Logitech G915 TKL Review
The Logitech G915 TKL looks like a tenkeyless version of the standard G915 Lightspeed gaming keyboard but there’s a lot more to it. The G95 TKL is my preferred keyboard size for my play style and I feel like they should have launched this keyboard first because of the amazing wireless performance with Logitech Lightspeed and given the insanely low profile design that complements a small TKL footprint on your desk. I’m happy to say there are several improvements on the keyboard frame and the packaging is now more environmentally conscious with an 88% reduction in plastic. Battery life is much better — but I don’t know is it just me or a gaming keyboards becoming way too expensive?
Definitely not just me, because the G915 TKL will make your wallet suffer a hefty price of $200 (It's actually on sale right now, its list price is $230). It is only twenty dollars cheaper versus the original and it’s almost like you’re forced to buy the bigger one because it’s kind of such a bad deal to be fair though the $20 difference between full-size and TKL keyboards is common among other keyboards as well.
There’s currently no keyboard on the market that is competing with the 915 lineup, which is low-profile and delivers amazing wireless performance. It gives you Bluetooth as well and comes in TKL and full-size options which is why this thing is so pricey. so here’s my full experience with a keyboard that I wanted.
So first I appreciate the large tax commitment to play green with better packaging and I hope more brands follow. Now the keyboard it’s basically an identical frame to the original but in a TKL format without the G keys on the left and no numpad and profile keys have moved into the F keys but the depth and height of the frame have stayed the same. It is very low to the surface requiring no wrist pad but once you angle it kind of reaches the same height as a standard keyboard. I don’t find it particularly comfortable when it’s totally flat, it feels like I’m typing on my desk instead of a keyboard so the dual angle adjustment at the bottom is necessary for better ergonomics. They have smoothed out the edges on the corner so the aluminum is not so sharp that is an improvement on the frame versus the original and they’ve also added a USB compartment at the bottom to store the receiver that is clearly labeled to avoid confusion.
The media keys are still rubber and round with a cool-looking volume wheel that absolutely has no tactility or resistance behind it this is the cheapest feeling element on this keyboard. However, they’ve removed the whole latency issue that I experienced with the original so the volume adjustments in Windows are instantaneous. It still charges only via micro USB so this is another disappointment and actually, none of their gaming peripherals have embraced type-c yet. The power switch has shifted to the top right.
I personally don’t mind the slightly taller forehead to accommodate the wireless controls and the intent wasn’t really to create the smallest TKL keyboard either but the thin profile and no cable are an awesome desktop experience. So if you’re after that clean wireless look, this is the keyboard I would get. Some people have expressed how they don’t really like this really tall forehead and it’s almost disproportional to what this whole keyboard is trying to achieve, I agree with them but I don’t particularly mind it.
The low profile keel switches come in three flavors with tactile being my favorite but a word of caution on the keycaps because the legs could snap (which is what happened on my original 915) if you take them off and you’re not super careful they could break. These are regular abs another disappointment for the price point, they’re kind of shiny and stand out from the lighter aluminum frame underneath and the secondary characters are not lumen rated and pretty much all the larger keys have some form of rattle you can even hear it if you shake the keyboard.
The RGB illumination here is absolutely gorgeous and accurate to what you selected in the software. I like the option to customize the media controls and even turn off the G for a subtle look but RGB eats away at your battery pretty quickly.
It is an improvement over the original to 40 hours of runtime at 100% brightness but I’d run this at 25 percent or 50 percent to get a nice battery boost and keep the inactivity lighting at default for battery savings. I recharged from 30% to 100% in three hours, not bad. Lastly, only the F keys are customizable through the G hub either remapping creating macros or enabling G shift that adds a second layer of commands when the G shift key is pressed but that also can only be mapped to the F keys so it’s very awkward to use but I love the option to disable any key you find annoying when game mode is enabled.
As far as the gaming experience goes I love the smaller footprint on my desk and I like the low profile switches because the travel distance is much shorter versus your traditional full-size switch, my only complaint with regards to the handling of the keyboard is the keycaps because they’re not exactly fully stable inside the switch and that’s just the nature of the switch and the key cab design, but they do have a bit more wiggle play and motion than I’m used to, perhaps the wireless nature compensates for that and the next thing that I would love to see from the company would be the same frame but with full-size mechanical switches and potentially them being hot-swappable. That would make the killer wireless gaming keyboard on the market.
