Logitech has announced a new wireless keyboard that’s aiming to never run out of battery thanks to clever recharging technology that relies on all types of light, not just sunlight.
The Logitech Signature Slim Solar+ K980 costs £99.99 and comes with the firm’s Logi LightCharge technology built in. This uses any light source, whether it’s sunlight or artificial light from any bulb, to stay charged.
That means the keyboard has no charging port of any kind, only an on/off switch, indicating how confident Logitech is that it’ll stay topped out so long as it’s near light most of the time. Given it has no backlit keys, that seems fairly necessary.
The firm says the keyboard can run up to four months in “complete darkness”, which is merely a metric to show how long it’d work when not charging from light sources. The absensce of backlit keys is on purpose, as the firm says the feature would slurp up battery too quickly.
I’ve been testing the Slim Solar+ for a few weeks and find it an excellent keyboard if you want one with nicely responsive keys but don’t buy into the mechanical keyboard craze (like me).
The travel of the keys is a little clackier than Logitech’s MX Keys range, and I have ended up preferring the Slim Solar’s feel for touch typing. The keys are flat rather than concave like on the MX range, but otherwise the full layout is all present and correct.
It’s more responsive than the keys on my 2020 MacBook Pro, and puts the too-flat feel of the Samsung Galaxy Book 4 Edge to shame, making it a great addition to a home office setup, in my book.
At the top of the keyboard is an opaque plastic strip that soaks up light and keeps the keyboard topped up. You can see the battery levels if you use Logitech’s Logi Options+ software, but I never needed to check it as the keyboard was reliably charged by merely sitting on my desk.
“Even the need to think about charging can be a distraction, so we designed Signature Slim Solar+ to take that off your plate completely,” said Art O’Gnimh, General Manager of Core Products Group at Logitech.
“It stays powered by light – any light – clearing your desk of cables and eliminating the need to ever physically charge it, while bringing elegance and comfort to your workspace. That’s one less thing to worry about on a busy working day.”
I’ve been testing the keyboard with both aforementioned MacBook and Windows 11 laptops, as the device is perfectly cross platform and set up to work well with both operating systems. Like other Logitech ‘boards, you get three easy-switch keys so you can be paired to three devices at a time and quickly swap between them to input from one keyboard.
The unit’s plastic parts are 70 percent certified post-consumer recycled, according to Logitech, and the battery should last “up to 10 years”.
I thought I’d want to switch back to my beloved Logitech MX Keys Mini after testing the Slim Solar+ but I’ve been won over by its key feel and the main selling point of not having to charge it. It’s not the most portable given the full layout, but if you’re after a new keyboard to sit on your desk far into the future, this one fits the bill.