Logitech MX Master 4 Review: Still the King of Productivity, But We Need to Talk About the Software

For the past month, the Logitech MX Master 4 has been permanently attached to my right hand. It has navigated me through hundreds of chaotic Google Sheets, precise video editing timelines in Premiere Pro, and more endless web scrolls than I care to admit.

As someone who used the MX Master 3S until the rubber grip literally started wearing off, my expectations for the 4th generation were a mix of high hopes and specific demands. When a company dominates the productivity mouse market as thoroughly as Logitech does, the danger of complacency is very real. You don't want to fix what isn't broken, but at $120, you also have to offer a compelling reason to upgrade.

So, after 30 days of heavy, relentless daily driving across both macOS and Windows, here is my verdict on whether the MX Master 4 is a worthy successor or just an iterative cash grab.

Ergonomics and Design: The Familiar Handshake If you have ever used an MX Master mouse, grabbing the MX Master 4 feels like shaking hands with an old friend. The dramatic, sculpted ergonomic slope that forces your hand into a more natural, semi-vertical position is still here. For long-term wrist health, this design is unparalleled. I spent a grueling 12-hour day finalizing a project last week, and my wrist felt absolutely zero fatigue.

Logitech has made a subtle but important tweak to the materials this year. The rubberized coating on the palm rest feels slightly denser and less prone to accumulating those gross skin oils that plagued the 3S after a year of use. The weight remains substantial at 141 grams. This is not a lightweight gaming mouse you can flick around for first-person shooters; it is a heavy, deliberate tool meant for precision work.

However, I must point out the obvious elephant in the room: Logitech still has not made a left-handed version. In 2026, alienating 10% of the population from your flagship productivity device feels like a massive oversight.

The MagSpeed Scroll Wheel: Pure Tactile Joy Let's talk about the scroll wheel, because it remains the single best feature of this mouse. The MagSpeed electromagnetic wheel is a marvel of engineering. In its ratcheted mode, you feel a satisfying, precise click for every line you scroll. It’s perfect for switching tools in Photoshop or reading line-by-line code.

But the magic happens when you flick it hard. The wheel seamlessly shifts into a frictionless free-spin mode. I tested this by scrolling through a raw data spreadsheet with over 15,000 rows. A single, aggressive flick of my index finger sent the wheel spinning silently for almost 10 seconds, dropping me exactly at the bottom of the document. When you want it to stop, you just put your finger on the cold, machined steel. It is immensely satisfying.

The thumb wheel for horizontal scrolling has also received a minor tension adjustment. It feels tighter than the previous generation, making scrubbing through a video timeline much more predictable.

Switches and Sensor: The Silence is Deafening Following the trend set by the 3S, the MX Master 4 utilizes Logitech's 'Quiet Clicks'. If you love the loud, mechanical clack of a traditional mouse, you will hate this. The clicks are incredibly muted—a soft, deep thud rather than a sharp snap. Personally, I love it. I frequently work in quiet coffee shops and late at night when my family is asleep, and the silent operation ensures I’m not disturbing anyone. Despite being quiet, the tactile feedback is still distinct; you never have to guess if you actually clicked.

The new 8,000 DPI Darkfield sensor is technically an upgrade, but in reality, it's complete overkill for a productivity mouse. Very few people need to move their cursor across three 4K monitors with a one-inch movement of their wrist. However, the glass-tracking capability remains flawless. I used the mouse on a bare glass hotel desk without a mousepad, and it didn't skip a single pixel.

Logi Options+ Software: Powerful, But Getting Bloated The hardware is near perfect, but the software experience is where my frustrations begin. The Logi Options+ app is mandatory if you want to customize the buttons, and it has grown significantly heavier over the years.

The 'Smart Actions' feature—which allows you to map complex macros to a single button press—is undeniably powerful. I set up a macro on the thumb gesture button that automatically opens my email client, launches a specific Chrome profile, and starts my Spotify work playlist. It works beautifully.

But the software constantly runs in the background, consuming around 150MB of RAM. Worse, it occasionally bugs out. Twice during my month-long test, the software failed to recognize that I had switched from Premiere Pro to Chrome, meaning my app-specific button mappings were entirely broken until I restarted the application. It’s a minor annoyance, but on a premium device, the software needs to be as bulletproof as the hardware.

Battery Life and Multi-Device Connectivity Battery life is a non-issue. Logitech claims up to 70 days on a full charge. After 30 days of 8-to-10 hours of daily use, my battery indicator is sitting comfortably at 55%. When it does die, the USB-C port is conveniently located at the front, allowing you to use it as a wired mouse while it charges. A quick three-minute charge genuinely gave me enough juice to finish a full workday.

The multi-device switching (via the button on the bottom) is seamless. I frequently bounce between a Windows desktop and a MacBook Pro. Pressing the button switches the connection instantly. I highly recommend using the included Logi Bolt receiver for your main desktop to ensure a rock-solid connection, and using standard Bluetooth for your laptop.

The Final Verdict The Logitech MX Master 4 does not reinvent the wheel; it just polishes it. If you are currently using a standard, cheap office mouse, upgrading to the MX Master 4 will fundamentally change how fast you can work. It is an investment in your daily comfort and productivity.

However, if you currently own the MX Master 3S and it is still working perfectly, there is absolutely no reason to spend $120 on this upgrade. The changes to the coating and the bump in DPI are too minor to justify the cost. But for everyone else, the king retains its crown.