OmniPoint switches are not as popular as the Cherry Mx switches or banana split switches, but they came into the limelight after SteelSeries mechanical keyboards.
SteelSeries Omnipoint adjustable switches are getting popular rapidly among keyboard enthusiasts because they let you customize the actuation point of each key and they are super fast too.
SteelSeries keyboards including Apex Pro and Apex 7 come with very new OmniPoint switches designed by SteelSeries itself.
We will definitely review SteelSeries keyboards later.
But the question will OmniPoint switches can be considered for gaming and regular typing work?
Or there is some hidden clause that needs to be known.
In this article, We are going to cover an in-depth guide about Omnipoint switches, and their review which will be based on technical factors along with their pros and cons.
I will try to give every single answer regarding these switches so make sure to be till the end for a better perspective.
Let’s get dive into the details!
Table of Contents
What are OmniPoint Switches?
OmniPoint switches are adjustable types of mechanical switches that are designed and constructed by SteelSeries.
Omnipoint switches are considered World’s first and only mechanical switches that can be adjustable due to a magnetic sensor which means you can adjust these switches’ actuation points according to your comfort and desired sensitivity level within a given range.
The adjustable actuation point is the most vital property of Omnipoint switches that makes them unique and stand out from the traditional mechanical switches.
The company also claims that Onmipoint switches have 8x faster response time, 5x faster actuation, and 2x more durable compared to other conventional mechanical switches.
As of now, these switches are exclusive SteelSeries that only comes with Apex Pro and Apex Pro TKL mechanical keyboards.
Omnipoint switches working mechanism is based on the following principal:
- Using magnetic fields (also known as the Hall effect)
- Smoother Linear Feel.
- Adjust actuation point through the SteelSeries software.
These Omni switches are super-smooth, ultra-fast as well as quiet during typing, thanks to their linear switch profile feel.
Omnipoint switches are certainly a backbone of SteelSeries Keyboards and we can’t deny that these switches played a vital role in the immense success of SteelSeries mechanical keyboards.
How the actuation point can be adjusted, how these switches are the fastest and most durable, we will discuss later in-depth in the review section.
OmniPoint Switches Specifications
Apart from the adjustable actuation, there are many other specifications are contoured by Omnipoint switches.
SteelSeries mentioned their keyboards model is based on the Omnipoint switch technology.
Here are the complete specifications of Omni switches I am putting through a table for better understanding:
Specifications | Omnipoint Switches |
Manufacturer | SteelSeries |
Sensor | Magnetic Sensor at every switch. |
Actuation | Adjustable Actuation Point from 0.4mm to 3.6mm. |
Response Time | 0.7 milisecond |
Force | 45cN |
Durability | 100 Million Keystrokes |
Illumination | Dynamic Per Key RGB Illumination |
Omnipoint Switches Keyboards | SteelSeries Apex Pro, SteelSeries Apex Pro TKL |
OmniPoint Switches Review
The SteelSeries keyboards have Omnipoint switches that are said to be made for fast-paced gaming as well as for regular typing.
But the question arises, are these switches really performed excellently in real usage or is there any downsides aspect which need to be revealed.
To get the conclusion I am reviewing these switches on every possible technical benchmark so you would get a more clear idea and it will take you to pick SteelSeries keyboards.
1. Adjustable Actuation
Source: SteelSeries
When you play fast-paced games with other conventional mechanical keyboards, especially with linear switches, you can react as fast as you can and destroys your enemies with only light hands.
It’s certainly good for gaming but in some cases while regular typing, you may encounter accidental key presses due to having a very light actuation force. To overcome this issue, SteelSeries comes with a switch called Omnipoint switch which allows you to adjust their actuation point according to your typing needs.
Omnipoint switches have magnetic sensors at the bottom of the switch to adjust the actuation point. When you press a key it creates magnetic flux, you can see it in the above image.
You can adjust the actuation point in 10 different positions starting from a very light 0.4mm to a hard 3.6mm. It can be adjusted with the help of software provided by the company.
For instance, If you are playing PUBG or any other battle-royale games you can destroy your opponent too fast with the very light 0.4mm actuation. On the other hand, if you doing regular typing work you can set these switches to 3.6mm to avoid errors and accidental key presses.
This is absolutely phenomenal feature introduced by SteelSeries in Omnipoint switches which are going to be very useful in any kind of typing circumstances.
These switches certainly overcome the downside of some other traditional linear switches.
Take a look at this video to know How Omnipoint adjustable switches are different from conventional mechanical switches in practical life:
Source: Linus Tech Tips
2. Faster Resposne Time
Linear switches are best known to offer a fast response time compared to clicky and tactile switches.
But do you know? Omnipoint switches beat their competitor’s single handle by offering 8x faster response time compared to conventional switches, this feature is going to provide more control in the fast-paced games.
By using these switches, probably you won’t give any chances to the opponent to get on the driving seat.
Omni switches can give a neck-to-neck fight to the Silver Speed switches from Gateron and Cherry which are considered the fastest switches in the mechanical switches segment.
Although, the SteelSeries claims its keyboards as the world’s fastest mechanical keyboards with a 0.7ms response time.
By looking at Omnipoint switches’ performance in real usage I can state that these switches are definitely the fastest mechanical switches out there on the market.
Take a look at the below image in which various response time is mentioned for some other mechanical switches.
Source: SteelSeries Website
3. OmniPoint Switches Sound
The sound of the Omnipoint switches is quite similar to Gateron red switches.
As sounds produced by these switches are quiet and deep which is good if we see it from a gaming perspective because a loud and moderate sound profile can irritate some users while playing games.
It can also be best suitable for office work where your keyboard must be silent to avoid unnecessary disturbance.
Well, the sound profile completely comes down to a user preference as some users loved loud and clicky switches whereas some liked silent switches.
If you like silent switches then SteelSeries Omni switches are good to go.
4. Durability
In terms of durability, Omnipoint switches are more durable having 100 million keystrokes which are 2 times more than Gateron and Kailh switches.
These switches can survive up to 100 million keystrokes which is such a good thing because Cherry switches are considered the most durable that have 100 million keystrokes too.
You shouldn’t be concerned about the durability of Omni switches.
There are some factors that can impact the durability of any switch like your typing behavior, water damage, and dust particles if your keyboard is prone to be impacted by these reasons you should take care more from time to time cleaning and servicing.
Well, Omnipoint switches can work seamlessly for a long without any severe issues.
5. Overall Performance
From smoothness and adjustable actuation to fast response time, Omnipoint switches stand out in every technical benchmark.
You will get super-smooth, ultra-fast, and consistent keypresses during typing on these switches.
The feature of adjustable actuation point is really helpful to optimize your gameplay as well as regular day-to-day typing. Actuation is precise and consistent so how can fast you type it can handle easily and provide successful keystrokes.
The magnetic sensor is well-mounted inside the switch and the spring is also sturdier which makes it feasible to do key operations.
These switches consist analog to digital converter (ADC) on each switch, ADC sends the signal to the main chip of the mechanical keyboard.
This entire process is done under 2ms of time so you will not even notice. A well-optimized mechanism to get fast speed.
By analyzing the overall scenario, I can state that Omnipoint switches are proved to be exceptionally well at all essential benchmarks as well as in practical usage too.
What Keyboards have OmniPoint Switches?
OmniPoint switches are made by SteelSeries company so these switches are only exclusive to SteelSeries mechanical keyboards.
Apart from SteelSeries keyboards, I didn’t find any other mechanical keyboards having Omnipoint switches. If I will find I will certainly add those keyboards to this list and update this article.
As of now, here is the mechanical keyboards list that comes with Omni switches:
- SteelSeries Apex Pro
- SteelSeries Apex Pro TKL
You can visit SteelSeries Website to get more details about these keyboards.
How Fast are OmniPoint Switches?
There are certain factors that need to be qualified by a switch to get a fast switch title.
According to SteelSeries, Apex pro mechanical keyboard having Omnipoint switches is the World’s fastest mechanical keyboard due to having 8x faster response time, 5x faster actuation as well as 2x more durable compared to conventional mechanical switches.
Omnipoint switches can respond within 0.7ms with the actuation point of 0.4mm which is drastically less compared to speed switches which have a 6.0 ms response time with a 1.1mm actuation point.
I got this data from SteelSeries’s Official Website.
After looking at this data provided by the SteelSeries, I can say Omnipoint switches are extremely fast switches that can beat any other mechanical switches.
Omnipoint Switches vs Cherry MX
Every mechanical switches often compared with the Cherry Mx Switches because the benchmark cherry has set is always a challenge for other switch manufacturers.
Same scenario happened with the Omnipoint switches as these switches are compared with Cherry by some users and they need to know which one is better.
The most significant difference between Omnipoint and Cherry switches is the actuation force, response time, and durability.
As both switches have positive sides and some negative sides too, so you have to decide which switch fulfill your requirements.
I am putting Omnipoint switches vs Cherry Mx differences through a comparison table:
Technical Benchmarks | Omnipoint switches | Cherry Mx switches |
Manufacturer | SteelSeries | Cherry |
Actuation point | Adjustable from 0.6mm to 3.6mm. | Not adjustable. |
Response time | Extreme Fast response time of 0.7 milisecond. | Fast response time with Speed Silver switches. |
Avaibilty | Limited available only come with SteelSeries Keyboards. | Easily available and have variety of switches for different purposes. |
Build Quality | Good build quality. | Cherry are the kind in build quality and services. |
Durability | Up to 100 million keystrokes. | Up to 100 million keystrokes but Cherry have edge. |
Relaibilty | Less reliable. | More relaible. |
These are the most important differences between these two switches.
As you can see Cherry Mx switches are more reliable, have the excellent build quality, and are durable whereas Omnipoint switches have some unique features like adjustable actuation point, and fast response but they are not easily available and only comes with SteelSeries keyboards.
Conclusion
This is all the information I have regarding Omnipoint switches that I have shared with you.
These switches offers adjustable actuation point, extreme fast response time and more durability which definitely needs to applause but there is some downside too which cant be ignored like there limited avaibilty in the keyboards.
SteelSeries Apex pro price is way expensive having above $200 which can not be affordable by everyone especially students.
You can get exceptionally good mechanical keyboards like HyperX Alloy Elite 2 and Asus ROG Strix Flare under $150. Check out the best red switches keyboard list for 2022.
But I can say Omnipoint switches can be a game-changer in the future if the company will increase their availability and not let them restricted with only SteelSeries mechanical keyboards.
Omnipoint switches keyboard is a great option for the keyboard enthusiast who love to do experiments with their mechanical keyboard.
I hope this post was helpful to you.
Thanks for reading.
Cheers!!
OmniPoint Switches FAQs
Are OmniPoint switches good?
Omnipoint switches are quite good as these switches offer the fastest response time with 0.7ms and adjustable actuation points by setting preferred sensitivity for getting precise control over the keyboard in terms of gaming as well as typing.
Are OmniPoint switches Cherry MX?
Omnipoint switches are not Cherry MX switches but it gives the slight feel of linear red switches because of their smoothness and overall performance. It is different than conventional mechanical switches.
How do I adjust my OmniPoint switch?
You can adjust OmniPoint switches through the SteelSeries software provided by the company, in that software you find an option called current actuation under the configuration setting, by using this setting you can change the actuation point for each key from 1 to 10 parameters.