What the heck is that on your desk? That’s the obvious first thing people will ask when they see the Logitech MX Vertical. We mean, is it a mini-humidifier, a new speaker with a virtual assistant, or some kind of desktop toy? Of course, all of those are wrong, as it’s Logitech’s version of the vertical mouse design that’s slowly winning over an increasing number of people for its much-improved ergonomics.
A part of the outfit’s MX line of mouse peripherals, it takes the series’ design and performance elements, then applies them to a vertical mouse form factor. To be quite honest, it doesn’t look anything like the rest of its siblings (not even the MX trackball variant), but that may be a good thing, as it promises “advanced ergonomics” that will provide users with “next-level comfort.”
Unlike traditional mouse peripherals that has your palms facing down, the Logitech MX Vertical forces your hand into a handshake position that, according to the outfit, immediately reduces muscular strain by 10 percent. It has a 57-degree vertical angle that positions the hand so that there’s less pressure on the wrist, making all your mouse-centered navigation gestures feel all the more natural. They combine this ergonomic design, which they claim to have tested on various hand shapes and sizes, with a textured surface that provides the user with a strong and natural grip for ease of movement.
It uses a 4,000 DPI sensor that, the outfit claims, allows it to achieve the same actions with four time less hand movement than an ordinary mouse, leading to further reduction in muscle and hand fatigue. That means, it has a cursor that moves pretty fast onscreen, which, admittedly, may not be the preferred mode for everyone. As such, they threw in a cursor speed switch easily accessible by the thumb that lets you slow it down to a more comfortable pace (you can set it in 50 dpi increments from 400 to 4000 dpi).
The Logitech MX Vertical puts the traditional mouse controls on the right side of the device, namely a clickable scroll wheel and the left and right buttons, so you can easily access them with your index and middle fingers just like a regular mouse. From what we can tell, this design will work extremely well for most productivity functions, although you’ll probably have to resort to your standard palms-down peripheral once you need the speed and precision to kill the field in any type of first-person shooter.
Like other mouse in the outfit’s MX line, it can pair with up to three devices at a time and alternate between them with a tap of the switch button, all while giving you plenty of options in connectivity with integrated Bluetooth, a USB-C cable, and compatibility with the outfit’s Unifying Receiver. Other features include a 10 meter wireless operating distance, a 240mAh battery rated at four months of use between charges, and dimensions of 3.1 x 3.1 x 4.7 inches (height x width x depth).
The Logitech MX Vertical is priced at $99.99.