“MX Master 3 is instant precision and infinite potential. It’s the most advanced Master Series mouse yet – designed for creatives and engineered for coders. If you can think it, you can master it.”
Link to Logitech MX Master 3 Wireless Darkfield Mouse (Logitech)
Sections in this review:
Initial thoughts during unboxing
Setting up
During use
Suggested improvements
Conclusion
Images
Initial thoughts during unboxing
The Logitech MX Master 3 Wireless Darkfield Mouse and wireless receiver are packaged very well with minimal throwaway packaging to dispose of, showing thought about the environment. The box clearly indicates the main things you need to know about the mouse.
As well as the wireless receiver dongle (which is handy for desktop computers that are unlikely to facilitate Bluetooth connectivity), a good quality USBA>C cable is included in the box as well as documentation including a sheet explaining how to access the built-in battery if it ever needs replacing.
The mouse itself has a very stylish look and a comfortable feel – its length is about the same as other mice but where this mouse is different is in the width and height: It is a little wider to allow for the thumb rest/button, about 83mm at its widest point and the width of the area you hold between your thumb and 3rd/4th finger is about 60mm; It is possibly a little higher than others, about 50mm at its highest point, where the base/first joint of your index finger sits (the rest of the top surface slopes downwards towards the front and the right side of the mouse); The mouse is about 125mm at its longest point.
Setting up
The Logitech MX Master 3 Wireless Darkfield Mouse is very quick and easy to setup. As a suggestion, leave your old mouse plugged in until the new Logitech mouse is setup – and for each computer the mouse connects to, set the number (1-3) beforehand by pressing the button on the underside of the mouse. If your computer does not have built-in Bluetooth wireless connectivity, simply plug in the supplied wireless receiver USB dongle into your computer for near-instant operation.
Make sure to store the dongle in a safe place for future use. For those using Bluetooth connectivity, pair the mouse via your computer’s Bluetooth settings. This is now a good time to charge the mouse using the supplied USB cable.
Logitech also provides ‘Logitech Options’ software (requires downloading/installing) allowing you to granularly configure your mouse buttons and wheels – make sure to check out the good variety of options, especially as a particular action you may be used to might default to a different action. The Logitech Options software is also required to operate the ‘Flow’ functionality allowing you to conveniently share your mouse or even copy/paste files between computers by moving your mouse to the edge of the monitor.
During use
The Logitech MX Master 3 Wireless Darkfield Mouse has the expected left/right-click and back/forward buttons as well as the middle scroll wheel, but it doesn’t end there. The MagSpeed Electromagnetic middle scroll wheel is known for its two modes of operation, either of which you can select with a simple press of the button which is discreetly located on top of the mouse/behind the scroll wheel: You can select free-spin scrolling which provides near silent operation, excellent for quickly scrolling up and down windows or even when zooming in or out of content – good for people who like to work quickly/want to save time; Alternatively you can select ratchet-style scrolling which is ideal if you need more precision or control (and where you can feel the scroll wheel move in steps, like a typical mouse). When free-spin scrolling mode is enabled some may find themselves inadvertently zooming in or out of pages (as a result of pressing the CTRL key when typing in Windows) due to the sensitivity of the scroll wheel – as the wheel may still be spinning for example – this is just something to be mindful about.
The mouse also has a side scroll wheel which, like the main scroll wheel, can also be configured to perform certain actions, but by default will cycle through browser tabs, horizontally through spreadsheets and so forth which will be appreciated by many. There’s also a hidden thumb button which, when pressed downwards, can perform certain actions – by default it will let you switch between applications or perform other gestures.
Despite the suggestions below, the Logitech MX Master 3 Wireless Darkfield Mouse does not feel heavy to move and the surface of the mouse is nice visually as well as to hold: Most of the mouse (with the exception of the buttons themselves and a classy trim at the back/bottom edge) has a very subtle soft feel and the left side and back of the mouse has a slightly ridged/textured feel (though nothing too obvious) both of which may help you to grip the mouse, particularly around the thumb area. The built-in battery keeps its charge for a long period of time, reportedly up to 70 days on a full charge and I can confirm I have not have had to charge it so far during the month I’ve had the mouse.
A few things to be aware about: If you’re using the wireless receiver USB dongle and are experiencing a bit of ‘lag’ when using the mouse, try plugging the dongle into a USB port (of the computer or monitor) that is closer to where the mouse is; When hovering over a Word document the back/forward buttons respectively perform the undo and redo action – which is good, however you don’t need to have clicked within/be focussed on the document in order to carry out these actions, so beware of this to prevent inadvertent undo/redo actions; Another possible issue for some hoping to use this mouse with work computers is that you may find enabling the Flow functionality impossible, possibly due to company IT group policy settings, so if your hope is to share your mouse (or even files between computers for that matter) you may need to check this with your IT department.
Once you have spent time configuring each button’s action and how they interact with each application, make sure to back up your settings within the Logitech Options software in case they need to be restored at a later date.
Suggested improvements
Depending on your view, I have several criticisms/suggestions for improvement. The first would be about the back/forward buttons on the left side of the mouse. Compared to back/forward buttons on other mice the buttons on the Logitech mouse may not be as prominent – they are a little on the small side and may therefore take a bit of getting used to. The second thing is that although the Logitech Options software is easy to install and provides a good intro on first use, it requires a Logitech account to be created in order to start using the software once installed before allowing you to configure the mouse. A third, which is more of a design consideration, is that the right-click button could have been made longer (given the middle finger is longer than the index finger). A fourth is that left-handed mice users are missing out – unless they’re ambidextrous! A fifth is that only select keyboards/mice work with the Logitech Options software (and crucially utilise the Flow functionality) thereby limiting hardware choice, so if you are looking for a keyboard and you need the Flow functionality this is something to bear in mind (note, one good looking keyboard that seems to make use of the Flow functionality is the Logitech Craft). Most or possibly none of these, I would think, should be a deal-breaker.
Conclusion
At the time of writing, this is Logitech’s current version of MX Master mouse. Given the array of functionality, configurability, design and experience outlined above, together with Logitech’s history for manufacturing excellent hardware, the Logitech MX Master 3 Wireless Darkfield Mouse is a reasonably priced high quality and versatile mouse that will suit everyone, no matter their use-case.