With the Logitech Pop Keys, Logitech is responding to the trend of keyboards with the retro look of a typewriter. Although the Pop Keys are mainly about those round keys and the rest of the keyboard is more modern and cheerful than, for example, keyboards that can be described as steampunk. We tested the Logitech Pop Keys along with the corresponding Pop Mouse.
Logitech Pop Keys
Price €99.99
Connection Bluetooth LE or Logi Bolt
battery life 2x AAA battery, 36 months battery life
switch TTC Brown
Key illumination new
OS Windows, macOS, Linux, Android, iOS, Chrome OS
Website www.logitech.com
6 Score 60 
- Pros
- Cheerful appearance
- Compact
- Extensive software
- Negatives
- Doesn’t really feel good
- No key illumination
- Noisy
Logitech focuses with the Pop Keys on young people, both in design and functionality. The keyboard is reminiscent of an old-fashioned typewriter with the round keys, but also stands out because of the special emoji keys that allow you to tap the most used emoji with one click. Logitech supplies the Pop Keys in three color combinations with yellow, mint or pink as the main colors.
The keyboard is made of plastic, but is very sturdy. It is in itself a compact keyboard, but because mechanical keys are used, it is a relatively thick keyboard. This makes the keyboard less convenient to carry in your bag.
It is striking that this keyboard works on a few AAA batteries and unlike other Logitech keyboards like the MX Keys Mini does not have a rechargeable battery. Logitech says it has done good target group research and designed the keyboard based on those choices. Perhaps a li-ion battery is inconvenient for a keyboard that is not often used and recharged?
In any case, with this choice you will not suffer from battery wear. On the other hand, key lighting is not possible in combination with AAA batteries. According to Logitech, you can tap on a set of batteries for 36 months.
It is also remarkable that Logitech includes the Bolt USB receiver where the recently tested MX Keys Mini is sold without this USB receiver. I had the idea that Logitech would mainly ship the Bolt receiver with business products, but it is in the packaging of the Pop Keys. The keyboard also works via Bluetooth and can connect to three devices, whereby you select the desired device with F1, F2 or F3.
Mechanical keys
It is the round keys that give the Pop Keys a striking appearance. Incidentally, this is not Logitech’s first keyboard with round keys, the design is reminiscent of the Logitech K380, for example. Where that keyboard is equipped with simple switches, a brown mechanical switch from TTC is hidden under the round keys of the Pop Keys.
Following Cherry switches, brown is the color for a mechanical switch that provides some feedback when the key reaches its actuation point. Unlike a blue switch, a brown switch does this without a clearly audible click. If you pay close attention, these brown switches from TTC do indeed have a noticeable click, but it is much less noticeable than that of the well-known Cherry switches.
At first I even thought this was a linear (red) switch. That makes these keys great for gaming, for example, something that the target group may also want to do with this keyboard.
The keyboard has no key illumination and therefore does not need keys through which light can shine. Perhaps that’s why the letters are simply printed on the keys. It remains to be seen how durable this imprint is, but on mechanical keyboards in the price range of the Pop Keys you usually see more durable keys without imprint.
Tap comfort
I don’t know if it’s because of the round keys, but this is a very noisy keyboard to tap on. Even if I try to tap really carefully and only try to press the keys to the actuation point, I still tap very loudly. That is not bad at first sight and is quickly part of a mechanical keyboard, but it is striking that Logitech has designed the accompanying mouse as quietly as possible. And that quiet aspect is emphasized by Logitech, so it is strange that the keyboard is so noisy.
In any case, the TTC switches themselves tick nicely, although I don’t find the keyboard as a whole very comfortable. This is due to the round keys that offer slightly less surface than square keys and have relatively much space between the keys. It takes some getting used to, of course, and after working on the Pop Keys for some time, I can tap it blindly. Traditional keys, however, continue to tap more finely and accurately. As far as I’m concerned, the Pop Keys is less suitable for frequent taps.
Emoji Keys
In addition to the round keys, the Pop Keys also stands out because of the five emoji keys with the four most used emoji according to Logitech. In addition to the four standard emoji, four additional emoji keys are included. Because the keys are on the side of the keyboard and there is a lot of space between the keys due to the round keys, it is easy to pull out a key without the need for a keycap puller.
Unfortunately, it remains with the eight included emoji, you can not order other emoji keys from Logitech for the time being. However, you can determine which emoji a key produces via the associated Logitech Options software. You have to install that software yourself for it to work, because by default only the bottom key for the emoji menu works.
Logitech Options
When you have Logitech Options installed, the default emojis are automatically assigned to the keys. You can choose other emoji, for example those of other four included keys. In addition, you can also assign other functionality to the keys, such as key combinations, programs to start or special keys such as Page Up that are missing on this keyboard.
You can also determine the functionality of the function keys yourself if you do not like the standard options. You have extensive options here. Nice is that it is again possible to assign the classic Print Screen function to the button that normally starts the screen clipping program. That capability was missing from Logitech Options a while ago.
Logitech Options is great software, but a disadvantage remains that the software controls the functionality. So the configuration is not saved in the keyboard. On a system without the software, the striking emoji keys do nothing.
Logitech Pop Mouse
Logitech Pop Mouse
Price €39.99
Connection Bluetooth LE or Logi Bolt
battery life AA battery, 24 months battery life
OS Windows, macOS, Linux, Android, iOS, Chrome OS
Website www.logitech.com
6 Score 60
- Pros
- Compact to take with you
- Silent operation
- Long battery life
- Three profiles
- Negatives
- Too small for everyday use
- No browse buttons
In addition to the keyboard, Logitech also sells a corresponding doll mouse in the same colors as the keyboard. This is a simple mouse that is too small for my taste and I would describe it more as a travel mouse. The most striking feature is the exceptionally quiet mouse buttons, which you hardly hear when clicking. Logitech says it did this because nowadays a lot of online meetings are held. In that respect, as mentioned, it is strange that the keyboard is very noisy again.
The mouse has no scroll buttons, but there is a button below the scroll wheel. Remarkably, that button opens the emoji menu. Fortunately, you can change that function via Logitech Options, because in combination with the accompanying keyboard that is a bit nonsensical. The mouse works on an AA battery and can be used in combination with Logi Bolt or bluetooth.
Conclusion
With the Pop Keys (and the Pop Mouse), Logitech puts products on the market that are mainly about appearance. At the same time, it is a premium product with, for example, mechanical keys, but the external choices such as the round keys make the long-term tapping comfort less pleasant. It’s not a bad keyboard if you really care about the look and emoji, but for the same money you can really get something nicer as a frequent tapper.
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