Logitech MX Master, MX Anywhere 2 Mice Graduate to Windows 10

Microsoft isn’t the only company with mice designed for Windows 10. Logitech’s MX Master and MX Anywhere 2 wireless mice boast features tailored for the new OS.

Face it. Most mice resemble eggplant-shaped pucks. But draped in black and metallic brown plastics, Logitech’s MX Master and MX Anywhere 2 are somewhat of a departure from the LED-festooned sea of gray and silver mice that have come to dominate the premium mouse scene. The look might not be to everyone’s liking, but medium-sized hands will find that they’re a comfortable place to spend hours of working.

Weighing just over 5 ounces and measuring 5 inches by 3.4 inches and 2 inches high, Logitech’s full-sized MX Master is strictly for desktop duty. MX Anywhere 2 is the mouse for traveling with svelte Windows 10 tablets and two-in-ones by weighing in at 3.7 ounces and taking up a perfectly palmable 3.9 inches by 2.4 inches by 1.4 inches of space.

These mice charge via a micro-USB cable. The MX Master helpfully displays the battery level while charging using three green LEDs near the thumbwheel, while the MX Anywhere 2 has a single LED near its scroll wheel that pulses to indicate that it’s charging. Logitech claims the MX Master’s battery can last 40 days between charges, while the MX Anywhere 2 stretches that figure to two months.

Both mice allow users to pair to three devices and switch between them. LEDs show which device (1, 2 or 3) the mouse is currently connected to when they’re flipped. The mice can connect natively using their built-in Bluetooth 4.0 radios or via their included USB dongle.

Both the MX Master and MX Anywhere 2 pair easily enough to a Windows 10 machine, but Logitech Options software is required to unlock their full potential. Fortunately, it’s eye-pleasing and intuitive, offering users a wealth of customization options.

The textured, geometric thumb rest on the MX Master doubles as a gesture button. This handy feature unlocks mouse-based gesture controls, enabling users to swipe the MX to switch between Windows 10’s virtual desktops (by default), summon Cortana and more.

In its default configuration, the smooth thumbwheel on the MX Master allows for horizontal scrolling. Again, the Logitech Options software allows users to customize it for app switching, controlling screen brightness and many other functions. There’s no thumbwheel on the MX Anywhere 2, so owners will have to make do with simple forward and back buttons (also on the MX Master).

Once paired to a Windows 10 machine—a Surface Pro 3 in this case—Logitech’s mice behave as expected, if a little unexceptionally. They can be customized in Windows’ built-in Mouse Function control panel to an extent, but a few quick tweaks of the Point and Scroll options in the Logitech Options software ensure smooth, accurate and responsive pointer movements. Misclicks are purely the user’s fault.

Logitech claims Darkfield laser tracking technology works on glass surfaces, as long as they are at least 4mm thick. In welcome news for fans of minimalist office furniture, a test on a glass coffee table confirmed it to be true.

Over time, it’s common for the built-in pads on mice to degrade, requiring more effort to move the mouse. That may happen to the Logitech MX Master and MX Anywhere 2, but out of the box, they glide on wood, glass and stainless steel surfaces smoothly and with reassuring heft.