Logitech Pro X TKL Rapid review – peak performance with some design flaws

Logitech is taking a large leap and getting into the Corridor Impact keyboard market with the Professional X TKL Speedy. This board additionally has the most recent in-demand options like fast set off and key precedence in-built. These new options are rapidly changing into commonplace in gaming keyboards, however this effort from Logitech feels very fundamental, even for a primary enterprise into Corridor Impact design.

Worth can also be an element holding the Logitech Professional X TKL Speedy from being among the finest gaming keyboards, as its comparatively plain design does little or no to justify the $170 value, though its construct high quality is usually superb, bar some minor key wobble issues. Granted, OLED screens, a wealth of RGB zones, wi-fi connections, and extra in-depth media controls aren’t what make or break a gaming keyboard, however they’re good to have when contemplating the extent of funding.

Specs

Design

Logitech has taken a no-frills strategy to the design of the Professional X TKL Speedy, which is on the market in black, white, and pink. It’s undeniably a Logitech board, that includes the big bezel throughout the highest the place the media controls sit, in addition to the G emblem on the far left. The keyboard additionally options RGB brightness controls and a recreation mode button.

The keyboard comes with three peak ranges from which to decide on, utilizing flip-out toes, which suggests there’s each probability your ultimate typing angle is roofed. There are additionally 5 plastic grips on the rear of the board, with three alongside the underside. These options are all of the Professional X TKL Speedy presents when it comes to anti-slip measures, and I discovered that when utilizing the board on my NZXT Zone desk mat, it was liable to the occasional slip when making fast or heavy actions whereas gaming, regardless of its pretty heavy 1kg weight. Nonetheless, the board fared a lot better when sitting instantly on my picket desktop.

In the meantime, per-key Lightsync RGB is on the market on the Professional X TKL Speedy, which will be adjusted utilizing the Logitech G Hub, which is a really simple course of. Every little thing is laid out with the visible of the keyboard, and you may make per-key changes, group keys collectively, or make entire board adjustments in only a few seconds. Simply ensure you don’t permit Home windows to manage the lighting on the board earlier than making an attempt to edit the lighting, in any other case nothing will occur and also you’ll be caught with a generic blue underglow as an alternative.

Outdoors of the keyboard itself, the one different merchandise included with the Professional X TKL Speedy is the 1.8m USB-A to C cable. Sadly, this simply makes use of fundamental plastic housing fairly than a material different, that means it may be fairly awkward to bend into form and manipulate to make sure it doesn’t disrupt the aesthetic of your desktop cable administration.

Efficiency

The efficiency of the Logitech Professional X TKL Speedy isn’t up for debate. This gaming keyboard is extremely responsive, and I discovered there to be no points with adjusting the actuation of singular keys or with each the important thing precedence and fast set off options.

Whereas gaming, I had no points with the responsiveness of the keyboard’s fast set off function when set at each excessive and low activation gates, and the identical goes for the overall adjustable actuation. Whether or not I had the board set to be extremely delicate or to make use of the total journey distance of the switches, the Professional X TKL Speedy felt nice to make use of, and its responsiveness was flawless.

An enormous purpose why adjustable actuation will be so helpful is that if, like me, you’re liable to fat-fingered errors when gaming. If I’m enjoying a recreation equivalent to Name of Responsibility: Warzone, the place I’m solely going to be utilizing the motion keys and some choose motion buttons, I can set these keys to be extra delicate whereas leaving the encircling keys as needing a full press to register. This prevents me from hitting an unintended enter and messing up my rhythm whereas gaming.

The identical goes for fast set off, a expertise that enables for a keypress to be registered once more as quickly as uplift is detected. Speedy set off ensures that a number of, quick inputs will be registered and not using a key needing to be totally depressed earlier than it’s reset. That is ultimate for motion in motion video games and rhythm video games too.

Multi-point actions, generally referred to as dynamic keystrokes or dual-activation, are additionally potential to arrange by way of the Logitech G Hub, and these work nice too. This function permits you to set two instructions for a single key press. As an illustration, a half-press of a key may start the method of cooking a grenade, after which a full key press may throw the grenade.. I personally like to make use of this setting in Fortnite, the place I can assign a half-press of the WASD keys to strolling, whereas the total press is used for operating. This successfully takes away the necessity for shift toggling for operating/sprinting in video games the place it’s potential.

Lastly, there may be key precedence, a function which is typically generally known as snap faucet, snappy tappy, or fast faucet. Addressing the elephant within the room first, this function is banned in Counter-Strike 2, so it must be disabled previous to enjoying. For now, it stays unbanned in different aggressive video games.

This function successfully permits for layers of keypresses to be arrange and prioritized accordingly, however without having to launch an enter for it to re-register as soon as the prioritized keys are launched. For instance, if you happen to’re holding the A key to strafe left, key precedence permits you to then press D to strafe proper whereas protecting the A key pressed. Upon releasing the D key, you’ll return to strafing left. Advanced strafing isn’t as essential in different video games as it’s in CS2, and Valve did act rapidly to ban the function when it was first revealed, however there may be an argument that it makes little or no distinction exterior of the elite degree of play.

One situation, nevertheless, is {that a} slight key wobble will be felt at full press, which signifies some instability throughout the board’s construct. It might go unnoticed as a rule, however when holding down a key so far as it should go, it’s straightforward to detect and worries me that, beneath long-term use, put on and tear injury will happen a lot faster than with different gaming keyboards.

Elsewhere, on-board reminiscence profiles additionally imply that after you make adjustments in Logitech G Hub, it can save you them to the board fairly than having to re-download the software program on whichever system you’re enjoying. That is nice if you happen to plan to attend LAN occasions or, for no matter purpose, play utilizing a PC that isn’t your individual.

Not like some gaming keyboards, the Logitech Professional X TKL Speedy additionally maintains a good normal typing really feel. That is aided by the adjustable actuation, as you’re capable of set the board to match your wants. When you’re a heavy-handed however quick contact typer like, you may set a low actuation level to make sure no errors are made if you happen to by accident drag throughout a key whereas typing. I by no means felt slowed down by the design of the Professional X TKL Speedy, and this was confirmed when my Typing Check outcomes returned as 72 phrases per minute with an accuracy price of 99%. My report for this check is on the Drop CSTM80, the place I managed 75 phrases per minute with a 99% accuracy. One draw back, nevertheless, is that the quantity of the board can really feel exacerbated when in a typing movement, which will be off-putting if you happen to’re used to a extra muted sound coming out of your keyboard.

Recorded from a 20cm distance, the Logitech Professional X TKL registered a mean of 65dB whereas typing, hitting a max of 70dB, sometimes when the enter or house key was used. Evaluate this to the 57dB common of the NZXT Perform 2 and 48dB common of the Turtle Seaside Vulcan II TKL Professional, two boards that actively use noise-dampening strategies, exhibiting that there’s a noticeable distinction when no noise-reducing design options are added.

Worth

At $169.99 / £169.99, the Logitech G Professional X TKL Speedy feels barely overpriced as a result of fundamental design. Nonetheless, relating to uncooked efficiency, you get your cash’s value with the suite of contemporary options and the way nicely they’re all carried out.

Options

Steelseries Apex Professional

Early adopters of options equivalent to fast set off and fast faucet, the Steelseries Apex Professional boards are an excellent different as a result of vary of sizes by which they’re obtainable, with wi-fi boards additionally in the marketplace. One drawback of utilizing a Steelseries board, nevertheless, is the bloated software program required to edit and regulate the options.

Keydous NJ98-CP

Whereas the Keydous NJ98-CP is just $10 cheaper than the Logitech Professional X TKL Speedy for the aluminum plate mannequin, it has the advantage of being a full-size keyboard and likewise presents wi-fi 2.4GHz and Bluetooth connection choices. It additionally has a small magnetic multi-function display screen and is available in a spread of colorways. That is all on prime of implausible gaming and typing efficiency due to the Gateron Jade Professional switches.

Verdict

The Logitech Professional X Speedy TKL is a stable gaming keyboard that brings little or no to the desk when it comes to new and thrilling options, as an alternative serving as the primary in a brand new era of gaming keyboards from Logitech.

Speedy set off and key precedence are nice options so as to add, even when one is a bit dangerous, and this has clearly been the course for gaming keyboards for the previous few years, however asking avid gamers to cough up $170 when there may be so little else to shout about is a troublesome promote.

There are rivals on the market providing a much bigger complete bundle, albeit for a better MSRP, however it looks like extra is being executed to justify these prices than is being executed right here with the Logitech Professional X TKL Speedy, which feels as if it’s enjoying catch-up to the likes of Razer and SteelSeries.

The Logitech Professional X Speedy TKL is nice for avid gamers who need to be on the slicing fringe of keyboard efficiency, and who aren’t involved about fancy design options or wi-fi connections. For everybody else, there might be a sense of purchaser’s regret in case you are hoping for extra on the design entrance.