Logitech MX Master 4 review - the ultimate work mouse reborn

Let's face it, the Logitech MX Master line has effectively been the undisputed king of work/productivity mice for years now. Its combination of a sensor that works on just about any surface, a super-fast scroll wheel, and a super-useful second horizontal scroll wheel, all wrapped up in a comfortable design, is, for many, unsurpassed for just getting work done. Now it's back, and the Logitech MX Master 4 includes some fairly significant changes, including a new haptic thumb pad section and gestures button.

While a productivity mouse such as this one isn't perhaps the most obvious addition to our best gaming mouse guide, if you use your PC for both gaming and work, a mouse like this is still a fantastic addition to your setup. That's particularly true if you prefer ultra-light mice that have very few features - such as the Logitech G Pro X Superlight 2, for instance - rather than a more capable multi-function gaming mouse such as the Logitech G502 X Plus. Regardless, we've been putting the new MX Master 4 through its paces over the last few weeks to see whether its latest iteration is still the go-to choice for those seeking the perfect work mouse.

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Specs

Features

Most of the macro features of the MX Master 4 remain the same as those on the MX Master 3 and 3S. That is, you get your standard two main left and right buttons with a scroll wheel in between them. Behind these sits the wheel shift button that switches the MagSpeed scroll wheel between a notched feel and a free-spinning feel, the latter being ideal for really quickly scrolling through documents or zooming in and out of an image in Photoshop, for instance.

To the left of these is a second scroll wheel that does horizontal movement. It doesn't have the fast-spinning ability of the other wheel but it does mean you can scroll sideways in many apps that either don't offer this function normally or only offer it via a key modifier  - Photoshop, for instance, enables sideways scrolling by holding down Ctrl while using a normal scroll wheel.

Further left still, on the side of the mouse, are two standard back and forward buttons, but it's here we also encounter the two biggest extra features of this new version of the MX Master.

Sat in front of the back/forward buttons is a new gesture button. Hold this down and move the mouse forward, back, left, or right and you can assign this gesture to activate a function. By default, these movements activate various Windows desktop functions, such as forward opening the Windows menu, down minimizing your windows to show the desktop, and left and right moving between desktops. However, you can assign these gestures to different functions in software.

The final big new feature addition is the haptic pad that sits under your thumb, in place of the more conventional thumb button on the 3 and 3S models. This slightly squidgy rubber pad can be pressed by your thumb, and upon sensing it's being pressed, the mouse will use a haptic system to imitate the feel of a button being clicked. You can tell it's a haptics system and not a button under the pad, as there's no response when the mouse is turned off - the pad just squishes a little where you've pressed it.

Once pressed, this pad opens up the Actions Ring, which is a software overlay that provides quick access to up to eight functions. These rings are context-aware, with different sets of functions appearing for Photoshop, Premiere, Chrome, or the desktop, for instance, if you choose to download them. You need to create a Logitech account and sign in to it get the plugins for each app, but they're all free. Alternatively, you can just set up your own functions for each app manually.

Outside of this, the MX Master 4 isn't too dissimilar to previous models. It retains the same Darkfield sensor as previous MX Master mice, which means it will work on just about any flat surface, including shiny metal and glass. This sensor's maximum DPI has also been upped to 8,000 DPI.

However, this also means the Master range still isn't remotely appropriate as a gaming mouse, as these sensors simply aren't optimized for particularly fast movement. The mouse's wireless connection - via a tiny, teeny USB-C dongle - is also not optimized for speed, but instead Logitech boasts a 2x increase in connectivity strength thanks to a new chip and antennae.

Design and comfort

One of the key reasons for the long-term popularity of the MX Master series has been its shape, and that core design is retained in the MX Master 4. However, there is a big change to its overall design that I feel is a negative step.

Starting with the good stuff, the core shape is the same. It slopes down towards its right side at a fairly steep angle of ~15°, which in theory helps reduce the twisting required by your forearm. I don't actually find the tilt angle to be enough to really make that much of a difference compared to either a proper vertical mouse or a flatter, symmetrical-shaped mouse, but many people swear by this style of ergonomic mouse.

Similarly, in theory, this is a mouse that's particularly ideal for using a palm grip, where you drape your whole hand over the mouse, rather than just gripping it with your fingertips. However, personally, I don't find I can palm grip this mouse all that well, as my fingers are too long (20cm from base of wrist to tip of middle finger) to comfortably reach back to the scroll wheel and other buttons.

Plus, I find the raised section of the mouse where the horizontal scroll wheel sits actually slightly gets in the way of a comfortable palm grip for me. It's like that section pokes into my hand, rather than gently supporting it. I much prefer a flatter style of mouse with a fairly long back section, such as the G Pro X Superlight 2, when it comes to just comfortably planting my whole palm on the mouse.

Still, your mileage will vary, and mouse shape is very subjective. Crucially, though, what doesn't help with this new mouse is the removal of the all-over rubber coating of the MX Master 3 and 3S. That outer surface really helped the mouse to passively grip your palm regardless of how cold, dry, hot, or sweaty your hands are, whereas now your palm just slides off the slope of the mouse, so you have to actually grip it slightly more. I find it a big downgrade

Thankfully, the left side has a platform for your thumb that also contains the haptic thumb pad that is rubberized, so provides better grip. Likewise, there's a patch of rubber on the right side of the mouse that at least ensures this mouse is easy to grip with just a fingertip grip.

Slightly counting against any sort of grip, though, is that the weight of this mouse is high. It's even 9g heavier than the already fairly chunky MX Master 3. Weighing in at 151g, it's not far off triple the weight of many ultralight gaming mice, and while this isn't a mouse designed to be flung around at ultra high speed, it is still a device you have to pick up and move around with your fingertips. Combined with the less-grippy top surface, it makes for an even clearer step down in weildability compared to its forebear.

Meanwhile, in terms of styling, this is a smart-looking mouse, with the new addition of translucent plastic on the top of the main buttons looking rather neat. It's available in the graphite color shown here, along with a darker graphite/charcoal color and pale gray, with the Mac version available in Space Black and White Silver.

Software

Fundamental to getting the most from the MX Master 4 is installing Logitech's Options+ software. This software unlocks the gestures and Action Rings that really elevate just how much this mouse can do, plus it gets you access to Logitech Flow. Flow is the company's multi-computer feature that allows you to switch between computers that are connected to the mouse and even do things like copy and paste between computers.

First up on the features list of Options+, though, is the Buttons section. This is where you can change the functions of all the main controls of the mouse, other than the left and right buttons. Some examples of the changes you can make include having the second scroll wheel control volume rather than horizontal scrolling, having the gestures control media playback rather than Windows Desktop controls, and having the thumb pad button bring up the task view rather than the Action Rings.

The next section lets you adjust how the mouse feels. You can adjust the sensitivity of the scroll wheels, including how much you notice the vertical scroll wheel notches when it's not in free-spinning mode. The sensitivity of the haptics pad can also be adjusted as can the pointer speed.

The Haptics section lets you control the intensity of the feedback, which is a good thing, as the default medium setting I did find a little distracting, preferring instead to use the low setting. I also preferred to have the haptic buzz turned off when selecting actions from the Action Rings - by default the haptics is triggered each time you hover over an option. The haptics can also be disabled when the mouse is running low on battery.

The final main screen is ostensibly for setting up the Easy-Switch connections. That is, it shows the devices to which the MX Master 4 is connected and that you can cycle through those connected devices via the button on the bottom of the mouse (or via other controls, such as Action Rings). However, this settings screen doesn't actually do anything. It just shows what devices are connected.

Other little extras in the software are that it shows the mouse's battery life, it lets you swap the left and right buttons (in the settings section), and you can check for firmware updates.

Looking more closely at what Action Rings are, these overlays appear when you hit the haptic thumb pad and stay open until you either click the central close button, select an action, or click elsewhere on screen. You can completely customize what commands appear for any given app and download plugins for hundreds of different apps, bringing you quick and easy access to common functions for those apps, including matching function icons.

Setting up Action Rings is done in a separate section of Options+ outside of the mouse settings. Here you can go to town getting them all set up exactly as you like. Just as with Flow and the gestures, this setup can take quite some time. Even downloading plugins for apps, I found I'd want to customize most of them too, so it's quite a task to think about all the apps you use, what functions are useful in those apps, where they feel most comfortable to quickly access in the ring, and then actually remembering what all the functions are and where they are. However, once done, you have an incredible amount of functionality at your fingertips.

Performance

The Logitech Dark Field sensor at the heart of this mouse is fantastic. It's a laser-based, rather than optical-based, technology exclusive to Logitech. Unlike optical sensors and even conventional laser sensors, it allows this mouse to work on just about any surface. Whereas optical sensors need an even, matte finish to track well, the MX Master 4 will track on polished metal, mirrors, glass, and more. It still requires a reasonably flat surface, but beyond that, it's remarkably capable.

The bump up in maximum DPI isn't something anyone with a standard setup is going to benefit from, as it feels far too fast and jittery. However, if you have a mega multi-monitor setup, you may find it useful for quickly moving the mouse across the vastness of your desktop.

As for the performance of the other core features of this mouse, its main scroll wheel is arguably its single greatest feature. Other mice, such as the Razer Basilisk V3 Pro 35K, include a similar freewheeling option, but the one here really is so effortless to use. I particularly like its ability to offer a notched feel for slower movements, but then, if you flick the wheel harder, it automatically switches off the detents and spins freely, letting you zip through documents at what Logitech claims is up to 1,000 lines per second.

As for button performance, the main left and right buttons feel distinctly different to those you'll find on a good gaming mouse. They lack that really taught, clicky, feel of gaming switches. Not that they feel mushy, but there's just a slight softness to them, and in fact, Logitech has concentrated on making these switches as quiet as possible. For those distracted by such clicks, it's a nice addition, though I can't say the clicks ever bothered me on the older versions of this mouse. The Razer Deathadder V4 Pro clicks, on the other hand…

Logitech has slightly loosened up the feel of the horizontal scroll wheel compared to the MX Master 3, and this really elevates its usability. It feels much quicker and easier to move sideways through documents, whereas the old version felt a little stiff.

All told, where it counts, the performance of the MX Master 4 is excellent. It just works in terms of tracking, and all its controls fall easily to hand and operate effortlessly.

Battery life

The Logitech MX Master 4's battery life is excellent, with the company claiming a couple of months of use between charges. In our tests, this was borne out with the mouse dropping single percentage digits in its reported battery life in Options+ after each day's use. Such is the advantage of not having a super-fast sensor with a high polling rate like on gaming mice and using just Bluetooth lower energy mode for wireless connection, rather than a faster wireless tech.

Charging is via the USB-C port on the mouse's front, and this mouse will get you a quite ridiculous three hours of extra use from just one minute of charging.

Price

The Logitech MX Master 4 price is $119.99, which is not exactly budget, but is a fair price for the number of features packed into this mouse. Plenty of high-end gaming mice cost considerably more and have far fewer features.

Verdict

The Logitech MX Master 4 remains the king of productivity mice, with its new gesture and Action Ring features being welcome new additions to an already winning formula. However, its increase in weight and the dropping of its all-rubber exterior significantly dents its grippability compared to previous MX Master mice. It's not an outright deal breaker, but for some users it will feel like a significant step down.

Thankfully, in every other respect, there's no doubting this is still the best mouse to get for those wanting to get some serious work done.

If you're looking for a great keyboard or mouse mat to pair with your choice of mouse, check out our best gaming keyboard and best gaming mouse pad guides.