Review of the Logitech MX ERGO

Logitech released the MX ERGO in September this year and what makes the mouse stand out from the rest of its products is the wireless trackball. So how does it fare against a regular mouse?

Here’s our review of the Logitech MX ERGO.

Look and feel

The first impression we have after taking the MX ERGO out of the box is how well-built this mouse is and how substantial it feels. It’s very comfortable to put your hand on it, and ergonomically, it is sculpted beautifully for your hand to wrap around the mouse.

On the surface, you will find the left and right clickers with a scroller that allows you to scroll left and right too, which is extremely useful for designers or video-editors. Right below them is two Easy-Switch buttons that will enable you to connect up to two different devices and transfer content between them. To do so, you can set it up using the Logitech Option and connect your mouse to your computers.

On the left side of the MX ERGO, you will find the long-lost wireless trackball and a Precision Mode button that reduces the sensitivity of the trackball so that you can be more precise with your scrolling.

What’s hidden underneath the mouse is the Power button and the magnetic hinge that allows you to adjust the height of your mouse from 0 to 20 degrees by just pushing it down from left to right.

Connecting to your PC or laptop

There are two ways to connect the MX ERGO with your device.

1. Using the Logitech Unifying receiver that comes in the box; or
2. Connect directly to your device via Bluetooth.

If you are using the latest MacBook/MacBook Pro that only has USB Type-C ports, you should probably want to go with the first option, unless you love dongles.

To connect the MX ERGO to your MacBook, press and hold the Easy-Switch button for three seconds, then find the MX ERGO on your computer, click on it, and you are ready to go.

Performance

The MX ERGO is not the same as other mice. You rely on the wireless trackball to navigate around your computer screen rather than moving your mouse. It does take some time to get used to this “new way” of using a mouse since it’s been gone for almost a decade. What we mean by getting used to it is actually referring to the scrolling speed of the trackball. Although the sensitivity can be adjusted using the Logitech Option, your thumb does have to be steady when scrolling or highlighting content like text. The Precision Mode button is useful and does help to mitigate this issue but it also means taking another step to get things done.

Thanks to the friction pad on the sole of the magnetic hinge, it holds the MX ERGO firmly in place even when we tried scrolling the trackball vigourously (we may have overkilled a little there with our testing there). The scrolling of the trackball is smooth, and we do prefer using the mouse at the 20 degrees angle as it’s easier to scroll with our thumb.

Customisable Buttons

One more thing to love about the MX ERGO is that most of its buttons are customisable using the Logitech Option software. Don’t we love customisation?

There are numerous options for you to choose from and they work perfectly fine with the device that you are using.

Buy or Bye?

The Logitech MX ERGO is unique as the wireless trackball makes it stands out from the crowd. Unlike most mice, it is stationary. Users do not need to move the mouse to navigate on their screen.

With the smooth scrolling trackball, you can move around your computer screen like a breeze. The sensitivity of the scroll can be reduced immediately with a click on the Precision Mode button. Hence, you can be more precise with your clicks.

It does take time for a person who has been using the regular optical mouse to a stationary mouse with a trackball.

Customisable buttons are great to have as it enables users to do more without having to lift your hand away from your mouse.

All in all, we do like the MX ERGO and we highly recommend it to users who want a mouse that does more than just clicks and want something that stands out from the crowd. We feel that it is great for office workers but definitely not for gamers.

The Logitech MX ERGO is priced at $149.00 and is available at Logitech.com and select retail stores in Singapore.