Logitech MX Master 3 Review

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Brice Edgar - October 1 2020 at 12:06

Swiss computer peripheral giant Logitech recently launched its latest flagship ergonomic mouse, the MX Master 3 in India. The India launch of the product comes about a year after the company announced the mouse on the international stage. Taking a closer look at the product, it is the top of the line Bluetooth mouse that the company is currently offering in the market. MX Master 3 is the successor to the impressive MX Master 2S that we reviewed last year.

The company has teamed up with e-commerce giant Amazon India to distribute the mouse in India. In addition, users can also head to the logitech.com website to make the purchase directly. The MX Master 3 costs $129,52 ; something that sounds extremely expensive for a mere mouse. Though, this pricing is in line with its predecessors. For the price, the device comes with an ergonomic design along with multiple hardware and software-based features. Right before the launch, we got the chance to test-drive the Logitech MX Master 3 for about two months. Here is our review for the flagship Logitech product.

MAIN FEATURES:

Design, in hand-feel and features

The first thing that you will notice about the Logitech MX Master 3 is obviously the unique design. This design may seem alien to regular customers, but it is familiar to all the MX Master lineup users. Logitech has made some noticeable changes to the design on the MX Master 3 when compared to 2S. The company has introduced the new “MagSpeed” electromagnetic scrolling wheel. It claims that this new scroll wheel is faster, and quieter is operation. We also get a total of seven buttons on the mouse including the left and right-click primary buttons.

Moving away from the regular mouse options, Master 3 seems odd for the first few days, especially the hump. However, once you get used to, using the mouse is one of the most effortless and comfortable experiences out there. It is worth noting that the design is meant for users who use the mouse with their right hand. At 18.4mm height and 14.4mm width, the mouse sure is quite large in footprint. However, the ergonomic design makes it much easier to use. Other features include thumb wheel, Flow, USB Type-C port, a 500mAh battery, 2.4GHz Wi-Fi, “DarkField high precision sensor” and 200 to 4000DPI range.

Software

Even though the design and the in-hand feel are what makes any mouse good; one key aspect that pushes MX Master 3 to the top is the software. MX Master 3 can work without dedicated software. However, moments after pairing; the mouse pushes a notification to the OS highlighting the presence of “Logitech Options” software. You have the choice to install this software to customize all the aspects of the mouse or continue without any third-party software. “Logitech Options” drives most software options and customization along with the flow feature.

Logitech Options allows users to back up their mouse customization to the cloud with the help of a Logitech account. However, the primary function that makes this software great is app-based pre-defined settings. The software comes with pre-defined settings for seven popular apps. These include Google Chrome, Microsoft Edge, Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Photoshop, and Premiere Pro. The pre-defined settings ensure that all the buttons are mapped to custom functions in these seven apps. In fact, you can also create pre-defined settings for the app of your choice. During the setup, the software offers the user, the option to install these profiles for the apps of their choice.

Logitech Options app features three tabs including “Mouse”, “Point & Scroll”, and “Flow” on the top left. We also get access to pre-defined settings for all the apps on the top right corner. The bottom of the app offers a glance at all the paired devices, the currently connected device along with the battery level. One can access their profile from the bottom right corner of the app. When the battery is running low, the app will also show a screen overlay to warn users. You can visit the tabs to customize the mouse functionality.

Performance of the Logitech MX Master 3

MX Master 3 is one of the rare products that will increase your productivity with its customization options. The best part about all this is that the customization is extremely user friendly. This aspect invites one to make changes to their workflow, eliminating seconds each time. All this is done by condensing keyboard shortcuts into mouse button presses. The robust connectivity makes the MX Master ideal for both gaming as well as productivity tasks. During my two months with the mouse, I did not find any issues with the mouse in terms of connectivity or usage while gaming, using Photoshop or extreme web browsing.

Within mere days of starting the review, the MX Master 3 became an indispensable part of my workflow. It offered small, but significant bumps in productivity which add over the course of a day, week, and a month. The wide-range of DPI sensitivity controls also made sure that I could fine-tune the mouse movement on my 27-inch screen or the 15-inch laptop. Logitech has also added a LED light right next to the thumb-wheel to indicate the connectivity or charging status.

The MagSpeed scrolling wheel offering noticeable improvements in speed along with quiet operation when compared with my wired Logitech G502 gaming mouse. It also allowed me to either scroll one line at a time with precise feedback with the internal wheel gears. I could also scroll through hundreds of lines per second with the hyper-fast flick. One odd thing was the placement of the gesture button. It was difficult to keep the button pressed while performing the gestures. I would prefer if the force required to press the button was less with a more tactile button. Flow works as intended making us productive with the cross-device copy.

Battery Backup and pairing

The third highlight of the Logitech MX Master 3 is its marathon battery life. The Bluetooth powered mouse backed up the claims of about 70-day battery backup on a single charge. We get a quality USB Type-C cable to charge the device along with a quick charge feature. The quick charge feature offers 3 hours of use from just one minute of charging. It took about 1.25-5 hours to charge the mouse from 0 to 100 percent with the help of the included cable.

Beyond this, the bottom pairing button allows users to connect the mouse to three devices at once. One can easily switch between the three devices by pressing the pair button. To start the pairing or over-write the previously paired device, they need to long-press the pair button. The LED illumination on the corresponding number makes the entire process very user friendly.

Verdict: Should you purchase the Logitech MX Master 3?

Logitech MX Master 3 is back to demonstrate why it is the best mouse out there. The reason I did not highlight the wireless aspect of the product is that it does not behave like one. To clarify, the mouse has rock-solid connectivity with marathon battery life; the two primary concerns with a wireless mouse. It makes one more productive while making the mouse using experience flawless. The software makes sure that the product is customizable, user friendly, and seamless. I did not face any problems with tracking, connectivity, or the actual product.

The only hindrance that one may feel is the steep price tag of $129,52 But it is extremely difficult to not recommend the mouse in-spite the price. If you want the best wireless mouse with top of the line features, go ahead. If you want to invest in quality hardware that will last you years while making things easy, go ahead. Otherwise, you can also look at more in-expensive options from Logitech in the wireless Bluetooth-powered mouse category.