Logitech MX Master 3 review: A productivity dream

Logitech mice are known for ergonomics and helpful, productivity-oriented features, and that culminates in the MX Master 3.

For $ 100, the Logitech MX Master 3 offers, in addition to several other buttons, the characteristic functions of Logitech such as the free scrolling wheel and the horizontal scroll wheel.

Logitech MX Master 3: What You Should Know

The MX Master 3 is a high-end mouse with a focus on ergonomics that is geared towards productivity.

The MX Master 3 is a successor to the popular MX Master 2S, which had a similar design and functionality. Logitech has taken over USB-C charging in this generation and kept the fast charging technology of the MX Master 2S, which announces 70 days of battery when fully charged and three hours of use with one minute of charging time.

You can use the included Unifying receiver to connect to a PC or switch to Bluetooth mode to connect to up to two other computers and switch between them in no time with the button on 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 great. The build quality is great, with matte soft-touch plastic all around, smooth and precise scroll wheels, and tactile but somewhat quiet switches when clicked.

The mouse prefers a palm grip, but since I tend to have a claw grip no matter which mouse I use, I can confirm that the mouse is comfortable even with a claw grip.

See also: The best ergonomic wireless mouse

The Logitech Options app for Windows / Mac lets you customize everything from pointer sensitivity to gesture shortcuts to smart shift sensitivity – i.e. how hard you need to turn the scroll wheel to go from ratchet mode to free scrolling mode switch. Smart Shift works well and quickly in practice, especially after you’ve set the sensitivity to your preferred setting. This technology came in handy when scrolling through long documents, trying to get to a specific place on a web page, and even while writing this post – since there is a lot of scrolling to do while writing.

Logitech made a slight change to the technology in the scroll wheel and now uses a magnetic mechanism called MagSpeed ​​to enable the ratchet scrolling effect. Earlier generations achieved the same effect with mechanical contacts. This new technology keeps fixed scrolling very tactile and defined, while also making it extremely easy to scroll many lines quickly when switching to free scrolling 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 precise adjustments along the slider. However, in my Lightroom tests, the horizontal wheel worked on some watch faces but not on others.

Logitech also adopted the thumb rest button, which is used for gestures like switching between virtual desktops and opening recently used files. You can assign this button to many other actions using the Options app.

Another big hitter in Logitech’s gear for a while now has been Flow, which is featured in Logitech Options. This feature allows you to use the same mouse and / or compatible keyboard on multiple computers.

Setting up Flow is pretty easy. Both of my devices found each other after I activated Flow. After that, switching between computers is like having a second display connected. Flow also enables wireless file transfers between connected devices. In my tests with my desktop PC and my Dell XPS 13, this worked just fine – I was able to copy a 200MB file between devices in about a minute. There doesn’t seem to be any file size limit on transfer, but the larger the file, the longer it will take.

What’s not so good?

The MX Master 3 rarely has bad experiences, 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 use for games where a lighter mouse means faster reactions and faster aiming. For comparison: my personal mouse, the Corsair Dark Core RGB, is about 10 g lighter than the MX Master 3, and you can feel the difference. The weight is very comfortable for general use and productivity, but it is a little slower to carry this weight when playing.

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That said, the aforementioned thumb rest button can be a bit awkward to press depending on how you’re holding the mouse. It sits just below the middle joint of the thumb in the palm grip. In order to use it, I always had to shift my grip a little. However, this shouldn’t be a problem for users who consistently hold the mouse with the palm of their hand.

Logitech MX Master 3 Review: Should I Buy It?

Logitech did an amazing job creating a mouse with easy-to-use features that are actually useful and great for productivity. Although it is technically not breaking new ground, it brings many welcome refinements over the previous generation, and I can certainly recommend the MX Master 3 for its ergonomics and its versatile range of functions.

The Master 3 improves on the MX Master 2S in every way, including the placement of the back and forward buttons, easier manipulation of the gesture button, and smoother scroll wheels. However, there are arguments in favor of buying the previous iteration, the 2S, which costs just $ 60 versus the Master 3’s price tag of $ 100. There’s likely a deal out there for some, but the most mature version of Logitech’s top-of-the-line is the MX Master 3.

Overall, this mouse fits the power user workflow best, but at this price point, casual users may find a better 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 fit.