At first we would like to thank CHERRY for sending out a sample of their Stream 3.0 Low-Profile Keyboard for testing and reviewing.

 

 

About CHERRY:

"CHERRY GmbH, with its headquarters in Auerbach in der Oberpfalz, Germany, is one of the world's leading manufacturers of computer input devices with an emphasis on office, industrial and security markets, as well as switches for mechanical keyboards among

others for PC gaming. Cherry GmbH is a 100% subsidiary of the technology group ZF Friedrichshafen AG."

 

Product Features:

 

Durable abrasion-proof laser inscription of key caps

Designed for continuous usage - over 20 mill. confirmations per key

Spill resistant

Plug & Play for easy commissioning with no software installation

Ultra-flat ergonomic top-design for fatigue-free work

Ultra silent. Whisper keystroke for low-noise typing

6 HotKeys for comfortable volume control and the most important Mediaplayer functions

Standard keyboard layout (including cursor and number block)

Blue status LEDs

GS approval

Awarded the "Blaue Engel" environmental seal

 

 

Product Specifications:

 

 

We will continue our journey reviewing affordable CHERRY peripherals with the next product: Stream 3.0; this is a low profile keyboard which does use Cherry SX switches (2.5mm travel), and also sports some multimedia keys which sport membranes. These SX switches are using scissor technology, while the low construction height makes the Stream 3.0 feel like a regular laptop keyboard. The product is shipped inside a slim cardboard enclosure, showing the product as having a German layout (while the actual sample does sport an ANSI layout):

 

 

 

On the bottom area of the box, we will be able to spot the main product features, a list of package contents but also the system requirements:

 

 

 

After unsealing the box and lifting the top cover, we will get to see the keyboard, which is also wrapped inside a transparent plastic bag:

 

 

 

A keyboard manual is also in order:

 

 

 

 

Stream 3.0 comes with a pretty standard design, the exception being the multimedia keys which are placed on top:

 

 

 

The keyboard keys do also feature a specific texture, while the inscriptions are laser-etched; the Stream 3.0 was designed to be spill resistant, something we cannot say about many other products from the same category out there:

 

 

 

The six multimedia hotkeys we have mentioned before are placed right in the vicinity of the F6-F12 keys, for easy access:

 

 

 

In the top right corner of the keyboard, we do have blue LEDs for the NumLock, CapsLock and ScrollLock functions:

 

 

 

On the top frame, but right under the Windows key, we will find a manufacturer logo:

 

 

 

The full numeric pad also recommends this keyboard for office/calculations tasks, while the 2,4,6 and 8 keys also double up as directional keys:

 

 

 

The standalone direction keys are, of course available; by having a slim profile, the keys are mostly flat and allow the user to type really quickly, with little to no noise produced during the process:

 

 

 

The slim design can be also observed when looking on the sides of the Slim 3.0; because of the chassis design and in order to keep manufacturing costs at a minimum, CHERRY did not also include an USB hub for connecting a mouse or other low-powered devices:

 

 

 

 

 

A look on the bottom area of the keyboard does also reveal a simple design, with a large sticker in the middle:

 

 

 

The included rubber grips make sure that the Stream 3.0 will be kept steady on the surface we’ll use it:

 

 

 

As we have seen with many keyboard designs before, two kickstands are available for lifting the product at an angle:

 

 

 

 

The mentioned sticker does come with the product factory code name, the serial number, but also the power rating:

 

 

 

This is clearly not a gaming product, so the manufacturer has chosen not to include a braided cable. The total length of the USB cable is 1.8m:

 

 

 

 

The keyboard can be surely used with the KeyMan utility from CHERRY; in the case of the Stream 3.0 product, we are able to modify the mappings of the function keys:

 

 

 

 

 

 

The application also allows the user to import a previous configuration, export the configuration to a file, assign configurations to specific programs and more:

 

 

 

More options are available to the user when checking the Options section:

 

 

 

Stream 3.0 keyboard from CHERRY does come with an effective low-excursion SX switch design, which allows very fast typing, while keeping the noise levels to a minimum. It does come with a full numeric pad, recommending it for office use (Excel or different other calculation programs) and the included six multimedia keys can be accessed without installing extra software. In order to keep the production costs low, we are not getting custom LED illumination or and USB hub for connecting other low-powered devices.

 

Fans of laptop keyboards will feel right at home with this one and if the black version is not the cup of tea of some people, they can also pick the grey “vintage” version, which is available at the same price point. The product is quite reliable too, each key being rated for over 20 million actuations per key. People which do accidental water spills from time to time at the office would be happy to hear that this product is spill-resistant. Additionally, it has been awarded with the Blue Angel certification, which is given to products and services which have environmentally friendly aspects.

 

When we first started the article, we did mention that it is affordable: this is not a lie since we can pick up the product online for just about 20.5 Euros.

 

CHERRY Stream 3.0 Low-Profile Keyboard is Recommended for:

 

 

We would like to thank again to CHERRY for making this review possible!