Logitech’s latest computer accessories offer a quieter or more tactile way to use your computer, depending on your preferences. The new MX Master 3S is a small update to the existing MX Master 3 mouse with a quieter mouse click and a more sensitive sensor. Meanwhile, the MX Mechanical and MX Mechanical Mini are a pair of keyboards whose mechanical switches should make them more tactile (if slightly higher) than existing MX Keys devices. The MX Mechanical, MX Mechanical Mini and MX Master 3S will ship this month for $ 169.99, $ 149.99 and $ 99, respectively.
The MX Master 3S is very similar to the MX Master 3, which it replaces in the Logitech range. It has an aggressively sculpted design for the right hand, a pair of scroll wheels (one up / down, the other left / right) and three thumb buttons. The big change is that it now uses a sensor with 8,000 DPI, compared to 4,000 last time, and the left and right mouse buttons are now significantly quieter – 90 percent, according to Logitech. There’s still a tactile kick when you click, but it’s more muffled, almost like pressing the Cherry MX Brown instead of the MX Blue switch.
Click. Image: Logitech Clack. Image: Logitech
Despite the higher-resolution sensor, it’s a mouse focused on office work and performance, not gaming, thanks to its relatively low query frequency of 125 Hz. In contrast, gaming mice typically survey at 1000Hz or even 8000Hz in some cases.
Logitech says the MX Master 3S’s higher DPI sensor should help with ever-higher-resolution displays, such as 4K and even 8K, that people use with their computers, while quieter-clicking should be from benefit for anyone who uses the mouse in a general office environment. Personally, I like the tactility of a stronger click, but I see Logitech’s argument. However, the MX Master 3S will replace the MX Master 3 in the Logitech mouse range, so fans of strong mouse clicks may need to act quickly to catch one of the old models before it disappears.
While the MX Master 3S is aimed at users who prioritize silence over tactility, the new MX mechanical keyboards do the opposite. Previously, Logitech’s performance-oriented MX keyboards – the MX Keys and MX Keys Mini – had quiet laptop-style keys. But with MX Mechanical, which will be sold along with MX Keys in the range, Logitech uses switches that are more, well, mechanical.
In particular, they use Kailh’s Choc V2 switches, and available styles include tactile quiet brown switches, snap blue and linear red. These switches have a low profile, so they don’t have that long of full-height Cherry MX switches. If you are more familiar with the experience of typing on a laptop keyboard, then you should feel at home here. Although they have a low profile, they come with some of the advantages of mechanical switches, which include a more tactile feel and greater reliability.
Both keyboards are wireless and are here in full force the trademark of Logitech’s long battery life. You get 15 days of battery life with the backlight on the keyboard or up to 10 months when turned off. The keyboard is equipped with sensors so that its backlight can be turned on when your hands are close, and the USB-C port handles recharging when power is low. Both the keyboard and the mouse can remember three paired devices (they can be connected via Bluetooth or a USB wireless adapter included) and switch between them at the touch of a button.
I’ve been using the MX Mechanical Mini and MX Master 3S for the last few days and so far I’ve been impressed with both as office productivity tools. Obviously, neither is intended as a high-performance gaming peripheral, but instead as an additional option from the standard keyboards and mice that many workers use in their offices and homes. Expect my full thoughts later this week.
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