Logitech MX Mechanical Mini review: a sensible keyboard for sensible people

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If last year's Logitech Pop Keys wireless mechanical keyboard was all style and no substance, then the new MX mechanical keyboards are the opposite. These keyboards have features and designs that are sensible.

It makes the MX Mechanical and the MX Mechanical Mini seem like outliers in the world of mechanical keyboards, which often use flashy designs, RGB lighting, and colorful keycaps to grab your attention. The new keyboards from Logitech are a good upgrade for anyone currently using a laptop-style wireless keyboard because of their great battery life and well-thought-out features.

For this review, I have been using the MX Mechanical Mini, which uses a 75-percent layout similar to what is found on most laptops. Check out my review here. The MX Mechanical has a full-size keyboard layout with a numpad. Both keyboards are very similar.

The two-tone design of the MX Mechanical Mini is not likely to draw a lot of attention. There is a power switch and a connection for charging on top of that, as well as a pair of flip-out feet to tilt the keyboard up at an 8-degree angle. It is backlit, but only with white lights. Although you can change the way the LEDs flash, they are not like a Christmas tree and can't illuminate your desk. If you reach for the keyboard in a dimly lit room, the MX Mechanical Mini has sensors that will detect when your hands are nearby and turn its backlight on before you press a key. It is all well thought out and very sensible.

This is a low-profile keyboard, which means its switches are shorter, and there is not as much travel as a full-height mechanical keyboard. I prefer my mechanical switches to be full-height, but shorter switches like those found on the other keyboards in the Master series are likely to feel more familiar if you are used to typing on laptop-style scissor switches. The switches are made by Kailh and there is a choice of three colors. My sample had brown switches.

There aren't many options for customizability. The Keychron K3 isn't hot- swappable, which means you'll have to get a soldering iron out. A lot of the aftermarket keycaps on the market are unlikely to work with them because they are low-profile. This isn't a keyboard for tinkerers.

Both Windows and macOS are supported by the Logitech MX Mechanical Mini. If you use a keyboard shortcut, it will detect the operating system and adjust its layout, but if you use a computer keyboard, you will need to do this manually. There is no choice of keycaps with either Windows or Mac symbols, they are all printed on the same keys. It looks a little messier, but its priority is to minimize the amount of plastic that ships in each box. Another function-over-form decision was made with the keyboard.

The mechanical mini can save up to three devices and switch between them with a keyboard shortcut. It can connect over a wireless network, but also comes with a device that can be used for other things. I had some issues with the receiver, which Wendy Spander of Logitech says can be caused by cables and metal near the receiver.

The battery life is 15 days with backlighting on and 10 months off. That is better than the Keychron K3 which only has 99 hours with its back lighting off or 34 hours with it on. My keyboard is going to run dry a little before the 15-day mark, as my battery life sat at 45 percent after a week of daily work use. The keyboard's battery is replaceable when it dies. For whatever reason, the compartment is hidden beneath the sticker on the underside. There is no way to see the keyboard's battery life on the device itself, so you need to use Options Plus software.

Options Plus is a companion software for computer accessories. It offers an at-a-glance view of the battery life of all your accessories, but it can also be used to modify how they work. You can remap every key, but you can change what the shortcut keys on the top row do as well as the cluster above the arrow keys to the right. It strikes a nice mix of customizability and approachability, though it's a shame that this remapping isn't saved to the keyboard itself and disappears if you plug the keyboard into a computer without Options Plus installed.

For my typing test, I compared the MX Mechanical Mini to the Keychron K3. The form factors of the two keyboards are very similar, and I think they will appeal to a similar type of person. The winner in terms of feel was the keyboard from Logitech. It doesn't offer the same typing feel as a premium keyboard, but it does have a nice spacebar. I can happily type on it for hours because it feels crisp and clean.

Here is a typing sound test.

I was surprised by how flimsy Keychron's keyboard is. If you pick up the keyboard, it will not flex if you bend it. It feels nice and durable in a way that Keychron's keyboard just doesn't. A lot of the extra $75 can be found here.

The MX mechanical keyboards from Logitech seem to have a specific kind of mass market user in mind. This isn't a mechanical keyboard for people who like flashy designs.

The low-profile design and sensible feature set make it seem like a more premium alternative to Logitech's own MX Keys keyboards, which have the same layout with laptop-style switches and are slightly cheaper at between $99.99 and $149.99.

There are plenty of useful features to get the most out of the keyboard. Don't expect it to offer the kind of customizability that enthusiast mechanical keyboards are known for.

Jon Porter is a photographer.

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