Logitechs new mouse and keyboard offer a quieter click and more clack, respectively – The Verge

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 minor 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 a more tactile (if slightly louder) counterpart to its 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 a very similar-looking device to the MX Master 3 that it’s replacing in Logitech’s lineup. It’s got an aggressively sculpted right-handed design, a pair of scroll wheels (one for up / down, the other for left / right), and a trio of thumb buttons. The big changes are that it now uses an 8,000 DPI sensor, up from 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 bump when you click the mouse, but it’s more muted, almost like pressing a Cherry MX Brown rather than an MX Blue switch.

Despite the higher-resolution sensor, this is a mouse aimed firmly at office and productivity work rather than gaming thanks to its comparatively low polling rate of 125Hz. In contrast, gaming mice typically poll at 1,000Hz or even 8,000Hz in some cases.

Logitech says the MX Master 3S’s higher DPI sensor should help with the increasingly high-resolution displays, such as 4K and even 8K that people are using with their computers, while the quieter click should benefit anyone using the mouse in a shared office setting. Personally, I like the tactility of a louder click, but I see Logitech’s argument. The MX Master 3S will be replacing the MX Master 3 in Logitech’s mouse lineup, though, so fans of loud mouse clicks might have to act fast to grab one of the old models before they disappear.

While the MX Master 3S is aimed at users who prioritize quietness over tactility, the new MX Mechanical keyboards are doing the opposite. Previously, the keyboards in Logitech’s productivity-focused MX lineup — the MX Keys and MX Keys Mini — have had quiet, mushy-feeling laptop-style keys. But with the MX Mechanical, which will be sold alongside the MX Keys in the lineup, Logitech is using switches that are more, well, mechanical.

Specifically, they’re using Kailh’s Choc V2 switches, and available styles include tactile quiet brown switches, clicky blues, and linear reds. These switches are low-profile, so they don’t have that long travel of full-height Cherry MX switches. If you’re more familiar with the typing experience of a laptop keyboard, then you should feel right at home here. Although they’re low-profile, they come with some of the benefits of mechanical switches, which include a more tactile feel and greater reliability.

Both keyboards are wireless, and Logitech’s trademark lengthy battery life is in full force here. You get 15 days of battery life with the keyboard’s backlighting on or up to 10 months with it turned off. The keyboard is equipped with sensors so that its backlighting can turn on when your hands are nearby and a USB-C port handles recharging when power gets low. Both the keyboard and mouse can remember three devices they’re paired to (they can connect via Bluetooth or an included USB wireless adapter) and switch between them with the press of a button.

I’ve been using the MX Mechanical Mini and MX Master 3S for the past couple of days, and so far, I’ve been impressed with both as office productivity tools. Clearly neither is meant as a high-performance gaming peripheral but instead as a step-up option from the standard-issue keyboards and mice that many workers are using in their offices and homes. Stay tuned for my full thoughts later this week.