Recently announced the launchNews of the new office mouse MX Master 3 and the new keyboard MX Keys that supports Mac useFinally, the author actually experienced whether these two products can promote work efficiency.
With the new MX Master 3 mouse and the new MX Keys keyboard designed for offices, Logitech obviously hopes to make the most commonly used mice and keyboards in the office better productivity tools, so it has specially enhanced them in terms of ease of use, ergonomic design, and long-term use requirements.
MXMaster3
In the design of the MX Master 3 launched this time, if compared with the previous version, the main change is that the original anti-slip texture on the palm rest has been replaced with a spiral line design similar to that used in the MX Vertical. At the same time, the thumb wheel design has been retained, allowing users to operate more conveniently with their thumbs.
As for the quick keys that were originally located behind the scroll wheel, making it a bit difficult for users to tap quickly, they have been moved to the bottom to allow users to operate them with natural gestures.
The shuttle scroll wheel has been changed from its original purely mechanical switching structure to a magnetic attraction and repulsion method. In addition to speeding up the shuttle scroll wheel speed, it can also more clearly switch the scroll wheel rotation mode.
As for the gesture usage, although it is not presented in a vertical holding mode like the MX Vertical, it still retains the ergonomic design of the MX Master series, allowing users to maintain natural gestures for operation, thereby reducing the proportion of wrist injuries caused by long-term use.
MX Master 3 is also equipped with Darkfield tracking technology, which can be used on various surfaces, even directly on glass. The connection mode can be connected via 2.4GHz wireless transmission via Unifying USB dongle or via Bluetooth connection. It can connect to up to three different devices at the same time and switch through quick keys.
The charging method has been changed to a built-in battery design, which can be charged through the front USB-C port. The power can last for up to 70 days, and it supports 1 hours of use after 3 minute of charging. If it is not used normally, the power can be cut off through the bottom switch to avoid unnecessary power waste.
MX Keys
The new keyboard MX Keys, which was launched simultaneously in Taiwan, is a product for use with the MX Master series mouse. In addition to the corresponding key configuration for the Windows operating system, it also supports the use of the macOS operating system. The keys also provide additional key configurations such as "Command" and "Option" corresponding to the operations of the macOS operating system, so it can also attract users of Apple devices.
The keyboard part adopts a thin and flat design, the key surface is slightly concave, and an additional palm rest is provided to make the user's wrist more comfortable during operation.
The overall design seems to be more targeted at users who use laptops as their main work devices. The laptop can be connected in an office environment and used as a desktop computer with the MX Master 3, but it is also no problem for users to use it with iMac, Mac Pro, or general Windows desktop products.
The battery is built-in and is also charged via USB-C. It also provides an additional power switch so that the keyboard can be turned off when not in use, thereby extending the battery life. Under normal circumstances, MX Keys can last for about 10 days with the backlight turned on, and if the backlight function is turned off, it can support up to 5 months of use.
In terms of keyboard backlight design, MX Keys supports automatically turning off the key backlight when not in use. It will automatically light up once it detects the hand approaching, and will automatically adjust the brightness according to the ambient light. At the same time, it reduces the use of plastic materials in the keyboard body by 97%, indirectly reducing carbon emissions by about 64%.
However, the overall weight of MX Keys is relatively obvious, mainly because it provides a higher battery capacity, which corresponds to a longer power usage time. It also supports switching connections with three devices. It can also be connected via a Unifying USB dongle via 2.4GHz wireless transmission, or used via Bluetooth.
The increased weight of the keyboard can actually increase stability during use for some users, so that the keyboard does not shake when typing keys quickly due to being too light, which would affect the overall user experience.
time to market
Currently, MX Master 3 has been on sale in Taiwan since October 10, with a suggested retail price of NT$7, while the suggested retail price of MX Keys is also NT$3990. The palm rest accessory used with the MX Keys keyboard is sold for NT$3990, but Logitech will give it away for free to the first batch of consumers who purchase the MX Keys keyboard.
