Logitech MX Keys S

Logitech's productivity peripherals have impressed in recent years, with both the Logitech MX Mechanical Keyboard and the Editors' Choice award-winning Logitech MX Master 3S cordless mouse among our favorites. Now Logitech has revisited and revised 2019's MX Keys in the form of the MX Keys S ($109.99). The wireless keyboard is strikingly similar to its predecessor, with minor physical updates that productivity fiends will no doubt appreciate—if they notice them at all. Meanwhile, the star of the show is actually a software update: Smart Actions, the latest addition to Logitech's Options+ keyboard and mouse software, helps you automate tasks and streamline workflows with a touch of a button. The MX Keys S isn't cheap, but it occupies a nice niche between generic office keyboards and deluxe mechanical keyboards.

The MX Keys to the Kingdom

To see how much the MX Keys S resembles the 2019 original, look no further than its nearly identical size and design. Measuring 5.2 by 16.9 by 0.8 inches (HWD), it offers an ultra-slim profile akin to Apple's Magic Keyboard with Touch ID. And at 1.7 pounds, it's just as light. Like the first MX Keys, it comes with a built-in lift or tilt that adds some extra height to the low-profile keyboard if you prefer it, as well as a USB-C port for charging its built-in battery and a power switch in the top right corner.

The MX Keys S is available in Graphite or a new Pale Gray hue; a $199.99 bundle that combines the keyboard, an optional wrist rest, and the MX Master 3S is offered but limited to the Graphite keyboard color. The photos you see show the Pale Gray model but I mostly tested the Graphite, which looks sleek on just about any surface. Black buttons, slightly concave to accommodate your fingertips, sit atop an aluminum frame to give the keyboard a high-quality, bespoke look, while the Pale Gray unit's white buttons will certainly invoke Apple Magic Keyboard comparisons. Key travel is shallow, thanks to low-profile scissor switches, but the board is quiet and overall fairly comfortable to use.

This is all familiar territory, so what's new? For one, the improved backlighting not only reacts to your hands as they approach the keyboard, but also reacts to your environment, automatically adjusting the brightness to suit your surroundings. The keyboard layout has also been slightly updated to include an emoji button (similar to the one on Logitech's POP Keys mechanical keyboard), a mute/unmute button for calls, and a dictation button for speech-to-text functionality. There is no microphone in or on the keyboard, so you'll need to have an external mic nearby if you're using the keyboard with a desktop PC.

The keyboard comes with a charging cable and 2.4GHz USB wireless receiver, as well as low-energy Bluetooth technology that connects to up to three devices at once, letting you switch among them with a press of a button. It's compatible with Windows 10 and Windows 11, macOS 11 or later, ChromeOS, Linux, iPadOS 14 or later, and Android 9.0 or later.

As for battery life, Logitech claims up to 10 days of life with backlighting on and up to five months with it off (the same battery ratings as the 2019 MX Keys). As mentioned, a thin wrist rest is an extra-cost option, though I found it not very comfortable—it's not plush and didn't support my wrists as much as I'd like, which could be annoying for heavy-handed typists.

That's about it for hardware changes, which is not necessarily a bad thing as the design of the first MX Keys keyboard was pretty stellar in its own right. But there's another update worth mentioning, tucked away in Logitech's customization software.

Work Smarter, Not Harder

Options+ is Logitech's customization software (available on both Mac and Windows) for all its recent gear. It's mostly what you'd expect: backlighting adjustments, functionality customization for the top-row function keys, and firmware updates. The coolest addition, officially releasing alongside both the MX Keys S and MX Anywhere 3S mouse, is Logitech Smart Actions. In the most basic terms, it's a macro maker, designed to simplify repetitious actions by combining the required steps into the press of a single trigger key. Smart Actions is meant to automate common tasks but can handle pretty complicated ones if need be. Mapping my trigger to the Calculator button, I enabled a Smart Action that opened Google Chrome, Microsoft Word, and Spotify, with slight pauses between each to accommodate loading times.

In another example, ChatGPT stepped in to aggregate a list of some well-known New York City lunch options and post it as a response in Slack. Some basic workflow templates are built in, but you can really get into the weeds by adding applications, text, keystrokes, and system functions to Smart Actions. You can even import and export macros to share with other users or across devices.

Using a Smart Action does disable the trigger key to which it's assigned, so you must choose which function you'll sacrifice for convenience, but actions are easily toggled on and off within Options+. Smart Actions are compatible with other devices that use Options+, so recent Logitech products will also be able to make use of them. So that begs the question: Is the MX Keys S worth an upgrade if its chief improvement is a bit of software also available for other keyboards?

Verdict: Small Changes Mean Better Options Elsewhere

At $109, the Logitech MX Keys S is fairly pricey for a non-mechanical keyboard, though more affordable than the $159.99 Razer Pro Type Ultra (our wireless mechanical favorite) or Dell's $119.99 KB900 Premier Collaboration Keyboard. Ultimately, there are simply not enough improvements here to warrant a new purchase for owners of the original keyboard. But if you're looking for an Apple Magic Keyboard alternative or are in the market for a new productivity daily driver, the MX Keys S is a great low-profile keyboard, if not a top pick.

If you can stretch your budget slightly, not only the Razer and Dell but Logitech's own MX Mechanical are first-class choices in terms of both comfort and function. If you're looking for a deeper discount, the Cherry Stream Wireless Keyboard is a scissor-switch bargain at $49.99.