Review - Logitech MX Keys Mini & MX Master 3S for Mac

You’d be forgiven if you got a bit of a deja-vu when you opened this blog post. Another keyboard & mouse review? This seems familiar. Hasn’t he done one of those before? And honestly, you’d be right. I did one of those before, a little over two years ago. But you know, things change. Besides, after seeing how 2022 had turned out, I just needed a bit of retail therapy. Of course, it didn’t hurt that my company had brought back its WFH reimbursement yet again.

My previous keyboard and mouse had been purchased under the influence of the COVID-19 lockdowns and as such, portability hadn’t been much of a concern. However, a lot had changed since November 2020. My company had returned to working from the office, whilst at the same time moving to a hot desk model, which meant that if you needed a foreign-language keyboard, you had to bring one in yourself. I need a German keyboard, and had helped myself by bringing in my large K780 keyboard from home. But given how bulky that thing is, that had gotten rather annoying over time. So, something smaller was called for. I ended up with my usual peripherals dealer of choice, Logitech. I’d had an eye on their “professional” MX line-up for some time. The design, the functionality, they just seemed like just the ticket for me. The only thing holding me back was the price, but eventually, I just took the hit and about a month before Christmas, both the keyboard and the mouse arrived.

Now, before I get into the actual review, there’s one thing I do need to point out. For some reason, I ended up ordering the MX Master 3S for Mac instead of the regular. I did initially panic, but it turns out that the Mac version works flawlessly with Windows as well. If anyone can tell me what the hell the differences between the MX Master 3S for Mac and the regular MX Master 3S are, I’d be grateful because at the moment, it looks to me like the only difference is in the branding. Hell, the two versions even have the same price tag! Anyway, with that little excursion out of the way, let’s take a closer look at the hardware.

First Impressions

The packaging is par for the course for a mouse and keyboard, although the presentation of the MX Mater 3S inside its package is really quite nice. I’m kicking myself of not getting a picture of that! Ah well, back to the topic at hand. Both the MX Keys Mini and the MX Master 3S look every bit like the premium products they are. What’s more, they feel just as premium as they look, which is probably a bit more important, given the price tag. I was taken somewhat aback by the size of the mouse though. I knew it was going to be big, but I didn’t quite expect it to be this big. Still, it handles pretty well.

One thing that you should be aware of is that, unlike with my K780 and M720, the batteries on the MX series peripherals are built in. Given the battery life I’ve seen from Logitech devices so far, that isn’t much of a bother, especially since both can easily be recharged while in use. That’s right. Unlike some other “premium” mice, *cough* Apple *cough*, the MX Master 3S has it’s charging port in the front, and not on the underside. Goes to show that design and practicality aren’t mutually exclusive. More importantly though, both device, in addition to being Bluetooth peripherals, are also multi-device capable, with each capable of being paired to up to three devices, whether they’re computers, phones or tablets.

As for the individual devices, the MX Keys Mini is surprisingly slim. Most of the electronics, as well as the battery, are integrated into a white bar at the top of the board. This bar also suspends and angles the actual board, making typing quite a bit more comfortable. The whole ensemble is surprisingly compact, without sacrificing comfort, or indeed design, as the keyboard looks really stunning. I was surprised at the weight however. While still being a good bit lighter than my K780, it is still surprisingly heavy, which isn’t necessarily a bad thing. It’s just unexpected.

If the MX Keys Mini is smaller than expected, then the MX Master 3S for Mac is the exact opposite. I think the technical term for a mouse of this size is “chonk”. It’s comfortable to handle despite its size though and actually feels really nice when you use it. Having said that, the horizontal scroll wheel’s position feels a bit awkward to me, but then, that could just be due to me still getting used to its presence. Most importantly though, as mentioned in the introduction, the MX Master 3S for Mac works just fine with Windows 10 despite its “for Mac” branding.

Setup & Use

Setup is as straightforward as I’ve come to expect from Bluetooth devices these days. The MX Key Mini requires a code to be entered when pairing, but even that is pretty damn easy these days. The real strength of both the keyboard and especially the mouse come out with their customisation options, which require Logitech’s Logi Options+ app, either on Windows or on Mac. I highly recommend downloading this in order to really get the most out of these devices.

MX Keys Mini

There's no way around it - The MX Keys Mini simply looks slick!

The keyboard is an absolute delight to use. The key travel is just enough to make typing comfortable, while still remaining shallow enough to fit in with the sleek look of the MX Keys Mini. The keys are clicky and precise and while noticeable, they’re still quiet enough to be used in a shared office environment or a classroom/college environment without causing any distractions. Logitech touts the MX series peripherals as products for “creative professionals”, and from the typing experience, the MX Keys Mini definitely live up to that claim.

The white bar at the top of the keyboard contains most of the components as well as the integrated battery.

The deck is slightly angled, thanks to the equipment bar at the back.

The on/off switch and USB-C charging port are located at the back of the keyboard. And yes, you can use it while it's charging.

Ironically, the biggest weakness of the keyboard seems to be one of the reasons why I bought it: the backlight. Don’t get me wrong, it’s bright and clear, in fact it’s currently on as I’m typing this. The trouble is primarily related to the automated brightness adjustment. The keyboard is supposed to adapt the backlight to the ambient brightness of the environment. In certain lighting conditions this can lead to a situation where the dimmed backlight makes the lettering on the keys indistinguishable from the keys themselves. For someone like me, who currently has issues with typing blind, this is obviously an issue, although it isn’t a game breaker, since the brightness can also be adjusted manually. 

The backlighting is powerful, but can be a bit finicky.

One thing I can’t really talk much about is battery life, since I’ve only had to charge both devices once since getting them, and that was over Christmas. Now, I haven’t been using these devices non-stop. In fact, they currently only come out during the weekend, although I hope to use them more frequently once I finally get back to the office on a regular basis. However, the promises that Logitech makes for the MX Keys Mini, up to 10 days of battery life with the back light on, seems reasonable from my experience. And of course, the keyboard can still be used while it’s charging.

MX Master 3S for Mac

The MX Master 3S for Mac certainly looks like it means business!

It’s time to talk about our resident rodent. Despite being a certified chonk, the MX Master 3S is surprisingly comfortable to use. It fits well into the hand, and the size becomes a non-issue pretty quickly. Having said that, the MX Master 3S did pack a few surprises for me, primarily with the mouse buttons. These are extremely quiet, and that’s the issue. They are too quiet. Whilst this might sound like nit-picking, and while I accept that this might actually be a good thing for people working in an open-plan office environment, I do miss the clickier feedback on more “pedestrian” peripheral, especially since the buttons are also pretty sensitive, with not a lot of travel. The same goes for the side buttons used for special functions. It’s probably just a matter of getting used to it, but it has certainly thrown me off.

The horizontal scroll wheel on the side takes a bit of getting used to, but can be extremely useful. The two side buttons below it, as well as the button in the thumb rest are more natural to use.

The scroll wheel also acts as the middle mouse button. The button below it switches the wheel from precision to fast mode.

The USB-C port in the front allows the MX Master 3S to be used even while charging.

The same could be said for the horizontal and vertical scroll wheels. Don’t get me wrong, they’re superbly machined and extremely precise in their function. I’m just not quite sure about the haptics of these things. I will say this though: They are useful as hell! Shortly after New Year’s Day, I needed to prepare what is referred to in the industry as a metric f**kton of spreadsheets and slide decks for my company’s end of year reviews, and the horizontal scroll wheel in particular was an absolute life saver!

In its promotional fluff for the MX Master 3S, Logitech claims that the 8000 DPI optical sensor allows for high precision tracking, supposedly even on glass. Whilst I haven’t been able to check that last claim, the mouse is as precise as claimed. In fact, I actually had to turn down the sensitivity somewhat, as the cursor would otherwise move far too easily. Then again, this type of precise tracking is what I’ve grown accustomed to from Logitech, their mice have always been extremely precise, even going back to the first peripherals I bought from them in the early 2000s.

Conclusion

I’ve only been using the MX Keys Mini and MX Master 3S for Mac for about a month at this point, and that hasn’t been non-stop either, due to some distracting factors in my private life. Having said that, muscle memory issues aside, both devices are a massive leap up from the K780 or M720. They are both comfortable, as well as looking sleek and modern. What’s more, the MX Master 3S for Mac is as precise as you could ever want it to be. Both peripherals, in particular the MX Master 3S, are highly customisable in Logitech’s Logi Options+ app, which further increases their versatility. All in all, despite some of the haptics hiccups I mentioned above, both the MX Master 3 are definitely a great choice for anyone looking to combine functionality and style.