When I opened the Logitech box containing the POP Icon keys keyboard, I slipped the peripheral out of the packaging and winced.
"Lilac," I grumbled. I didn't think I ordered lilac. Then, I threw away the packaging, a decision I would regret later.
Luckily, things got much better from there.
The POP Icon Keys keyboard, an updated version of the POP Keys clacky-sounding mechanical keyboard released in 2022, is in many ways an upgrade on that debut model: It has laptop-style scissor-switch keys, programmable action keys, and it costs 50% less than its mecha-predecessor. Some good stuff stays, too: For one, the ability to switch between three devices (e.g., phone, laptop, tablet) at the press of a button is still here.
The most obvious difference you'll see from the first edition is that the keys aren't round — which isn't a problem if you've ever typed on grandma's typewriter — but instead are rounded squares, which Logitech has playfully dubbed " squircles." The first difference you'll feel is that the mechanical keys are gone.
Logitech POP Icon Keys: Price and configurations
Logitech is offering its new keyboard and a matching mouse — nothing material has changed with the mouse since its 2022 version — as part of a bundle, though I only reviewed the keyboard. The bundle is $69.99, and the keyboard is $49.99. It's out today, October 8, 2024. It's available for sale from Logitech and on Amazon.
And this configuration is universal — there's no Mac-only or Windows-only version. Finally, it is a full-size laptop keyboard and in no way a travel-size "second keyboard," as the specs below show:
Logitech POP Icon Keys: Design
The POP Icon is available in lilac, graphite, off-white, and rose color schemes, each with a matching mouse, assuming you go for the bundle. The colors have a personality of their own. My lilac one, lovely as it is, didn't suit my tastes, though it may suit yours. If you ask me, go for the off-white model for a bit of retro-chic.
Each keyboard is framed by transparent plastic, and depending on the color, the amount of post-consumer recycled plastic used in each keyboard ranges between 37% (rose and off-white) and 70% (graphite).
I'm not a huge fan of lilac out of the box, but, like the music of Sabrina Carpenter, it's grown on me with time.
I'm not a huge fan of lilac out of the box, but, like the music of Sabrina Carpenter, it's grown on me with time. (More on how this keyboard is the "Espresso" singer of peripherals below.)
In my experience, this keyboard is prone to picking up smudges, dirt, food, and whatever else you happen to get on it. I could see where it could get objectively gross without regular cleaning. Would you rather have a keyboard that hides dirt well or one that easily shows it off? Maybe the fact it shows off dirt is a feature and not a bug.
Logitech markets the keys as precise, comfortable, and quiet. They have a concave shape and feel both mechanical and buoyant.
An unmentioned part of the design is the wrapping the keyboard comes with out of the box. It's not explicitly marketed as a carrying bag for this new keyboard — Logitech doesn't make one — but the cloth-like-paper-like material would make for a suitable carrying sleeve if you need to carry this keyboard around in your bag.
“What we wanted to deliver to our user was a delightful out-of-the-box experience, and we tried to give a longer life, a second life to something that is normally disposed of," Francesco Pozzato, a Logitech global product manager, told reporters last week about that packaging sleeve I had thrown away days earlier.
"Nice going," I thought to myself as I heard Pozzato share this legitimately feel-good anecdote.
Pro tip: If you want a good-enough carrying case for this keyboard, save the sleeve it comes with; you'll do your part to reduce waste and get decent protection for your POP Icon Keys wireless keyboard.
Logitech POP Icon Keys: Performance
It's a Bluetooth keyboard, so you might be worried about the signal dropping out occasionally, but I did not have this experience using the Logitech POP Icon Keys deck — though your mileage may vary.
The POP Icon Keys keyboard has an effortless professionalism you don't feel in a hipster's mechanical keyboard.
One thing I would appreciate on a keyboard is a USB-C input for a wired connection, especially as this peripheral is really designed to be stationary, in that it could remain in your office most of the time. You may as well forego Bluetooth technology altogether for a wired connection, right?
My human performance with the POP Icon Keys keyboard was 85 words per minute, which, while not stenographer-fast, is more than enough to keep up with any fast-talking product marketer sharing their brand narrative.
This keyboard and its oh-so-slightly textured surface are a tactile wonder and a joy to type on. My daily driver is a Keychron K2 mechanical keyboard, and while I'm used to every click that results from my pouncing fingers, I didn't find myself comparing the two. They are keyboards from different worlds.
In slight contrast to its colorful appearance, the POP Icon Keys keyboard has an effortless professionalism you don't feel in a hipster's mechanical keyboard. If a mechanical keyboard is DIY, loud, and a little punk, the POP Icon Keys keyboard is Sabrina Carpenter: polished, colorful, and designed for the masses.
Logitech POP Icon Keys: Connectivity and battery
This keyboard takes two AA batteries, which are thankfully included. Logitech claims they will last three years before you need to change them, so there's that.
Some may turn up their noses at old-school batteries being used instead of USB-based charging, but my view is that the trade-off that comes with traditional batteries—be they the AA or AAA or even CR-2032 variety—vs. USB-C charging is worth it. There's an ease that comes with swapping in batteries from the bodega instead of worrying if your keyboard is charged before a flight or a big meeting. Also, out of the box, you may not ned to think about charging it for three years.
The backside of the keyboard also includes a USB-A slot for a Logitech Unifying Receiver, which you can use to create a more secure and reliable connection to your keyboard than Bluetooth. The receiver also enables six keyboards to be wirelessly connected to the same computer if you so desire.
Logitech POP Icon Keys: Software
The POP Icon features 15 programmable keys if you count the function keys across the top row. Most interestingly, the four keys on the far right of the deck are programmable using the Logi Options+ app. Because of its increasing robustness and number of features, Logitech is increasingly becoming a differentiator against the myriad keyboard and mouse makers. A welcome new addition to the Options+ app is Logi prompt builder, which enables users to trigger multi-step actions on their laptop at the single press of a button.
These four "action keys" come out of the box with the typical keyboard presets for a home, end, page up, and a page down button. However, a little hint is printed on each key, letting you know their greater purpose.
Those four keys transform this keyboard from colorful but ordinary to truly personal, which is why I and so many others return to Logitech products over and over—customization.
The dark purple keys you see in the image above are programable. I have set them up, via Logitech's intuitive Options+ app, to open my Chat GPT app, another set to open Spotify, another set to my favorite emoji (💯), and the fourth to open a browser tab that shows our team's project management app.
Logitech POP Icon Keys: The bottom line
At $50 and with programmable action keys — plus four colors from which to choose — it's hard to go wrong with POP Icon Keys from Logitech. It's a pop star in the making — even if you get the lilac.
