Logitech renews its family of gaming peripherals with the G PRO X TKL LIGHTSPEED, a high-end mechanical keyboard designed primarily for competitive gaming. A powerful model, but intended for a specialist audience.
Well known to the general public for its vast catalog of computer and multimedia equipment, the Swiss manufacturer Logitech is also a well-established and recognized player in the world of gaming hardware, with its aptly named G family of products. Already offering a wide choice of peripherals for video games and streaming, between keyboards, mice, headsets and microphones, it is further enriched with the PRO a few years, the PRO X in short.
Designed above all for high-level competitive gaming, this keyboard is compact, easily transportable and equipped with a very low latency wireless connection, capable of satisfying the most demanding players. Marketed at an introductory price of €229, the PRO well founded.
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Logitech G PRO X TKL: a solid and elegant keyboard
Placed on the desk, the PRO X TKL is surprisingly compact and sober for a gaming keyboard. With its 35.2 cm in length and 15 cm in width, it loses 0.9 cm compared to its predecessor and even has the luxury of occupying 2 cm less work space than the Logitech K470, a office keyboard already very space-saving. These contained dimensions allow the keyboard to be perfectly centered on the desk and to leave more free space on either side for the mouse, which is very comfortable for games requiring large and rapid movements. This reduced size is paid for by the absence of a numeric keypad, anecdotal for some, but prohibitive for others. As the name suggests, the PRO X TKL is a TenKeyLess model, so there is no version with a number pad. If this element is essential for you, you will then have to turn to another model from the brand, such as the G915.
Visually, the PRO X TKL appears particularly wise. Made up of a monolithic black block with no other embellishment than the silver G logo at the top left, it appears discreet and elegant on the desk when it is turned off and there is nothing to suggest that it is a gaming keyboard. . It regains some colors once turned on: it benefits from key-by-key RGB backlighting, fully configurable via the Logitech G HUB application, which allows you to choose from a multitude of color schemes and patterns or to create your own entirely. Apart from this little bright and colorful touch, the keyboard does away with the sometimes garish lighting that we find on this type of product for “gamers” and that is a very good thing.
In terms of construction and assembly, the PRO X TKL offers a real feeling of solidity and seriousness. Its chassis, although entirely made of plastic, is perfectly rigid and its coating is very pleasant under the fingers. A metal plate reinforces the entire area under the keys, and we detect no depression or sagging of the surface, even during the most nervous or forceful keystrokes. On the back, there are five non-slip pads, two tilting feet on two levels and a location to house the wireless receiver. Nothing but very classic, but everything does its job and the keyboard remains perfectly in place in all circumstances.
More surprisingly, the keyboard is sold with an original accessory, a rigid fabric carrying case, equipped with a handle and slots for the power cable and the wireless receiver. Certainly very practical when traveling in competition or LAN, the accessory seems somewhat superfluous for ordinary people with a more sedentary video game practice, and we would undoubtedly have preferred that a wrist rest was included instead. instead of the case, as with the G713 keyboard from the same manufacturer. This choice is nevertheless consistent with the competitive orientation of PRO X TKL and will certainly satisfy nomadic players.
Like any good gaming keyboard, the PRO with tactile feedback perhaps a little too weak, almost giving the sensation of having a linear model under the fingers.
Concerning the choice of switches, the PRO X TKL in French version (AZERTY layout) is unfortunately only marketed with touchscreen models. In reality, only the United States (international) version allows you to choose the clicky or linear versions, because the other versions in QWERTY layout, Spanish or Italian for example, are also limited to tactile switches only. A somewhat unfortunate limitation.
The shot is still particularly effective, with a quick rebound and a fairly high release point, which promotes responsiveness and repeated presses in nervous games. However, it is noisy, as with all mechanical keyboards of this type, and may disturb those around you if the keyboard is in a common room, such as a shared office or a bedroom.
In addition to the classic keys, the keyboard offers four additional buttons located in the upper right corner, allowing you to control media playback and mute the sound, as well as an audio volume management wheel, very practical for quickly adjusting the sound level during the game. On the other side, in the upper left corner, there are four new buttons, allowing you to alternate between the two wireless connection modes, to activate Game mode (which locks certain keys on the keyboard in order to avoid unwanted presses) and adjust the backlight level.
Logitech G PRO X TKL: an exemplary wireless connection
Compared to the previous model, the new PRO And it is clear that this is indeed the case: in game, in a very nervous FPS for example, the latency in this connection mode is simply imperceptible, and the difference with a classic Bluetooth device is very noticeable.
For the LIGHTSPEED connection to work optimally, the specific 2.4 GHz receiver must be located less than 20 cm from the keyboard, which is enabled by a USB-C to USB-A adapter (included), to be plugged into the keyboard power cable and place on the desk. Good point, the receiver manages the simultaneous pairing of two compatible LIGHTSPEED peripherals, such as the PRO You will find the procedure to follow and the list of compatible devices here. The keyboard can obviously be connected in classic wired mode, in particular to recharge its battery, using the power cable.
Logitech G PRO X TKL: a keyboard designed for competition
The PRO The build quality and feel are at the expected level for a product at this price and it delivers the performance and responsiveness required for high-level competitive gaming.
However, it remains particularly noisy, because it lacks silent switches, and the absence of a numeric keypad and wrist rest makes it unsuitable for use other than video games. A superb keyboard which therefore excels in the field for which it was designed and which will certainly satisfy the most fierce competitors, but which lacks a little versatility for casual players who would simply like to renew their equipment and have fun.
Ironically, the PRO display at more affordable prices. Each model of course responds to different needs, mobility and performance on the one hand versus absolute comfort on the other, and the addition of the PRO new expectations from players.