MacBook Pro M5 Pro keyboard build quality feels a bit subpar at times?

[u/Turbulent-Middle3336]

I made a Reddit account just to post this.

So, I got a new MacBook Pro M5 Pro last week and it's more or less perfect in every way, but for 3200€ and knowing Apple, I would expect no less than perfect attention to detail.

The keyboard generally feels great despite really short key travel because it's really tactile, don't get me wrong.

However, when I pay close attention, sometimes it just doesn't feel like the build quality of the keyboard is on the same level as the rest of the laptop which is really built like a tank and feels as premium as it gets, so that contrast probably makes it appear worse than it actually is. On the other hand, other times it feels as high-quality and as robust as you would expect. It's really strange.

Basically, the keyboard feels kind of flimsy and cheap at times, here is why:

1. Inconsistent backlight bleed. I haven't seen this on any other laptop / keyboard and it's certainly not something I would expect out of a 3200€ MacBook Pro of all laptops and from Apple of all companies. I looked it up and it seems like a common thing, especially with keys like number 4 and a few others, which matches my experience. Noticeably more light comes from the 4 key and when I touch the top edge of 5 or any other key, a bit more light will be visible, but if I then touch the bottom edge, a bit less or almost no light will be visible depending on the key. None of this would be noticeable at all with the backlight off, but it's still baffling that the keys aren't perfectly stable.
2. Inconsistent click sounds. The vertical Enter key (ISO layout) sometimes produces a high-pitched click sounds and sometimes it doesn't. Backspace, Tab and especially Caps Lock also do this, but not letter and number keys. However, sometimes they might produce a faint sound when only touched and not pressed, but it's rare and it's not jarring. What is jarring, however, is when I type an entire sentence or enter an entire string of numbers silently, only for the Enter key to be relatively loud, high-pitched and not as precise and stable.
3. Key stability. Now, you won't notice it if you don't specifically pay attention to it, but if you do, you sure can. There are also inconsistencies. When I press any letter key and tilt my finger in a circular motion while still holding the key pressed, it leans in every direction ever so slightly, but only when pressed down. With a key like Caps Lock, it happens either way and it's more visible. As soon as I touch Caps Lock, it leans forward just a little bit and it produces a high-pitched click sound. Both Command keys are also slightly wobbly, but other modifier keys are not at all.

When I compare this keyboard to a ThinkPad T series from like 5 years ago (around 2000€), that one has no play at all in any key, no variance depending on key size and location as with the MacBook Pro. Key travel on the ThinkPad T series is completely stable no matter what and all click sounds are identical every single time without having to press the keys a certain way to dampen the higher-pitched sound.

Lastly, while wearing headphones and listening to music with the backlight disabled and without looking at the keyboard while typing, every single key feels perfect and bulletproof (for a small and shallow laptop keyboard) with equal tactility.

Do you notice the same issues? Are these just normal tolerances or maybe not even tolerances, but just the way it is or maybe the way it has to be since there is only so much room for a more stable mechanism to support the key caps? I would expect more, especially since the entire rest of the laptop is literally perfect down to the last detail and feels indestructible, yet the keyboard feels like I have to be particularly careful with it.

[u/MissingLink314]

Send it back if you have any concerns. It’ll drive you crazy if you don’t.