Glorious has worked hard to establish itself as a serious player in the market. They recently launched a budget-friendly, lightweight mouse—the Eternal—and now they're following it up with the Glorious Modular (I have no idea what the "B" stands for, but I assume it means membrane) Keyboard, or in short, the {GMBK 75%} keyboard.
Their PR promised "mechanical feeling with membranes, at an aggressive price point." PR statements are usually full of fluff and exaggeration to draw attention away from competitors, but in this case, they were spot on. It's priced at just €60, less than a third of some of the company's top-end models. It even comes with a few tools and a novelty extra key. The only thing missing is a wrist rest, but at this price I didn't expect one, especially since even many high-end keyboards don't include it.
As a 75% keyboard, some of the keys on the right-hand side have been shifted or removed, and the layout is tighter overall. Glorious has still managed to keep a volume knob, which, while made of the same hard plastic as the chassis, feels solid and well-built. The RGB lighting is divided into 10 zones—more than the usual 4 or 6-zone design—but honestly, I'd be fine with just one. There are also side lighting zones, which I don't actually mind.
Despite being a membrane keyboard, you can swap out the keycaps. I didn't even know that was possible, but Glorious made it work and I'm genuinely impressed. Most of all, though, I'm impressed with how it feels.
The biggest drawback of membrane keyboards has always been their mushy, slow, soggy feel, poor switch reset, and general unresponsiveness compared with modern mechanicals. But surprisingly, not this one. To be honest, I actually forgot it was a membrane keyboard and found myself thinking: "These are strange switches, they need some tweaking at the reset point and actuation..." Only to realise, again, that it's membrane. It's a massive improvement over standard membrane keyboards. While hardcore gaming enthusiasts in much higher price tiers will still notice the difference—after all, some switches alone cost as much as this entire keyboard—casual users might not. It feels very close to the real deal, and on top of that, it's resistant to liquids and dust, making it a better option for messy gamers who eat and drink at their desks (which you really shouldn't!).
Being membrane also makes it much quieter than mechanical keyboards. I was surprised to learn the switches are rated for 20 million presses. The Glorious Core software has also improved. It's functional and easy to navigate, though I doubt it'll win any design awards.
Overall, while not the most complex piece of engineering, it delivers exactly what it promises: a budget-friendly membrane keyboard that almost feels like a full mechanical one. Sometimes you don't need to reinvent the wheel, you just need to make a solid product.