logitech keyboard with lcd screen quotation

Setting aside the screen for a moment, the G19 keyboard itself is only slightly more impressive than the most recent version of the G15. The core key design provides the same crisp keystrokes, with the same 12 "G" keys on the left edge. As with the G15, the G19 gives you three different switchable modes, so you end up with 36 effective customizable keys, along with on-the-fly macro recording. Logitech also includes another hallmark of its G-series keyboards, a switch that lets you disable the dedicated "Windows" key, so you don"t accidentally switch to your desktop screen during gameplay with an errant key press.

New to this model (aside from the color LCD) is its capability to recognize five simultaneous key presses. Macro-happy gamers and digital artists, in particular, should appreciate that feature, which opens up a greater level of mastery to run repetitive commands. We"re also glad to see that the G19 now has two powered USB 2.0 jacks. The G15 is stuck with USB 1.1, which is not as fast. Anyone who regularly transfers large amounts of data between a PC and a portable storage device or media player will benefit from that added bandwidth.

Other features include a smart drum-style volume control above the G19"s number pad, on top of which you"ll also find a set of easily accessible media play controls. As before, the G19 ties into iTunes, Windows Media Center, and other media software apps. Last but not least among the new, non-LCD-related highlights is the option to select from 16 million different colors for the backlit keys. You customize the colors through the only-somewhat-intuitive Logitech Profile software, which lets you tie three different colors to the three mode buttons for the programmable "G" keys. We wish it had a dedicated button to scroll through at least a few preset colors, though. We also wish Logitech would consolidate its configuration software into one application. Instead you have to bounce around between the G-series Key Profiler for setting up the G keys, and a separate LCD Manager app for the built-in screen. Which brings us, finally, to the color LCD.

As with the G15, the G19 provides you with a secondary display, ostensibly to minimize the number of times you switch out of a game to the Windows desktop to check the time, your in-box, or get other information. Unlike the G15"s two-tone model, the G19 gets full color output and a larger 320x240 screen size. Logitech includes 11 different applications you can use on the screen of the G19, among them a clock, a system performance monitor, an RSS reader, photo and video players, and an app that lets you play YouTube videos. All of those programs have option screens--accessible through both the LCD Manager software and through a set of screen menu controls on the keyboard itself--that let you change content source folders and make other adjustments.

The G19 also comes with built-in support for 46 PC games, and four different applications, including Ventrilo, the popular third-party voice chat software favored by many PC gamers. "Support" for those various titles means essentially that the screen will display different information, such as character stats and ammunition counts. We haven"t tried every game on the list, many of which are outdated, but we never found the game-specific information that handy during gameplay. We can see a few possibilities that would make the LCD screen more useful, such as giving you an extra inventory screen or showing an in-game map, but we haven"t seen those kinds of features implemented in the handful of titles we"ve tried. We do, however, like the Ventrilo plug-in that lets you know who"s talking, which can be useful if you don"t know everyone in your World of Warcraft guild by voice.

Potentially more exciting is that, as with the G15, Logitech also includes a software development kit for the G19"s LCD. It took a while for the enthusiast community to embrace the G15"s kit, but once it did, all kinds of mini apps became available for public download. We don"t expect the G19"s software library to have blossomed in the three months since the keyboard"s release, but without a critical mass of homemade applications, it"s hard for us to say what kinds of programs might come from the community. You can use some of the homebrewed G15 apps on the G19, but not all of them work on the new color screen. We also can"t help but wonder what effect the G19"s high price will have on the adoption rate among the enthusiast community. If fewer people buy the G19, that will surely affect the amount of collective effort behind any software development.

Last month, Logitech sent over a brand new, fairly expensive mouse and keyboard combination that the company is marketing to gamers. If purchased together, at full MSRP, the G19s and G602 (review here) would cost the average consumer a whopping $280. And that"s before tax and/or shipping. But is the recently-refreshed combination really worth all that cash?

The Logitech G19s is easily the most feature-packed keyboard that"s ever entered my home, thanks to its built-in LCD screen and programmable macro buttons; however, the average customer isn’t likely to find a convincing reason to spend $200 for Logitech"s latest refresh of the G19s gaming keyboard.

That’s not to say that the device isn’t equipped with its fair share of bells and whistles but, while the G19s certainly isn’t running low on style or panache, it feels like Logitech skipped out on pretty much every major feature I’d expect to see in a keyboard with such a steep price.

Where are the mechanical switches? Why would I want powered-USB ports, as opposed to a wireless device, when the G19s doesn’t even include the headphone jack needed to plug in a headset? And why does the keyboard rely on an application that slows down my CPU boot and shutdown times?

Enough with the rhetorical questions, though. Let’s dig into the Logitech G19s bit-by-bit and see what consumers should expect from a brand new unit, what we liked about the company’s latest gaming keyboard and the various reasons why we still aren’t quite sold on the Logitech G19s.

Just as you might expect, the Logitech G19s has all the usual buttons you"d expect to find on a QWERTY, Windows-ready keyboard. The device also includes the usual suite of media keys, plus a rolling input for volume control , along with a handful of buttons mean to select/toggle various features and functions of the Logitech G19s.

Each input on the keyboard is coated in a UV-protective coating, to keep the keys from fading after a few weeks/months of heavy usage, and the folks at Logitech thoughtfully decided to make both the arrow and WASD keys a lighter shade of gray. It may not seem like much but, between those and the LCD backlighting behind every key, you shouldn"t ever really have an issue getting your hands lined up properly on the G19s.

The Logitech G19s also features a full-color LCD panel built directly into the device, which can be used to display everything from game stats to the headlines from your favorite RSS feeds. It can even play your favorite YouTube videos, provided they aren’t locked to the browser; however, the frame rate does take a pretty significant dive.

Less exciting features include a pair of powered USB ports can be found on the upper-edge of the keyboard and molding on the bottom of the G19s that is intended to help you manage the wires from your headphones and/or mouse. Assuming you haven"t spent close to a $100 on the G602 wireless gaming mouse that Logitech is hoping consumers will pair with the G19s and/or several hundred dollars on one of the many wireless gaming headsets currently available to PC gamers.

While I’ll always have a soft spot in my heart for the distinctive clicking sound produced by many of the world’s top mechanical keyboards, I’ll admit to being pleasantly surprised by just how little noise the G19s has created since showing up at my apartment last month. Not pleased enough to overlook the lack of mechanical switches under the keys, but we"ll dive into that later.

The keyboard’s UV coated keys may take a bit more force to register an input but they also feel like they’ll continue to hold up under the hours and hours of daily usage that they’ve seen in the last few weeks. The backlit keys also make it easy to see what I’m doing, regardless of the current light level in my home office.

As someone with some relatively sizable hands, and a tendency to get a bit clumsy when playing late-night Dota matches, I appreciated having a hardwired switch that enables/disables the Windows key on the G19s. Accidental minimizations aren’t necessarily an everyday issue for me but they’re just frequent enough for the switch to be one of my favorite features.

The programmable keys that line the left side of the keyboard are also handy for certain games and other tasks; especially if you’re playing an MMO or other game where macro inputs are both more efficient and (sometimes) the difference between life and death/rage quits. I also find them surprisingly useful in my day-to-day life, though I suppose not everyone is slapping the same footer paragraph onto a handful of new articles each business day.

Best of all, each of the twelve keys can be programmed three times, toggled via a set of keys in the upper-left corner of the device, and the ability to alter the backlight behind your keys makes it easy to remember which macro configuration is currently enabled. Advanced coders will also be happy to know an emulator for the Logitech G19s" built-in LCD screen comes bundled with the software, making it a bit easier to program and test your own applets for the device.

That’s how much Logitech wants customers to pay for the Logitech G19s. Two hundred dollars for a new keyboard that, while certainly pleasing to the eye, seems to value outward appearance more than usefulness or general functionality. I mean, it doesn’t even include mechanical inputs.

There are at least two different Das keyboards for significantly less, and I bet the Control and Alt buttons on those don"t start to wear out after just one month"s worth of usage. I wish I could say the same for the Logitech G19s.

I think it’s also worth pointing out that just about everything that currently sets the G19s apart from other keyboards are features that require you to take your eyes off your monitor. I don’t know about you guys, but taking my eyes off my screen is the last thing I want to do in the middle of a game; much less reflex-focused games like Call of Duty, Dota 2 or League of Legends.

While the keyboard’s YouTube applet quickly became a personal favorite – if only because it gave me a chance to say, “Hey, look what this thing can do…” whenever friends come over – there’s no discernible way to alter the button combination that queues the videos. It’s an all-or-nothing setting that either plays any/every YouTube URL that hits your clipboard, or the keyboard ignores any/all attempts to push video to the G19s’ 2-inch screen.

The Logitech G19s is great but, at the end of the day, I just cannot envision spending two hundred dollars on it. Then again, I don’t play games for a living – well, at least not competitively --so it’s always possible that I just don’t understand why a particular feature of the G19s makes the device worth its current price. I’ll also admit to being a bit of a penny-pincher when building/outfitting my computers.

Watching Curren$y videos on the keyboard’s diminutive LCD screen is entertaining once or twice, but not something I’d ever do outside of the rare occasions when I can show the feature to a friend that’s yet to see the new toy on my desk. The same can be said for just about every other applet currently available for the G19s.

I mean, nobody really needs anything more than the $10-$20 keyboard/mouse combo that used to come standard with any new computer, but the whole idea is that it’s fun to pack a few extra features into an otherwise boring device that many of us use on a daily basis.

So, from that perspective, the G19s succeeds in just about every way you could hope for. It’s flashy, packed with over-the-top functionality and just enough practical application for a certain crowd to justify the purchase. But the lack of mechanical switches is just too big an oversight for me to ignore, and I suspect I’m not alone.

DISCLAIMER: As mentioned at the top of this post, the Logitech G19s review you just read is based on time spent with a keyboard provided to me (free-of-charge) by a representative of the popular peripheral manufacturer; however, Logitech did not retain any say in the contents of this review.

Have you had a chance to spend any time with the latest iteration of the Logitech G19s? Disagree with our analysis of the popular peripheral manufacturer’s latest premium gaming keyboard? Think you’ve discovered something (like a new applet) that would change our mind about the Logitech G19s?

Logitech makes a wide selection of products ranging from office models to high-end gaming models, so it isn"t all that surprising that the best Logitech keyboard we"ve tested is also the best Logitech gaming keyboard. The Logitech G715 is a TenKeyLess model with a soft pastel color scheme that looks very different from the usual grey and black gaming options. The quirky design doesn"t stop there. It comes with a very comfortable wrist rest that"s shaped like a cloud and the option to purchase candy-colored keycaps and top plates to add more color to your setup.

Impressively, it"s also a wireless model that connects with a USB receiver for ultra-low latency, or you can use it for general typing tasks via Bluetooth. This cute little unit may not be everyone"s cup of tea, so we recommend the Logitech G915 LIGHTSPEED. It"s another high-performance, wireless gaming unit, but rather than standard height switches, it uses low-profile mechanical switches, which feel like a hybrid between a laptop keyboard and a mechanical unit. Regardless of what option you go for, you"re guaranteed a responsive in-game experience with no cable management to worry about.

At its price point, the Logitech MX Keys is the best Logitech keyboard. Since it was first released in 2019, the MX Keys has become an office and work-from-home setup staple. It"s easy to see why considering the amount of detail they put into this flagship office unit. The chiclet-style keycaps have a nice indent to ensure your keystrokes strike directly in the center, helping you avoid typos, while its low profile lays pretty flat on your desk, so you don"t have to bend your wrists upwards to reach the keys. This keyboard is also a great choice for those who like the feeling of typing on a laptop keyboard, as it uses nice, responsive scissor switches that feel nice to type on.

It offers great wireless connectivity options and has a long battery life of up to ten days with the backlighting on or five months with it off. You can pair the keyboard with up to three devices using Bluetooth or use it with the included Unifying USB receiver, which works with select Logitech mice, so you only need one receiver to run both devices.

The best budget Logitech keyboard we"ve tested is the Logitech Signature K650. It"s a full-size unit with great built-in ergonomic features like a soft-touch wrist rest, two incline settings, and deep-set keys, so your fingertips rest directly on top of them with no wrist strain. The K650 uses rubber dome switches, which aren"t as snappy as the scissor switches found in the Logitech MX Keys mentioned above. That said, the deep-set design and the rubber dome switches mean that there aren"t any exposed moving parts, so this keyboard is spill-resistant, great if you"re frequently eating or drinking in front of your computer.

While it lacks a few extra features like multi-device pairing with Bluetooth and backlighting, it does have some good other features like a row of dedicated media keys along the top and helpful hotkeys like a "Mic Muting" button for video calls and an operating system toggle to ensure full compatibility with Windows, Mac, and ChromeOS. This keyboard is also wireless and comes with a USB receiver and the option to pair it to one device via Bluetooth. Rather than a rechargeable battery, it uses two AA batteries for power, which will last you around 36 months of use.

The Logitech K380 is the best cheap Logitech keyboard. This compact keyboard is popular among students thanks to its low price point, and it"s a favorite among on-the-go professionals due to its tiny footprint. The thin profile and compact design make it easy to toss into a bag; plus, its ability to pair with multiple devices over Bluetooth eliminates the need for cables. You also don"t have to worry about charging it since it uses two AAA batteries for power with a battery life of around 24 months.

While this unit is excellent for travel use, it"s worth noting it might take a little bit of getting used to at first. The scissor switches provide a great, responsive typing experience, but the keycaps are a little smaller than standard, so they feel a bit cramped to type on at first. Once you get used to it, you"ll have a constant companion for your daily typing tasks. It also comes in a bunch of fun colorways, and Logitech continues to release new ones, so you won"t have to settle for a simple gray unit if you"d prefer a little splash of color.

The Logitech G HUB and Logitech Options+ software offer tons of customization options for your keyboard. They"re both compatible with macOS and Windows.

The vast majority of Logitech keyboards are made with ABS keycaps instead of doubleshot PBT plastic. PBT keycaps tend to be more durable and aren"t as prone to shine.

As Corsair focuses mainly on gaming keyboards, Logitech offers many more options for users. However, if you were just to compare Logitech"s gaming models with Corsair"s, you"d find that Corsair makes better-built keyboards with more customization options and RGB typing feels.

On the whole, Logitech and Razer are very different in terms of what types of keyboards they make. Logitech has a wide range of keyboards, from gaming keyboards to mobile models. Razer has a small lineup and focuses on gaming keyboards, but they"ve started to produce mechanical keyboards aimed at office use, and they"re available in different switches. While Razer"s Synapse 3 doesn"t work on macOS, it offers more customization options than Logitech, like allowing you to set macros to any key.

Overall, Logitech makes good keyboards for any use. Their office keyboards are available in ergonomic designs or are portable enough for mobile use on the go. For gaming, Logitech makes mechanical keyboards that almost any gamer will be comfortable with, but they aren"t as customizable as the competition. Although it may be overwhelming to look at the list of Logitech keyboards and try to find the one that suits you, they"ll likely have the right keyboard for your needs.

MX Series: The MX Series consists of premium wireless keyboards designed for office and productivity use. They"re customizable with the Logitech Options+ software, which allows you to enable certain features like "Logitech Flow," which is only available on MX keyboards. Although there"s a narrow range of products within the lineup, each product comes with the option of a "mini" size that"s better for portability and a Mac-specific version with an Apple-inspired color scheme.

K Series: The K Series consists of keyboards designed for everyday and general use. They"re typically wireless and use membrane or scissor switches. They range in price but are more budget-friendly options than the MX or G series boards. Most of them include the option of using the keyboard with a USB receiver or with a Bluetooth connection, though some, like the Logitech K380, are Bluetooth only. They use the Logitech Options or the Options+ software, but customization is much more limited.

G Series: The G Series is Logitech"s gaming lineup. Most of the keyboards are premium mechanical boards that require a wired connection, though there are a few exceptions. They use Logitech"s proprietary switches and come in three switch options at checkout. Also, these keyboards use Logitech"s G HUB software and offer a much wider range of customization than the MX or K series keyboards.

Other: Logitech has some offerings that aren"t part of any series, like the Logitech Pop Keys. These keyboards are meant for general use and often offer the same limited range of customization as the K series boards.

The never-ending quest for the ultimate gaming gear has fueled the peripheral war for decades. Established in 1981, Logitech has been a pioneer on many fronts of this battle. From the humble mouse to massively powerful speaker systems, their product range has not left us lacking.

Gaming keyboards are big business and the release of the G15 V1 model in 2005 changed the way we looked at this overlooked device. We were given a nice little display that proved to be quite useful whether gaming or just surfing the web. The SDK was free and open-source, which allowed many custom applications to take advantage of it. A revised version, aptly called the G15 V2, was released in 2007 and addressed the size issue of the original.

2009 brought us the next evolution of the G series keyboard, the G19. Packing an LCD screen, user adjustable back-lighting and powered USB 2.0 ports amongst other features, the G19 was designed to surpass its older brothers. With a price tag of $199.99 US, there seems to be some big shoes to fill. Let’s take a closer look and see just how well it meets our expectations.

Out of the box and onto our desk, we get our first glimpse of the G19. The overall width is just over 19″, so it should keep within the keyboard tray on nearly all desks. This time around, we’re given two rows of programmable macro keys, as well as multi-media controls. The USB cable that goes to the tower also has an A/C power line that supplies the LCD with whatever juice it needs.

For most gamers, the keys themselves are going to be the perfect size and height. They have an excellent feel, and also resistance, and the spacebar isn’t fussy with regards to where you hit it. The typical QWERTY keyboard layout is maintained here, so shortly after hopping on the G19, you’ll be a pro at using it.

The media function keys are found in the upper right corner. The volume control is now barrel-shaped and rolls with the flick of the finger. It is not overly sensitive and does take a few flicks to get things moving. While some would rather it be more sensitive, it felt just right to me. The media keys work with most current media applications with no extra programming or tweaking needed.

To the direct left of the LCD screen, its controls can be found. Logitech has chosen to keep things simple here and as you’d expect, they’re all easy to access and push. Within 5 minutes, I was right at home with them and able to effortlessly scroll through all of the available choices. Note that the sliding key to the upper left de-activates the “Windows” key. Anyone that has accidentally hit that key while in the middle of an intense gaming session will surely appreciate the inclusion.

A familiar sight on the left side of the board are the macro keys. The first revision of the G15 included three rows, while the second dropped it to just one. The G19 has settled right in the middle with two, but because you can switch between three complete macro setups (with the M1 – M3 buttons), you essentially have 36 macro buttons at your perusal.

The LCD screen is mounted on a bar that allows for easy pivoting for the perfect view. At its stock position, the view angle is kind of limited, so it’s nice to see that the issue was remedied in this manner, as it’s simple, yet effective.

For added comfort, we are given a simple but effective removable wrist rest. Little effort is required to install or remove it, but like most wrist rests, you’ll want to take care in not accidentally snapping the plastic tabs, especially when removing. This feature is either love it or hate it, and I personally can’t bear to use one on any keyboard, but it’s still a nice option for those that prefer it.

The G19 is one expensive keyboard, but what it does get you is a very bright, clear and easy-to-read LCD screen. The colors are great and the overall functionality is thoroughly enjoyable. What we’re given is a 320×240 resolution, which, believe it or not, can even handle some streaming video. This is a great upgrade from the G15’s monochrome display.

Gaming and second-screen technology don"t always mix. Nintendo"s DS experiment proved to be a resounding success, while Xbox owners have yet to make much use of SmartGlass. Logitech has thrown its hat into the second-screen ring with the Logitech G19s ($200), a keyboard that has everything but the kitchen sink, plus a little LCD screen up top.

The screen is not without its charms, but it"s simply not worth the unit"s enormous asking price. The keyboard itself is hardly superlative, and the LCD gimmick serves to bog this keyboard down rather than enhance it. The G19s may have a certain appeal for the most hardcore World of Warcraft gamers, but everyone else can, and should, invest in a cheaper, more versatile peripheral.

The first thing you should know about the Logitech G19s is that it"s a behemoth. The device is 20.4 x 10.2 inches long, putting it roughly on par with the Corsair Vengeance K95 (21.5 x 9.6 inches) and well above a more standard-sized model, like the Feenix Autore (17.3 x 5.4 inches). Combine this with the bulky, 2.4-inch color LCD screen, and you"ve got a keyboard that will only fit on spacious desks.

The G19s has pretty much everything I"ve come to expect in a high-end gaming keyboard: a substantive wrist rest, backlighting that lets you choose your own colors, discrete media controls and a host of extra keys for macros. The layout is attractive overall, although the backlighting is incredibly weak and tends to get washed out in even a moderately bright room.

The LCD screen is the centerpiece of the whole project, and it"s a mixed bag. For such a small screen, it displays text, pictures and videos in a crisp and consumable fashion. However, the viewing angles are fairly limited, and the glossy screen makes the display appear very dark if the room around it is bright.

The G19s is a full-sized keyboard with rubber-dome membrane keys. The W, A, S and D keys are silver, as are the arrow keys, but everything else is matte black. The keys are comfortable enough for typing and gaming, and actually provide a pleasing amount of resistance (75 g, compared to the 55 g or so in an average membrane keyboard).

I was worried that this would make it difficult to type, but using the Ten Thumbs Typing Test, I scored 96 words per minute with a 2-percent error rate. On a standard Dell office keyboard, I scored the same 96 words per minute, but with a 3-percent error rate.

There are also a whole host of extra keys, most of which feel perfectly natural. The right side of the keyboard plays host to 12 programmable macro keys, G1 through G12.

To reach the first row, I had to move my hand away from its natural position on the keyboard, but the second row was within my pinky"s reach. The M1, M2 and M3 buttons let me select different profiles; Macro Record gets its own button, which is always welcome.

Beyond those buttons, there"s a gaming-mode key to disable the Windows button during play, along with media-control buttons on the right-hand side. Using a roller for volume rather than two separate buttons is a nice touch, and the rest of the keys do their jobs without too much fuss.

The G19s runs on Logitech Gaming Software, which is a simple, intuitive and robust program for setting up profiles, customizing keystrokes and programming macros.

The Logitech Gaming Software is gorgeous. It automatically scans your computer for games and creates profiles for them, then lets you customize the profiles with game-specific commands (such as Attack-Move in StarCraft II rather than the "A" key).

Delving into the G19s" feature set, however, reveals some cracks in its armor. The big problem is the LCD. Make no mistake: That attractive little screen is the reason this keyboard costs $200 instead of $50, and it does very little to justify the markup. "Very little" is not "nothing," especially for hardcore massively multiplayer online (MMO) gamers, but the product is about as niche as they get.

The screen runs a variety of lightweight programs known as "applets." Rather than acting as a second screen for your computer, it"s more like its own tiny operating system. By default, the keyboard comes with apps for selecting profiles, watching videos, viewing pictures, reading RSS feeds, browsing YouTube and monitoring your CPU.

These functions sound wonderful in theory, but in practice, most of them come with massive caveats. You can select profiles with the LCD because the keyboard does not do it automatically, unlike other Logitech products. You can watch videos, but only in a restrictive handful of formats.

Developers never really caught onto the Logitech keyboard-applet trend, and while that"s not Logitech"s fault, it still doesn"t provide much of an impetus to invest in the LCD keyboard ecosystem.

LCD foibles aside, the G19s is a perfectly serviceable bit of gaming tech. I used it to play through Titanfall, StarCraft II: Heart of the Swarm, Watch Dogs and Star Wars: The Old Republic. It performed well for each game, whether I was driving around modern-day Chicago or taking down Flesh Raiders in a galaxy far, far away.

The macro functionality was better than expected as well: I was able to program fairly intricate macros for The Old Republic, which tends to be incompatible with keyboard software from Logitech competitors such as Razer and Corsair.

Key rollover was also less than we"d expect for a gaming keyboard in this price range. Users can hit up to six buttons simultaneously — not bad, but a far cry from the 10 or more we"ve come to expect.

The LCD G19s seems like an amazing idea, and it could be useful for a small subset of gamers who use their computers primarily for playing multiple of World of Warcraft characters and communicating over Ventrilo.

Other gamers, even those who love MMOs, might rather get a mechanical MMO keyboard like the Corsair Vengeance K95 for $50 less. Even Logitech"s own G710+ sports a much cleaner design with fewer superfluous features. The LCD screen on the G19s is simply not a good enough feature to warrant the high price of admission.

Marshall Honorof is a Staff Writer for Tom"s Guide. Contact him atmhonorof@tomsguide.com. Follow him@marshallhonorofand onGoogle+. Follow us@tomsguide, onFacebookand onGoogle+.Today"s best Logitech G19s deals