud. During a serious melee, it can sound like a Gatling gun. There are times when I feel sorry for my housemates.

The B.Unlimited is available online in the UK at just under £45. When you consider that Logitech and Microsoft offer a number of options for less than £30, you can see where Cherry has positioned this set.

It uses scissor switch key technology, similar to many laptops. As such, it is much quieter than a traditional mechanical keyboard, but not as silent as some membrane products. Strangely, the Cherry web site has technology pages for mechanical and realkey products, but not SX.

Cherry's set features 128-bit AES encryption – suitably strong encryption for office/banking use.

Features

• Durable abrasion-proof laser inscription of key caps
• USB cable charging function for both keyboard & mouse – even when in use
• Designed for continuous usage – over 20 mill. confirmations per key
• High-quality, pre-charged NiMH batteries from GP with a very low self-discharge
• Almost interference-free wireless 2.4 GHz technology (range of up to 10 metres)
• Data transmission using 128-bit encryption, complying to Advanced Encryption Standard (AES)
• Multi-station capability operation of several wireless products in one room
• 3-button mouse: infrared sensor and adjustable resolution (1,000/2,000 dpi) with ergonomic side panels

Specifications

• Transmission range: ~10 m
• Frequency range: 2.400 GHz – 2.4835 GHz
• Housing colour: Black
• Key colour: Black
• Weights
• Keyboard (with battery): ~883g
• Mouse (with battery): ~145g
• Receiver: ~6g
• Total weight (with packaging): ~1.3Kg
• Storage Temperature: -20°C to 60°C
• Operating Temperature: 0°C to 40°C
• Current Consumption Figures (max)
• Keyboard: 5mA
• Mouse: 5mA
• Received: 30 mA
• Warranty: 2 years
• Keyboard Technology: SX
• Service life: Over 10 million key operations
• Mouse Scanning technology: Infrared (1000/2000 dpi)
• Number of Keys: 3
• Mouse wheel design: Scroll wheel with key function
• Design: Symmetrical
• Unboxing and First Look

The Cherry B.Unlimited 3.0 wireless desktop ships in a compact white box with very little text on the outside. There is a Cherry logo and model name along the top edge. We're used to full retail packaging, so this simple ‘OEM' style box might not be what you see in stores. The back is equally simple. If you want information about the product, you will need to RTM.

Inside, Cherry have included said manual, a smaller cardboard rectangle containing the wireless mouse, a lengthy USB dongle and the USB-to-Proprietary charging cable.

The Keyboard is heavy. For me, this is a good sign, often indicating the quality of the parts being used – and the extra heft gives the whole unit a durable feel. The main keys are separated from the cursor segment and the numerical keypad by vertical lines, reminiscent of a snappable chocolate bar. At first glance, it could easily be a Microsoft office keyboard.

Let's say, straight away, that this is a keyboard for professionals rather than gamers. If you like a mountainous range of macro keys, then you're going to be disappointed. The Cherry B.Unlimited is sleek, with an almost razor-sharp front edge.

It is a full size keyboard with a numpad, on/off switch on the top edge, next to the charging socket. As mentioned, the profile is low, there is an LED battery indicator light at the top right side and a pair of stands at the back to adjust the angle.

There are no dedicated gaming features, but there are four special function/shortcut keys located top-right:-

• Calculator
• Email
• Home Button
• Lock the PC

The keyboard is black with white laser engraved keys. Cherry claim that this laser etching process will last millions of depressions and, seeing them, that's believable. Cherry really let their products speak for themselves, with the German designers clearly choosing durability over bling.

The mouse is symmetrical and has quite a shallow profile – more about this later. The half-empty battery graphic on top let's you know that it has a charge. As well as the on/off switch underneath, the graphics also let you know that you have more than one level of DPI available, from 1,000 to 2,000.

Personally, even on mice with DPI options past 10,000, I still prefer 1,800 for balance across multiple apps so, for me, the 1,000 to 2,000 range is fine. You might not think so, that's why I am highlighting it.

The charging socket is located at the front edge of the mouse, in between the clicker overhangs. If you own a current Apple Magic Mouse, the idea that you might be able to recharge your device while using it, could cause serious envy, so look away now.

The mouse enjoys the same solid construction as the keyboard. Everything about the Cherry B.Unlimited Wireless Desktop Set says quality. Both the keyboard and mouse communicate with your PC using a relatively large 2.4GHz dongle.

As for setup, it is hassle-free and takes seconds. Just put the dongle into any free USB slot on your PC, make sure all the switches are on and everything should pair automatically. The documentation online claims that this keyboard/mouse has a system in place to ensure non-interference with other wireless users – so they can't accidentally pair to yours or hijack your connection.

These peripherals claim to have a wireless range of 10 metres. We tested at 6 metres and found that everything worked at that range. Quite why you'd want to operate a mouse from 10m we're not sure, but it seems to have this ability.

Without needing to be mapped, the 4 special keys on the top right of the PC automatically opened the Calculator, Outlook, Google search page and the Windows Sign-In screen.

I used the keyboard and mouse for almost a week, including typing this review, and I have to say that it took quite a while to get used to it. It's clearly a quality product, but it really feels a lot more like typing on a laptop.  I know that some of you will use a laptop 24×7, but for me a laptop is a transient thing – only to be used when not near a full PC.

As a gamer, I NEED a back-lit keyboard and the same is true for a lot of professional users. Many of you will feel that having a back-lit keyboard is essential when igniting the petroleum at 24:00 hours. We can understand why Cherry haven't done this, give how the batteries would be drained, but still it's a useful feature. Cherry are claiming that its rechargeable batteries will last up to 3 months with normal use.

The B.Unlimited set is not designed for gaming, but given that >90% of our readers do game – we gave it a try.  After downloading around 50GB of demo, we fired up Destiny 2 and engaged the Cabal. As lifetime PC gamers, we hate wasting ammo, opting for the headshot every time.

That's just not possible with this mouse. It also has to be said that this keyboard just doesn't feel right for gaming. So if you're an office worker who wants to frag their way through lunchtime, then you might be OK, but for anything more serious you will do better with a low end gaming keyboard and mouse.

For comparison, I also tried one of my favourite F2P (free-to-play) games, ‘Trove’. It combines elements from construction games alongside PvP/PvE action. Playing Trove, we realised that the B.Unlimited set had found its gaming limit.

After much testing, it's clear that this is a product aimed squarely at professionals/business users, with little cross-over appeal.

Non-mechanical keyboards have a place, the world needs more than just hardcore gaming focused board designs. That said, I really couldn't get on with this set. The action on the keyboard was positive enough but, when typing sentences, we found that our error ratio had increased. You'd expect this in the first couple of hours with a new keyboard, but not after a week.

The mouse itself just feels too small. Its profile is low enough, that when your hand falls into its natural position, your palm is still 1-2cm above the mouse itself. This means you are supporting the weight of your hand all the time.

Encryption is cool, but how many of us are making trades etc on our standard rig?   That said, having 128-bit AES could be a real selling point for some organisations.

Overall, Cherry has gone for an understated look with this functional bundle and it certainly looks up-market.

Unless you're buying a lot of Microsoft/Logitech bundles for office use, we're not convinced about sets.

Experienced users spend a lifetime finding a keyboard that they like and a mouse that suits their hand size/shape. With a budget of £43, you have a range of options with cables attached, but far fewer when you factor in the convenience of wireless.

For a pro-user who wants a little gaming on the side, then this set is worth considering. However, it's far better suited someone with smaller hands.

Cherry has put a lot of effort into the design of this set and the £43 price tag is fitting given the build quality, styling and encryption capability. But at this price point, I would live with wires and choose a back-lit product with more responsive keys and a quicker mouse.

Pros:

• Solid build quality
• Great wireless range
• Long rechargeable battery life
• Laser etching will last
• 128-bit AES encryption

Cons:

• Mouse and keyboard are on the small side
• Mouse weight not suited to gamers
• Priced higher than entry level Logitech and Microsoft wireless options
• Not back-lit

KitGuru says: High quality wireless keyboard and mouse set for design-conscious professionals. As long as they have smaller than average hands.

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