Logitech K380 + M355 Wireless Keyboard and Mouse Combo-Slim portable design, quiet clicks, long battery life, Bluetooth connectivity, multi device with Easy-Switch for Mac, Chrome OS, Windows-Graphite

I'm typing this onnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnn For the third time, actttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttt (I intended to write this entire review on the K380, but it became so stuck that it locked my phone in an input loop, forcing me to turn off the keyboard power. )br>br>Even if my experience is unusual (i. e. , a faulty unit) the keyboard's size and weight prevent it from serving my needs. The form factor is too small to do serious typing on, but it's also too big to carry or stow without planning. It lacks the mobile device stand found on other models, and it's heavy enough that I'd rather carry my toy. Pair this with my much nicer tablet if you want to spend $180 on a laptop. This is being returned rather than replaced.

Anne Rowe

| Feb 06, 2021

Computers are used in a variety of ways by people. No one exists- one-size-fits-all This keyboard has a lot of reviews, and while I didn't read them all, I didn't see any that addressed the specific issues I'm having with it, so I'm sharing my experience here for those who have similar needs. br>br>TL;DR; It has a lot of good qualities, but it's not ideal for long keyboarding sessions.
- Pros: 1) $30; 2) quick- 3 devices must be switched; 3) durable and transportable; 4) Has the same size and shape as an Apple keyboard; 5) Is comfortable to type on.
- Cons: 1) When typing quickly, it loses key presses; 2) There is a lack of software support; 3) The Fn key has a hardcoded behavior that can't be changed. br>br>BACKGROUNDbr>I bought the Logitech K380 to use as a full-fledged gaming computer. I'm typing on my MacBook Pro (MBP) 2018 laptop at a desk, which, unfortunately, has a keyboard that is notorious for failing. I recently had my laptop's keyboard replaced due to worsening issues, and I've decided to start using an external keyboard to keep the new one from wearing out. br>br>This review is focused on what I require in a keyboard as a software engineer who types quickly (130 WPM) and uses a keyboard shortcut system. style of extensive use People who use a keyboard in a more casual manner and don't care about customizing its behavior are unlikely to run into the problems I discuss. br>br>For an external keyboard, I have the following requirements:

- When typing at 130 WPM, you want to be as precise as possible.
- To unify muscle memory across the built-in and external keyboards, it has the exact same form factor as the MBP keyboard.
- Real function keys that can be set to act as F keys by default. br>br>Basically, I wanted the built-in keyboard on my laptop as an external keyboard; hey, Apple makes one! Apple's Magic Keyboard (Wireless, Rechargeable) is the name of the device. So why didn't I just go ahead and buy it? There are two factors at play here. First, there's the price: $99 is a lot of money; second, I've had bad luck with Apple wireless keyboards in the past: Several keyboards that wouldn't pair or would unpair after a while. br>br>I've been a long-time Logitech fan, having used many of their keyboards and mice on desktop computers. When I saw that the Logitech K380 had a nearly identical form factor to the Magic keyboard, including the fn key, had excellent reviews, was only $30 on Amazon, and supported quick-typing, I knew it was the keyboard for me. I decided to try it out by switching between devices. PROS - br>br> There's a lot to like about this keyboard: br>br>1) It is cost-effective. This keyboard is an excellent value for the money. br>br>2) Multiple devices can be switched. After experimenting with a variety of approaches to solving the "one keyboard, multiple machines" problem, I can confidently state that quick bluetooth pairing offers significant benefits. Unlike Synergy, which necessitates networking your machines and running special server software, or a USB KVM switch, which necessitates multiple cables and adapters, each switch takes about 1 second and "just works. " 3) Sturdy and transportable. These aspects have been criticized in other reviews. But I believe it is the perfect weight (1. 17 lbs): It doesn't move as you type. It's also a compact keyboard that can easily fit into a backpack or larger purse. If it were more portable (e. g. , a laptop), it would be a better option. It would suffer in terms of durability and typing performance if it were foldable. br>br>4) Has the same shape as an Apple keyboard, which is important to me because I use macOS and want my keyboards to look the same. Switching between keyboards is fairly seamless because this keyboard is similar enough to the Apple form factor. All four modifier keys (fn, ctrl, start/alt/opt, alt/cmd) are located on the bottom left, which is a huge plus for me. However, Apple keyboards have the fn and control keys reversed—more on that in the "CONS" section below. br>br>5) It's a pleasure to type on. Although this is a highly subjective opinion, I enjoy typing on this keyboard because the keys have a good amount of travel: more than a MBP 2018, but less than a traditional 101- e key on the keyboard originating from a Dell computer The rounded keys are odd at first, but they quickly fade into the background. In this vein: Another Amazon reviewer claims that key presses occur frequently and erratically, making accurate typing nearly impossible. It's impossible. This sounds like a faulty keyboard to me; I've never had any issues with mine in that regard. CONS - If you're looking for a unique way to express yourself, try using the words "innovative" and "paraphrase. " Regardless of the foregoing, using this keyboard on a daily basis is a chore: br>br>1) When typing quickly, it drops key presses. Certain key combinations, in particular, prevent subsequent key presses from being registered when pressed together. An example is the best way to demonstrate this. Try typing as quickly as you can the word "furious. " When I use the Logitech K380 to type this word, it almost always comes out as "furiou," with the S missing. Why is that? br>br> There are two parts to every typed key: The press and the press release are two different things. When typing quickly, the next key (sometimes the next three) is frequently pressed. 4 keys) before letting go of the previous key This is possible if you have a good keyboard. On my K380, however, if I press O, then U, then S without letting go of any of the keys, the S does not register. It's not as if the keyboard can't handle three keys at the same time: For example, the word "out" is fine, but the word "plastic" eats the S. But it's not just the S key; the words "nose" and "poster" work even when all keys are pressed at the same time. However, the S is eaten by "please," while the E is eaten by "purse. " I'm not sure, but it appears that the hardware has a strange limitation here. It makes me lose faith in this keyboard. br>br>2) The software support is appalling. Logitech provides a configuration tool called "Logi Options" for macOS users to configure the keyboard, but it is nearly featureless. "Use all F1, F2, etc. keys as standard function keys" is one option it does have, which in theory sounds great. As a software developer who frequently presses key combinations such as cmd shift F11, I'd prefer this option to be enabled so that I don't have to press fn cmd shift F11 instead (ugh). Although I use the special functions frequently (pause/unpause, next track, volume up/volume down, etc. ), I never need to press them in conjunction with other modifier keys like shift or ctrl, so holding fn for them is fine. Because there are no dedicated keys on these small form factor keyboards, I always use the fn arrow keys for pg up, pg down, home, and end. br>br>Unfortunately, this feature does not function properly. When you switch devices, the keyboard "forgets" that this option was turned on, and the F keys revert to their previous state. When you press F3 to look into some code, switch terminal tabs, or whatever, your keyboard is unpaired once more. It is not fixed by opening Logi Options and toggling the option back and forth! The keyboard appears to silently "flip" back to F- after an unspecified amount of time. F- is the key. again with the keys However, the inconsistency makes it impossible to develop reliable muscle memory on the keyboard, and the strangeness doesn't end there. Despite the fact that F- There aren't any F-keys in the house. The behavior of e. keys (either because the keyboard was recently repaired or because the box in Logi Options was unchecked and took effect), the behavior of e. fn up/down appears to be incongruent: According to Karabiner Event Viewer, it's sometimes brightness up/down, and other times it's the left alt up/down equivalent. Due to the keyboard's inconsistent behavior, it is sometimes impossible to type pg up, pg down, home, and/or end. And being unable to type those four keys slows down text editing significantly. br>br>This leads to the final nail in the coffin of this keyboard: br>br>3) The behavior of the Fn key is hardcoded and cannot be changed. br>br>Karabiner Elements is a fantastic macOS app that allows you to completely remap all of your keys to behave however you want. So, to deal with Logi Options' strangeness, I devised the following strategy: I'll just use the Karabiner Event Viewer to figure out what keyboard events this keyboard is sending out, and then remap everything to behave as close to an Apple keyboard as possible. However, you will not be able to do so: When you press the fn key, no key event is sent. When you press keys while holding down the fn key, the keyboard sends a keyboard event to your computer. So e. fn up (it's not always! Left alt up (as seen above) sends the same message as left alt down. As a result, software is unable to distinguish between fn up and left alt up, making it impossible to program them to perform different tasks. (This is for the GitHub-based GitHub-based GitHub-based GitHub There's a problem with it in the Karabiner Elements issue tracker: pqrs- org/Karabiner-Karabiner-Karabiner-Karabiner- Elements999 is a website dedicated to the study of elements. )br>br>As a result of this issue, you won't be able to change the location of the ctrl and fn keys, which are reversed on Apple keyboards. I had hoped to be able to do that with this keyboard, so it's a bummer. br>br>I tried it with Logi Options turned on and Karabiner Elements turned off. I made an attempt to reverse the process. I installed both of them. Neither were installed when I tried them. Between configuration changes, it's necessary to reboot. Nothing, however, was successful. (When Karabiner Elements is installed, the Keyboard Modifier Keys dialog in System Preferences gains a "Function (fn) key" for the K380, but it unfortunately does not work. ) You can't assign any other modifier key to the fn key, either. )br>br>In conclusion, I strongly suggest this keyboard for casual use of slow-moving text. Typists with a moderate typing speed. And I strongly advise against it for heavy typists and power users who want complete control over the behavior of their keyboard.

Adalynn Winters

| Jan 21, 2021

To begin, I'd like to state that this is my first review, and I felt compelled to do so after noticing that there were few reviews available at the time, one of which was overwhelmingly negative. br>br>Pairing: br>I purchased the keyboard to use with my Nexus 9 tablet (Android). Pairing was simple right out of the box, and it only took a few minutes to follow the instructions on the slip sheet. I was able to pair it with my phone (Nexus 5) with equal ease while writing this review. It was simple to switch between the two without having to re-enter the information, as advertised. By selecting the appropriate "device button" at the top of the keyboard, you can pair your devices. br>br>Functionality: br>One of the reasons I chose this keyboard over others is that it adapts to different operating systems and allows full use of the different function keys with my Nexus 9. So far, I've found that all of the special keys work properly with my Nexus 9, including the "home" button, the button that toggles through different windows, the "back" button, and the audio shortcut buttons. So far, I've found that using these while browsing has been very useful. Traditional shortcuts such as "F5" for referesh and "ctrl C" for copy are also available. Copying and pasting with "ctrl V" works as well. This is a big plus for me because copying and pasting on a touch screen without a keyboard can be difficult. br>br>Typing Experience: br>I am a fairly proficient typist who can type by touch without looking at the keys, and I find that I can type at my normal speed with this keyboard without having to slow down because of its size; I find the size to be large enough to allow you to type comfortably while also being compact enough to fit in a bag and take with you if you are on the go. When typing, the keys are relatively quiet and have a pleasant feel to them. The round keys were one of my main concerns with this product, but they haven't affected my typing experience in any way. In fact, unlike the flat keys used by some products, the keys are nice and concave, making it easy for your fingers to rest on them. Overall impressions: br>br> br>I think the keyboard is solid and of good quality, and I would recommend it to anyone. I primarily use it with my tablet while sitting on the couch, and I've found it to be quite comfortable to hold in my lap. Its size makes it comfortable to use on a regular basis while remaining portable, and the different function keys make it simple and convenient to use with Android devices.

Axl Mendoza

| Oct 23, 2021