A mouse is a mouse is a mouse. Right?

 

A couple of buttons, maybe a scroll wheel... as long as it works on most surfaces, isn't that all you really need?

 

Well, yes. I think that actually is true... Pointing and clicking is not complicated, we've been doing it for decades and if it ain't broke...

 

But you can drink water from the tap. Or you can filter it, pour it into a tall glass and add ice. Maybe even a slice of cucumber.

 

The Logitech MX Master 3 is that tall glass of water...

 

 

The MX Master 3 takes ergonomic design to a whole new level. Not only is it tall and curved to fit naturally beneath my gnarled clasp, all buttons and the two scroll wheels are within very easy reach and the entire upper surface is slightly textured and rubberised to ensure a secure grip and precise control.

 

And I do mean precise. Both scroll wheels are made from machined steel which not only looks classy but gives their operation an amazingly sturdy and responsive feel, which is ironic, given they're not actually connected to anything. Logitech has come up with something called MagSpeed Electromagnetic scrolling - that's right, it's all done with magnets, virtually eliminating wear and tear. One push of the central button toggles between the conventional, line-by-line "clicky" scroll, to a more free-wheeling click-free mode, whichever you prefer. What's more, a flick of the main wheel can skip you immediately to the bottom (or back to the top) of the page, at a mere thousand lines a second.

 

Oh, when I say "clicky," I mean the feel, not the sound. There is no sound. The MX Master 3 works silently.

 

While we're on precision, you can pretty much throw your mousepad away. The MX Master 3 offers 4000DPI sensor resolution on pretty much any surface, even glass. This means it's well worth making a bit of space for in your laptop bag, because it'll work anywhere. It's not really flat enough to fit in a tablet sleeve, but make it fit. It's worth it.

 

In fact, you can pair the MX Master 3 with three different devices simultaneously. Switching between those devices is as simple as toggling between them with the selector button on the bottom of the mouse. The MX Master 3 includes a USB dongle for plug and play setup, but I'm pretty sure I've lost it already as there's no way of storing it on the mouse itself. Not to worry though, as it's reliably bluetooth compatible anyway. That's how I've been using it for weeks.

 

Now that I think of it, I've only charged it once in all that time - when I first took it out of the box. It charges via a conveniently located USB Type-C port at the front of the device. This means you can happily keep using the MX Master 3 while you're charging it. If you need to. Which I haven't yet. Even after running it for many hours a day for several weeks. The Logitech website claims 70 days use on a full charge and from what I've seen, there's no reason to dispute it. If you do go flat, quick charging gets you another three hours from just a one-minute top-up. Incredible.

 

Perhaps the most powerful feature of the MX Master 3 is the companion Logitech Options app. This is so much more than just a way to monitor battery life and adjust your pointer speed. Not only can you can customise the functions for each button and scroll wheel, you can change what they do for each app you use. This is a major boost for anybody editing audio or video, or using any other software that requires a lot of jogging or zooming.

 

Then there's Flow. This makes working with two computers at once a breeze. All you need to access both devices with one mouse is the Logitech App installed on each machine and ensure they're connected to the same WiFi.  Using a single controller on adjacent PC's takes a bit of getting used to as it can take a few seconds to pick out where the cursor is when you swap from screen to screen. Also, it's a bit too easy to accidentally jump off the screen you're working on when you're navigating around the edges. But it works. It really works. You can even drag and drop files between two devices simply because you've enabled the MX Master 3 on both of them and they're on the same WiFi network. Genius.

 

This is one of those rare devices I find hard to criticise, simply because there's basically nothing wrong with it. Except maybe... The power button. It's tiny and fiddly and feels like it's going to break off every time you use it. Why is Logitech so afraid to install a decent power button? The switch on the Craft Advanced Keyboard is no better, which is bamboozling given it too is an otherwise faultless piece of hardware.

 

Admittedly, I've been using the Craft for months and months and the on/off switch is still working faultlessly. But still.

 

Yes, if the only thing I can complain about is the power switch being a bit small for my liking, you know the MX Master 3 is a well designed, powerful accessory. The battery life is off the hook, the customisation settings are pretty much limitless and being able to drag and drop files between two PC's is just plain cool.

 

This is not a budget device, but you couldn't ask for more features for the money.

 

 

Click here for more information and pricing on the Logitech MX Master 3.