Like last year Logitech PopKeys Wireless Mechanical Keyboard All was style and not guaranteed, Logitech’s newly announced mechanical MX keyboards are the opposite of polarity. These are powerful functional keyboards with reasonable feature sets, reasonable designs and reasonable layouts.
That could make the $169.99 MX Mechanical and $149.99 MX Mechanical Mini outliers in the world of mechanical keyboards, often using flashy designs, RGB lighting, and colorful keycaps to grab your attention. But Logitech’s new keyboards deserve attention for their long battery life and well-thought-out feature set, making them a solid upgrade for anyone currently using a laptop-style wireless membrane keyboard.
good things
Good battery life
Pairs for 3 devices
reasonable layout
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bad things
Connection problems with USB receiver
Non-adjustable
No customization options
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For this review, I used the MX Mechanical Mini, which uses a 75 percent compact design, similar to what’s found in most laptops, along with the company’s new MX Master 3S mouse. (Check out my review here .) Meanwhile, MX Mechanical is larger in size and uses a full-size keyboard layout with a numeric keypad. But apart from their layouts, both keyboards are functionally very similar.
Any backlight color you want, as long as it’s white –
The MX Mechanical Mini has a quiet two-tone design that probably won’t attract much attention. On the top is an on/off switch and USB-C for charging, and below that are a pair of reversible feet to tilt the keyboard up at an 8-degree angle. It is lit, but only with white LEDs. While you can adjust how the LEDs blink, they are not RGB and cannot light up your desk like a multicolored Christmas tree. Like some previous Logitech keyboards, the MX Mechanical Mini has sensors to detect if your hands are close and turn on the backlight before you press a key – a handy feature if you’re reaching for the keyboard in a dimly lit room. Everything is very reasonable and well thought out.
This is a low-profile keyboard, meaning the keys are shorter, and there’s not as much movement as a full-height mechanical keyboard. Personally, I prefer my mechanical switches to be full-height, but shorter switches like this one are probably more familiar if you’re used to typing on laptop-style scissor switches like those found on other keyboards in Logitech’s Master series — like the scissor switches. MX. The switches are manufactured by Kailh and there is a choice of tactile brown, tap blue and linear red. My test sample had brown tactile switches.
The keyboard is backlit but only white.
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There aren’t many options for customization here. Unlike Keychron’s low-profile competition keyboard, the Kikron K3 The MX Mechanical Mini’s switches aren’t hot-swappable, though, so you’ll need to remove the soldering iron to replace it. Since they are inconspicuous, many aftermarket keycaps on the market are unlikely to work with them. This isn’t really an amateur keyboard to play with.
Logitech MX Mechanical Mini supports both Windows and macOS (and also happily connects to iOS and Android mobile devices). If you connect via bluetooth, the operating system will automatically detect and adjust the layout, but if you use the USB receiver, you have to do it manually with a hotkey. No choice of keycaps with Windows or Mac icons on them; They were all pressed on the same keys. It sounds a bit messier, but Logitech’s priority is to reduce the amount of plastic shipped in each box. It’s another decision that’s more about functionality than Logitech’s appearance with the keyboard.
MX Mechanical Mini can store up to three paired devices and switch between them with a hotkey. It can connect via Bluetooth, but also comes with a USB-A Logitech Bolt receiver (which Logitech claims offers better security and lower latency). I had some response time issues with the receiver, which Logitech spokesperson Wendy Spander told me could be caused by “cables and metals near the receiver.” Using a short USB extension cable solved the problem completely, as did switching to Bluetooth, but it’s an annoying problem in the first place.
My device came with Kailh switches in a low profile.
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The compact design will be familiar to anyone accustomed to laptop keyboards.
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Battery life is estimated at 15 days With backlight and 10 months with off. This is much better than Kikron K3 , which offers 99 hours with the backlight on or 34 hours with it on. After a week of daily battery use, my battery life has stabilized at 45 percent, indicating that my keyboard will dry a little earlier than the 15-day period. The keyboard charges via USB-C and the battery can technically be replaced if it eventually dies. The cabin is hidden under the label on the bottom, but for some reason, Logitech advises owners not to do the repair at home. There is no way to know the remaining keyboard battery life on the device itself; For that you need to go to Logitech’s Options Plus software.
Plus options Logitech’s latest companion software for computer peripherals. At its simplest, it provides a quick look at the battery life of all your Logitech accessories, but it can also be used to customize the way they work. You can’t reset every key, but you can change what the shortcuts on the top row do, as well as the important group above the arrow keys on the right. It’s a nice combination of customization and accessibility, although it’s a shame that this reset isn’t saved to the keyboard itself and disappears if you plug the keyboard into a PC without Options Plus installed.
The MX Mechanical Mini has a compact design.
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For my typing test, I set the price of the MX Mechanical Mini at $149.99 against the $74 for Keychron’s K3. The Logitech keyboard is more expensive, but the form factors of the two keyboards are very similar and I suspect they would appeal to a similar type of printer. The Logitech keyboard was the clear winner in terms of feel. It may not offer the same great typing feeling as this premium keyboard Keychron’s Q1 , the space bar vibrates a bit, but it’s ahead of the streets before the K3’s relatively mushy feel. It looks fresh and clean, and I can (and have) happily typed on it for hours.
Speaking of which, here’s a typing sound test:
I was also surprised by how bad the Keychron’s keyboard feels compared to Logitech’s MX Mechanical Mini. Pick up a Logitech keyboard and it will feel strong and refuse to bend if you try to bend it. It feels nice and durable in a way that the (recognized) Keychron keyboard doesn’t. If you’re looking for where the extra $75 goes, you’ll find plenty here.
Reasonable choice of switches on the right.
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USB-C port for charging and flipping to change angles.
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Logitech seems to have a very specific type of mass-market user of mechanical MX keyboards. This isn’t a mechanical keyboard for enthusiasts who value flashy designs, quick-swap keys, and full customization.
Instead, its low-profile design and affordable feature set make it feel like a premium alternative to Logitech’s MX Keys keyboards, which share the same layout with laptop-style keys and are slightly cheaper at $99.99-$149.99 – or even Apple’s range of Magic Keyboards, which start at $99.
The Logitech MX Mechanical Mini is a solid and affordable keyboard, with plenty of useful features to get the most out of it. But don’t expect it to offer the best typing experience or the kind of customization that enthusiast mechanical keyboards are known for.
Foto door John Porter/The Verge
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