I’ve recently gone back to using a Mac for day-to-day work, and I quickly learned that going back to the Apple Keyboard/Magic Mouse just weren’t going to cut it, so I was very happy to see that Logitech had just dropped new peripherals in its MX Master range. More specifically, I’ve been using the MX Mechanical Mini keyboard and Master 3S Mouse and both are fantastic for a multitude of reasons.
LOGI OPTIONS+ IS A GREAT HUB
Firstly, I wanted to talk about Logi Options+ which is the hub for the MX range and really solidified my great experience with the MX devices. Logitech‘s software has always been pretty brilliant, but this is up there with the most seamless, yet detailed peripheral hub that I’ve used. Instantly after connecting via Bluetooth both the keyboard and mouse instantly appeared and ran me through the plethora of features that are unique to both the MX Mechanical Mini and Master 3S.
You can very easily change a variety of settings available for each product as well as set keystrokes and what each button does for different applications. This is really handy for those that might either go between creative applications such as Photoshop and Premiere Pro, but then want to just do some casual browsing after work. This is great because Logi Options+ manages all of this, so it’ll cleverly swap your saved inputs as you swap between applications.
LOGITECH MX MECHANICAL MINI KEYBOARD REVIEW
This little keyboard is small, but boy does it pack a punch. Unlike other recent Logitech keyboards that I’ve used, there’s no USB dongle included, instead it’s been designed to connect by Bluetooth to up to three devices at any given time. It can be charged with the included USB-C cable and Logitech says it’ll last 15 days on a full charge (with backlighting turned on) or up to 10 months with it off. I obviously haven’t been using it for 10 months, but I haven’t had to charge it yet, which is a great sign.
Logitech has done a great job in making it fit in with the Apple aesthetics with its pale gray design. You’d be forgiven if you thought that this was an official Apple product on first glance, and this goes far beyond the colour of the keyboard.
The Mac version of this keyboard features keys that any Apple user will want such as the CMD and Option keys, but it also takes the is a set further with the top row of keys all being specific to MacOS. The first three top keys are resigned to swapping between up to three different devices, the next two are dedicated to keyboard backlighting (more on this in a sec), the next one is for dictation, then there’s also one for emojis, taking a screenshot, muting your microphone, bringing up finder and then you’ve got your media controls and last but not least, a button to put you in DND mode.
I’m not really one for needing backlighting on a keyboard, but this is the best implementation that I’ve seen on a keyboard. Firstly, it’ll only light up when it’s dark, and then it can also detect when your hands are near, so that it only turns on and off when you’re actually using the keyboard, but it’s the fact that it does go one step further with the motion sensing that actually makes this feature useful. There’s also the ability to change backlighting effects, which are great to have if you’re that type of person.
The MX Mechanical keyboard uses tactile keys, so it provides a solid typing experience that isn’t super noise. The condensed size took a little getting used to, but it really provided a nice amount of feedback without making too much noise which is great for when on calls or podcasting.
LOGITECH MX MASTER 3S MOUSE REVIEW
The Logitech MX Master 3S mouse perfectly compliments the MX Mechanical Mini. Similarly in design, it has a pale grey colouring which perfectly matches both Apple aesthetics a well as the keyboard. The actual shape of the mouse is unique with a thumb wheel on the side as well as an extra little flap where your thumb rests, which not only feels good from an ergonomics point of view but it also acts as an extra button.
My favourite feature though which is new to the 3S model is a softer, quieter click that has 90% less noise than the previous model. When podcasting or on a call, it makes gliding the mouse around and clicking in and out of windows a much less bothersome task. It takes a little bit of getting used to as there’s not a lot of feedback, but it feels sweet once you get the hang of it. As far as tracking goes, it has an extremely precise 8,000 DPI sensor which makes sensitivity incredibly customisable.
The two scroll wheels are both fantastic as well. The primary scroller has a MagSpeed Electromagnetic scroller which allows you to scroll insanely fast, but also stop it at any point, so if you’re looking to get to the end of an article, you can do so with a click flick, but if you’re wanting. to stop mid-way, that’s covered to. Theres also a secondary thumb wheel on the left side of the mouse that you can assign to anything such as scrolling through tabs, or also customise it based on application.
Customisation is a word that I could use a lot with this mouse as just like the MX Mechanical, there’s a bunch of customisable buttons, ranging from the mentioned thumb wheel, to another button on top, to the two side buttons, to the massive clickable button that is placed exactly where your thumb rests on the extra little bit of the mouse that is there for ergonomic reasons.
You’re able to also customise any of these buttons to change what their function does based on which app you’re using, so if you’re in Chrome for instance, the buttons might act as back/forward with the scroll wheel going between tabs, but if you jump over to Photoshop, they might be tied to certain tools with the side scrollbar changing brush size. It all works seamlessly as well.
As far as connectivity goes, just like the MX Mechanical, it can connect by Bluetooth to up to three devices with a button on the bottom allowing you to flick between them. Battery life is rated at 70 days on a full charge with USB-C charging offering 3 hours of use from a one minute charge.
