29th July 2022 – Written by Nick Rowe @ Technuovo.com
I have been using the brand new Logitech G715 keyboard over the last few weeks, which is a tenkeyless, 87key mechanical gaming keyboard, wired or wireless with lightspeed wireless and Bluetooth connectivity. We’ve got RBG with lightsync so you can combine Logitech products together, we’ve got mechanical GX switches, a rechargeable 25hr long battery and cover plates, so the base keyboard may be white but you can purchase another cover plate if you wanted, say a pink and white, or green and white theme.
It’s quite a sleek-looking keyboard although the white, it’s got a little bit of an off-white colouring there which is a bit like marmite for me. 87 keys, so no number pad which may not be your thing but I rarely use those keys so it’s ideal for me. There are a variety of media buttons on the top, including a roller that out-of-the-box controls volume, which I’ve actually been using alot. There is also a caps lock and battery light, profile button that allows you to switch profiles on the fly that are stored within the on board memory. A gaming button that once hit, voids any given keys, so press that button and as default, this voids the use of the Windows keys, so if you hit one by accident, it won’t minimise your name or bring up your task bar. That can also be customised to other buttons aswell. Lastly, there is dimming control, there are 5 stages of dimming in total and you can pick the one you prefer.
There is also this plastic cover on the front that can be removed, it’s magnetic and can be swapped for another colour, although you need to purchase those separately. To the underside, more RGB to the sides and bottom, which gives a nice glow on your desk. Three options for height or angles, flat, a small stand, or a large stand. There is a USB port on the rear that holds the USB receiver when not in use, plus a USB C port to the top where you can plug in or charge. In the box you get a power cable, receiver, sticker and instructions, plus this spongy cloud effect wrist pad, which at first I thought was a bit odd, and because of that cloud pattern, the pad didn’t sit flush with the bottom of the keyboard but after using it, it actually doesn’t matter.
Now in terms of performance and using the keyboard, it’s been a joy to use. The board is really well made, it’s well constructed, it is solid, there is no flex, and it hardly moved when on my desk mat while gaming or typing. The attention to detail is good, like the edges of the buttons are smooth and it just oozes that premium feel. As for the switches, they are the mechanical GX switches with the double shot PBT keycaps and you can choose between tactile, linear or clicky. We got the tactile brown version so bear that in mind when I talk about noise and so forth. Switches work well, with minimal travel distance and good actuation. Some of the boys have been getting back into Overwatch after playing the Overwatch 2 beta, so I’ve been playing alot of that with this keyboard and it’s been good, the board hasn’t skipped a beat and they just keep calling me the MVP in the group chat, it’s getting a bit weird.
I enjoyed typing with this board, the keys are very smooth and I’d say middle of the road with regards to noise, I’ve heard quieter and I’ve heard much louder too.
Let’s talk about the software for a minute. With the board, you can pair it with the G Hub which you can download to your PC. Once installed, it will recognise your board straight away and if there is a firmware update, it will flag that straight away, which it did for me so I sent that straight to the board. If you click on the little cog on display, it will show you the firmware version, battery level, and energy consumption and give you a few on/off options too. But if you go back to the main screen and click on the board itself, that’s where the magic happens. From there, you’ve got options for Lightsync, assignments and game mode.
Lightsync is where you can edit the RGB colours and effects of the board. There is an array of default effects and then you can tweak them further to suit your preference. You can even manually change the colour of each key, so if you wanted W/A/S/D to stand out, have those pink, while everything else is blue.
Under assignments, that’s where you can edit commands, fiddle with any key assignments and also create any macros you may want. Lastly, under the game mode, you can set which keys you want to void or make inactive while in game mode. So as default, when in game mode, if you hit either of the windows keys, nothing will happen. You can click on a key on the screen to turn it on or off for game mode. Handy if you always end up hitting a key that’s next to the key you actually want to hit.
The other keys work well, as mentioned earlier I’m using the volume roller alot, plus the multimedia buttons as well. The cloudy, bubbly wrist pad is quirky, but it’s really comfortable and when I took it away to use the board without it, I wanted it back straight away. Battery life is good, more than enough for two, three or four sessions, depending on how hard you go for me, I had the cables already plugged into my PC so it’s a quick plug in if needed. For me, I noticed no performance difference between wired and wireless and the cables don’t hinder performance at all so you could keep it picked in 24/7 if you wanted. If you want to change the keycaps, go for it, just make sure they are compatible. Perhaps even go for some low profile keys, boost that RGB maybe.
I enjoyed the Logitech G715 gaming keyboard and overall, fairly faultless board and I’ve not really got anything bad to say about it, it’s been a joy to use. Perhaps a wider variety of switches to choose from, more cover plates or a black version but that might come in time anyway. The retail price is £169 or $199, which I think makes it Logitechs most expensive keyboard, as the G915 right now is about £150-£160. The price is slightly on the higher side of the market, compared to other brands like the Ducky, Steel Series and Razer.
For more info and to purchase, head over to the official Logitech website.
Discussion about this post