The Logitech MX Mechanical is the company’s first mechanical keyboard released in the MX Master office-focused lineup. What was thought to be a “gaming” thing, is now available for the productivity line, giving users the feel of mechanical switches and its varying typing feedback experience.
Logitech MX Mechanical
The Logitech MX Mechanical is a full-sized wireless mechanical keyboard that comes with the company’s BOLT receiver. which is designed for simultaneous use with other Logitech products. Apart from using the receiver, you could also connect to it via Bluetooth, capable of connecting up to three devices at a time.
Do note that this is a low-profile mechanical keyboard so it features low-profile keycaps, as well as low-profile variant Kailh switches ranging between the tactile Browns, clicky Blues, and linear Red options.
What’s In The Box?
- Logitech MX Mechanical
- USB-A to USB-C charging cable
- Logitech BOLT USB receiver
- User guides and manuals
Keyboard Design
As mentioned above, the Logitech MX Mechanical is a full-sized, low profile, wireless mechanical keyboard that has very minimal bezels on the side. What that whole long sentence means essentially is that it is a keyboard that gives you all the keys you need including the numpad, but tries to cut down on clutter like cables, while giving you more desk space. If you don’t need the numpad, there is a compact version of this board called the Logitech MX Mechanical Mini.
In terms of design, there’s not much to shout about the keyboard, really. It looks like your standard Logitech keyboard with the usual grey colourway. There’s nothing wrong with that, it’s just that there could be some accent/highlight colours here and there to showcase its Master naming, just my two cents.
However, in terms of build quality, that is where the keyboard truly shines. Its top plate is made of aluminum, and the chassis is constructed of solid plastic. It has very minimal flex, and no rattly, creaky sounds coming from the board too. The keycaps are made of ABS material and it does have some grip. Legends are shine-through, so you can see the backlighting (white-only) shine through for when you work in the dark (we don’t recommend that). Stabilizers are decent, but if you don’t like the way they feel, you will not be able to custom tune them as they’re fixed in the board.
Keyboard Features
The Logitech MX Mechanical is a wireless keyboard, so it does have built-in battery. It lets you connect and switch up to 3 devices simultaneously, on both dongle and Bluetooth (either one on dongle and two on Bluetooth, or three on Bluetooth). The perk with using the BOLT receiver is that you would only need one dongle for multiple select Logitech products.
On the top right of the board, there’s the USB-C charging port and power switch, and on the bottom you do get large rubber strips to keep the board in place. There’s also incline feet so the board does offer slight typing angle adjustment (3.5 to 8-degrees).
Software And Customization
Customization wise, there’s not much to play with on the Logitech MX Mechanical. It does have media hotkeys so there’s that. Macro? You won’t find it here. But, with the Logitech Options+ software, you can reassign certain keys to perform different functions. There are specific hotkeys i find useful which are the calculator, emoji menu, and snipping tool.
Typing Experience
The Logitech MX Mechanical that was sent to us was the Kailh Choc v2 low-profile brown switches. It has a subtle tactile bump halfway through the keypress, and it’s rather quiet, and not as aggressive as other tactile switches out there. Pre-travel distance is short, but the bump doesn’t require too much force to allow a keypress.
It’s a light and responsive switch, but it’s just like any other brown switch out there. As compared to the tactile browns, I’d much prefer the linear Red switches. The clicky Blues are an absolute no for me because it’d be too loud, and you’d be your colleague’s target if used in an office setting.
It’s very comfortable to type on as the ABS keycaps give it a good grip and keys are isolated pretty well. Cause of its low-profile approach, it also gives the board less chance of wobbly keys. In terms of noise, the switch is quiet and definitely office-approved. However, sometimes it still does sound like a membrane keyboard to me. Just sometimes, not all the time.
Final Thoughts
The Logitech MX Mechanical is a great keyboard for the office or even at home. Personally, it isn’t for me. But if one day if I ever get a corporate job, I think I might get one of these just to use it as a work keyboard. The Mini version, really, I don’t need the numpad much.
For RM819, the price is a bit steep for some, so I’d suggest to wait for it to go on sale. At a lower price, it might be more digestible, because the features it has are actually not bad. The Logitech MX Mechanical would be great for someone who has a somewhat permanent work setup at home or at the office, and prefers to not have cable clutter on their desk space. If you’re crunching numbers and looking at a lot of data, the numpad would come in handy too.
