Photos and Features
While some of you might be used to the look of the MX Master now that it has been around for a while. My first impression of that mouse was that Logitech managed to put together a work of art when designing the mouse. They took the shape of popular mice like the MX Revolution with a very ergonomic shape and by slipping in the angular design in the thumb area gave it a timeless look.
The angular design can also be found on the right side of the mouse where your pinky goes as well. The rubberized black finish covers most of the MX Master with the exception of a ring that starts on the right side and runs around the bottom edge and up around the buttons on the left side of the mouse.
Like I said before the shape of the MX Master is very ergonomically shaped, this means for some people it should fit perfectly, but that does sacrifice fit with others. So when looking at the MX Master I would highly recommend getting your hands on one in the store. It is only available for right-hand use so lefties don’t have an option available. We can really see this when looking at the mouse from the front profile, it has a clear angled shape that angles to the right. The MX Master is also tall, especially on the left side of the mouse.
From the side point of view, you can really see just how tall the MX Master is, I don’t think any of the other mice I own are this tall with the exception of the weird mice that have a pistol grip and similar weird grips. The thumb area really defines the MX Master as well. It has a large wing on the left side that you can sit your thumb on that is best seen from the rear view of the mouse. The side of the mouse also has a curved shape. The angular shape in this space gives the mouse a really cool look without being disruptive at all. Up in front of where you would sit your thumb are three small LED lights. These show the overall battery charge.
The thumb area has a few interesting buttons going on. Up above they have included a thumb scroll wheel. Beside it, there are two buttons. The buttons are shaped in a way where they can be easily pressed individually without pressing the other. Logitech also hid a button in the angular black panel where you sit your thumb. Pressing down on it will get you a small click.
Up top, we have the two normal triggers, a third button, and the scroll wheel. The third button is used to unlock the scroll wheel for a free spinning mode that is exclusive to Logitech from what I can tell. They use bearings and a weighted scroll wheel to get a nice spin going to help you quickly scroll down long websites and files. The button flips between that mode and a normal use that is like putting a card in your bicycles spokes, clicking every small bit you spin it. Normally this action is manual and the button pushes the clicking mechanism back into the scroll wheel but with the MX Master is uses an actuator to pop back into place electronically. The scroll wheel itself is a polished metal and has a gear like rubber grip on the outside edge. The scroll wheel has a button under it that you can press down into but surprisingly it doesn’t have side to side functionality.
The bottom shape of the MX Master is a complete departure from any other traditional mouse. Specifically, it's designed a lot like hydroplaning boats with the main section up the middle and then two wings that are separated by raised areas that don’t come near your mouse pad at all. The two wings have large Teflon gliders, especially the thumb side where you are more likely to have weight pushing down. The middle has two more gliders but they are much smaller and are at both ends. The middle has the power switch up top. The connect button is what you use to connect the mouse over Bluetooth 4.0. Then down at the bottom another button lets us flip between three different connected devices. That last feature is especially interesting to me because I have multiple PCs and a laptop, being able to bind the mouse to a few of them and flip between them is cheaper and more convenient than having a mouse for each.
The sensor on the MX Master is what Logitech calls a Darkfield Laser sensor. I spent a lot of time trying to find out more information on the sensor but I can’t seem to find an original manufacture. The Darkfield tech is designed for the everyday user and was Logitech’s answer to Microsoft’s Bluetrack technology. It’s been a few years but we covered a few mobile Bluetrack mice when they came out. Darkfield is designed to work on surfaces that wouldn’t normally work with a mouse, especially laser mice. This means it will work on glass and other glossy surfaces. The sensor has a 400 dpi to 1600 dpi range, so don’t be twisted, this is not a gaming mouse at all. This is an everyday use mouse, like the MX mice that preceded it.
The MX Master may be a wireless mouse, but it does come with a USB cable as well. This is the charging cable. It is very short, but enough to get the mouse charged up when needed. It uses a Micro-USB connection so if you have a charging cable for another mobile device you might not even need to get the cord out. Because it is packed away most of the time Logitech did ship it with Velcro straps to help keep it wrapped up. The cable itself is rubber coated, not sleeved, and the Micro-USB connection is thin and has the Logitech name embossed into it.
The charging cable plugs into the Micro-USB plug up under the triggers on the front of the mouse. There is a lot of room around the connection so you aren’t limited to the thin cable that is included but if you plan on using the mouse while charging you might want the thin cable. In the connected picture below you can see that a thick connection might rub on your table.
You can use the MX Master with up to three computers but they only provide one wireless dongle. This is because the mouse supports Bluetooth. The dongle they provide connects automatically with the MX Master. Most of the dongle is just the USB connection but there is a small portion that sticks out as well. This gives you enough to grab on-to to install and remove it while also being out of the way.
