Most modern keyboards are of the membrane or scissor design. This enables manufacturers to make them slim & fairly cheap. The quality can vary amongst this style of keyboard, but generally the typing experience is flat & unresponsive.
Mechanical keyboards, however, have individual switches for each key. This enables you to customise the type of typing experience you want, & they can be a much more pleasurable experience to use. A good mechanical keyboard can make a huge difference to your typing experience. It can be a great “bang for buck” decision!
Mechanical key switches can be subdivided into three main types – clicky, tactile or linear.
Linear switches are the simplest ones. They feel the same from the moment you start pressing the key until bottoming out. There is no tactile feedback or noise when hitting the actuation point (the point where the keypress gets registered).
Tactile switches provide tactile feedback, when hitting the actuation point. As you press the key down, you will notice a small bump, which lets you know, that your key press got successfully registered.
Clicky switches provide an additional click sound, when hitting the actuation point. They are great for those who want a distinct indication that of a keypress and for those who love the “clicky” sound.