Logitech G915 TKL review

Logitech G915 TKL review.

Great design, fast wireless connection, and incredible value

It is generally accepted that gaming hardware should be wired – the usual “cord”, though not very convenient, allows you to achieve minimal latency. But now this situation is changing, at least in the expensive segment – for example, Logitech is promoting Lightspeed technology, with which wireless keyboards and mice work as well as wired ones. We tried the Logitech G915 TKL keyboard to see how well Lightspeed performs and what a keyboard can do for the price of a mid-range processor.

Specifications (edit)

Design

The rather high price for the Logitech G915 TKL dictates high expectations, and its appearance is really difficult to find fault with. The keyboard weighs almost a kilo, which in itself gives the feeling of a solid and quality product. The G915 TKL is assembled like a tank – the upper panel is made of brushed aircraft-grade aluminum, the lower one is made of plastic, but on a steel frame. The 40-hour battery also adds weight. But at the same time, the keyboard is very compact – it does not have a digital block, and the frames around the remaining keys are small.

The premium feel is enhanced by the media keys located on the upper right-hand side. They are soft, completely soundless, and the volume is controlled by an oblong roller – it is smooth and smooth, you want to use them even when there is an amplifier volume wheel nearby, which costs twice as much as the keyboard. To the left of the media keys are the control buttons for the keyboard itself – a switch between the complete USB receiver and Bluetooth (more on them later), a game mode switch and backlight brightness control. There is also a Caps Lock and low battery indicator between the two blocks.

Initially, the keyboard has a zero tilt angle, it lies flush with the table, but with the help of the G915 TKL’s double legs, it can be raised by 4 or 8 degrees. In any position, the keyboard clings to the table tightly, without moving along the surface.

On the back of the G915 TKL there is a place for a USB stick – very convenient if you travel with the keyboard to tournaments, work or friends. You can just throw the G915 into your backpack and not worry too much about its safety or that the keychain will be lost. Well, if you forgot, you can always switch to regular Bluetooth. The keychain itself, by the way, is tiny. It’s great when you plug it into a laptop or into the front USB ports of the case – the appearance almost does not deteriorate. But losing such a keychain is as easy as shelling pears, be careful!

Another controversial point is that the G915 TKL is charged via a MicroUSB cable. They have very flimsy connectors, and in a product for 18 thousand rubles, I still want to see USB Type-C as in many modern devices. This does not affect the functionality in any way, but we hope that Logitech will leave the obsolete format as soon as possible.

The feel of typing

The Logitech G915 TKL comes with three types of switches – GL Tactile, GL Linear and GL Clicky, all three are low profile. For testing, we got the last option: with a loud click and clear feedback. In theory, it loses slightly in games, but it combines still high performance with ease of printing. Each key is easy to grope for touch typing, large keys like the space bar and Enter do not sag and are very stable. They click GL Clicky really loud – up to 60 dB at a distance of 10 cm with a background noise of 43 dB – but the sound is pleasant, you quickly get used to it.

Backlighting will help to work in the dark. It is important to note that only some additional symbols are painted with paint, the main ones, as well as the letters of the Russian / English layout, are engraved and perfectly transparent – except that the Russian letters are slightly smaller than the English ones.

With Bluetooth support, the G915 TKL can be connected to any iOS or Android device. For example, we wrote this block on the iPad Air 2. It works fine, but remember that the G915 TKL layout is made for Windows, not Mac, so some function keys will work differently than indicated on the keyboard, but this applies to all keyboards on Mac OS environment. Switching between a PC with a remote control and a tablet via Bluetooth is instant, you just have to press a button.

Feelings of games

In 2021, it’s no secret to anyone that the Bluetooth standard is outdated, and the new revisions don’t really help specialized devices like keyboards, mice and gamepads. Therefore, for example, Xbox controllers operate on a proprietary protocol that uses a higher frequency than standard Bluetooth in order to operate with lower latency.

The Logitech G915 TKL uses Logitech Lightspeed technology, which fights the same issues as the Xbox Wireless. Logitech promises reliable and stable connectivity and less than 1ms latency. We don’t have the tools to test latency, but Canadian colleagues at Linus Tech Tips have tested mice with this technology and found that they perform even slightly faster than wired mice – albeit in a laboratory setting. We also checked how well the G915 TKL holds the signal. Within a radius of 10 meters, even through the concrete load-bearing walls, the G915 TKL continued to transmit the test text confidently and accurately. In reality, we cannot imagine a situation where the keyboard has to be used through a concrete wall, but this is a great demonstration of the power of the transmitter.

Sure, for gaming, the GL Tactile switches would have worked better, but the GL Clicky did just fine too. The key travel is short enough and the resistance not high enough to interfere with fast-paced games like Overwatch and Counter-Strike: Global Offensive. Unfortunately, there are no programmable G-keys for macros on the keyboard, but the function F-keys can be reprogrammed in the Logitech G HUB software. The keyboard’s built-in memory supports 3 macro key presets.

The keyboard also supports game backlighting profiles – for example, in CS: GO, only the keys that are used to control the game are highlighted, and explosions and flashes momentarily light the keyboard white. The function is optional, but very nice and enjoyable. As well as Game Mode, which by default blocks pressing the Windows key to prevent games from crashing in the middle of a match.

We did not find support for n-key rollover in the documentation – the ability to simultaneously read pressings on an infinite number of keys, but the function is clearly there – in our testing, the Logitech G915 TKL successfully transmitted as many as 35 keys simultaneously.

Battery operation

Logitech claims the G915 TKL can last up to 40 hours on a single charge at maximum brightness. We did not check this indicator for up to a minute, but on the whole it looks like the truth – using the keyboard from morning to evening, we sent it to charge every few days. Here again I want to scold Logitech – when there is only one Mini-USB charge left in the house, which is used to feed two power banks, “queues” of devices begin to line up for it.

Software

You must use the Logitech G Hub software to set up your G915. It allows you to customize the backlight, macros, game mode, presets, and also see the remaining charge. The backlight, for example, can be adjusted very finely. We found it a little strange to work without the numeric keypad, and the numbers on the main keypad are difficult to distinguish when typing quickly. The solution is simple – to highlight the digital series with a separate bright color.

The Logitech G915 TKL isn’t just a cool keyboard – it’s a showcase for the latest in controllers. Well-thought-out design, attention to detail, fast and reliable wireless connection – is there anything that can break the idyll? Perhaps only the price: officially the keyboard costs 18 thousand rubles. If you wait for discounts, you can save 1-2 thousand, but in any case it will be an amount comparable to an average processor.

So the G915 TKL is rather a choice for those who do not save money on their PC from the word “absolutely”. And it doesn’t matter if the PC is used more for games or work – the keyboard is extremely versatile and copes well with both tasks. It’s also a great gift. Yes, incredibly expensive, but the G915 TKL gives you exactly the sensations you expect from a gift – you want to use it again and again, show off and just hold it in your hands. So the next time you, for example, throw off a colleague at work for a gift – think about this option.