Logitech has released two new mechanical keyboards as well as an incremental upgrade to its MX Master mouse.
Logitech improves its already excellent MX Master mouse, and the corporation expands its mechanical keyboard audience beyond gamers.
Logitech’s new MX Master 3S mouse ($99, £120, AU$170) isn’t a completely new model like its “S” predecessors, but rather an incremental enhancement. It has a quieter operation and an updated 8,000 DPI optical sensor that, according to Logitech, tracks on most surfaces, even glass, and allows for quicker productivity with high-resolution monitors. The business also revealed two new mechanical keyboards, the full-size MX Mechanical and the “minimalist” MX Mechanical Mini, costing $170 (£170, AU$270) and $150 (£150, AU$230), respectively, alongside the MX Master 3S. All three will be released in May.
The Logitech MX Master 3 is one of our favourite mouse, and the MX Master 3S, while not a significant update, feels better. The mouse is actually quieter to operate than its predecessor, with Logitech claiming that clicks are now 90% quieter. It also has the same accurate feel with smooth, rapid scrolling. The MX Master 3S has the same MagSpeed Electromagnetic wheel as the MX Master 3 (which can “zip” over 1,000 lines in a second) and the same side scroll wheel for faster horizontal scrolling.
If you’re one of those folks who bought a huge computer monitor to amp up your work-from-home setup, the 8,000 DPI sensor (compared to the MX Master 3’s 4,000 DPI) can make a major impact. It’s also worth mentioning that, while being a larger mouse than the more mobile MX Anywhere 3, the MX Master 3S provides a superior ergonomic experience for everyone except those with extremely tiny hands. Logitech released a new, smaller Lift Ergonomic Vertical mouse in April for persons with tiny to medium-sized hands (though those with large hands also seem to appreciate its smaller size).
A new perspective on mechanical keyboards
Other mechanical keyboards from Logitech include the G gaming variants and the retro-modern Pop Keys, which come with eight interchangeable emoji keycaps in the box and storage for four more on the keyboard itself. These new MX Mechanical keyboards are intended for professionals, particularly software engineers, who “fell in love with mechanical keyboards when they first started playing games and now want the same sense of precision and control with their professional desktop keyboard,” according to Logitech.
The MX Mechanical blends the best of Logitech’s gaming keyboard knowledge with its MX Master Series experience, according to Tolya Polyanker, head of the MX Series for Creativity and Productivity at Logitech. When it comes to the switches, it appears to be inspired by the G915 gaming keyboard.
Low-profile mechanical switches on the MX Mechanical and MX Mechanical Mini are roughly half the height of regular mechanical keys. I’ve been using the Tactile Quiet (Brown switches) keyboards, which Logitech claims are the quietest mechanical keyboards they’ve ever made. With each keystroke, they still create an audible clicking noise, and you have to push a little harder on the keys than with Logitech’s basic MX Keys keyboards (the keys still travel more). They do, however, have the smoothness of membrane keyboards and feel like toned-down versions of mechanical keyboards.
To be honest, I’m not a huge fan of mechanical keyboards (my favourite is Logitech’s MX Keys Mini), and I didn’t like Pop Keys. However, I found the MX Mechanical Mini’s Tactile Quiet version to be an intriguing combination that, in a sense, gives the best of both worlds. The MX Mechanical and Mechanical Mini, on the other hand, are substantially more costly than the MX Keys, which cost $100.
Clicky (blue) and Linear (red) switch choices are also available in select countries for both the full-size MX Mechanical and MX Mechanical Mini, according to Logitech. As a courtesy to others around them, most people who work in open-office conditions avoid the noisier blue switch kinds. Linear red switches have a lower spring force than brown switches and are even quieter. They’re popular among gamers because of their quickness.
The MX Mechanical, like Logitech’s conventional MX Keys keyboards, offers smart backlighting with adaptive brightness adjustment based on ambient lighting conditions and an auto-off option to save battery life when not in use. These, like previous MX Series mice and keyboards, are powered by a non-user-replaceable rechargeable battery that is charged by USB-C. You may use the keyboard for up to 15 days before charging it with the backlight on, but if you turn it off, you can use it for up to 10 months.
Logi Options Plus software is compatible with MX Mechanical, MX Mechanical Mini, and MX Master 3S, allowing you to customize individual buttons, use pre-defined or create your own app-specific profiles, adjust tracking speed, and select backlighting effects such as static, breathing, contrast, wave, random, and reaction. All three items come with Bluetooth and the Logi Bolt wireless USB receiver, which is exclusive to the firm.
Unfortunately, the provided receiver is a USB-A dongle that requires a USB-C adaptor for PCs with USB-C ports only. There is no USB-C adaptor provided. The new mice and keyboards, like existing MX versions, can connect to up to three devices and are compatible with Windows, macOS, iPad, Android, Chrome OS, and Linux. Logitech frequently releases Mac versions of its MX Series mouse and keyboards, however, the MX Master 3S and new keyboards are only available in “universal” versions for the time being.
Finally, like many other firms, a percentage of the MX Mechanical and MX Mechanical Mini keyboards’ plastic parts are constructed from post-consumer recycled (PCR) plastic: 45% for MX Mechanical and 47% for MX Mechanical Mini. Logitech also claims that the aluminium top cover for the keyboards is manufactured from low-carbon aluminium and created using renewable energy rather than fossil fuels, resulting in a smaller carbon footprint. The MX Master 3S mouse is also built of PCR plastic, which accounts for 27% of the graphite-coloured variant and 22% of the pale grey version.
