Logitech MX Master 4 review – the ultimate work mouse reborn

Let’s face it, the Logitech MX Grasp line has successfully been the undisputed king of labor/productiveness mice for years now. Its mixture of a sensor that works on nearly any floor, a super-fast scroll wheel, and a super-useful second horizontal scroll wheel, all wrapped up in a cushty design, is, for a lot of, unsurpassed for simply getting work carried out. Now it is again, and the Logitech MX Grasp 4 consists of some pretty vital modifications, together with a brand new haptic thumb pad part and gestures button.

Whereas a productiveness mouse comparable to this one is not maybe the obvious addition to our greatest gaming mouse information, in the event you use your PC for each gaming and work, a mouse like that is nonetheless a incredible addition to your setup. That is significantly true in the event you favor ultra-light mice which have only a few options – such because the Logitech G Professional X Superlight 2, as an illustration – quite than a extra succesful multi-function gaming mouse such because the Logitech G502 X Plus. Regardless, we have been placing the brand new MX Grasp 4 via its paces over the previous few weeks to see whether or not its newest iteration continues to be the go-to selection for these searching for the proper work mouse.

Specs

Options

Many of the macro options of the MX Grasp 4 stay the identical as these on the MX Grasp 3 and 3S. That’s, you get your normal two primary left and proper buttons with a scroll wheel in between them. Behind these sits the wheel shift button that switches the MagSpeed scroll wheel between a notched really feel and a free-spinning really feel, the latter being ultimate for actually rapidly scrolling via paperwork or zooming out and in of a picture in Photoshop, as an illustration.

To the left of those is a second scroll wheel that does horizontal motion. It would not have the fast-spinning capacity of the opposite wheel nevertheless it does imply you’ll be able to scroll sideways in lots of apps that both do not supply this operate usually or solely supply it through a key modifier  – Photoshop, as an illustration, permits sideways scrolling by holding down Ctrl whereas utilizing a standard scroll wheel.

Additional left nonetheless, on the aspect of the mouse, are two normal again and ahead buttons, nevertheless it’s right here we additionally encounter the 2 largest additional options of this new model of the MX Grasp.

Sat in entrance of the again/ahead buttons is a brand new gesture button. Maintain this down and transfer the mouse ahead, again, left, or proper and you’ll assign this gesture to activate a operate. By default, these actions activate varied Home windows desktop capabilities, comparable to ahead opening the Home windows menu, down minimizing your home windows to point out the desktop, and left and proper shifting between desktops. Nevertheless, you’ll be able to assign these gestures to totally different capabilities in software program.

The ultimate large new function addition is the haptic pad that sits beneath your thumb, instead of the extra typical thumb button on the three and 3S fashions. This barely squidgy rubber pad could be pressed by your thumb, and upon sensing it is being pressed, the mouse will use a haptic system to mimic the texture of a button being clicked. You’ll be able to inform it is a haptics system and never a button beneath the pad, as there is no response when the mouse is turned off – the pad simply squishes just a little the place you have pressed it.

As soon as pressed, this pad opens up the Actions Ring, which is a software program overlay that gives fast entry to as much as eight capabilities. These rings are context-aware, with totally different units of capabilities showing for Photoshop, Premiere, Chrome, or the desktop, as an illustration, in the event you select to obtain them. You want to create a Logitech account and check in to it get the plugins for every app, however they’re all free. Alternatively, you’ll be able to simply arrange your individual capabilities for every app manually.

Outdoors of this, the MX Grasp 4 is not too dissimilar to earlier fashions. It retains the identical Darkfield sensor as earlier MX Grasp mice, which implies it is going to work on nearly any flat floor, together with shiny metallic and glass. This sensor’s most DPI has additionally been upped to eight,000 DPI.

Nevertheless, this additionally means the Grasp vary nonetheless is not remotely acceptable as a gaming mouse, as these sensors merely aren’t optimized for significantly quick motion. The mouse’s wi-fi connection – through a tiny, teeny USB-C dongle – can be not optimized for velocity, however as an alternative Logitech boasts a 2x enhance in connectivity energy due to a brand new chip and antennae.

Design and luxury

One of many key causes for the long-term reputation of the MX Grasp sequence has been its form, and that core design is retained within the MX Grasp 4. Nevertheless, there’s a large change to its total design that I really feel is a adverse step.

Beginning with the great things, the core form is identical. It slopes down in the direction of its proper aspect at a reasonably steep angle of ~15°, which in idea helps cut back the twisting required by your forearm. I do not truly discover the lean angle to be sufficient to essentially make that a lot of a distinction in comparison with both a correct vertical mouse or a flatter, symmetrical-shaped mouse, however many individuals swear by this fashion of ergonomic mouse.

Equally, in idea, this can be a mouse that is significantly ultimate for utilizing a palm grip, the place you drape your entire hand over the mouse, quite than simply gripping it along with your fingertips. Nevertheless, personally, I do not discover I can palm grip this mouse all that nicely, as my fingers are too lengthy (20cm from base of wrist to tip of center finger) to comfortably attain again to the scroll wheel and different buttons.

Plus, I discover the raised part of the mouse the place the horizontal scroll wheel sits truly barely will get in the best way of a cushty palm grip for me. It is like that part pokes into my hand, quite than gently supporting it. I a lot favor a flatter fashion of mouse with a reasonably lengthy again part, such because the G Professional X Superlight 2, with regards to simply comfortably planting my entire palm on the mouse.

Nonetheless, your mileage will range, and mouse form may be very subjective. Crucially, although, what would not assist with this new mouse is the removing of the all-over rubber coating of the MX Grasp 3 and 3S. That outer floor actually helped the mouse to passively grip your palm no matter how chilly, dry, scorching, or sweaty your arms are, whereas now your palm simply slides off the slope of the mouse, so you need to truly grip it barely extra. I discover it an enormous downgrade

Fortunately, the left aspect has a platform to your thumb that additionally incorporates the haptic thumb pad that’s rubberized, so supplies higher grip. Likewise, there is a patch of rubber on the correct aspect of the mouse that at the least ensures this mouse is straightforward to grip with only a fingertip grip.

Barely counting towards any type of grip, although, is that the burden of this mouse is excessive. It is even 9g heavier than the already pretty chunky MX Grasp 3. Weighing in at 151g, it isn’t far off triple the burden of many ultralight gaming mice, and whereas this is not a mouse designed to be flung round at extremely excessive velocity, it’s nonetheless a tool you need to choose up and transfer round along with your fingertips. Mixed with the less-grippy high floor, it makes for an excellent clearer step down in weildability in comparison with its forebear.

In the meantime, by way of styling, this can be a smart-looking mouse, with the brand new addition of translucent plastic on the highest of the principle buttons trying quite neat. It is accessible within the graphite shade proven right here, together with a darker graphite/charcoal shade and pale grey, with the Mac model accessible in Area Black and White Silver.

Software program

Basic to getting essentially the most from the MX Grasp 4 is putting in Logitech’s Choices+ software program. This software program unlocks the gestures and Motion Rings that actually elevate simply how a lot this mouse can do, plus it will get you entry to Logitech Circulation. Circulation is the corporate’s multi-computer function that means that you can swap between computer systems which are linked to the mouse and even do issues like copy and paste between computer systems.

First up on the options record of Choices+, although, is the Buttons part. That is the place you’ll be able to change the capabilities of all the principle controls of the mouse, apart from the left and proper buttons. Some examples of the modifications you can also make embrace having the second scroll wheel management quantity quite than horizontal scrolling, having the gestures management media playback quite than Home windows Desktop controls, and having the thumb pad button deliver up the duty view quite than the Motion Rings.

The following part helps you to alter how the mouse feels. You’ll be able to alter the sensitivity of the scroll wheels, together with how a lot you discover the vertical scroll wheel notches when it isn’t in free-spinning mode. The sensitivity of the haptics pad may also be adjusted as can the pointer velocity.

The Haptics part helps you to management the depth of the suggestions, which is an effective factor, because the default medium setting I did discover just a little distracting, preferring as an alternative to make use of the low setting. I additionally most well-liked to have the haptic buzz turned off when choosing actions from the Motion Rings – by default the haptics is triggered every time you hover over an possibility. The haptics may also be disabled when the mouse is working low on battery.

The ultimate primary display screen is ostensibly for organising the Simple-Change connections. That’s, it exhibits the units to which the MX Grasp 4 is linked and that you may cycle via these linked units through the button on the underside of the mouse (or through different controls, comparable to Motion Rings). Nevertheless, this settings display screen would not truly do something. It simply exhibits what units are linked.

Different little extras within the software program are that it exhibits the mouse’s battery life, it helps you to swap the left and proper buttons (within the settings part), and you’ll test for firmware updates.

Trying extra carefully at what Motion Rings are, these overlays seem if you hit the haptic thumb pad and keep open till you both click on the central shut button, choose an motion, or click on elsewhere on display screen. You’ll be able to fully customise what instructions seem for any given app and obtain plugins for a whole lot of various apps, bringing you fast and easy accessibility to widespread capabilities for these apps, together with matching operate icons.

Establishing Motion Rings is completed in a separate part of Choices+ outdoors of the mouse settings. Right here you’ll be able to go to city getting all of them arrange precisely as you want. Simply as with Circulation and the gestures, this setup can take fairly a while. Even downloading plugins for apps, I discovered I would need to customise most of them too, so it is fairly a job to consider all of the apps you utilize, what capabilities are helpful in these apps, the place they really feel most snug to rapidly entry within the ring, after which truly remembering what all of the capabilities are and the place they’re. Nevertheless, as soon as carried out, you’ve got an unbelievable quantity of performance at your fingertips.

Efficiency

The Logitech Darkish Discipline sensor on the coronary heart of this mouse is incredible. It is a laser-based, quite than optical-based, expertise unique to Logitech. In contrast to optical sensors and even typical laser sensors, it permits this mouse to work on nearly any floor. Whereas optical sensors want an excellent, matte end to trace nicely, the MX Grasp 4 will observe on polished metallic, mirrors, glass, and extra. It nonetheless requires a fairly flat floor, however past that, it is remarkably succesful.

The bump up in most DPI is not one thing anybody with a normal setup goes to profit from, because it feels far too quick and jittery. Nevertheless, you probably have a mega multi-monitor setup, chances are you’ll discover it helpful for rapidly shifting the mouse throughout the vastness of your desktop.

As for the efficiency of the opposite core options of this mouse, its primary scroll wheel is arguably its single biggest function. Different mice, such because the Razer Basilisk V3 Professional 35K, embrace an identical freewheeling possibility, however the one right here actually is so easy to make use of. I significantly like its capacity to supply a notched really feel for slower actions, however then, in the event you flick the wheel tougher, it routinely switches off the detents and spins freely, letting you zip via paperwork at what Logitech claims is as much as 1,000 strains per second.

As for button efficiency, the principle left and proper buttons really feel distinctly totally different to these you will discover on a very good gaming mouse. They lack that actually taught, clicky, really feel of gaming switches. Not that they really feel mushy, however there’s only a slight softness to them, and actually, Logitech has focused on making these switches as quiet as potential. For these distracted by such clicks, it is a good addition, although I can not say the clicks ever bothered me on the older variations of this mouse. The Razer Deathadder V4 Professional clicks, alternatively…

Logitech has barely loosened up the texture of the horizontal scroll wheel in comparison with the MX Grasp 3, and this actually elevates its usability. It feels a lot faster and simpler to maneuver sideways via paperwork, whereas the previous model felt just a little stiff.

All instructed, the place it counts, the efficiency of the MX Grasp 4 is superb. It simply works by way of monitoring, and all its controls fall simply at hand and function effortlessly.

Battery life

The Logitech MX Grasp 4’s battery life is superb, with the corporate claiming a few months of use between fees. In our checks, this was borne out with the mouse dropping single proportion digits in its reported battery life in Choices+ after every day’s use. Such is the benefit of not having a super-fast sensor with a excessive polling fee like on gaming mice and utilizing simply Bluetooth decrease vitality mode for wi-fi connection, quite than a sooner wi-fi tech.

Charging is through the USB-C port on the mouse’s entrance, and this mouse will get you a fairly ridiculous three hours of additional use from only one minute of charging.

Worth

The Logitech MX Grasp 4 value is $119.99, which isn’t precisely finances, however is a good value for the variety of options packed into this mouse. Loads of high-end gaming mice value significantly extra and have far fewer options.

Verdict

The Logitech MX Grasp 4 stays the king of productiveness mice, with its new gesture and Motion Ring options being welcome new additions to an already successful components. Nevertheless, its enhance in weight and the dropping of its all-rubber exterior considerably dents its grippability in comparison with earlier MX Grasp mice. It is not an outright deal breaker, however for some customers it is going to really feel like a big step down.

Fortunately, in each different respect, there is no doubting that is nonetheless the perfect mouse to get for these eager to get some critical work carried out.

If you happen to’re in search of an incredible keyboard or mouse mat to pair along with your selection of mouse, take a look at our greatest gaming keyboard and greatest gaming mouse pad guides.