Logitech’s latest productivity powerhouse updates one of the best mice of all time with softer materials, an easier-to-repair design, and a haptic motor that delivers phone-like vibrations on your desktop.
MX Master 4 is the latest evolution of a pioneering mouse line that has been the best mouse for all but hardcore PC gaming for over 20 years. With magnetic free-wheeling scroll wheels, tons of buttons, and precise tracking, Logitech is now trying something different with its seventh generation. This is the tab function.
This level of innovation does not come cheap. The MX Master 4 is priced at £119.99 (€129.99/$119.99/A$199.95), placing it firmly in the premium market alongside high-end gaming mice and expensive peripherals aimed at creative professionals.
The overall ergonomics of the mouse are very similar to its excellent previous versions from 2019 and 2022. It’s well-balanced and offers excellent grip, palm support, and eight buttons that are easy to reach. No stretching is required, but it can only be used on the right hand.
Everything about the mouse is high quality and a pleasure to use. Based on user feedback, the material has been updated to be harder to wear and easier to clean (no one likes a dirty mouse).
Button clicks feel strong but are virtually silent, which will delight those around you. The best-in-class MagSpeed scroll wheel uses magnets to create a quiet ratchet for line-by-line movement, but when you hit it hard enough, the magnets break free and spin freely like a flywheel, making it easy to skim through documents or pages.
The thumb scroll wheel, back and forward buttons, and gesture buttons are better positioned than previous iterations and are especially useful for scrolling through photos or design packages. Pressing the gesture button essentially lets you switch between windows without having to use the keyboard.
Below are the new haptic buttons. Pressing this button invokes Logitech’s “Action Ring,” a ring of app-aware actions around the cursor that you can quickly click without using menus or keyboard shortcuts.
Haptic feedback is a click or tap, similar to a modern laptop trackpad, or a small vibration that occurs on a virtual button on your phone, first when you press it and then again when you hover the mouse over the on-screen button. The ring is customizable and provides quick access to useful tools, such as volume and playback controls on your desktop, screenshots or AI tools, or crop tools, layers, or color pickers in apps like Adobe Photoshop, Lightroom, or Premiere Pro.
Haptics can also be used for certain tasks other than pressing buttons. You can tap as your mouse moves from one display to another, and it can provide feedback as you adjust sliders, snap to a grid, or complete the export of clips from various Adobe apps.
Feedback shows a lot of promise, but relies on plugins from individual apps being installed from the Logi Marketplace. Currently only seven are available, including Adobe Creative Suite or Zoom. You’re out of luck with alternatives like Canva’s Affinity suite.
specification
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dimension: 128.2 x 88.4 x 50.8mm
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weight: 150g
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connection: Bluetooth 5.1 or Logi Bolt USB
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Battery Life: Up to 70 days
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Number of Buttons: eight
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Sensor Sensitivity: 200-8,000DPI
Logi Options+
The mouse connects to any Bluetooth device, so you can use it with computers, tablets, phones, and other devices. You can also use the Logi Bolt USB-C dongle for your computer to provide a more secure connection. The mouse can remember three devices at once and can be switched between them via buttons on the bottom, making it convenient to use on other computers or tablets.
It works on almost any surface, including glass, even without a mouse pad, and the battery lasts about 70 days of regular use by charging via USB-C.
For the first time, the mouse is designed to be disassembled using exposed screws and includes batteries that can be replaced at home following the instructions, so this could be the last mouse you’ll ever need.
The mouse’s basic features work without any additional software, but action rings, smart actions, AI, advanced haptic feedback, and many other productivity features require the free Logi Options+ app for macOS and Windows.
The software offers many customizations and optional tools and can run safely in the background in most cases, but recently it has encountered outright failures. It worked reliably with the MX Master 4, but sometimes has trouble detecting other Logitech Bluetooth keyboards and is notorious for consuming computer resources unnecessarily.
sustainability
MX Master 4 is made from recycled plastic and cobalt. It can be easily dismantled at home using standard exposed screws, including battery replacement, which costs £22.99.
price
The Logitech MX Master 4 is priced at £119.99 (€129.99/$119.99/A$199.95).
For comparison, the MX Master 3S costs £89.99, the Keychron M6 costs £54.99 and the Razer Basilisk Mobile costs £89.99.
verdict
MX Master 4 takes one of the best productivity mice around and has made a number of improvements to make it even better, adding potentially game-changing haptic feedback.
Unfortunately, how much you can utilize the excellent haptic system depends entirely on the plugins available in the app you use. It’s a good fit for the Adobe creative app suite, but nothing more.
The Master 4 is extremely comfortable and quiet for long-term use, and has all the right buttons in the right places, including a best-in-class scroll wheel. Having Bluetooth and a Logi Bolt dongle makes it easy to use with multiple devices. With a suite of additional useful productivity tools through the Logi Options+ app, you can speed up your workflow endlessly with just a little bit of advanced user configuration.
This is an expensive and luxurious mouse. But this is the ultimate productivity mouse, and with its repairable design and replaceable batteries at home, it might be the last mouse you’ll ever need.
merit: Ultra-comfortable design and button layout, best-in-class scroll wheel, quiet and innovative haptic potential, numerous customization options, and powerful productivity tools including action rings and smart actions.
disadvantage: Because it’s expensive and there aren’t many plugins available to support haptics, Logi Options+ can be resource-intensive only for right-handers.