Logitech MX Master 3 review: A productivity dream

Logitech mice are known for their ergonomics and useful productivity-oriented features, and this culminates in the MX Master 3.

At $ 100, the Logitech MX Master 3 includes Logitech’s signature features like the free scroll wheel and horizontal scroll wheel, in addition to several other buttons.

Logitech MX Master 3: what you need to know

The MX Master 3 is a high-end mouse focused on ergonomics and productivity.

The MX Master 3 follows on from the popular MX Master 2S, which had a similar design and feature set. Logitech adopted USB-C charging in this generation and kept the MX Master 2S’s fast charging technology, announcing 70 days of battery life from a full charge and three hours of use from a minute of charge. .

You can use the supplied unifying receiver to connect to a PC or switch to Bluetooth mode to connect to up to two other computers and switch between them on the fly using the button at the bottom.

The MX Master 3 is available in black or gray.

What is good?

As with previous MX Master series mice, the ergonomics are excellent. Build quality is excellent, with soft-touch matte plastic all around, smooth and precise scroll wheels, and tactile switches but somewhat quiet when clicked.

The mouse prefers a grip, but since I tend to switch to a claw grip, whatever mouse I use, I can confirm that the mouse is also comfortable with a claw grip. .

See also: The best ergonomic wireless mouse

The Logitech Options app for Windows / Mac allows you to customize everything, from pointer sensitivity to gesture shortcuts to Smart Shift sensitivity – that is, the difficulty of using the scroll wheel to switch from mode to mode. ratchet to free scroll mode. Smart Shift works well and quickly in practice, especially after adjusting the sensitivity to your preferred setting. This technology has been handy to use when scrolling through long documents, trying to navigate to a certain location on a web page, and even while writing this article, as there is a lot to scroll while writing.

Logitech has tweaked the scroll wheel technology slightly, now using a magnetic mechanism called MagSpeed ​​to activate the ratchet scroll effect. Previous generations achieved the same effect using mechanical contacts. This new technology keeps the fixed scrolling very tactile and defined while making it extremely easy to scroll through many lines quickly when entering free scroll mode.

The side-mounted horizontal scroll wheel works in web browsers, spreadsheet apps like Excel and Google Sheets, and creative apps like Adobe Lightroom for fine adjustments along sliders. However, in my Lightroom tests, the horizontal dial worked on some watch faces but not others.

Logitech also took over the thumb rest button, which is used for gestures like switching between virtual desktops and opening recently used files. The Options application allows you to assign this button to many other actions.

Another big hitter in Logitech’s gear for quite some time is Flow, included in Logitech Options. This feature allows you to use the same compatible mouse and / or keyboard on multiple computers.

Setting up Flow is pretty straightforward. My two devices have found each other after activating Flow. After that, switching from one computer to another is like connecting a second display. Flow also enables wireless file transfers between connected devices. In my testing using my desktop PC and Dell XPS 13, it worked perfectly: I was able to copy a 200MB file between devices in about a minute. There doesn’t seem to be a limit on file size when transferring, but obviously the larger the file, the longer it will take.

What is not so good?

The MX Master 3 rarely gives you a bad experience, but no product is perfect.

While the MX Master 3 is a bit lighter than its predecessor, I wouldn’t call it light enough to be used for gaming, where a lighter mouse equates to faster reactions and aiming. For comparison, my personal mouse, the Corsair Dark Core RGB, is about 10g lighter than the MX Master 3, and the difference is noticeable. The weight is very comfortable for general use and productivity, but it is a bit slower to drag that weight while playing.

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Other than that, the aforementioned thumb rest button can be a bit difficult to press, depending on your grip on the mouse. It sits just below the middle thumb joint in a palm grip. In order for me to use it, I always had to move my grip a bit. However, this shouldn’t be a problem for users who always keep their hand over the mouse.

Logitech MX Master 3 review: should i buy it?

Logitech has done an amazing job creating a mouse with easy to use features that are genuinely useful and great for productivity. While it doesn’t break new ground when it comes to technology, it introduces a lot of welcome refinements over the previous generation, and I can safely recommend the MX Master 3 for its ergonomics and versatile features.

The Master 3 improves upon the MX Master 2S in every way, including the placement of the back and front buttons, making the gesture button a bit easier to press and making the scroll wheels smoother. However, a case can be made to purchase the previous iteration, the 2S, which only costs $ 60, compared to the Master 3’s $ 100 price tag. There’s probably a deal for some out there, but the more mature version of Logitech’s top end is the MX Master 3.

Overall, this mouse will fit better into the workflow of power users, but at this price, casual users may be able to find a best deal for their money.

If you’re looking for a companion keyboard for your new mouse, check out our guide to the best keyboards to find your place.