I’ve really pushed the boat out with that headline, but stick with me here…
What feels like an absolute lifetime ago now, a few months after our first confirmed Covid case out here in Australia, I reviewed the Logi MX for Mac! A stunning keyboard with a great suite of accompanying software that I have used, lots, every day since and despite my grubby children dropping honey and many other unknown substances into it, is still a solid performer. When our editor dropped me a note to tell me about the recently released MX Keys S Combo for Mac, I put my hand up faster than a sprinter off the starting blocks! (That’s my vague Olympics reference out of the way!) to grab it for a review.
The main difference, right out of the box, is that this is a kit – not a separate mouse and keyboard as per my last reviews – You get the keyboard, mouse and an ergonomic wrist rest (palm rest) and a USB-C to USB-C charging cable in this kit, all in one environmentally conscious FSC certified paper package.
The same as our previously reviewed MX Keys, this MX Keys S Combo for Mac uses the Logi Options+ app to update, adjust and enhance your workflow. All of the previous features are here with this kit, including a couple of my old faves, the ‘Easy Switch’ keys in the top row of your keyboard, a quick press and you’re connected to another paired device – as a social media manager for my 9-5, I’m on my phone a LOT and the ability to hit the 2nd device button (F14 in my case) and type up replies etc on my iPhone without having to get tapping with my thumbs is a great time saver, then when I’m done I hit the 1st device button and I’m back on my iMac ready to go – super handy.
One thing I realised was missing on the original MX Keys was the emoji key in the function keys row, and the mute key, also up there with the function keys – I noticed this after taking a look at the MX Keys Mini and the Casa Pop Up Desk for social media replies, the emoji button meant I could tap and insert whenever I wanted, like now, for example 🤣 and the mic mute button, post-covid, and we’re all still pulling hours on zoom calls, the mute right there on my keyboard has been a god-send. 😳 (yes, sorry… emojis, love ’em or hate ’em they’re here to stay)
I’ll Give you the lowdown on the Keyboard and Mouse tech specs from the website so that you don’t need to go hunting;
- MX Keys S for Mac
- Rechargeable Li-Po (1500 mAh) battery
- Heads up: If FileVault is on, you might have trouble entering your password at startup or reboot when using Bluetooth. Use the Logi Bolt USB Receiver (not included) instead.
- Connect via Bluetooth®
- Easy-switch: Hook up to 3 devices and switch between them easily
- Backlighting kicks in when your hands are close
- Auto-adjusts to ambient light
- 10m wireless range (may vary based on environment and setup)
- USB-C rechargeable: Lasts up to 10 days or up to 5 months with backlighting off (battery life may vary)
- On/Off power switch
- Caps Lock and Battery indicators
- Works with Logitech Flow technology enabled mouse
- MX Master 3S for Mac
- Rechargeable Li-Po (500 mAh) battery
- Darkfield (sounds like it’s straight out of a sci-fi novel!) high precision sensor technology
- 7 buttons: Left/Right-click, Back/Forward, App-Switch, Wheel mode-shift, Middle click, Scroll Wheel, Thumbwheel, Gesture button
- Customization app: Logi Options+
- Space Gray plastics: 26% post-consumer recycled material for keyboard and 27% for mouse (excluding plastic in printed wiring assembly, receiver, wire, FFC cable, and packaging)
- 1-Year Limited Hardware Warranty
Note, it is denoted as “For Mac” but it will function as a basic Bluetooth connected keyboard / mouse on other operating systems as per Logi’s website.
My Thoughts in Use:
I’ve been using this setup for a few weeks now and I have a few things I love and a few things I love less and a thing or two I’m not sure about yet – but that’s what a review is, isn’t it – my thoughts on this gear. I’ve been super impressed with almost all of the offerings from Logi that I’ve had the privilege to review here on DRN, this combo kit is no exception! The newer mouse button clicks are silky smooth and silent. It’s a high DPI, very precise, and fast-scrolling mouse with programmable buttons (via Logi Options+) in operation it feels the same as my first version of this mouse, but with a dash of refinement.
The Palm Rest, it’s certainly taking some use getting used-to! I guess because the keyboard is naturally built on what I feel is a perfect angle for use, my hands experienced very little discomfort pre-palm-rest, and so adding the rest kinda changed how my hands fell on the keyboard, my (average at best) touch-typing took a little bit of a productivity and accuracy hit, but I’m getting back there now! I do quite like the palm rest, but it may not be for everyone – all I’ll say is, if you’re going from no palm-rest to palm-rest, give it a good while to get used to it, Carpal Tunnel isn’t fun! Do everything you can to look after your body – things I took for granted when I was younger are coming back to bite me now! Not using the right desk setup, a wrist rest, a decent monitor angle etc… Palm Rest gets a tick. It’s also easy to clean should you spill coffee on it! #askmehowIknow
The keyboard, now it’s been the biggest variation for me in this transition from old model to new. The older version has an aluminium chassis, it was much heavier and kinda just felt super solid on my desk, the new version is constructed using post-consumer recycled plastic. I’m not against this, I’m all for it, but it has taken a little while to get used to the new beast – that said, it takes a while to get used to any new input device in my opinion. Is this keyboard, made from plastic, a bad thing? No, it’s a good thing BUT it sounds different, feels slightly less sturdy and I feel like the keys are a slightly different touch, not bad, just different – not unpleasant, maybe a little noisier due to plastic being a bit more acoustic compared with the aluminium chassis? Not sure – maybe it’s all in my mind! The keyboard is solid on the desk, feels to be built really well and it works perfectly. The previous model had beautiful backlighting when you placed your hand near or on the keyboard and I thought that was all through some sort of electrical contact wizardry with the metal chassis, the same beautiful backlighting is present on this plastic one, so I can only assume they use unicorn blood to make it all happen – I don’t mind either way, it works very well!
So, why then do I think this could be the best mouse / keyboard combo ever? Well, Logi took what I thought was the greatest combo, the previous versions of this MX Keys S Combo and made it smoother, quieter and more environmentally friendly! You can also claim a complimentary 1 month free of Adobe Creative Cloud subscription if you would like (check the FAQ’s) so for me, that’s a win! I do have one slight hesitation and that’s the potential longevity factor, I do feel like it’s slightly less well built, but, that could well be just because it’s recycled plastic rather than the previous metal chassis, but I still love it and hope it serves its purpose for years to come! Good job, Logitech!
The Logitech MX Keys S Combo for Mac has a RRP of $399.95 and is available from the Logitech website.
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