Logitech MX Keys S

“Logitech has revisited and revised 2019’s MX Keys in the form of the MX Keys S ($109.99). The wireless keyboard is strikingly similar to its predecessor, with minor physical updates that productivity fiends will no doubt appreciate—if they notice them at all. Meanwhile, the star of the show is actually a software update: Smart Actions, the latest addition to Logitech’s Options+ keyboard and mouse software, helps you automate tasks and streamline workflows with a touch of a button. The MX Keys S isn’t cheap, but it occupies a nice niche between generic office keyboards and deluxe mechanical keyboards.”

“The MX Keys S isn’t new enough to justify an upgrade if you own any of Logitech’s recent productivity keyboards, but it combines a fine wireless typing experience with truly helpful software.”

“The new version of the MX Keys doesn’t change much, but it’s still one of the best non-mechanical keyboards on the market. It helps that it gets a small price decrease!”

“The Logitech MX Keys is, hands-down, this year’s best wireless office keyboard. You’d be hard-pressed to find a model with better features for the money, not to mention the unparalleled reputation Logitech has with wireless peripherals.”

“Like the first MX Keys, it comes with a built-in lift or tilt that adds some extra height to the low-profile keyboard if you prefer it, as well as a USB-C port for charging its built-in battery and a power switch in the top right corner.”

“Ultimately, there are simply not enough improvements here to warrant a new purchase for owners of the original keyboard. But if you’re looking for an Apple Magic Keyboard alternative or are in the market for a new productivity daily driver, the MX Keys S is a great low-profile keyboard, if not a top pick.”

“In the end, Logitech decided to keep the hardware of the MX Keys S mostly untouched, and focus on expanding its capability with software. Oh, and it chopped 10 bucks off the price. The result is a keyboard that’s better than the original, but not so much so that it demands an upgrade. (Which is fine, because a lot of the expanded software functionality is coming to the older MX Keys.) That makes it an easy recommendation for anyone who wants a premium keyboard and isn’t a fan of clicky mechanical models, so long as you’re not married to Logitech’s Unifying Receiver module.”

“The Logitech MX Keys represents the company’s newest – and quite pricey – entry into the world of wireless productivity-enhancing peripherals. Designed as a stripped-down version of its Craft keyboard, Logitech’s MX Keys comes in at around £99.99. That may be pretty expensive for a membrane keyboard, but it flaunts enough features to comfortably justify the price.”

“I got one for the office and right away had to get another for home. They’re great just like the MX Master series mouses. Logitech is my go-to brand for computer peripherals and I can’t recommend them enough.”

• Elegant design and form factor
• Smart Actions are a useful addition to customization app
• Responsive backlighting
• Excellent battery life

• Great typing feel
• New auto-brightness
• Lower price

• Incredible battery life
• Jam-packed with functions
• Logitech Options offers oodles of customisation

• Minimal improvement over previous MX Keys keyboard
• Wrist rest is thin, uncomfortable, and sold separately

• Smart Actions is limited
• Iffy Bolt wireless connection

• High price

“Black buttons, slightly concave to accommodate your fingertips, sit atop an aluminum frame to give the keyboard a high-quality, bespoke look, while the Pale Gray unit’s white buttons will certainly invoke Apple Magic Keyboard comparisons.”

“Even though the angle adjustment is fixed, it’s still pretty comfortable to type, sitting at a nice middle ground between angled and completely flat, for avoiding any wrist strain.”

“Measuring 5.2 by 16.9 by 0.8 inches (HWD), it offers an ultra-slim profile akin to Apple’s Magic Keyboard with Touch ID.”

“It roughly measures about 17 inches across and 5 inches deep.”

“The overall construction of the MX Keys is fantastically sturdy, especially given its low profile and slim design.”

“Ergonomic design: the design is mainly ergonomic because it’s a slim profile keyboard, meaning your wrist can sit on a desk or close to it and it’ll be more comfortable than raising them up high.”

“And it has this little feet here that pops up for you to have a more ergonomic typing experience.”

“This keyboard doesn’t have adjustable legs, but it does have this angle that props up the keyboard which I found gave a fairly ergonomic typing experience.”

“You can also see there’s going to be rubber grips everywhere that are going to help prevent the keyboard from sliding around when in use.”

“The keyboard is angled slightly at the back as standard to get your hands in the ideal position, but take note, this is not adjustable.”

“With slightly recessed keycaps, the MX Keys keeps you focused on finger placement during long typing sessions – and while I’ve never been the biggest fan of “deep-dish” keycaps, the little indents here are more than welcome to aid comfort.”

“The MX Keys also boasts a lovely set of multimedia keys on the typical function row, designed to make life far easier than dealing with a FN key. What’s more, the MX Keys has done away with the typical Scroll Lock and Print Screen keys in favour of option keys to switch between the three devices you can have the MX Keys connected to at any one given time.”

“The keycaps are using scissors switches that gets pressed into a membrane button and that’s going to create for a really quiet typing experience.”

“It’s got spherical keys; now these rounded keycaps are like the old MX keys and MX keys for Mac which I’ve got and your fingertips fit right in.”

“It’s got scissors switches. Now these are good because they’re quiet and they don’t piss anyone else off in the room. They’re not very tactile feeling but they’ve got plenty to give and not so much travel like on a mechanical keyboard, so it’s quite easy to type on.”

“This thing is going to be made fully of plastic; that’s going to include the keycaps, this back plate here, the top bar here, and then if we flip over to the back of the keyboard you can also see that this is all plastic with kind of like a matte finish.”

“Its metal top plate makes it look extra classy and premium, although you could argue that should be the case at such a high price point.”

“Taking it in hand, I found it surprisingly light and thin, mainly holding its weight in the raised platform in the back. It’s pretty easy to pick up and move about thanks to the wireless nature, which is perfect for those who like to fidget, and even compact enough for taking on your travels.”

“And then you can also purchase this keyboard in either the full size like we have here or the Mini version.”

“And at 1.7 pounds, it’s just as light.”

“The MX Keys S is available in Graphite or a new Pale Gray hue.”

“The color I have here is the graphite version, but it also comes in a pale gray which has a more lighter setup, or a pure black version.”

“With its clean grey finish and white capitalised keycap font, the MX Keys looks suave, sophisticated and stylish.”

“The keyboard layout has also been slightly updated to include an emoji button (similar to the one on Logitech’s POP Keys mechanical keyboard), a mute/unmute button for calls, and a dictation button for speech-to-text functionality.”

“It’s a solid, no-nonsense design with a full-size layout, unashamedly taking cues from Apple’s Magic keyboard (especially in this white-on-aluminum colorway) while making the keys feel even better.”

“You can see it has this ultra slim layout.”

“For one, the improved backlighting not only reacts to your hands as they approach the keyboard, but also reacts to your environment, automatically adjusting the brightness to suit your surroundings.”

“The keyboard’s backlights are still white only—which is fine, no one’s binding custom Counter-Strike layouts on this thing—and mostly unnecessary if you’re a touch-typist. But the addition of a smartphone-style ambient light sensor is handy, though strangely you still have to use Logitech’s Options+ software in order for it to work (at least according to the packaging). There’s also a battery-saving mode that will automatically shut the lights off when you hit 10 percent.”

“In terms of hardware, the MX Keys S now has “smart illumination,” which automatically adjusts to the surrounding lighting conditions.”

“Logitech included some nice white backlighting with the MX Keys, which helps to bring out the vibrancy of black keycaps and the metal top plate. I’m by no means a sucker for RGB or any form of backlighting, but subtle additions such as this work wonders.”

“The backlighting is adjustable thanks to the multimedia keys present on the Fn row, nicely matching up to those found on the normal Apple keyboards for MacOS. This comes in handy since the MX Keys can work with multiple operating systems.”

“Smart backlighting: it’s got proximity sensors that signal to the keyboard to light up when your hand is near.”

“I edited the waiting part out to shave off a few seconds from the video (I value your time 🙂) The backlights will stay on until the backlight duration timer finishes counting down. So if you set it to 10 seconds, it will turn off 10 seconds later if there is no hand movement. If there’s hand movement the light will stay turned on. Hope that helps ~”

“[what are the time options in the backlight duration?] Pretty much goes up in incriments of 1 min all the way up to 30 mins. + the ‘randomly switch off the lights’ option you can’t turn off.”

“I have it and think the lighting is great. DO BUY MX Keys S.”

“Recharging comes via a USB-C port.”

“…As well as low-energy Bluetooth technology that connects to up to three devices at once, letting you switch among them with a press of a button.”

“The MX Keys S also switches from the Logitech Unifying Receiver to Logi Bolt. Bolt uses Bluetooth Low-Energy as opposed to Unifying’s more typical 2.4GHz proprietary wireless. But since Bolt is also proprietary, and doesn’t work as an access point for Bluetooth or non-Bolt-enabled devices, it’s effectively just a different flavor of Logitech’s teeny-weeny multi-device dongle.”

“The MX Keys S includes both Bluetooth and support for Logitech’s proprietary Bolt wireless dongle (included in the box). It’s easy to switch between three devices with any combination of those connections.”

“Also, this keyboard can work on both the provided USB-A receiver as well as Bluetooth.”

“As it’s wireless, you get the advantage of having not only a super reliable Bluetooth connection but also a Logi Bolt connection too.”

“Along with the Logi Bolt, you also get this USB-C cable measuring about 41 inches, which is just enough for reaching around the back of a desktop PC and charging while in use.”

“But as always I tend to opt for the Logi Bolt; it comes with the keyboard, it’s discrete, and it connects your devices instantly, and better yet, it works with a majority of other Logitech devices too, making connection a quick and painless process.”

“Connectivity you’ve got two options, and that’s Bluetooth or using the proprietary bolt receiver.”

“The bolt receiver is logitech’s update to the unifying receiver.”

“The coolest addition, officially releasing alongside both the MX Keys S and MX Anywhere 3S mouse, is Logitech Smart Actions. In the most basic terms, it’s a macro maker, designed to simplify repetitious actions by combining the required steps into the press of a single trigger key. Smart Actions is meant to automate common tasks but can handle pretty complicated ones if need be.”

“Smart Actions are compatible with other devices that use Options+, so recent Logitech products will also be able to make use of them.”

“Smart Actions are, essentially, suped-up macros. So for example, I can set up a “start my morning” macro and open Outlook, Slack, my RSS reader, and Chrome with a single button press. It also has integration with deeper system settings. You can also change some system settings or rapidly input text in a classical macro fashion. And all of these functions can be layered on top of one another for some more complex behavior.”

“This keyboard’s got some automation available in the Logitech software; it’s called Smart Action, and you can set up some common tasks to activate at the push of a button.”

“Options+ is Logitech’s customization software (available on both Mac and Windows) for all its recent gear. It’s mostly what you’d expect: backlighting adjustments, functionality customization for the top-row function keys, and firmware updates.”

“Logitech’s Options+ software covers pretty much everything you could want to customize for your keyboard, with the one limitation that custom keys are only available on the top row. It allows you to easily assign custom layouts for universal operation, plus bindings keyed to specific programs like your browser or Photoshop, very much like a gaming driver.”

“The MX Keys works with Logitech’s wonderfully intuitive Options software. Options offers pretty much unlimited customisation to change the functions of the Fn keys.It also allows the MX Keys to be used with any Logitech Flow-enabled mouse, such as the MX Master 3, and ensures you can have an extended desktop on two completely different operating systems. It’s quite the nifty piece of kit.”

• Number of Keys: 108
• Interface: USB-C, Bluetooth, 2.4 GHz Wireless
• Key Switch Type: Scissor-Switch
• Key Backlighting: Single-Color
• Media Controls: Dedicated
• Dedicated Shortcut Keys: Yes
• Onboard Profile Storage: No
• N-Key Rollover Support: Yes
• Passthrough Ports: USB
• Palm Rest: None

“It’s compatible with Windows 10 and Windows 11, macOS 11 or later, ChromeOS, Linux, iPadOS 14 or later, and Android 9.0 or later.”

“It’s got Multi-Device support. It’s got these three buttons which mean you can switch devices very easily.”

“I think the backlight duration is great. It’s still far from perfect, but it was enough for me to finally use the keyboard full time. No more stupid backlight flashing from the combination of a short backlight duration and an imperfect proximity sensor like the original MX Keys. Please please PLEASE, return that MX Keys you bought for a refund. Logitech already discontinued it in their online store…”

“As for battery life, Logitech claims up to 10 days of life with backlighting on and up to five months with it off (the same battery ratings as the 2019 MX Keys).”

“The battery life of the MX Keys is also something that will greatly aid productivity. With the backlighting on full blast, it will do just 10 days on a single charge. However, Logitech claims it will last for an insane five months with the backlighting deactivated.”

“These days on a full charge you can get 10 days of battery with the backlighting on and five months to battery without the backlighting.”

“Key travel is shallow, thanks to low-profile scissor switches, but the board is quiet and overall fairly comfortable to use.”

“For a membrane keyboard, the actual key travel is plentiful, and there’s a surprisingly decent amount of tactility to it. Personally, I’d opt for mechanical over membrane every day, but the MX Keys might make some rethink their decisions.”

“There’s going to be practically no wobble on this keyboard. If I press on the edge of the keys these things really aren’t moving, so they’re going to be firmly placed in there.”

“The typing experience on the MX Keys S remains excellent. Logitech uses a combination of a plastic scissor-style bracket and a membrane in order to give the keys a smooth and deliberate travel with mild give, sort of like a really nice laptop keyboard (right up there with my ThinkPad). Typing is quiet and unobtrusive, a definite plus if you work around others. The keys feel much more comfy than the most direct competition, the Apple Magic Keyboard.”

“The keyboard comes with a charging cable and 2.4GHz USB wireless receiver.”

“Instructions for each connection method are mapped out on the inside of the lid with clear visual steps.”

“So the packaging is going to come with a keyboard of course, a Logi Bolt USB receiver, and also a USB-A to USB-C cable.”

“Opening up the box you’ll get the usual simple Eco packaging letting you get straight into the product without any fuss.”

“if you are in the market for a new keyboard, i’d suggest people ensure that whatever one they pick has QMK support because you can do so many fun mods and it has a lot of already established documentation on what you can do with it. There’s even a spongebob mode modification someone made. so You CAn TyPe JuSt LIkE THis WIthOut HaVING To MANUAlLy eDIT THE lOwer oR UpPeRCase AT ALl. JusT tYPe nOrmaLly adn THiS IS ThE kiND OF effEct YoU WILl gET. None OF THe oTherS SUPporT ThIs KinD OF FuN FUNCtiONAliTy ANd arE VerY liMITEd On tHE mAcRos And DiFFeReNt AutoMatiOn yOu can DO OR cHanges yOU CAn maKE In THE FirMWare.”

“At $109, the Logitech MX Keys S is fairly pricey for a non-mechanical keyboard, though more affordable than the $159.99 Razer Pro Type Ultra (our wireless mechanical favorite) or Dell’s $119.99 KB900 Premier Collaboration Keyboard.”

“With a lower price, the MX Keys remains undeniably appealing in its S variant.”

“If you’re a fan of the previous look of the MX Keys, you’ll be happy to discover that there’s nothing physically different here.”

“The new MX Keys S has a little bit more of key travel, I have both currently and I’m sticking with the older version, I like the shorter key travel.”

“I literally bought the old MX keys a week ago, it was having that backlight issue where it just goes on and off when im knowhere near it. Was thinking of doing the workaround where you open it up and disable the proxiy sensor. Luckily saw this new model so returned it and go this one. So far no backlight issue. Although it looks the same the internal hardware looks to have been improved.”

“Thanks for the review it was perfect, I just got the normal MX Keys (not as) today ! then i found out about the new S, thank god the only new thing is the emoji shortcut and the auto backlight, all other functions in the original MX Keys. Great review.”

“Wish the older max had the keyboard lighting shutoff delay. It’s annoying that it keeps turning off right after my hands leave the area.”

“I have the original MX Keys and I’ve used it for years, it works fine but the keys are getting squeeky. I still like it, but I was about to buy the “S” and you’ve swayed me away from it. Thank you.”

“Thanks for the review! You saved me from getting the keyboard only to find out later that the bolt receiver will not work with my existing MX 2S! Cheers!”

“[What makes it S] Biggest changes are switch to the Bolt receiver and customizable backlight duration (finally). Edit: Confirmed that backlight settings persist across different devices with or without the Logi Options+ software, for example, I set it to 1 minute using the software on my PC, switched to iPad, and backlight duration is still one minute.”

“So the MX Keys S is essentially the old MX Keys Business that already used Bolt? Kinda similar upgrade as the MX Master 3S vs MX Master 3 Business, that already had Bolt too (but noiser clicks like the regular Master 3).”

“[How is the color compared to the Logitech Craft, Keys and Keys mini? Readability of the keys without the backlight is important for me; Craft is white text on dark grey, Keys is white text on medium grey, Keys mini ist barely readable with light grey text on medium grey background.] Looking at the MX Keys and the S, it looks to be the same.”

“The MX Keys S will launch with a retail price of $109.99.”

“$109.99 at Amazon.”

“$105.99 at Amazon.”

“A $199.99 bundle that combines the keyboard, an optional wrist rest, and the MX Master 3S is offered but limited to the Graphite keyboard color.”

“As mentioned, a thin wrist rest is an extra-cost option, though I found it not very comfortable—it’s not plush and didn’t support my wrists as much as I’d like, which could be annoying for heavy-handed typists.”

“Using a Smart Action does disable the trigger key to which it’s assigned, so you must choose which function you’ll sacrifice for convenience, but actions are easily toggled on and off within Options+.”

“Bolt and Unifying are not cross-compatible, which is a bit of a bummer if you’ve invested a lot into the latter. But since pretty much every wireless product Logitech makes also includes Bluetooth, you’re still covered even if you’re low on USB-A ports.”

“There are no rubber feet provided, unlike some other wireless standalone keyboards or desktop sets, although the preset angle of the MX Keys is perfectly adequate for a comfortable typing experience.”

“I did not have any issues with it. However, I did say it’s still far from perfect. Here are the cons: -There is no “always on” backlight option for when you’re using the MX Keys S while wired and charging. -After 10 minutes of non-activity past the length of your backlight duration, the keyboard enters sleep mode. This turns off the proximity sensor. So your hands can’t wake the keyboard by approaching it. You need to press a key. The key you press is immediate input and not just to wake the keyboard out of sleep state. So if you press the Windows key, you’ll wake the keyboard AND the start menu will open.”

“I do wish the keyboard came with more than one height option—they’re called feet, Logitech, I know you’ve heard of ’em!—but the stylish low profile of the board is visually striking. If you need a keyboard with more ergonomic sensibilities, look elsewhere.”

“One thing I hate about the MX keys series is that the F keys row is all connected. I’d like to have spaces beteen F4,F5 and F8,F9. I have a sticker on my F5 key for better visibility, but I just can’t blind click F5 to reload because of the lack of a gap.”

“But outside of launching programs, I found its utility limited. I couldn’t, for example, switch my audio device to my headset, switch my microphone input, and open Teams to activate “meeting mode.” And the programs Logitech Options+ chooses to recognize as, well, programs, are very narrow. I use Outlook as a progressive web app (ditto for my RSS reader and Monday), and Options+ couldn’t find the shortcuts necessary to launch them. There was also no option to add them manually.”

“Does anyone have a clue to fix my issue? With Bluetooth everything works fine but I want to use the keyboard also when booting/ restart my laptop. I wanna use the Mx keys mini with the Bolt receiver but it doesn’t work. I’ve tried multiple options: used different bolt receivers I own, reset the keyboard , switched between the 3 connecting buttons,,..  it’s my business laptop and I have no admin access to install the logi options software. Btw with my regular Mx keys (for business) and its logi bolt it works perfectly fine. 🤔”

“I appreciate your review on the Logitech MX S Keyboard.  I just bought it and I really like it. It has great functionality and is comfortable to type. The only issue I am having is sometimes when I’m typing a letter decides to go rough and runs thru – RRRRRRRRRR. Any letter. It doesn’t seem like the key is stuck on the keyboard.  I use it for work and so I’m not able to download the APP on the company computer.  What would you recommend? I would appreciate your advice.”

“perhaps i wasn’t clear enough in the video – i’m saying people who’ve tested this product are saying the ‘always on’ feature is not working properly.”

“@alejandroperez5368  so I tried it out. You’re right. When it’s charging, the backlight turns off after about 5 minutes of inactivity. That’s comfortable enough for me to work. I’ve not even noticed it going off until you asked. But normally, it turns off in 10 seconds. In ten seconds… I barely take my hands off the keyboard and it goes off.”

“There is no on board memory on the MX Keys S. And the Logitech rep that replied to you talking about Smart Actions is clearly an idiot. If your Keys (I’m assuming you mean the original MX Keys) are doing default actions, it means it’s ignoring the Options+ app. But Logitech’s advice is to try something on the Options+ app. Yeah, that very same app your keyboard is ignoring. So you can add “Smart Actions isn’t working with my keyboard” to your list of issues.”

“are you on bolt or bluetooth? not having any problems on mine via bolt.”

“I still will never understand the logic of not allowing users to keep the backlight on when the keyboard is plugged in. I absolutely love all 3 of my MX Keys and my Logi Craft but the backlight turning off all the time drives me crazy.”

“Honestly, at this point, I think they somehow hard coded that part of the keyboard. It has been a complaint for so long that I would have assumed they would have fixed it if they could.”

“I can’t remember what software the original MX keys used but could they not just have added customizable backlight duration there too? Seems crazy to me that they have to release a new model for this. But I guess that’s how they make money.”

“FYI, for the last 3 years Logitech has refused to address a backlighting issue that owners have been tirelessly waiting for. The backlighting turns off after a few seconds, and the proximity sensor isn’t sensitive enough, so when you put your fingers near the keys, they don’t light up right away, which makes you wait or press the wrong keys. You can see this in the video. You may not notice this at first, but it will definitely become a problem after long term use. All they needed to do is make the backlighting timer adjustable like on the new version. So now we have no choice but to spend more money on a new “S” version of the keyboard instead of them making the feature available. Doesn’t speak very highly to their customer service.”

“Does it remember the backlight when you turn the computer on? Or is it full brightness again. Logitech is one of the last companies who couldn’t manage that.”

“It does. But the keyboard is a mess, honestly. Like I say, the lighting will turn on and off at random and the keyboard will show as inactive.”

“There is no microphone in or on the keyboard, so you’ll need to have an external mic nearby if you’re using the keyboard with a desktop PC.”

“All I want is onboard memory macro support to automate a custom string of text. Can it do this? For example, program the F4 key to type out “thefoxrunsfast” when pressed on any of the 3 devices WITHOUT having Options+ installed.”

“The Smart Actions feature is half-baked and auto-brightness has questionable utility, but this updated MX keys design is still one of the best low-profile keyboards out there.”

“Something Logitech always pride themselves on, is their efforts to reduce their impact on the environment. While they’ve taken even more action with the S range making sure to use more sustainable materials than before, giving you peace of mind when upgrading that you won’t get from most other tech brands, it feels incredibly sturdy and well built which is reassuring to note, knowing it needs to withstand constant use for hours at a time every day in the office.”