Ask HN: Why are smartphone keyboard keys not hexagonal to maximize touch area?

Is it possible to design hexagonally laid out keys with the current layout system? It's very hard for me in my late 30s to relearn a keyboard layout, to be honest. I don't think I would have the patience. But this is a very cool idea, and I have never seen it in practice.

EDIT: Found this on amazon: https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/61HP3WhF05L._AC_SL1200_....

Not sure what to think about that one, though.

Current keyboards have the finger wells and the sloped sides that give a tactile cue to school you in optimal placement. That amazon one has the same qwerty layout but has a small gap before you double key - the degree of double-key is a function of travel, so it depends on key resistance as to the amount of double keying. There is less of a tactile cue on the hexagonal ones, so if the keys are tender = perhaps more double keys. Some keyboards detect off-axis depression and have a built in brake to stall off-axis depression - does the Amazon have that feature? Without buying one to see and test it, it is hard to say. I am sure the keyboard designers at modern US terminal makers would have far more comments/suggestion and criticisms than I would - perhaps an email to support at Cherry et al, would get a response you can post here? https://www.cherry-world.com/ and a pack of 10 assessed.

https://www.techradar.com/news/computing-components/peripher...

Does it really make a difference? In most real and onscreen layouts the keys are staggered as if they were hexagonal.

If you have the same rectangular area for the whole keyboard, offset rectangular keys will provide greater touch area than hexagonal.

Hexagonal keys might provide more accuracy, as they approximate circles more closely while still tiling, but they are going to waste some space at the edges of the area.