Logitech's MX Master series has long been hailed as one of the best productivity tools available if your work involves a computer. The MX Master 4 continues that legacy with changes to things that could've been better in the last version (like the new coating that won't disintegrate), and extra things, like more programable buttons. A boon for anyone who likes using shortcuts (the good kind).
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Design
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Features
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Battery
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Value
With all the technology that crosses our desks, it can be challenging to know which will have the biggest impact. The MX Master 4 from Logitech, for example, seems like a fairly standard thing — a mouse aimed at folks who sit at a desk using one all day. If that’s you, here’s what you’re missing out on by using another mouse, because [spoiler] this thing is really good.
But it’s just a mouse…
Correct. It’s just a mouse. A mouse that can probably do a whole lot more than you’re used to. Does your mouse vibrate? This one does, and not in the intrusive way we thought it might.
A mouse is meant to be a precision instrument. In competitive gaming, it’s what sets the eagle-eyed aimer Chads apart from the mouth-breathing aim-assist-Andys. You can’t have a precision instrument vibrating; it could ruin your perfectly calculated clicking.
Thankfully, the MX Master 4 doesn’t vibrate the same way a game controller does. There’s a piece of high-quality silicon just under where your thumb naturally rests that covers the haptic engine. It is responsible for emitting short, sharp pulses whenever required. The silicon pad also acts as a shortcut for what Logitech calls the ‘action ring’. The feature isn’t entirely new, but this is the first time Logitech has given it its own dedicated shortcut.
But can it do this?
A shortcut for a menu of shortcuts might sound like a chore at first. But when you take the time to integrate it into your workflow, it can actually save you time. By default, calling up the action ring gives you quick access to media playback, note creation, AI-related shortcuts for all the major flavours (ChatGPT, Perplexity, MS Copilot, etc.), locking your PC, taking a screenshot, opening a Windows Explorer window, and the emoji menu.
If you don’t like those, you’re able to choose from a lengthy list of other options if you want to change any of them. The level of customisation is impressive and is easily one of the MX Master 4’s greatest strengths.
That said, it’s possible to get similar customisation from earlier models, but you’ll have to bind the action ring to another button and lose its original function. There’s even an additional side button that handles ‘gestures’ — holding it while moving the mouse down will show your desktop, for example. And that’s just scratching the surface.
You can also trigger shortcut profiles to activate when you open a specific application, like Photoshop, Lightroom, or even Zoom. The number of different customisation options is frankly staggering and makes this mouse worth the asking price for anyone willing to take the time to learn all the ins and outs.
All of this does mean you’ll need Logitech’s Logi Options+ software installed and running 24/7. Thankfully, it’s fairly easy on your system resources, so you shouldn’t feel an impact. Also, thankfully, the MX Master 4 has plenty of other qualities that make it worthy of consideration.
That build, that damn build
The build quality, for one. The high-quality silicon pad is joined by recycled aluminium scroll wheels, two of them in fact. The MagSpeed wheel (the main one) has a shift wheel mode button to switch between regular stepped scrolling and blazing through up to 1,000 lines of text in a minute.
Scrolling like a madman will enable the feature, so you don’t even need to use the button unless you really want to. And, like everything with this mouse, it can be adjusted to suit you. The side wheel doesn’t have the same ability, but the fact that it exists is enough.
Owners of the ageing MX Master 3 and 3S will probably be keen to know that the silly rubbery coating is gone, replaced with a plastic textured shell — no more sticky mouse. The main mouse buttons also feature a textured translucent plastic over the silent switches, which hasn’t turned shiny after many weeks of use. We doubt it ever will.
Easily accessible innards
In terms of the hardware inside, Logitech have kept things surprisingly ordinary and unchanged over the last few mice. The Darkfield high precision sensor boasts the same DPI range of 200 – 8,000, which is plenty. Unlike the sensors Logitech uses in its gaming mice, this one is more focused on working on different, usually difficult-to-read surfaces, like glass.
The polling rate (how often the mouse reports its position to the computer every second) tops out at 125Hz and is also unchanged. You might notice a difference compared to a higher polling rate in a gaming mouse if you’re using the MX Master 4 in competitive games (not something we recommend), but with productivity tasks, it isn’t an issue. Unless you’re using a high refresh rate monitor to do your productivity tasks.
Then the 125Hz polling rate might make tracking your cursor and its tail look ugly. This is made even worse if your monitor has high motion clarity, common to OLED panels.
Flipping the MX Master 4 over reveals more great choices. The screws can be accessed without having to remove the skates, something every other mouse maker should copy. That said, if we had to find something to complain about, the skates are rather weak relative to the rest of the package. They don’t seem up to the task of gliding the hefty Master 4 (151g) effortlessly over surfaces as well as they should.
Most of that heft likely comes from the sizeable 650mAh battery. Logitech says it should be good for 70 days of use. When we first received the Master 4, we had every intention of putting that claim to the test. That turned out to be harder than we expected. Not so much testing the battery, but keeping track of the charge because it lasted so damn long. The bonus is that you can still use it while it charges over USB-C (no cable included, unfortunately), so battery life shouldn’t be an issue for most folks.
The only other thing you get in the box is Logitech’s new USB-C Bolt dongle. It functions the same as previous dongles, just with a different connector. Strangely, there isn’t anywhere for you to store the dongle in the mouse. The dongle allows a wireless connection that Logitech says should better handle congested environments. We never experienced a problem with it. There’s also Bluetooth LE as a fallback.
Logitech MX Master 4 verdict
There’s a lot to love with the MX Master 4. Sure, a lot of it is essentially the same as the Master 3S. But the bits that have changed have been for the better. The new plastic bits should mean the Master 4 ages more gracefully than its siblings; the two extra buttons are a welcome addition, as is the dizzying amount of customisation.
This all comes at a price, like most things in life. In this case, it’s R2,400. That might sound like a lot, because it is. But what you get for the money (assuming you can use all the features) makes this a good deal.
Despite the price, Logitech hasn’t quite reached perfection yet. The skates could be better, the polling rate should be faster, and the fact that the Options+ software is required to get the most out of the Master 4 means that some folks will have to seek alternatives. That’s a pity, considering all three of those issues should be easily solvable — adding on-board memory should alleviate the latter. But hey, how else will Logitech sell the Master 4S in a few years?
