Logitech Pop Keys and Pop Mouse – personality that Pops (review)

The Logitech Pop Keys and Pop Mouse may have funky names, but they are not all about personality. Under the colourful skins is a mechanical keyboard and hi-precision optical mouse that can take the strain of home or work environments.

It is high time someone put some colour into boring black and beige office equipment – thanks, Logitech.

Australian Review: Logitech Pop Keys and Pop Mouse

Website	Pop Keys here and Pop Mouse here
Price	Logitech Pop Keyboard $149.95 Logitech Pop Mouse $59.95
From	Logitech online or JB Hi-Fi
Warranty	1-year ACL
Company	Logitech (Est 1981) is a Swiss-American computer peripherals and software manufacturer with headquarters in Lausanne, Switzerland and Newark, California. It is best known for keyboards and mice.
More	CyberShack Logitech news and reviews

We use Fail (below expectations), Pass (meets expectations) and Exceed (surpasses expectations or is the class leader) against many of the items below. We occasionally give a Pass(able) rating that is not as good as it should be and a Pass ‘+’ rating to show it is good but does not quite make it to Exceed.

You can click on most images for an enlargement.

First Impression – cute – Pass+

Let’s start with colours – Daydream, Blast, Heartbreaker, Cosmos, Mist (easily the most understated and the review unit). These are multi-tone, and you can get the matching POP Mouse colour.

While colours are the primary reason to buy, some serious hardware is under the façade.

POP Keys – what are they? Pass+

The unique feature is that they have four Emoji keys (and an Emoji menu key) with nine keycaps, so you can be a little more expressive when you type. Logitech Options+ App  (Windows and macOS) allows you to choose.

Mechanical keyboard – 50M strokes – Exceed

A not-so-unique feature is the mechanical keys. Yes, they are clicky, old type-writer style (MX Brown – details here). They have a 3.5m throw and 55g actuation force and are the best for typists, allowing maximum speed and accuracy. They are rated for up to 50 million keystrokes or 12.5 million four-letter words – %$*&.

Size and space – Pass+ if you want a smaller keyboard

It’s a 65% keyboard – that means no numeric keypad, but there is a row of numbers where you expect them. The only downside to no keypad so you cannot insert ASCII symbols like °, ¯, ®, etc. (using the Alt key and keypad). Overall, it is compact to make room on a crowded desk.

Dimensions are 321.2 (W) x 138.47 (D) x 35.4mm x 779g. It is reassuringly heavy on the desk and won’t bounce around.

It has a fixed height and five non-slip rubber feet.

Function keys and new mapping – Pass

The 12 function (fn) keys have had a makeover too. They now allow connection to up to three Bluetooth devices (either using the Bolt Receiver or host’s Bluetooth), snip screen, voice-to-text, mute and more. All standard Fn keys are available by pressing Fn first.

Battery – three years on 2 x AAA – Exceed

Obviously, we cannot test this claim, but the battery percentage is shown in Windows BT settings, and after a few days of constant use (typing reviews), it was still at 100%.

Typist test – Pass+

Using the free Typing Test and My Steel Series mechanical keyboard, I can achieve 110 words a minute with 94% accuracy. The Logitech Pop does take a little getting used to, but after a day’s use, I recorded 85 words and 92% accuracy. The compact size means you need to relearn spacing – easy.😁

Pop Mouse

Reviewing a mouse is easy. We test to see

• Does it fit your hand? The hand fit is excellent, with a nice palm bump.
• Left or right-handed or both use? Equally good for either, as it has no weird buttons or bumps.
• How good is the movement on glass desks? Perfect.
• How clicky are the left/right buttons? They offer a light touch rather than a click.
• The smoothness of the scrolling wheel? It is a stepping wheel – you feel little clicks as you scroll.
• Bluetooth and battery life? The claim is 24 months on 1 x AAA battery. It has a power switch as well as sleep mode. It will pair to three BT devices or the Logitech Bolt Receiver (not included).                                                                          

This great compact mouse at 104.8 x 59.4 x 35.2mm x 82g – a Goldilocks mouse. But be aware that most mice are 110-120mm long for larger hands, so if you have meaty mits, this is not for you.

CyberShack’s view – Logitech Pop Keys and Pop Mouse are colourful yet serious productivity tools.

I have seen many so-called typewriter-style keyboards, but few pull it off, as well as Logitech Pop.

The colours are modern and relevant, the size is perfect for smaller desks, and the MX Brown key switches are perfect for this.

The Pop Mouse is great – just check that you can use a mid-size mouse.

Rating Explanation

We will rate both as one pair; that is how most people will buy them.

• Features: 85 – a 65% keyboard means no numeric keypad, but few use them anyway. The Emoji keys are fun and easy to set up. BT to three devices is excellent.
• Value: 85 – Logitech is not the cheapest, but with the excellent build quality, they are keepers.
• Performance: 90  -Once you get used to the clicky mechanical keyboard, you won’t go back.
• Ease of Use: 80 – Typing speeds are slightly slower than a larger keyboard after reorienting to the key spacing.
• Design: 95 – it is colourful, funky, and what a drab office or home desk needs.

Pro

Con

No backlight or adjustable incline