8 Quality Rubik’s Cubes to Buy and Solve in 2024: A Beginner’s Guide

You’re going to see GANCUBE featured several times on this list and for good reason: they are one of the top manufacturers of speed cubes out there! Having provided continuous innovation and supreme quality in the cube space for nearly 10 years, there’s a reason why GAN cubes are one of the favourite choices for champion speedcubers worldwide.

However, the GAN 356 M is not the flagship model for champions. Rather, it is a speed cube offering premium quality at an accessible price point for casual cubers.

That true GAN quality still well and truly shines through with this speed cube featuring an anti-scratch surface, durable build, and a design equipped for high-speed corner-cutting. The GAN 356 M also features the trademark “GAN Elasticity System” (GES) design with swappable nuts and a fully customisable tensioning system to allow you to optimise the cube for your style. Finally, this speed cube also incorporates 48 magnets total into the construction – magnets being another hot topic of discussion in the cubing world.

Put short, this is the best speed cube for beginners and aspiring cubers looking to break into high-level play. With magnets, customisation, and an incredible level of quality at a very digestible price, there’s no better product to start experimenting with the depth of speedcubing without shattering your bank balance. GAN knows best!

Conversely, for the big spenders, the GoCube is a pricey entry into the hobby that offers and offers HARD on sweet bonuses and endless hours of shenanigans.

On the design side, the GoCube is a solid speed cube, albeit lacking in the true premium quality of GAN and other market leaders. It’s magnetic, sturdily constructed, and even has slightly curved edges (which may or may not appeal to you contingent on your play style). However, it’s in the extras and innovation department that this gadget really excels.

Featuring Bluetooth connectivity and a companion app, the GoCube offers a plethora of extras not often seen in speed cubes. The app is loaded with tutorials, in-depth lessons, minigames, and online competitions to enable players from all over the world to cube together. Furthermore, using careful tracking capabilities and sensors, the app tracks your moves and progress with the GoCube to further enable a modern cubing experience.

It’s not a cheap speed cube, however, it’s a nifty 21st-century twist on the tried-and-true Rubik’s routine. Between the app and all its gamified extras, tracking capabilities, built-in lights, and extra accessories (like a desktop charging port which I must admit does look really nice on display), it’s a speed cube that offers oodles for the old-school veterans while also capturing the hearts of newcomers and teaching them how to solve the mysteries of the cube.

Heading to the other end of the spectrum, the D-FantiX Cyclone Boys Speed Cube brings speedy and smooth cubing for a low price. While it isn’t the cheapest speed cube on the market, it is one of the cheapest that doesn’t offer a budget level of quality.

The D-FantiX Cyclone Boys has customisable tensioning, anti-pop technology to enable corner-cutting capabilities, and a fully stickerless design. (Even at my plebian level of casual cubing, I have a deep disdain for stickered cubes.) About the only thing this speed cube lacks is magnets for that snappy placement.

However, for the price you’re paying, this entry-level cube is a fantastic starting point to speedcubing (and a serious upgrade over basic Rubik’s Cubes). Then, once you catch the bug, you can upgrade to something more heavy-duty!

Maybe you belong to the “no magnets” discipline of cubing? Or perhaps you just want to compare the styles? Either way, the GAN 356 RS is our top pick of professional quality speed cubes WITHOUT magnets.

Now, in my research, by far the predominant opinion amongst speedcubers appeared to be that magnetic cubes are the superior choice. However, whether it’s for traditionalism, personal preference, or whatever else, some people prefer the feel of a magnet-less cube design. And in that instance, the GAN steals the show again.

Beyond the wildly unruly debate of cube magnetism, the GAN 356 RS offers everything that there is to love about the GAN 356 M. It’s durable, digestibly priced, and has tension customisability, corner-cutting, and control up the wazoo! Personally, after my endless dives down the rabbit hole, I’d recommend a magnet-based cube, but I wanted to include an alternative choice for the old-school cubers too.

Ok, now we’re getting into the good stuff. This is GANCUBE’s flagship model: the GAN 11 M Pro Speed Cube! With a price tag that competes with the GoCube but without all the digital extras, it might seem ridiculous to pay this much for a Rubik’s Cube, but please keep in mind that this is a professional speed cube, and a GAN no less. It’s one of the highest-quality speed cubes money can buy.

There is so much magnet tech for improved stability inside this little beast that I couldn’t even begin to break it down! Suffice it to say, GAN has upped the ante and spared no expense in providing the ULTIMATE speedcubing experience. Customisable manual tensioning meets customisable magnet tensioning to enable you to finetune this thing to be the speed cube built for you (with a grand total of 168 configurations!). Plus, it’s ultralight clocking in at only 63 grams (2.2 ounces).

This is a top-quality speed cube built for professionals, competitors, and diehard enthusiasts. If you’re looking for the best of the best in speed cubes, this is it.

Also, I’m gonna demonstrate my true nerdiness here, but I’m simply in love with the provided GAN box for cube protection complete with a one-handed opening system… It’s like a Pokeball for your Rubik’s Cube!

Maybe you want to take the cheapest route into the speed cube game just to see what all the fuss is about. In that case, the QiYi Warrior W Speed Cube is the product for you!

It’s a budget speed cube, however, it still meets all the basic necessities to solve with speed. While there’s no futuristic magnet tech, the adjustable tensioning system still allows for some control over the cube’s speed and stability. It’s stickerless, enables mild corner-cutting, and is an overall decent-quality speed cube with the lack of extras to match the price.

But really, these are all just bonus perks. At the end of the day, it’s a speed cube that costs barely more than a fiver. If you’ve just recently been getting into cubing or want to introduce someone else to it but want to buy something with a smoother feel than the OG Rubik’s Cube, then the QiYi Warrior is a cheap and savvy jumping-off point… into the rabbit hole.

Did I put this in the roundup just for the easy pun…? You betcha! However, it’s a surprisingly beloved speed cube alternative too.

Puns aside, it really is a twist on the formula without strictly reinventing anything. For all intents and purposes, it’s still a 3×3 speed cube, albeit one that requires more deliberation to solve. The distorted nature of the puzzle adds just enough diversity and challenge for veteran solvers without requiring a whole new approach like other magic cube variations.

It’s a stretch (or twist, huehuehue) to call it a “speed cube” as it lacks some core features, but this is more due to the twisted design than anything else. There are no tensioning adjustment options, corner-cutting and other shortcut movements are heavily restricted, and the overall construction doesn’t feel as solid as traditional speed cubes.

On the other hand, it’s a stickerless, fade-proof, and overall easy-to-handle cube with a twist! Buy it for the cuber in your life. They’ll appreciate the novelty and extra layers of challenge.

Why stop at one speed cube when you can have five? Or, more specifically, two and three other quirky shapes!

This speed cube set is more of an addition to your existing 3×3 cube rather than a substitute as there’s no 3×3 included. But instead, you get five times the puzzles! Included in this set is a 2×2 and 4×4 magic cube alongside a Megaminx (dodecahedron puzzle), Pyraminx (pyramid puzzle), and 3×3 Fenghuolun (windmill cube puzzle). All of these are fantastic additions to your cubing arsenal in their own right.

Similar to the CuberSpeed Twist Cube, you’re sacrificing some elements of speedcubing for the novelty of all new puzzle formats. There are no magnets, no adjustable tensioning systems, no high-level corner-cutting competitive play, etcetera etcetera. Plus… these puzzles are stickered <shudders internally>.

However, the upside is that you’re five whole puzzles for roughly the price of one mid-range GAN cube! The construction is still sturdy enough to survive a hot-tempered hurl by a five-year-old, and the new variations of the Rubik’s formula will bring hours of entertainment.