I remember back in college one of my buddies bought his first mechanical keyboard. I thought it was a total joke and way too noisy to be worth any possible benefits of the keyboard itself. In fact, I think I openly mocked how loud it was and that I would stick to my MacBook keyboard because having an external keyboard in general seemed ridiculous to me at that time.
Since then, I have grown up, matured quite a bit, and realized that external keyboards are not only wonderful, but have a definitive place within an everyday workflow.
Since my realization, I have had the great pleasure to try many keyboards to determine the right fit for me. To this day, one of my all time favorites is the Logitech MX Keys for Mac. This keyboard has been on my desk for almost two years now and I absolutely love it. I was not looking for a new keyboard at all. But then it happened. I saw the release of the Logitech MX Mechanical and immediately I knew I had to try it.
I chose the middle of the line for type of key (type of click) and I also chose the more compact size. My reasoning behind this was that I wasn’t sure if I was sold out on Mechanical keyboards yet, but I was willing to try, and with writing, I rarely find myself needing to use the numpad on the right-hand side of my MX Keys.
First Impressions
Immediately when I took this keyboard out of the box I was in love with how good the dark grey and black combo looked. I am the kind of person who always buys the space grey or black version of any product (except for my iPad Pro’s Magic Keyboard coincidently enough) and I have to say I was not at all disappointed in the colors in person.
Setup was easy enough, just take it out of the box, press and hold which bluetooth node you want to pair (more on this under “features” below), and click pair on your device.
A nice touch is that this keyboard has both Apple markings and Windows markings (CMD vs Windows button, etc.). This actually was incredibly useful in other tests of laptops I have performed since getting this keyboard.
Lastly, from my first word to my most recent word typed on this keyboard, I have genuinely loved the experience. I feel like a formal apology is due to my college friend who I spoke negatively to about the absurdity of the mechanical keyboard’s clack. Each key types smoother. Each character feels like it has more meaning. Each paragraph feels like it effortlessly falls on the page, or text, or email, or review — but more on that in the next section.
Typing
As I began to explain above, typing on a mechanical keyboard is unlike typing on any keyboard I ever have before. I’m definitely glad that I did not choose the louder keyboard, as I already have people commenting that it sounds like I am fake typing really loud on purpose. Regardless, I am glad I also did not choose the lighter click as I feel as though I probably wouldn’t enjoy it as much. In fact, I find myself now switching between my MacBook Air’s keyboard and my iPad Pro’s Magic Keyboard more frequently when I don’t have my mechanical as it feels somewhat more difficult to type on the keyboards I once held high above the rest.
Features
In addition to the features I have already mentioned, I find it worth it to comment on a handful of other incredible features.
Bluetooth Connectivity
Just like a majority of Logitech’s newer lineups over the last few years, there are three bluetooth channels or nodes on this keyboard. That means you can be simultaneously, yet independently, connected to three devices at the same time. For me, this is usually my iPad Pro, my MacBook Air, and whatever laptop or computer I happen to be reviewing at the time.
Backlighting
This keyboard has a great built in backlight sensor, allowing the keyboard to be perfectly illuminated for whatever work setting. However, if you so choose to manually adjust, the built in keys on the function row make this a breeze.
Function Keys
In addition to the keys mentioned, there is a play/pause button (though notably no next or previous), a mute button, an emoji key, a screenshot key, a mute key, and volume up and down. While I do wish that those next and previous buttons were there, I have learned to work without them.
Price
The MX Mechanical Mini or compact version that I chose is $150. The full size is an extra $20 at $170. There is no pricing differences between key styles.
Competitors
Keychon’s line of mechanical keyboards would be the closest competitor to Logitech’s MX Mechanical keyboard.
Final Thoughts
All in all, this keyboard has been lovely to use so far, and I look forward to using it for a long time coming. Logitech has turned my head towards the world of Mechanical Keyboards, while before I had chosen to actively steer clear. Now, I get the best of the best, a middle click mechanical keyboard and the features of Logitech keyboards I love all in one.
