Keyboard with backlight vs. without

[FragrantHead]

For a Thinkpad T540p - or any of the other current models (T440/p/s, X240, W540) - is there any difference between the backlit keyboard and the non-backlit keyboard, other than the backlight? Do they differ in feel, the amount of key travel, shape or material?

[Ibthink]

They do differ in feel and material - the backlight keyboards has a much smoother material, due to the fact that they are backlighted. This differs however also between the keyboard manufacturers: The LiteOn Keyboard has a slightly different material than the Chicony keyboard. While the Chicony keyboard gets dirty and greasy pretty fast, the LiteOn is muchmore resistant to smudges and dirt. Both keyboards can´t become glossy, since the keys are alsready smooth and not matte. There is no matte texture.

The non-backlight keyboards on the other hand are made of the same matte, textured material as the old classic ThinkPad keyboard. They do get glossy over time.

The feel is different from keyboard to keyboard. IMHO, the LiteOn backlight-keyboard is the best one.