Space Gray Love Mastered for the Mac
When it comes to third-party accessories for Apple products you can find nearly anything you want for the iPhone and iPad but for the Mac peripherals are a bit hit and miss for me. Most gear will work with both PC and Mac operating systems, but it’s primarily designed as a PC product first with the Mac as an afterthought. So, when I find accessories that are created specifically to work with Mac systems, I jump on them. One such product is the MX Master 3 for Mac. It’s an amazing product and my experience with it has been stellar.
SPECS
| Dimensions: 2.01″ x 3.32″ x 4.92″ inches |
| Weight: 4.97 oz |
| System Requirements: Bluetooth LE. macOS 10.15 or later, iPadOS 13.4 or later |
| Sensor Technology: Darkfield high precision, Nominal value: 1000 dpi, DPI (Minimal and maximal value): 200 to 4000 dpi (can be set in increments of 50 dpi) |
| 7 buttons (Left/Right-click, Back/Forward, App-Switch, Wheel mode-shift, Middle-click) |
| Scroll wheel: Yes, with auto-shift |
| Thumbwheel: Yes |
| Gesture button: Yes |
| Wireless operating distance: 32.81 ft (10 m) |
| Rechargeable Li-Po (500 mAh) battery |
| Software: Logitech Options and Logitech Flow |
| 1-year Limited Warranty |
| Contents: mouse, USB-C charging cable (USB-C to USB-C), user documentation |
UNBOXING
Logitech always seems to do a decent job of packaging their products. I find they don’t use too much cardboard and in this case, Logitech used ‘responsible packaging.’ It uses only FSC-certified paper and uses 90% less packaging plastic so that it’s environmentally-friendly. The box has a nice image of the product on the front as well as some decent information on the product. The box contains the mouse, a warranty pamphlet, and a USB-C cable for charging the mouse. When you first open the box there is a folded piece of cardboard that is used to help hold the mouse in place. It does appear that there should be something else in the box based on this style of packaging, but in truth, it’s simply holding the mouse in place.
FORM
The MX Master 3 has a great shape and feel to it. It’s finished in Space Gray so it matches Apple products quite nicely. Users are able to pair the mouse with up to three devices and switch between them seamlessly thanks to the Easy-Switch button. This is great because it gives users the option to use one mouse for multiple devices rather than having to have a separate mouse for each individual device. The mouse has a newly designed MagSpeed Electromagnetic scrolling wheel. It’s very comfortable to use and with it, users can scroll up to 1,000 lines per second. It can toggle between precision mode and free-spinning mode. One of the things I like best about the wheel is that it’s nearly silent. The MX Master 3 is meant to be ergonomic and fit the shape of your hand. In addition to the standard right and left buttons as well as the scroll wheel, the MX Master 3 also features back/forward and gesture buttons and a thumbwheel. While I know this might not be the case for all users, the mouse fits my hand beautifully. I can rest the palm of my hand on the top while my thumb wraps around the left side of the mouse. My fingers reach all the interface buttons and wheels with ease. It’s been refreshing to be able to use the same type of mouse that PC users have and have it work with my Mac without modifications to it.
FUNCTION
The biggest complaint I have with mouses is that they are usually customizable, but only if you have a PC. The apps that are built for customizations just aren’t made to work with Apple computers and so we get the short end of the stick. Thankfully, Logitech has remedied this issue with the Logitech Options for Mac. With it, users can customize the MX Master 3 for their specific workflows. Several creative apps like Adobe Photoshop, Adobe Premiere Pro, and PowerPoint already have predefined customizations. So it makes for a great accessory for Mac users and not just a device that happens to work with a Mac. Function-wise, the MX Master 3 has done everything I’ve wanted it to do. I used it with both my MacBook Pro and my iPad Pro. It worked really well with both systems. I didn’t have any trouble pairing them. I did, however, have a little bit of a hiccup on the MacBook Pro. When I first got the mouse connected, I noticed that fluid movements across a screen weren’t as smooth as they should be. I thought that maybe it was because the mouse needed a charge or I just didn’t have a strong Bluetooth connection. So, I waited until the next day to try using it again and there were no more jitters. I’m still not sure what the issue was, but I’m thinking it had something to do with Bluetooth interference.
CONCLUSION
Finally, we Mac users have a professional-grade mouse to match our professional-grade computers. The MX Master 3 is a great compliment to macOS and iPadOS systems.
