Logitech G613 Lightspeed Wireless Gaming Keyboard Review

• Manufacturer: Logitech
• Model: G613 Wireless
• Price when reviewed: £129 (RRP)
• Supplied by: Logitech

When it was released, the G613 was one of the first high-performance wireless gaming keyboards on the market. There have been a lot more released since then, including those joining in with the explosion in popularity of RGB equipped and tenkeyless designs. When stacked alongside what is now stiff competition, even from within the Logitech G range, can a keyboard without RGB and minimalist styling still find a place?

Design and build

The Logitech G613 is a big keyboard, both in size and weight. If you are planning on carting it around with you, the 1.4kg weight and nearly 50cm width mean you are going to need a sizeable bag to heft it around in. It is, however, reassuringly solid, and the weight not only gives it a premium feel but also provides it with excellent stability once you have it in place on your desk.

Without any RGB lighting or flashy gamer-oriented designing, it could be argued that the G613 is slightly plain-looking. However, Logitech has neatly side-stepped this, with a very tasteful, professional-looking keyboard.

You get a full-size keyboard, with a row of six programmable ‘G’ keys along the left of the QWERTY keys. Above the number pad, there are media control keys and the BlueTooth/Wireless buttons, along with a mechanical Game Mode switch. A discrete mechanical power switch is also discretely located on the right side of the keyboard, should you wish to prevent any accidental key presses or extend the already phenomenal battery life. All of the keys and switches are black, with the main body of the keyboard sporting a sleek, contrasting, matte grey finish. 

There is an integral matte black palm rest, too. In use, when the feet are extended on the rear, it helps raise the keyboard to a comfortable angle for gaming and productivity, but it also adds to the not inconsiderable size of the keyboard. The typing position is very good, though, and I found it supremely comfortable, even when I had a substantial gaming session at the end of a days worth of writing and editing.

As you’d expect, the rear of the G613 Lightspeed is kept simple, although I do quite like the diagonal pattern of matte and gloss black stripes. A smart addition is the convenient storage slot for the Lightspeed wireless USB receiver, that is hidden neatly and securely within the battery compartment.

(An added bonus that comes in the box is a Logitech G branded mobile phone stand. I assume this is in case you want to do some productivity work on your phone, but it’s actually a really handy stand. Bedecked in the same colourway as the keyboard, it’s a stylish addition to your desk and remarkably practical. Kudos to Logitech for including these holders.)

Performance

The G613 Lightspeed is fitted with Logitech’s Romer-G Tactile switches. These switches offer a great feel when typing or gaming. The total throw for the keys is 3.2mm, however actuation occurs at 1.5mm, making them feel far more responsive than I imagined they would. For someone like me, who occasionally under-presses some keys, I found that the short actuation depth meant I made far fewer mistakes when typing, and also helped when performing rapid selections whilst gaming.

A lot of the gamer features of the G613 Wireless relies on you using the Lightspeed receiver as opposed to the BlueTooth connection. Through the use of the GHUB software, you can assign a number of features to the G keys, including some complex macro operations that can also be shared between compatible Logitech G mice. Custom profiles can be made, either as generic any-situation profiles or even on a per-game basis. Simply create the profiles within GHUB, and as soon as you launch the game, your custom settings are ready and waiting for you. As mentioned, though, these features are only available when using the Lightspeed connector, so are unavailable with BlueTooth enabled.

Game Mode, activated by a mechanical switch, defaults with the Windows and Escape keys deactivated, however, it’s possible to deactivate a whole range of keys within GHUB.

Responsiveness is instant, but even when using the keyboard from an inactive state (which the keyboard enters automatically to preserve battery), the delay is incredibly short, and any key presses made while it reconnects are applied as soon as a connection is made. Once you are connected, though, responsiveness is exceptional. As we found with the Lightspeed mice, the same sense of urgency is apparent with the implementation on Logitech’s keyboards too. Any delay is imperceptible, and I challenge anyone to notice a difference between the Lightspeed wireless and a wired connection.

Connectivity

There is no wired option for the G613, although, with the Lightspeed connection, you don’t actually need one. You have the option to use either Lightspeed wireless or BlueTooth, and both perform brilliantly well.

BlueTooth pairs easily, and once connected, I never had to touch it again. Unlike other devices I own, I’ve never had to re-pair the G613 once connected and there’s been no delay in it waking and connecting. If only everything I owned was this simple to use (I’m looking at you, Xbox controller BlueTooth)! The keyboard is compatible with pretty much any device that supports BlueTooth, however, in my testing, I stuck to PCs.

Switching between BlueTooth and Lightspeed wireless is as easy as pushing a button, and the connection is instantaneous. I had the receiver connected to my desktop with the USB extension for gaming and a BlueTooth connection setup on my laptop for productivity, and it was effortless to switch between them.

Battery life

This is a hard one to test, as the quoted battery life for a pair of AA batteries is a staggering 18 months. This is helped by the omission of RGB lighting, which tends to bring about battery life that can be easier measured in hours than months. Practically speaking, even if you only get 12 months from your batteries that’s still incredible performance, so I’ll get back to you in a years time and let you know how we’re getting on.

Pricing

Possibly the only bone of contention is the price. At £129 (RRP), it’s quite a pricey keyboard, especially for one without RGB. Build quality is impeccable though, and the components like the Romer-G Tactile switches, Lightspeed wireless and the added flexibility of BlueTooth compatibility marks the G613 out as a solid contender. If you don’t care for RGB and are looking for a keyboard that works as brilliantly for productivity as it does gaming, offers class-leading battery life, and has understated, professional style, then the G613 is a solid choice.

Summary

Superb typing performance, compatibility with a wide range of devices, exceptional battery life and wired keyboard levels of responsiveness mark the G613 out as a phenomenally good choice for anyone wanting a wireless keyboard. GHUB supported additional gamer features make this a superb addition to any battle station, whilst still having styling subtle enough to use in an office setting.

The only negatives are subjective, in that this is a large keyboard and may not fit smaller setups, and it lacks RGB, though if you don’t want flashy per-key lighting effects it’s obviously a plus-point in an increasingly RGB dominated market.