Review: Logitech Pop Keys and Mouse

Shopping for a mechanical keyboard is overwhelming, and I practically shop for a living. From keycap options to choosing the right type of switch, I find myself in a sea of tabs every time I start to look. How should I customize it? On a scale of clickiness, how clicky am I, really? All I want is something fun and colorful, but then I have to sort through keycaps. Multiple purchases? I’ll never make up my mind.

My hunt, though, finally came to an end with the colorful Logitech Pop Keys and matching Pop Mouse. It’s got my favorite features from my previous Bluetooth keyboard from Logitech, but adds satisfying clicky-clacks and pops of color. And I only have to click one button to buy.

The Pop Keys comes in five colorways, some of which are more colorful than others. I tested the most colorful option, Daydream, which has purple, yellow, and white keys on top of a green and purple base. The keys have a nice weight to them and the colors look as vibrant in real life as they do online.

Logitech Pop Keys.

Photograph: Logitech

It’s become a colorful centerpiece of my desk. The Escape button is metallic and shiny, unlike the rest of the keys. I like the upscale touch to the frequently-used button. I also appreciate that the buttons include both Mac and PC notations. You’re able to pair the keyboard with three different devices over Bluetooth, so I’m able to use the Pop Keys as I switch from work laptop to my personal gaming computer. I even connect it to my iPad and bring both into my bed to type from (though it's a bit heavier than I expect every time I pick it up and move it).

The design is more reminiscent of a typewriter than a standard keyboard, thanks to the round keycaps rather than square. I went from Logitech’s K380 keyboard, which also has rounded keys, to this one, and it didn’t feel particularly noticeable to me. There’s a chance you might notice it more if you’re used to square keys, but I found the keys to be easy to feel and move across as you type, even without corners.

Photograph: Logitech

There’s also a matching mouse for each of the Pop Keys’ colorways. While it’s not as ergonomic as I’d like it to be, I found it comfortable to use over the past couple weeks, and it’s fun to have the two items match so perfectly (the Pop Mouse in Daydream has a purple and green body like the keyboard, and a yellow center wheel to match the yellow keycaps).

Unlike other mechanical keyboards, there are no RGB lights of any kind. You'll get color from only the keys and body of the keyboard, rather than rainbow lights below the keys. I didn't find that I missed it or needed RGB lights, but if it's a key feature for you, it's the only reason I'd recommend against this keyboard.

Logitech Pop Keys.

Photograph: Logitech

The whole point of the Pop Keys is that you don’t need to customize it to get the fun colors. However, there is still room for a little customization. Specifically, emoji customization.

Once you add it to your computer, the Pop Keys will prompt you to install Logi Options+, Logitech's customization app. It’ll work fine without it, but this is how you customize the keyboard’s emoji keys. Yes, this keyboard has four keys on the far right that you can pair with any emoji! Well, any emoji from Logitech’s list, which is fairly standard, and you can’t customize it. But still, fun!

There’s a fifth button below that brings up a master list of emojis for you to choose from, so you can have four favorites and then easily access any emoji you want with a tap of a button. The Pop Mouse has a button below the center wheel that does the same thing. The Pop Keys also comes with eight emoji keycaps that you can switch out on the keyboard itself to match your emoji of choice. Mine are the heart, heart eyes, sob, and laughing emojis. There’s also a ninth keycap with three faces on it, meant to symbolize the larger emoji menu that you can open to choose an emoji outside of your top four.

It’s certainly fun, but if you’re a heavy Discord or Slack user like myself, the buttons can’t help you react to messages or access any custom emoji, so you might not find yourself using it as often as you hoped. Still, it’s a fun little feature on an already great mechanical keyboard. If you’re looking for an easy way to get a colorful mechanical keyboard, this is a fantastic starting point.