ZDNET’s key takeaways
- The Logitech MX Master 4 mouse is available now for $119.
- It improves on Logitech’s flagship pro mouse lineup with haptic feedback, a premium build, and lots of customization.
- It’s not exactly cheap, and I wouldn’t recommend it for gaming.
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Logitech’s MX Master 4 mouse picks up where the last model left off, introducing haptic feedback, an improved sensor, customizable shortcuts, and the same utterly silent clicks the mouse is known for on an omni-compatible platform for Windows, MacOS, Linux, and ChromeOS.
The 8,000 DPI sensor works on essentially any surface you’d use a mouse on (including that glass tabletop in your hotel room) with a large, comfortable form factor that fits the hand naturally.
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I’ve been using the MX Master 4 for over half a year now with my main computer, and I’m a big fan of the mouse’s customization, silent clicks, and overall ergonomics, but it really shines when you pair it with the Logi Options+ software, which opens up shortcuts and task automation.
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If you haven’t used an MX Master before, the first thing you’ll notice is the large button located where your thumb rests. Tapping this button opens the Actions Ring, a digital overlay that pulls up a customizable list of app-specific shortcuts, customized in the Logi Options+ software.
Although you could simply buy the MX Master 4 for its ergonomics, I highly recommend utilizing the customizations here to enhance the experience, especially given their user-friendliness. You don’t have to be a pro-level creator — you can assign universally-useful functions to the Actions Ring, such as opening or closing certain apps, saving, or app-specific requests.
Advanced users, in particular, will gravitate toward the level of customization, which can be as deep or subtle as you prefer. The haptic feedback, for example, can be customized to respond to double-clicks, scrolling, or right-clicks, while smart actions let you quickly automate repetitive tasks.
All of these features add a new usability element to the mouse, moving it from just a simple arrow on the screen to a customizable tool at the operating system level: the core of Logitech’s vision for this device.
It’s the mouse’s physical build that delivers the first impression, though. It’s quite large and feels premium, boasting an ergonomic design that molds to the hand (note that it’s right-handed only). It has two scroll wheels: one for vertical (activated with the index finger) and one for horizontal scrolling (activated with the thumb).
The scroll wheel provides click feedback for precise scrolling, but a vigorous spin skips clicks, allowing a smooth spin up to 1,000 lines per minute. I was particularly glad to see the aluminum scroll wheels, a nice touch that contributes to the build quality.
By the way, if you live in Excel or Google Sheets and haven’t used a horizontal scroll wheel, it’s a big improvement for productivity. I can’t go back to physically dragging the vertical scroll wheel left and right after the satisfyingly solid thumb scroller on the MX Master 4.
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In terms of power, the MX Master 4 does require a bit more juice than your typical mouse, but it charges so fast that it’s unlikely to ever be a problem. Logitech says it will last up to 70 days on a full charge, or three hours from a one-minute quick charge.
This translates to plugging in the mouse every few months to keep it powered for the next few months. For most people, this is a normal charging cadence that matches that of comparable devices. The intensity of the haptics will also affect battery life, obviously — with more intense feedback shortening the time needed between charges.
Logitech also lives up to its reputation here as a purveyor of practical workhorse devices when it comes to connectivity. The MX Master 4 can pair with up to three different devices simultaneously, and switching between them is as easy as activating the action ring. Even better, there’s no difference in switching between operating systems here, as I use the mouse on both my MacBook Pro and my custom-built Windows PC.
In that vein, I will say that this mouse is not ideal for gaming. The large build is comfortable for productivity, rewarding precision, comfort, and automation, but not the lightness needed for rapid mouse movements and quick response times.
ZDNET’s buying advice
The Logitech MX Master 4 is a fantastic mouse that’s comfortable — luxe, even — with easy connectivity just “works”, a host of customizable quick actions, satisfying haptic feedback, and a solid build that makes it an investment device that should last for several years.
At $119, it certainly should. It’s not exactly cheap, but it’s not outlandish, either. In my opinion, it’s well worth the investment if you’re looking to commit to a well-designed mouse that you can count on using across multiple devices simultaneously.
