Logitech G915 X Lightspeed review: low profile perfection?

Introduction

It was inevitable, really. Ever since Logitech revealed a new low-profile gaming keyboard that wasn’t a direct sequel to its flagship G915, gamers were asking when a true successor would arrive. That time has finally come. The Logitech G915 X Lightspeed brings much-improved key switches in both full-size and tenkeyless form factors.

The new model addresses every major issue I had with the original G915, including its tricky-to-replace key caps that faded too quickly, its old-school charging standard, and its modest battery life. But then so did the G515 TKL that filled the void near the start of 2024. Given the full-size G915 X tested here will set you back a considerable $230/£230/€250, that’s quite the premium over the G515 TKL, which can now be snapped up for £140.

Do low-profile keyboard fans miss multimedia keys and a metal top plate that much? After weeks of testing, I’m not entirely convinced.

Design & build: a familiar face

Face-on, there’s absolutely nothing that marks this G915 out as the newer version. Great news if you were a fan of the original board, which launched all the way back in 2019, but I can’t help but think Logitech could’ve mixed things up just a little bit: flagship models from other brands now come with fancy extras like OLED screens and matching wrist rests. That said, the low profile nature of this keyboard meant I didn’t really need one.

The brushed aluminium top plate returns, being cool to the touch and adding a bit of high-end appeal. It gives the slim keyboard some welcome extra rigidity, too, being ever-so-slightly thicker than the original version. My review unit was the black version, which looks gunmetal grey from some angles and a subtle blue from others, depending on how the light hits it. There’s also a white model, with a silver top plate.

You’ll almost certainly want to flick the keyboard’s legs out to their highest position for comfortable typing, as when laid fully flat you get the impression the keys are sitting at a negative incline. Rubber feet kept it firmly in one place on my desk.

Having most recently used a 75% size keyboard, the full-size G915 X ate up a lot more desk space than I was used to. That’s partly to accommodate a numerical keypad to the right of the QWERTY keys, and partly for the row of five customisable G keys to the left. Another four sit above the function row, but they’re squishy rubber ones rather than mechanical switches. So are the connectivity and lighting keys, and the multimedia shortcuts underneath the oh-so-satisfying to roll volume rocker.

Features & battery life: doff your cap

Just like the original model, the G915 X lets you choose between wired, Bluetooth, and Logitech’s proprietary Lightspeed wireless connections. Dedicated buttons make it a breeze to switch between the two wireless modes, but you can only pair with one Bluetooth gadget at a time. Lightspeed has no detectable latency, and I had a perfect signal pretty much anywhere in my room, even with my gaming PC placed under an especially thick wooden desk. I love being able to piggyback a Logitech mouse off it to free up a USB port, too.

The included dongle is USB-A, which feels a little behind the times, but it still slots snugly into an alcove on the back of the keyboard, which is handy when travelling with your gaming gear. Thankfully the keyboard itself finally ditches micro-USB in favour of USB-C charging.

Officially, battery life has increased from 30 hours on the first-gen G915 to 36 hours here – and that’s with the per-key backlighting set to full brightness. Dial it back to 50% and you’ll nudge closer to 90 hours per charge. My tests got pretty close to those claims when using Lightspeed wireless. Logitech says switching off the LEDs altogether will net an incredible 800 hours between top-ups. The only problem with that claim? Turn the RGB off and it’s basically impossible to read what the black key caps say.

On the plus side, every key is illuminated consistently, with minimal bleed around the sides. The key caps are also now made from doubleshot PBT plastic, instead of the ABS plastic used for the original G915. Those were quick to wear with use, and the hook-style switches they clicked into made it almost impossible to buy third-party replacements. I’ve had zero issues with key fade in my month of testing, and the move to cross-style switches means there’s a whole world of compatible replacements available on the web.

Interface: hits the G spot

Logitech’s G Hub software has come a long way since the days of the original G915. It’s a lot cleaner, and puts the fun stuff like Key Control front and centre. This lets you layer macros, giving one key multiple different functions with a few shortcuts. Only the hardest of hardcore MMO gamers is going to make use of all 15 layers, and quite frankly I barely needed one once I’d assigned a few inputs to the hardware G keys, but they’re easy enough to configure.

The freestyle RGB lighting editor takes more time, if you’re looking to create a masterpiece, but I found it a lot easier to just download a few community-made presets. There are a handful of more basic ones built into the app, too.

Custom profiles and per-game settings are par for the course at this point. The keyboard has a small amount of on-board memory you can save them to, which is handy when playing on systems that aren’t your own.

Performance

You can pick up a G915 X Lightspeed with brown (tactile), red (linear) or blue (clicky) mechanical switches, so most gamers will find something they like. They’re not hot-swappable; it’s a trait shared with most other low-profile keyboards, but limits customisation, which is a big deal in the keyboard world right now. There’s no Hall effect option either, which might rule it out for hardcore gamers that insist on adjustable actuation.

Logitech has done everything it needed to appeal to everyone else, though. The switches get a 1.3mm actuation point, which is shallower than a full-height mechanical keyboard and 0.2mm less than the first-gen G915. Total travel distance is 3.2mm, or between 2-3x more than you’ll find from a typical laptop – the closest comparison to a low profile ‘board.

My review unit had tactile keys, which take 45g of force to actuate – 5g less than before. I could rest my fingertips on the keys without triggering an input, but only needed a delicate touch to register one. The tactile bump is subtle but satisfying. Extra layers of sound dampening material also mean this generation G915 has a much ‘thockier’ sound when typing than the original did, and the key caps are far less prone to rattling and wobbling.

As someone who spends a lot of time working remotely on a laptop, having a low profile keyboard at home makes a lot of sense. I put up with the original G915’s pain points for that reason, but Logitech has pretty much addressed them all here. Whether gaming or typing, this is an excellent choice.

Logitech G915 X Lightspeed verdict

I was a huge fan of the original G915. Mine is still lurking in my garage somewhere, wearing its faded key caps like a badge of honor, so I had high hopes for its successor. The G915 X basically fixes the few issues I had, bringing better switches, hardier key caps, modern charging and longer battery life.

Taken in isolation, that makes it a resounding success. But the keyboard world has come a long way in five years. There are lots more low-profile options, With Asus, Corsair, Cooler Master and more getting in on the action. And those are just the big names; boutique brands like Keychron cost much less, and add hot-swappable switches into the mix.

Multimedia shortcuts, macro keys and a metal top plate means the G915 X still makes a strong case for itself – but it isn’t the only game in town anymore.

Logitech G915 X Lightspeed technical specifications

Keyboard style	Low-profile, full size, wireless
Switch type	Low profile, tactile
Connectivity	2.4GHz Wireless, Bluetooth, USB-C wired
Battery life	36hrs/90hs/800hrs (Wireless, RGB lighting 100%/50%/off)
Dimensions	475x150x22.6mm, 1.08kg