Logitech MX Master 4 review: Top Mac mouse is updated with innovative haptic feedback features

Macworld

At a glanceExpert's Rating

Pros

Sturdy and comfortable design

New haptic feedback features

Two scrolling wheels

Lots of programmable buttons

Cons

Right-handed only 

Expensive

Few apps support haptic technology right now

Our Verdict
The haptic tech may be overkill for many people, but the MX Master 4 still boasts the excellent design and versatile features of its predecessors. The Options+ app also gives users the ability to program their own commands to speed up routine tasks – and you don’t have to turn the mouse upside down to charge it either.

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Just as Razer enters the Mac market with its Pro Click mouse, Logitech strikes back with a long-awaited (and widely leaked) update to its popular MX Master series. The MX Master 3 was released way back in 2019, with an update to the 3S in 2022. The 3S wasn’t a major update, but the new MX Master 4 does represent a real step forward, with Logitech introducing haptic feedback technology for the first time. We are, however, pleased to note that the price remains the same, at $119.99/£119.99, despite the introduction of the new haptic technology. The MX Master 3S also remains on sale, now at a discounted price, so that’s still a good alternative to Apple’s Magic Mouse too.




It may look the same, but the Logitech MX Master 4 has a sturdier build and a number of new features.Logitech

It’s worth mentioning that, as with previous MX mice and keyboards, there is a special ‘For Mac’ edition of the MX Master 4 also available. However, the Mac edition really isn’t much different, simply offering ‘space black’ and ‘white silver’ colour options that are designed to match current Mac models. And, somewhat annoyingly, the Mac edition is the same price as the standard version – even though the Mac edition lacks the additional USB wireless adaptor provided with the standard MX Master 4, which provides an alternative to a conventional Bluetooth wireless connection.

That’s why we chose to review the standard MX Master 4 here, as we prefer using the USB adaptor rather than Bluetooth. Sadly, though, a left-handed version of the mouse is still not available after all these years, as Logitech’s engineers are apparently too busy to mirror-flip the blueprints in Photoshop in order to create a left-handed model.

Master Mouse

At first glance, the MX Master 4 (standard version) doesn’t look much different from its predecessors. Available in dark or pale grey, the Master 4 sticks with Logitech’s distinctive design, with a top panel that curves upwards to fit the palm of your hand, a second scrolling wheel on the left-hand edge of the mouse, and a large thumb rest that protrudes from the lower left-hand side of the mouse.

The Master 4 also has the same 8,000dpi sensor and high-speed scrolling wheel as its predecessor, and battery life remains the same at around 70 days on a full charge.

There are however, plenty of differences with this new model, both inside and out. There’s a new processor and antenna inside the mouse, which provide a more reliable wireless connection, and the USB dongle has – thankfully – now switched to a USB-C connector.

The outer casing of the mouse uses a more robust, stain-resistant coating, and the thumb rest is larger in order to accommodate the new haptic feedback features.

Previous versions of the MX Master had an extra button hidden inside the thumb rest – which, according to Logitech, many people tended to overlook (including me) – so that button has now been moved upwards so that it’s more clearly visible sitting alongside the existing Forward/Back thumb buttons on the side of the mouse. 

Haptic Feedback

But, of course, it’s the haptic feedback features that are the star of the show, and the thumb rest now has a haptic ‘Sense Panel’ that sits right under the tip of your thumb. This is a button that you can program to perform a variety of functions, but it also provides tactile haptic feedback in the form of a brief ‘click’ sensation – similar to the haptic feedback on Apple’s Magic Trackpad – in response to a variety of actions or commands. 




The new haptic controls are located in the thumb rest on the side of the mouse. Logitech

Admittedly, some people may not notice the haptic feedback very much at first, and Logitech acknowledges that these features are very much aimed at “advanced users” who want “peak productivity”. There aren’t many professional apps that currently support haptic feedback, but Logitech has worked with Adobe to add haptic support to Photoshop and Lightroom, so that the mouse can trigger a haptic ‘click’ in response to actions such as cropping or aligning an object to a guide.

Logitech’s also working with other developers to help them create plug-ins that can add haptic support to their own apps, so this could become a useful tool that provides helpful haptic feedback for pro users who want to streamline common tasks in their key apps.

A Mouse With Options

For home users or ordinary office workers, the Logi Options+ app provides another new feature, called the Action Ring, which is activated by pressing the Sense Panel button. The Actions Ring appears on screen when you press the Sense Panel, and displays a circular menu with additional commands that you can select. By default, the Action Ring displays a set of standard commands, such as launching the Notes app on a Mac or instantly locking your Mac.

The Action Ring does work with older MX mice, but the MX Master 4 provides a haptic click in response when selecting commands. That’s not exactly a game-changer, but the Options+ app does also allow you to customise the Actions Ring by choosing a variety of different controls and commands, which will all respond with a haptic click when you select those commands.




Logitech’s Options+ app allows you to modify the way that haptic feedback works.
Logitech.com

Should You Buy The Logitech MX Master 4?

It’s still early days for haptic technology, and there’s only a handful of professional apps that currently support the new haptic features, so the MX Master 4 may not be an essential upgrade for owners of older MX mice. But, if you’re looking for an alternative to Apple’s Magic Mouse, then the MX Master 4 is one of the best mice currently available for the Mac. Its array of programmable buttons makes it far more versatile than Apple’s Magic Mouse, and if you’re not sold on the haptic hype then the previous MX model is still available at a lower price. It’s a shame, though, that Logitech is so slow at recognising the needs of left-handed users.