With working from home being the new norm for most of us, I was on a quest to de-clutter my working environment. And this got me thinking into wireless keyboards; now where could I get the best wireless keyboard and not have to compromise on my gaming performance. Few hours of research and I stumbled on the Logitech G915 LIGHTSPEED wireless gaming keyboard. With so many raving for this keyboard we wanted to test first hand how this keyboard truly performs. So lets get right into it and see what all the hype is about.

First up, here’s a quick run down of the Logitech G915’s specifications:

PHYSICAL SPECIFICATIONS	REQUIREMENTS
– Length: 475 mm – Width: 150 mm – Height: 22 mm – Weight (w/o cable): 1025 g – PC Cable Length: 1.8 m	– LIGHTSPEED: USB port and Windows^® 7 or later, macOS^® X 10.11 or later – Bluetooth: Bluetooth enabled device with Windows 8 or later, macOS X 10.11 or later, Chrome OS™, or Android™ 4.3 or later, iOS 10 or later – (Optional) Internet access for Logitech G HUB software
TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS	PART NUMBER
Low Profile GL Switches: Actuation distance: 1.5 mm Actuation force: 50 g Total travel distance: 2.7 mm Battery Life: 30 hours (100% brightness) Onboard Memory: 2 Lighting Profiles 3 G-keys Macro Profiles Other Features: LIGHTSPEED Wireless Bluetooth LIGHTSYNC RGB, per key lighting 5 Dedicated G-Keys Dedicated media control and edgeless volume wheel	Black English Tactile : 920-009226 Black English Linear : 920-009227 Black English Clicky : 920-009228 WARRANTY INFORMATION 2-Year Limited Hardware Warranty

The Logitech G915 LIGHTSPEED – Out of the box

In typical Logitech fashion, the G915 comes in a flashy packaging both outside and in.

The box features all key functionality of the Logitech G915 to make a buying decision a breeze for potential buyers.

You got to love the attention to detail Logitech have gone to make this keyboard feel a premium brand. Opening the box you’re greeted with a blank cover with the Logitech logo and the keyboard itself is enclosed in a black cloth.

Underneath the keyboard you’re offered a micro USB charger cable and LIGHTSPEED USB adapter.

Design and feel

From the moment you hold the Logitech G915 you can’t miss the premium feel this keyboard offers. The keyboard surprisingly is quite heavy at almost 1kg, making it very sturdy on a desktop surface.

With a gunmetal top case with a hard plastic base, the Logitech G915 achieves a light, ultra-thin 22mm design which is yet a strong and durable keyboard.

Logitech offers the G915 as a full sized keyboard as well as in a TKL variant. You also get to choose from Linear, tactile, or clicky switches; all to cater towards varying user needs and budgets.

The double shot keycaps on this keyboard provides greater durability in terms of the key legends not ever fading/chipping away after extended periods of use. Only gripe I have with the keycaps is they’re made of ABS plastic and pretty easily shows oil stains off your hands no matter how often you clean them.

Moreover, the slight roughed out surface of the top metal shell makes it easy for dust particles to collect where the OCD in me ends up cleaning ever so often. Nevertheless, these are by no means deal breakers but minor observations which have no consequences to the keyboard’s functionality.

Ergonomics

The ergonomics of the of the Logitech G915 is pretty good and given it’s low profile nature you really don’t need any wrist pad either. The keyboard offers a good layout and everything is where you expect them to be with no surprises. There are 2 tilt positions provided to suite your specific needs. Having said that however, it would have been good for Logitech to include a wrist pad with this keyboard given the premium price tag it’s offered at. They keys themselves are slightly smaller than Logitech’s MX series, so if you’re used to the MX series, you may find a little bit of getting used to initially. Personally the Logitech 915 provides a good blend between gaming and typing functionality.

Typing experience

The Logitech G915 we received was with their low profile GL linear switches which provides a smooth consistent keystroke with hardly any noise in contrast to Tactile or Clicky switches. The GL switches have an actuation distance of 1.5mm and an actuation force of jut 50g.

The fact that these low profile GL switches have such a low actuation distance, sometimes can cause unintended keystrokes to register. The experience would be slightly different if using their Tactile or Clicky switches as you’d get some level of feedback. Nevertheless we found that after a while of using the keyboard our overall experience was very positive as there’s hardly any fatigue after hours of use due to its low actuation distance and actuation force. All keystrokes were registered accurately and the keys remained stable even through hardcore gaming scenarios. There’s hardly anything to fault here and Logitech certainly have been able to make a good blend between gaming and typing alike.

Wireless Capability

One of the key selling points for the Logitech G915 is its LIGHTSPEED technology. The tech itself is proprietary to Logitech and offers a 1ms response rate, which in reality out performs even some high end wires keyboards. You can also pair the keyboard with a secondary device using Bluetooth and switch between the two at the flick of a button.

Some of the dreaded aspects of going wireless is dropouts and key strokes not reflecting real life speeds. Thanks to this LIGHTSPEED tech however we didn’t notice any lag or dropouts no matter how strenuous or interactive our gaming / typing demands were.

Programmable Macro and Media Keys

The Logitech G915 won’t let you program macros on just any key you want; instead they provide dedicated macro keys to the left of the keyboard. There are 5 keys in total with 3 profiles that can be assigned, giving you a total combination of 15 macros. That’s plenty even for the most seasoned gamer.

There are many inbuilt commands as well which can be assigned to the Macro keys if you so desire, which is offered via the G-Hub software (More on this later).

The profiles can be selected by pressing M1 – M3 keys on the top left of the keyboard. If you wanted to record a macro key without the G Hub software, you could do this by pressing the MR button.

The dedicated media keys sit on the right most side of the keyboard along with a scroll wheel for volume.

Backlights

Logitech provides some of the best RGB lighting experiences on their keyboards. The mammoth array of styles available is truly impressive and probably the biggest issue is selecting one and sticking to it. Overall the lighting effects on the keyboard are very sleek and would certainly appeal to everyone.

Here are a few effects captured:

Battery Performance

Battery performance is another area the Logitech G915 excels in. Using the keyboard 8hrs a day for a week, we were astonished to see only 1% battery drain. Mind you, this was using the keyboard without any RGB options. The G Hub software has a battery level indicator so you can easily plug in the micro USB cable when needed. The keyboard is usable throughout the charging cycle of the keyboard. Logitech claims you can go 135 days on a single charge (Assuming 8 hrs of usage a day) or 12 days with RGB lighting. That’s pretty impressive by any standards.

Logitech G Hub Software

The G Hub software is a feature rich well designed product that allows you to further customize your Logitech G915 keyboard. It’s very intuitive and with a few clicks you can get most things done from setting up RGB functionality to programming macro keys.

With cloud sync you can also download various people’s layouts & presets, saving you the effort and time if doing from scratch.

Conclusion

Retailing around AU$299, the Logitech G915 certainly comes with a hefty price tag. Yet one simply can’t ignore the premium offerings this keyboard brings. It offers the perfect blend for gamers who would also use the same keyboard for office use. Unlike the Logitech MX series which is catered purely for business use, we found the G915 capable of handling both these scenarios perfectly.

The software offering is quite mature and there’s not much you can fault on the Logitech G915 apart from a few cosmetic complaints if any. With a phenomenal battery life you’re certainly not going to be left stranded when you need it the most. All in all, the Logitech G915 is an exceptional piece of hardware with its LIGHTSPEED technology and it certainly comes with our seal of approval if your budget can handle it.