After checking out the Logitech’s brand new MX Master 3 mouse aimed toward users how are focused for productivity, if you missed that review, please be sure to check it out, I’ll put a link in the right top corner of this video, today I will be checking out it’s so to speak natural companion – the MX Keys wireless keyboard, look mom, no wires, magic!
I say natural because it was released together with it, and they actually sell them on their website as a combo solution if you want to buy them like that, and as of now I see they’ve stopped offering a free palm rest within that bundle, probably because everything is out of stock as I’m doing this video, so it reverted back to a full price, but that could change again. Enough about that, back to the keyboard itself. As you’ve probably noticed, this model looks very much like their ongoing Craft model, and if you’re interested in checking it out, I’ll put a link to my review of in the right top corner.
And that’s what this model basically is, a spin-off version of it, coming in without that big dial which was placed in the left top corner. Because it’s gone now, they’ve decided to thin down the top area which looks like some kind of keyboards added bar module, and they did that by etching the keyboards main plate into it from the top side, instead of just leaning onto it on the sidewall, as they did with its expensive brother. From the bottom we have that same surface area of it, looking like a long rounded french baguette bread, with a couple of rubber feet, which are also placed on the bottom edge of the keyboard. Besides serving as a standoff and providing a subtle angle for the keyboard, Logitech also put the batteries into this module, presumably the same 1500 mAh ones, while we also have battery LED indicator in the right top corner, and just behind it, there’s an on and off switch and a USB Type-C port for charging it up, unfortunately without a quick charge option as seen on the new MX Master 3.
MX Keys has a familiar face
The keyboard is still really sturdy and well build, has a hefty feel to it with its just above 800 grams of weight, despite that it looks to be pretty skinny. They combined high-quality plastics, probably with metal under-body construction, and although I was also almost tricked to think that this top cover is actually metal based on its looks and finish, it’s not, as well as that upper bar module, which is now also plastic and not metal as in the case of the Craft model. I guess they had to cut corners somewhere in order to justify its much lower price.
Other than that, the keyboard layout is completely the same, starting from the additional control keys which are spread over the function keys at the top, few other dedicated hotkeys for the calculator, print-screen and sleep, together with dual markings for some selected keys covering both the Mac OS and Windows users.
You can also notice that we have three dedicated switches on Logitech MX Keys, labeled from one to three, and those are for switching between different device since this model also support Bluetooth connection, besides the regular one through their wireless unifying receiver, so you can for example in a second jump over to your Bluetooth connected Android device and start typing.
Illimunated keys and ssiccors switches for MX Keys
With the MX Keys Logitech again used a scissor-type of switches with rubber dome onto which we have a low profile, pretty distinctly concave keys that offer a similar typing experience seen on, for example, an above-average laptop keyboard. Although I personally don’t enjoy typing on this kind of keyboard, I couldn’t say that I wasn’t pleased with, on the contrary. I love how the keys pretty firm and direct despite not being mechanical ones, they do provide enough tactile feedback, they are not that mushy, and they don’t wobble at all.
Behind the key-caps we have a pretty subtle white LED back-lighting, which turns on when the integrated sensor picks up any movement around the keys and turns off within 3 seconds if there’s no activity, keeping your battery life as long as possible.
Being a wireless keyboard with illuminated keys, one would expect that the battery life is not that long, and you would be correct since it lasts anywhere from 5 to 10 days on a full charge and with full brightness, of course depending on how many hours you put in it daily, while you would probably get a better result if you would to lower it down, or you can completely turn it off and it that case Logitech for MX Keys claims that it can last you up to 5 months on a single charge.
Logitech MX Keys taking out its bigger brother
The last piece of the puzzle for the Logitech MX Keys is, of course, Logitech’s Options utility, in which you can, besides checking you batter level, remap some of the top hotkeys to something else, the list here is really long, set up your application-specific profiles, tamper with some of the more specific settings and check which devices have you paired with it and under what number.
Although this not a completely new product so to speak, I do like that Logitech based this version out of an existing model which is aimed toward specific niche of users, removed a feature or two and brought the price down by about 100$, making this already great keyboard even more available to a wider range of users. I hope we will see it below the 80$ mark eventually, at least during like a Black Friday or Cyber Monday deals.
That’s it for this time, I hope this Logitech MX Keys review is what you were looking for, and if you have any question feel free to hit me in the comments section of my YouTube video listed above, you can contact me via my social media channels!
