Options, of course, also has built-in integration for AI assistants like ChatGPT, with a dedicated “Prompt Builder” UI that can be summoned with the press of a button. Thankfully, unlike some keyboards, AI functionality can easily be disabled, with the key defaulting to Page Down and being remappable to anything else. Unlike other new keyboards, there is not a dedicated Copilot key. Instead, there are only Alt, Function, and Control keys to the right of the spacebar.
The keyboard comes with a USB-A wireless dongle that can be stored in a slot on the back, and also has Bluetooth connectivity. Wired connectivity, though, is entirely absent. Instead, like most of Logitech’s productivity items, the USB-C port is used exclusively for charging. This decision has always made some sense for Logitech’s mice, since a cable can get in the way of moving a mouse, but makes far less sense for a keyboard, which is entirely stationary. This isn’t the end of the world, but it doesn’t make much sense.
Photograph: Henri Robbins
The K98M also features LED backlights. These are permanently set to white, with only a single adjustment for brightness—a far cry from the hundreds of options offered in modern gaming keyboards, and an indication this is more for productivity than gaming. I don’t personally care about this, since the backlight here is still practical for late-night use, but I can imagine some people will be frustrated by the lack of customization options compared to a gaming keyboard with per-key RGB lighting. Still, the LED lighting combines well with the transparent case, allowing a subtle glow to be diffused across the entire keyboard.
Like most of Logitech’s productivity line, this keyboard is mostly meant for low-intensity work: Writing, organizing spreadsheets, basic media editing and programming are where it shines. Any high-intensity activities, like gaming, is a bit outside of its intended use case. However, this keyboard is still perfectly capable of basic weekend gaming, as long as you don’t need the ultra-fast 1,000 Hz polling rates of gaming-focused peripherals.
B-tier Build
Photograph: Henri Robbins
Somehow, despite being made entirely of plastic, this keyboard feels very solid. It is dense and hefty without feeling industrial, and more than anything else, it just feels planted on your desk. The case isn’t particularly rigid, though. You can easily flex it by hand, with pretty much the entirety of the keyboard—case, plate, and keycaps—warping in unison.
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