What you need to know
- Logitech G, the company's gaming arm, has announced a brand-new wireless tenkeyless gaming keyboard.
- A low-profile option for fans of the slim and compact, the new G515 LIGHTSPEED is centered around design and features.
- The wireless G515 is available starting today in both black and white for $139, with a cheaper wired version coming later this year.
There's a practically endless number of great gaming keyboards nowadays, but there's a sizeable sub-group of gamers that prefer the ultra-compact and slim designs you can only find with the low-profile form factor. These keyboards are a little harder to find, but Logitech has announced a new addition to the category with its new G515 LIGHTSPEED TKL Wireless Gaming Keyboard.
Hailing from the Logitech G gaming brand, the G515 is a mid-range low-profile keyboard that aims to balance beautiful design with a great feature set, and it's already available to purchase for $139 at Logitech.
• Price: $139 at Logitech
• Connectivity: LIGHTSPEED 2.4GHz via USB Type-A dongle, Bluetooth, wired via USB Type-C
• Switches: Linear or tactile, 1.3mm actuation distance, 3.2mm total travel, 43-45g actuation force
• Battery life: Up to 36 hours w/ RGB lighting
• Other features: Per-key LIGHTSYNC RGB lighting, G Shift & KEYCONTROL key customization
• Dimensions: 368 x 150 x 22mm
• Weight: 880g
The Logitech G515 LIGHTSPEED TKL Wireless Gaming Keyboard is very thin at just 22mm, and features new low-profile mechanical switches with just 3.2mm of total travel distance. Logitech fans may notice the similarities between the G515 and the very popular (and premium) Logitech G915 LIGHTSPEED keyboard, but Logitech has taken its design chops to new heights with the G515 alongside some other new features and improvements.
Of course, most of the people who will consider this keyboard will do so simply because it's low profile (enough that you likely don't need a wrist rest for a comfortable and sustainable typing experience), and because it doesn't break the bank. There are plenty of other reasons to add the G515 to your shortlist, though, including its beautiful per-key RGB lighting, tri-point connectivity, and advanced software customization.
The headlining feature being KEYCONTROL, a software suite added to Logitech G Hub that lets you assign up to fifteen different functions to every single key through a combination of key combinations, the G Shift shortcut key, your mouse, and even context-aware profiles and layouts. It's an absurd level of customization for those that want to be able to do absolutely everything with the press of a few keys. It's impressive, even if it's overkill for someone like me.
The Logitech G515 LIGHTSPEED tenkeyless wireless keyboard is now available in both black and white designs for $139 at Logitech. It's honestly a solid price for the feature set and quality here, but Logitech is planning to release a wired version of this keyboard with the same capabilities for $99 later this year, so look out for that.
My first impressions of the Logitech G515
A few hours before I sat down to write this, I unboxed the white Logitech G515 LIGHTSPEED TKL and replaced my daily driver (the Alienware Pro Wireless Gaming Keyboard) with it. I obviously haven't had enough time with this keyboard to deliver a full review or label it as one of the best gaming keyboards you can buy, but my early impressions are positive. For one, this is the most attractive keyboard I've seen out of Logitech.
The two-tone silver and white design of my review sample is very striking, with a razor thin keyboard deck sloping sharply into the grey header that houses the connectivity buttons, the charging port, the power switch, and the USB dongle storage. It's a beautiful design, with the per-key RGB lighting gently diffusing across the deck in a similar fashion to the RGB lighting I praised on the Alienware keyboard I've been using for months.
That RGB lighting isn't very bright, though, and you can tell this is a mid-range keyboard if you look for the signs, like exposed screws and slightly uneven edges where different panels meet. It's obviously not as premium as our favorite low-profile keyboard, the Razer DeathStalker V2 Pro, but it also costs a whole lot less. As far as the actual user experience, the double-shot PBT low-profile keycaps, pre-lubricated switches, and sound dampening foam layer lead to a consistent, responsive, and quiet typing experience that feels great.
I also haven't had any issues with wireless connectivity in my limited time with this keyboard, although I plan to put it through its paces before you see my full review. I'll also want to explore the KEYCONTROL feature to see if it's actually useful or a convoluted gimmick, so stay tuned for that. For now, I'll leave you with this: the G515 LIGHTSPEED feels like a great all-around keyboard at first impressions, with a healthy feature set and lovely design for the reasonable asking price.
I'm excited to dive more into this keyboard's capabilities to see if this is the true low-cost alternative to the best low-profile keyboards that we've been needing. If you'd rather not wait that long, though, the Logitech G515 LIGHTSPEED TKL Wireless Gaming Keyboard is now available for $139 at Logitech.
