Logitech Signature M650: A mouse that will barely emit a squeak or a clickety-click
- Reference: 1641909792
- News link: https://www.theregister.co.uk/2022/01/11/logitech_m650/
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The Signature range comes in three colours – graphite, rose, and off-white. We were given the white left-handed version (the buttons are on the right-hand side – the image below is of the right-handed version).
First impressions were good. The mouse can be connected to a computer via Bluetooth or USB dongle, which lurks in the battery compartment. It looks smart, and the moulded design fits an average hand well. Our unit weighed in at just over 100g so not particularly hefty.
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Logitech Signature M650
That lightness, however, belies a problem with the Logitech device. Although some parts are pleasingly rubberized, there is a distinctly cheap feel to the mouse. The plastic on the top feels hard and brittle, and the side switches don't feel as pleasant to the thumb as the wheel does to the finger.
Still, once one gets over the vague feeling of cheapness about the materials used in the build of the mouse, there is plenty to like. Most notably, how silent it is. Mouse clicks are muted by 90 per cent with "SilentTouch" technology, according to Logitech, something that attendees of the conference calls that are de rigueur nowadays may appreciate, although (while still quiet) the side buttons on our unit were a little more audible.
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Those side buttons can also be customised, and the mouse itself will work with Windows, macOS, Linux, Chrome OS as well as Android and iPad OS. We tried Windows with the attached USB dongle and macOS via Bluetooth, and both worked well.
We also hooked up a recent iPad (again with Bluetooth) and all went well, although the mouse went into a protracted sulk before it would deign to connect to the Windows machine via USB again. A jab of the connection button on the underside restored service.
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As for power, a single AA battery comes with the mouse and Logitech reckons one should get two years' life out of it. There's no plug-in to recharge here, so keeping a spare on hand would be prudent.
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Overall, this a decent mouse, aimed at the productivity user needing a workhorse rather than at the hardcore gamer. The choice of sizes and left-handed option appeals, as do the impressively quiet buttons. However, some of the plastics used are not the greatest (a shame, considering the rubber contoured elements) and the RRP of £39.99 ($39.99) might put some off. ®
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[1] https://regmedia.co.uk/2022/01/10/logitech_m650.jpg
[2] https://www.theregister.com/2021/12/13/vissles_lp85_keyboard/
[3] https://www.theregister.com/2021/10/19/rapoo_review/
[4] https://www.theregister.com/2021/10/04/logitech_mx_keys_mini/
[5] https://www.theregister.com/2021/09/01/logitech_bolt_devices_support_secure/
[6] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_onprem/personaltech&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=2&c=2Yd23t2Fb2nLjpzikZIcDJwAAAMY&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D2%26raptor%3Dcondor%26pos%3Dtop%26test%3D0
[7] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_onprem/personaltech&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=4&c=44Yd23t2Fb2nLjpzikZIcDJwAAAMY&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D4%26raptor%3Dfalcon%26pos%3Dmid%26test%3D0
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Glad it isn't just me that's noticed that! Although in my case the plastic never seemed to be soft rubbery stuff when new you have to pry it off your hand now. Kind of like the grip on my tennis racquet is supposed to, but somehow, doesn't.
Add me to the list. I've had my MX Ergo trackball a few years now, and completely love it, except for this one 'feature'. I was a bit taken aback to see the author saying that as though the rubbery stuff were preferred over the plain plastic, given my experience, so came in here to say pretty much just that. In my particular case, by the way, not just sticky, but bubbly, but I am cursed with especially noxious hand sweat, so that might be just me.
I've got a mechanical keyboard..
With the same problem. Had to scrape the worst off so I could actually use the damn thing. My steel series mouse does the same but at least it just blistered rather than went sticky..
I almost wonder if it's intentional using 'soft-touch' stuff that makes things horrible to use but not actually broken?
Sticky rubber side bits have not been a problem on my 4.5 year old MX Anywhere 2 (AMZ edition)
Depends which websites you browse I guess
I find giving them a wipe down with a piece of kitchen paper moistened with Isopropyl alcohol (or surgical spirits) tends to get them back into fighting shape and removes the stickiness.
IPA all the way...
Was about to suggest isopropyl alcohol as well. It usually leaves a smooth surface, so you've lost the rubbery coating, but then you'd already lost that anyway.
(Disclaimer; no liability accepted for damage nor pets teleported to alternate dimensions as a result of this advice, and obviously you should take care that the IPA doesn't damage anything else on whatever you're using it on).
At that RRP, look around for a deal on a Logitech MX Mobile, a mouse with some more desirable features. Free-scroll wheel, dark field laser, rechargeable battery, more versatile dongle etc
Indeed you can get the Amazon flavour of the MX Anywhere 2 for £42 from Big River.
Thanks, MX Anywhere is the name I was looking for.
Stop with the handedness!
I hate the straying away from ambidextrous mice. I just want a decent Darkfield mouse that I can use with my left or right hand (it's in a shared environment in the house, with both lefties and righties).
Re: Stop with the handedness!
To reduce strain on the wrist, you want a mouse that fits well into your hand this means almost inevitably left- or right-handed. An ambidextrous alternative is a trackpad.
Re: Stop with the handedness!
Sounds like the MX Anywhere is the only mouse to fit your bill, Darkfield and symmetrical shape.
After a brief dalliance with a Logitech M330 Silent Plus wireless mouse, I've gone back to a wired and cheap £10 B110S, buying a little gamer stand thing that elevates the cable so it doesn't drag on the desktop (and costs more than the mouse itself).
My experience with both Bluetooth and USB receiver mice is that after a few months the receiver starts acting up and the mouse skips. The simpler mice also work without needing you to install awful software on your computer to cause random crashes. As for the rubberized coatings, they are made of incompletely polymerized plastic painted on a hard plastic shell and will invariably disintegrate over time, instead of being made of silicone. Let's face it, these are inexpensive peripherals designed to last a year at best.
Since you mention software, I was appalled to find out the software to setup the multi-device buttons on my K780 was a 278mb download.
Why? It's a frigging keyboard, why does the driver software have to be so bloated...
Nice, but...
... do they also make ergonomic ones? Vertical, that is. No one who once had mouse arm that healed after a few weeks of using a vertical mouse and never came back would ever go back to a normal mouse, let alone trackpads...
Logitech KidzMouse
A squeak from 1991...
[1]https://www.oldmouse.com/mouse/logitech/kidzmouse.shtml
[1] https://www.oldmouse.com/mouse/logitech/kidzmouse.shtml
"distinctly cheap feel"
Yup, that's Logitech these days. I've got a Logitech Bluetooth keyboard that first started refusing to pair with anything, and now refuses to charge. The Microsoft Bluetooth keyboard bought at the same time is still going strong.
Do those soft rubber surfaces still go sticky after a few years or is that problem fixed these days ?