Logitech has introduced a brand new low-profile gaming keyboard, the G515 Lightspeed TKL Wireless, that includes upgraded low-profile switches that at the moment are suitable with Cherry MX-style keycaps, bettering the keyboard’s customizability.
The G515 is a welcome improve to Logitech’s G915 Lightspeed Wireless keyboard, which debuted in 2019. The brand new G515 incorporates a TKL (tenkeyless) design that’s much like the smaller Logitech G915 TKL update from 2020; this one utterly eliminates not solely the G915’s quantity pad but additionally the large quantity wheel that sat above it.
Saying goodbye to that bodily quantity wheel leaves the G515 keyboard, which must be accessible immediately, with a $139 price ticket that’s considerably cheaper than each the $249.99 G915 and the smaller $229.99 G915 TKL. That’s not fairly as low cost because the $104 Keychron K1 Max QMK wi-fi low-profile keyboard, which affords loads of comparable performance, however for these in search of an much more inexpensive level of entry, a wired-only model of the brand new G515 can also be en route and anticipated to promote for $99 when it’s accessible later this 12 months.
The brand new G515 continues to make use of the corporate’s low-profile GL mechanical switches that, after they debuted on the G915 nearly 5 years in the past, had been found to be tweaked versions of Kailh’s Choc V1 low-profile switches, which made them troublesome to customise and swap in alternate keycaps.
For the G515, Logitech is introducing an up to date design for its GL mechanical switches that includes a “polyoxymethylene (POM), cross fashion stem,” making the keyboard suitable with low-profile Cherry MX-style keycaps. We’ve reached out to Logitech to substantiate whether or not or not the brand new G515 is utilizing Kailh’s Choc V2 low-profile switches, which function the identical 1.3mm actuation distance that Logitech’s up to date GL switches boast, or in the event that they’re a personalized proprietary model as a substitute.
Not like the G915 Lightspeed Wi-fi keyboard that provided customers the selection of three swap sorts — linear, tactile, and clicky —the brand new G515 solely affords quieter tactile and linear choices with 45g and 43g of actuation power, respectively. It’s additionally accessible in both a white or black end with matching double-shot PBT keycaps that every function particular person RGB lighting supporting 16.8 million colours, customizable via the Logitech G HUB app.
The G515 helps three other ways to hook up with a pc or different units: Bluetooth, USB-C, or the corporate’s proprietary 2.4GHz Lightspeed know-how. Choosing the latter affords a more reliable connection with improved wireless performance. And whereas it does require the usage of an included USB dongle, only one is required to attach two Logitech Lightspeed units, doubtlessly liberating up a USB port.
When utilizing the keyboard wirelessly with the Lightspeed dongle, battery life is rated at as much as 625 hours with RGB lighting turned off. That drops to as much as 120 hours with the RGB lighting set to 50 % brightness or as much as simply 36 hours with the brightness at 100% — a big hit for these wanting a shiny gentle present beneath their fingers.