Our Verdict
This is a high-performing keyboard for tournament play, but its eye-watering price and lack of customization options hold it back from greatness.
The Logitech G Pro X TKL Lightspeed wireless gaming keyboard is aimed squarely at elite-level play. From its svelte tenkeyless design to its 1ms report rate, Logitech has set out to create the best gaming keyboard for esports pros and ambitious gamers everywhere.
But it’s not just the design and specs that belong to that upper echelon: the price does too. At a price of $199, there are more expensive keyboards on offer, but it sits above many perfectly serviceable bits of kit in the mid-range. So, does it justify that price? Mostly, but with some caveats.
Logitech G Pro X TKL Lightspeed design
As its unwieldy, acronym-filled name suggests, the Logitech G Pro X TKL Lightspeed enjoys a tenkeyless (TKL) design, meaning it lacks the number pad and extra keys you’d typically find on the right-hand side of the keyboard. This achieves two purposes: it leaves more desk space for your mouse and other peripherals, and it helps for portability.
Portability is clearly a major concern with this bit of kit. It makes sense: if you want the pros to dig your keyboard, you’ll need to make something they can take with them to tournaments and such. In aid of this, and just for general practicality purposes, the Logitech G Pro X TKL Lightspeed is one of the most hardy keyboards I’ve ever used. Its sturdy metal backplate has basically no flex in it whatsoever, and seems like it could withstand a solid pounding. That’s lucky for those of us prone to fits of rage when we get wallbanged in Valorant. Not me, of course.
A final handy touch is that the Logitech G Pro X TKL Lightspeed package contains a robust hard case for taking your keyboard with you on the go. Whether you’re carrying it to professional tournaments and performing to the roar of thousands of adoring fans, or just for a quick session at your friend’s house, this bonus case will stop anything awful happening to your treasured bit of kit en route.
Despite its bid for dinkiness, the board does make room for a number of handy shortcut keys and multimedia controls along the top, many of which were regrettably absent from the Logitech G Pro X. These constitute your usual fare of a brightness toggler, wireless and Bluetooth buttons, an enjoyably tactile volume wheel, alongside your standard buttons to control media. Although they’re more or less standard these days, these quality of life features are still great to see, especially on a keyboard where space is at a premium.
In terms of looks, the Logitech G Pro X TKL Lightspeed is supremely classy, with a matte white design that eschews flamboyance in favor of a pleasing simplicity. The RGB lighting defaults to a neutral blue, but can be programmed to display all manner of colors and patterns, all of which come through brightly thanks to strong bulbs behind each key. The only thing that spoils the effect is that some keys with extra symbols on don’t fully light up, such as the € sign on the 4 key.
Logitech G Pro X TKL Lightspeed performance
The Logitech G Pro X TKL Lightspeed is a monster as far as gaming performance is concerned. That’s the headline, and it means Logitech has achieved what it set out to do; this is an esports keyboard, after all. It’s responsive, with a faultless 1ms report rate, reliable, and never wavers under the pressure of an intense session. Honestly, I love to blame faulty gear after a frustrating death, but this keyboard didn’t give me the slightest leeway to do so.
It’s not designed primarily for comfort, but it’s far from terrible in that regard. The Logitech G Pro X TKL Lightspeed doesn’t exactly ooze luxury, but I didn’t notice any discomfort across extended gaming sessions, which is crucial for a keyboard like this. The dual-shot PBT keycaps have a pleasingly tactile quality, but you can swap them out for your preferred, third party keycaps if you prefer a fancier design.
The connectivity of the Logitech G Pro X TKL Lightspeed is another highlight. Whether using it through the wireless dongle, Bluetooth, or a good old traditional wired connection, I barely noticed the difference, in a good way. It’s true that many of the flashier features are locked behind the wireless version, but if you’re just looking for excellent performance, which should be your main concern if you’re considering this keyboard, you can rest assured it delivers.
One factor to be aware of is that this is pretty loud as keyboards go. Clacking away on it isn’t exactly deafening, but the typical clicky noises are hard to ignore. It’s worth bearing that in mind if you’re going to be sharing your gaming space with non-headphone users. There are three versions of the Logitech G Pro X TKL Lightspeed mechanical switches: Tactile Switches (GX Brown), Linear Switches (GX Red), or Clicky Switches (GX Blue). The copy I’m reviewing came with the Tactile Switches, which are pleasantly grippy under my fingertips.
Logitech G Pro X TKL Lightspeed features & software
While the Logitech G Pro X TKL Lightspeed is working hard on your desk, the Logitech G Hub is pulling the strings in the background. It’s a tidy little program that allows you to customize your keyboard, choosing from an enormous range of entertaining RGB settings via LIGHTSYNC or assigning various commands, actions, macros, and more to your keys. Extensive RGB options and per-key customization are basically a guarantee at this price, but it’s worth mentioning as the Logitech G Hub interface makes the tinkering process as painless and simple as possible.
The software also allows you to pair multiple Logitech peripherals with the same wireless dongle, a helpful little quality-of-life feature, which will come in handy if you use this keyboard in conjunction with a gaming mouse such as the Logitech G Pro X Superlight 2 gaming mouse.
You can also control the gaming mode, a feature activated by a button on top of the board, which disables certain keys that might disrupt your session, from the Logitech G Hub. It allows you to pick which keys you think are most likely to cause chaos while gaming, with the Windows key being an obvious choice.
This feature returns from the original Logitech G Pro X TKL and, while hardly revolutionary, is a welcome touch. While most of this keyboard bears a striking similarity to its predecessor, there are some changes. The media keys mentioned earlier were previously consigned to secondary functions, so it’s good to see them get their own deserved place atop the keyboard with the Logitech G Pro X TKL Lightspeed.
One element I’m not totally enamored with is the keys’ actuation point. Compared to other keyboards, it feels like you need a surprising amount of force to input commands. That’s fine for typing and general use, but I personally prefer a lighter touch when it comes to gaming. Of course, this wouldn’t be a problem if, like many high-end keyboards such as the fantastic Corsair K70 Max, the Logitech G Pro X TKL gave the option to customize your actuation point, but it doesn’t. Elite gamers live or die in the details, so I was surprised this feature wasn’t included.
Is the Logitech G Pro X TKL Lightspeed worth it?
If you’re looking for performance whatever the cost, the Logitech G Pro X TKL Lightspeed is an easy recommendation. It’s super responsive, rewarding to use, and it feels like it’ll still be clacking away in years to come thanks to its robust design and attendant carry case.
But the $199 price tag undoubtedly feels a little steep. Of course, if you’re an esports pro who wants the best of the best, you’ll probably think nothing of dropping that amount for a premium bit of kit. But for the rest of us, it’s a lot to spend on a keyboard, and expectations naturally rise along with the cost.
It seems almost unfair to fault the Logitech G Pro X TKL Lightspeed for not being as ergonomic or customizable as other high-end keyboards, as that’s not necessarily its target, but the fact is that other products, like the Razer Huntsman V2, achieve similar standards of performance with more bells and whistles. Oh, and because they’ve been on the market longer, they’re often cheaper to boot.
Ultimately, this is a keyboard for pro players. If you’ve got dreams of rubbing shoulders with your favorite esports players, or are already competing at the highest level, the Logitech G Pro X TKL Lightspeed will be a great investment. If that’s not you, I’d overlook it in favor of cheaper or flashier alternatives.
Pros
- Highly portable and durable
- Responsive and reliable
- Classy, simple design with bright RGB
Cons
- Expensive
- Doesn’t do as much as other high-end keyboards
- Limited appeal for non-pro players