Cherry MX Blue MX2A vs Cherry MX White
Weight is the real gap here: 30 g between the Cherry MX White and the Cherry MX Blue MX2A at actuation, which is enough to change how a long session ends. Our switch library cross-links them because this matchup keeps coming up. Start with the A/B bursts below, then take the spec table and the picks in order.
Hear them back to back
simulated from real specssound loads on your first tapShortcuts: press A or B anywhere outside a text box to fire that burst. Use the volume trims to loudness-match the pair before judging which sounds better.
Spec by spec
| Spec | Cherry MX Blue MX2A | Cherry MX White |
|---|---|---|
| Type | Clicky | Clicky |
| Brand rates force at | actuation | actuation |
| Actuation force | 50 g | 80 g |
| Bottom-out force | not published | 100 g (our estimate) |
| Pre-travel | 2.2 mm | 2.2 mm |
| Total travel | 4 mm | 4 mm |
| Silent (dampened) | No | No |
| Factory lubed | No | No |
| MX-compatible stem | Yes | Yes |
| Price tier | Mid-range | Mid-range |
| Street price | varies | varies |
Both of these are rated at actuation, which is the one case where the advertised numbers compare directly. Every other force row still has to be matched basis to basis. Cherry publishes no bottom-out figure for the Cherry MX White, so the figure marked "our estimate" is our own derivation from the forces that are published rather than a rating. What actuation force actually measures .
Verdict
This is a clicky versus clicky contest: the Cherry MX Blue MX2A and the Cherry MX White share the same stroke character, which makes the smaller spec gaps decisive. The springs are far apart, with the Cherry MX White at 80 g actuation versus 50 g for the Cherry MX Blue MX2A, a gap you feel within a paragraph of typing. With the numbers this close, the honest tiebreak is the voice: high-pitched two-part click with a faint upstroke rattle on the Cherry MX Blue MX2A, muted, duller click; a clicky that half-whispers on the Cherry MX White. Nothing here separates by use case: the Cherry MX Blue MX2A is our pick for gaming and for typing, and it is the less punishing of the two in a shared room, though neither really belongs in one. Take the Cherry MX White only if you specifically want muted, duller click; a clicky that half-whispers.
- Overall pick
- Cherry MX Blue MX2A
This pair does not split by use case: the Cherry MX Blue MX2A comes out ahead of the Cherry MX White on all three, so there is one pick here rather than three.
Force curves
Cherry MX Blue MX2A
Cherry publishes no bottom-out force for this switch, so the dashed end of the curve is an estimate, not a spec. Everything up to actuation comes from the published numbers.
Cherry MX White
Cherry publishes no bottom-out force for this switch, so the 100 g at the end of the stroke is our estimate and the run into it is dashed. Everything up to actuation comes from the published numbers. How we derive it.
Cherry MX Blue MX2A or Cherry MX White: the long answer
Read the spec sheet once, carefully, and most of this decision makes itself. The springs are a long way apart: 80 g against 50 g at actuation, so the Cherry MX White asks noticeably more of your fingers across a long session. Both are clickies either way, so each announces actuation to your finger and to the room at once. Distance is not the difference: both register at 2.2 mm and stop at 4.0 mm. Everything else about them is close enough that the spring is the honest tiebreak.
Sound is where most people finally pick a side. The Cherry MX Blue MX2A sits at high-pitched two-part click with a faint upstroke rattle; the Cherry MX White answers with muted, duller click; a clicky that half-whispers. Either way, both of these are heard by everyone in the room, so the choice between them is a choice of tone and not of volume. These demos are synthesized from published specs and documented character rather than studio recordings, which every player on the site says plainly.
On price and practicality, both are mid priced. Lube is on you with both of these, which is a real cost in time whichever one you order.
Who buys which, then? One switch takes every axis we score: the Cherry MX Blue MX2A is our pick for gaming and for typing, and the quieter of two switches that both announce themselves. On speed, it wins on a lighter spring at actuation. On typing feel, the click keeps a long session in rhythm, assuming nobody nearby objects. On noise, neither of these belongs in a quiet shared room, and this is only the less punishing of the two clicks. That leaves the Cherry MX White to anyone who preferred its voice in the player above, which is a good enough reason on its own. The player above is the cheapest part of this decision, so use it before your wallet is involved.
Want the full story on either switch? Read the dedicated Cherry MX Blue MX2A page and the Cherry MX White page. Or leave switches aside for a minute and run your current keyboard through the free keyboard tester.
Frequently asked questions
Is the Cherry MX Blue MX2A or the Cherry MX White the better gaming switch?
We pick the Cherry MX Blue MX2A for gaming. Of the two it has the quicker, less intrusive stroke, winning on a lighter spring at actuation.
Cherry MX Blue MX2A or Cherry MX White: which one is quieter?
Neither, honestly. Both are clicky switches that announce every keystroke, so neither belongs in a quiet shared space. If noise is the deciding factor, a silent tactile is the better direction entirely.
Cherry MX Blue MX2A vs Cherry MX White: which one is the heavier press?
The Cherry MX White, and the comparison is clean: actuation on both sides, 80 g to 50 g.
More comparisons
More vs Cherry MX Blue MX2A
More vs Cherry MX White
Or browse every switch comparison on the site.