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INTRODUCTION

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

logitech mx master 2sa

   Thanks to large advancements in technology over the past decade wireless mice have finally started to become the ideal choice for many professionals and even gamers all over the world. Granted there aren't that many valid choices for extreme gamers in the market yet that defy the old "corded is best" motto (the most popular ones right now are the G903 by Logitech and the Mamba by Razer) but the list should expand quite a bit in 2018 (for example Razer just announced their groundbreaking HyperFlux Wireless Power Technology). Still not everyone is looking for a performance wireless gaming mouse and since Logitech is well aware of this they decided to take their very successful MX Master Wireless Mouse (released roughly 3 years ago) back to the drawing board to keep it up to date with all the latest advancements and the result is the MX Master 2S which we've been using through January.


   Logitech designs products that have an everyday place in people's lives, connecting them to the digital experiences they care about. Over 30 years ago, Logitech started connecting people through computers, and now it’s designing products that bring people together through music, gaming, video and computing. Founded in 1981, Logitech International is a Swiss public company listed on the SIX Swiss Exchange (LOGN) and on the Nasdaq Global Select Market (LOGI). Find Logitech at www.logitech.com, the company blog or @Logitech.


   The very first difference people will notice when looking at both the MX Master and the MX Master 2S is that the latter lacks the copper edges/surroundings of the former and is now available in three different color combinations graphite, midnight teal and light gray (the original was available in black/copper, navy and stone colors). Just like its predecessor the new MX Master 2S can be used both wired and wirelessly, has a total of 7 buttons with two scroll wheels and features pretty much the exact same hand-sculpted right handed housing (sorry people, not ambidextrous), 500mAh lithium-polymer rechargeable battery and the same 2.4GHz advanced unifying wireless technology (32ft/10m range) which allows the end user to connect up to 6 Logitech wireless devices using just a single USB dongle (you can also connect the MX Master 2S with up to a total of 3 systems either via Bluetooth v4.0 and later or Logitech unified USB dongles). Under the hood however the brand new MX Master 2S is superior to its predecessor not only due to its updated version of the Darkfield high precision laser sensor (210IPS/50G/1000Hz) which can now reach all the way up to 4000DPI via 50DPI increments (as opposed to the 1600DPI of the original MX Master) but also because of its improved power management which gives it a life of up to 70 days (vast difference compared to the 40 days of its predecessor).

 



 

SPECIFICATIONS AND FEATURES

 

 

 

 

 

 

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PACKAGING AND CONTENTS

 

 

 

 

 

 

logitech mx master 2s 1t

The MX Master 2S arrived inside a black box that has a product picture at the front right next to the Cross-Computer Control feature printed in 3 languages.

 

 

Two of its main features are also printed on the left side in 3 languages right over the bundle contents.

 

 

The Darkfield sensor, unique scroll wheels, rechargeable battery and the hand-crafted shape of the housing are all listed at the rear (unfortunately the box arrived in a not so good shape so not everything is visible).

 

 

As expected the front of the box opens up to reveal the MX Master 2S with its dongle and a few words about Logitech's Options Software.

 

 

Along with the MX Master 2S wireless mouse and its wireless unifying dongle you will also get a micro-USB charging (and wired use) cable, warranty information paper, safety information paper and the user manual.

 



 

THE MX MASTER 2S

 

 

 

 

 

 

logitech mx master 2s 6t

Just like the original MX Master the MX Master 2S weighs a total of 145g and measures 126mm in length, 85.7mm in width and 48.4mm in height.

 

 

On the left side we see a large textured thumb rest which also acts as the gesture button, two long buttons and the second scroll wheel.

 

 

Further at the front we see the three battery status display LEDs.

 

 

The gesture button takes some time to get used to but eventually you may not be able to work without it.

 

 

Unlike most mice in the market which have the DPI selection buttons at the top the single button located at the top of the MX Master 2S can be used to switch between click-to-click and hyper-fast scrolling for the scroll wheel.

 

 

For good or bad there's no pinky rest on the right side but the textured surface does help improve grip.

 

 

The clickable scroll wheel may not be the most silent one when in click-to-click mode (and it’s not supposed to be) but its inaudible when hyper-fast scrolling is enabled.

 

 

Once again the microUSB charging port is placed at the front as seen above.

 

 

A total of 4 PTFE feet are placed at the base of the MX Master 2S (unfortunately no storage space for the USB dongle just like with the original MX Master).

 

 

At the base of the MX Master 2S we also find the Bluetooth On/Off switch, Darkfield laser sensor lens and the PC/device selection button.

 

 

Weighing just 2g and measuring 18.4mm in length, 14.4mm in width and 6.6mm in thickness the unifying Bluetooth dongle is tiny.

 



 

LOGITECH OPTIONS SOFTWARE

 

 

 

 

 

 

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You can download the Options Software from the official Logitech support page seen above.

 

 


The mouse tab allows you to swap the primary left/right buttons, program all available buttons (including the gesture button) and also lets you check the battery status from the lower right corner.

 

 

You can adjust the speed of the pointer, enable smooth scrolling, change the wheel direction and much more from within the point and scroll tab.

 

 

By using the Logitech Flow feature you can use the MX Master 2s with two different systems simultenously allowing you to move files between them with ease (that's a feature we didn't end up using however).

 

 


Via the options software you can also check the installed firmware version, enable/disable a battery low notification, check the options software version, check for program updates and add more unified devices to the USB dongle.

 

 

One of the least known features of the options software is the ability to create profiles for specific applications as seen above (quite handy).

 



 

CONCLUSION

 

 

 

 

 

 

logitech mx master 2sb
   Although we never had the chance to actually review the original MX Master one did end up in our lab not too long ago and so we were all quite interested to see what Logitech did with the MX Master 2S. Now if you happen to be using the original MX Master with a 15.4 inch laptop or a PC with a rather small LCD screen and its battery life (which even by today’s standards is quite good) covers all your needs then you may be better off keeping your money. However if you work with larger screens and/or if battery life is still a problem then the new MX Master 2S is the obvious way to go. Of course although the Darkfield precision laser sensor works on all solid surfaces and is very accurate the MX Master 2S was not made for serious gaming (although we did end up playing several games although we have to admit that it does fall back in some FPS titles compared to many wired models) but when working there aren't many mice in the market that can rival it especially thanks to its gestures system and dual scroll wheels. These will take some time to get used to (unless you've also used the original MX Master) but as mentioned earlier once you do there's no going back. In case you're wondering about battery life we had to recharge the MX Master 2S only once after 27 days but since we were using it for the largest part of each day that's not a bad thing (still 70 days is more likely an impossible number).


   Currently the MX Master 2S Wireless Mouse by Logitech retails for USD89.99 inside the USA (Amazon.com) and for 87Euros inside the EU (Amazon.co.uk) a price tag which is pretty much identical to that of the original MX Master at launch. Needless to say that this is not the most affordable wireless mouse in the entire Logitech lineup (excluding the likes of the G900 Chaos Spectrum and G903 Lightspeed) but thanks to its Darkfield precision laser sensor, impressive battery life, gesture controls, dual scroll wheels, unified wireless connectivity and rich software (Flow Control included) the MX Master 2S is worth every cent which is why it gets our Golden Award.

PROS


- Build Quality
- Darkfield High Precision Laser Sensor
- Battery Life (Up To 70 Days)
- 7 Buttons And 2 Scroll Wheels
- Gesture Controls
- Flow Control
- Available In 3 Colors



CONS


- Price (For Some)
- No Storage Area For The USB Dongle
- Right Hand Mouse