Satechi’s New Full-Size Mechanical Keyboard With Low-Profile Keys

Another day and it’s time for another launch on Satechi’s stand at CES 2025 Las Vegas. The tech and lifestyle accessories brand has announced the new SM3 slim mechanical Bluetooth keyboard with backlit keys. The SM3 is Satechi’s first full-size mechanical keyboard and it works perfectly with both macOS and Windows computers.

The SM3 shares many of the same design features as Satechi’s SM1 model but has a full 108-key layout with a numeric keypad, making it ideal for office use and anyone working with spreadsheets or coding. Having a numeric keypad is so handy if you use a lot of numbers in your work.

Housed in a sleek aluminum enclosure, the SM3 is available in Light and Dark colorways and the keys are backlit with white LEDs that support 14 different lighting patterns and three brightness levels. The SM3 can connect with up to four different devices using a USB cable, Bluetooth or a 2.4GHz USB dongle receiver for low latency wireless reception.

Satechi has designed the SM3 at the intersection of office and gaming use and it comes with low-profile brown switches. The switches have a relatively short travel distance that helps to reduce typing fatigue and encourages more ergonomic typing. The quieter Brown switches make the Satechi SM3 particularly useful for use in open-plan offices where the clacking of a traditional mechanical keyboard could drive colleagues crazy.

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For further customization options, Satechi has added adjustable feet to the base of the SM3 that enable users to tweak the slope of the keyboard to suit personal preferences and reduce strain on the user’s wrists and hands. The adjustable feet also increase the stability of the SM3 when it’s used on an uneven surface.

Satechi has added extra stabilizers beneath the delete, return, space bar and left shift keys to create a more uniform typing experience and reduce the rattle sound on those larger keys. To eliminate the need for disposable AA batteries, Satechi has built a rechargeable 2,500mAh battery into the SM3 that can be charged via the keyboard’s USB-C port.

As well as being compatible with macOS and Windows computers, the Satechi SM3 also supports iPadOS, iOS and Google Chrome OS. The SM3 also has a key press for switching between macOS and Windows operating systems. For Windows users, the SM3 ships with extra modifier keys for Windows that can replace the Mac CMD and Opt keycaps that are fitted on the SM3 by default.

Verdict: I’ve had a chance to try out the SM3 keyboard in advance of its launch at CES. Satechi has ticked every box with this stylish and low-profile keyboard. The overall built quality is excellent and the shine-through keycaps are exceptionally clear and ideal for typing in low light levels. The key travel is a bit longer than I expected from the press release Satechi issued and is somewhere between the feel of a laptop and a conventional mechanical keyboard. The SM3 is the kind of keyboard that Apple should be selling with its iMacs and Mac mini computers. Apple’s Magic keyboard is beginning to look rather primitive so if you want to upgrade your Mac’s keyboard with something more stylish, better connected and with backlit keys, the Satechi SM3 is a great choice at a great price.

Pricing & Availability: Satechi’s SM3 Slim Mechanical Backlit Bluetooth Keyboard is available now for $119.99 on Satechi.net.