Logitech G613 Review

The Logitech G613 is a wireless mechanical keyboard that was launched a few years ago, back in 2017 if memory serves, and the company claimed it to be better than wired.

That was a bold claim, and that’s why we decided to make a Logitech G613 review four years later. To begin with, we must tell you that the G613 is a very strange thing from inception, as Logitech aimed it at gamers looking for a lightning-fast wireless mechanical keyboard.

At this point we must notice that the gaming community is known for its clinging to low latency (wired) connections, such as wired mice and keyboards, so yeah, the G613 seems a little bit odd.

However, Logitech did a great job in the “latency department”, and by that we mean Lightspeed wireless technology, a proprietary thing that together with the legendary Romer-G switches and the usual rugged build quality make the G613 a fantastic gaming keyboard, which works great for both work and fun (gaming and typing).

Speaking of odd things, the G613 doesn’t have a USB pass-through (this is a gaming-centric keyboard, remember?), and, strangely enough, it lacks backlighting. But, if you’re looking for one of the best wireless keyboards known to man, keep reading.

Specs

PHYSICAL SPECS

• Height: 478 mm (18.8 in)
• Width: 216 mm (8.50 in)
• Depth: 33 mm (1.29 in)
• Weight: (1410 g) (49.7 oz) keyboard only
• Weight with 2 AA batteries: 1460 g (51.4 oz)

ROMER-G TACTILE KEY SWITCHES

• Durability: 70 million key presses
• Actuation distance: 1.5 mm
• Actuation force: 45 g
• Total travel distance: 3.2 mm

REQUIREMENTS

• LIGHTSPEED: USB port and Windows® 7 or later, Mac OS® X 10.10 or later, Chrome OS™, or Android™ 3.2 or later
• Bluetooth®: Bluetooth enabled device with Windows®8 or later, Mac OS® X 10.12 or later, Chrome OS™, or Android™ 3.2 or later, iOS 10 or later

Design, build and features

Just like any other wireless keyboard, the Logitech G613 is a massive beast. By massive, we mean it weighs almost 1.5 kilograms with batteries, and it’s 216 mm wide. Like in, this is a big boy ladies and gents, a man’s keyboard, and truth be told, the Logitech is significantly larger and heavier than some of its competitors (cough, Corsair K63, cough).

But, heavy is good, heavy is reliable, and you can always use the keyboard to beat up your rogue team members during LAN parties, so there are no complaints here, we just had to mention it.

The extra real estate was put to good use by Logitech, as the G613 comes with 6 macro keys on the left and discrete media controls located on the top-left. Again, we must wonder why on Earth Logitech failed to implement a backlighting system (not RGB, mind you) in this fellow, but hey, we’re just simpletons who enjoy playing games in the dark, not R&D developers for multi-billion dollar corporations.

Also, the lack of a USB pass-through is disturbing in a state of the art gaming keyboard, but truth be told, considering how well the keyboard delivers in all the other areas, we’ll give Logitech a pass on these brain-farts. Just don’t do it again, ok Logitech?

The keyboard is well built, feels solid, and has virtually zero flex while typing; even the palm rest is well designed and ergonomic, and it will keep your wrists relaxed even during prolonged gaming/writing sessions.

Setting up the keyboard is incredibly easy thanks to Logitech’s Lightspeed wireless support and Bluetooth; the Bluetooth thing means that you can connect the keyboard instantly to most tablets and laptops, but if you want to get the most out of the G613, you must use the Lightspeed connection.

To do so, you’ll have to “sacrifice” a USB 3.0 port for the Lightspeed dongle, but if you want 1 ms latency, this is the way to go.

Performance

Now that we’re in the performance section, we must tell you a few things about Lightspeed. According to Logitech, and we have no reason to doubt them, this proprietary technology is the best there is and it allows you to play games wirelessly while having almost zero latency.

Almost zero means one millisecond, and before you ask, you cannot “feel” a millisecond even if you’re a Formula 1 race driver. So, in real world, we can safely say that the G613 is a zero latency wireless keyboard. If you want to split hairs with Logitech, you’ll be doing it on your own peril, as there are armies of fanboys ready to cross swords with you on internet forums over one lousy millisecond.

Speaking of real life experiences, if you sit 5 yards from your PC with the connection set to Lightspeed, the keyboard will register every command instantaneously. Another cool thing about the G613 is the Romer pedigree, as in you’ll get arguably the world’s best mechanical switches, the Romer G respectively, another in-house developed technology from Logitech.

Some of you peasants may argue that the Red Cherry MX are the best mechanical switches for gamers, but every Logitech fanboy knows that’s not true, alright? /s

To be perfectly honest, the Romer G switches are custom tech developed by Omron AND Logitech, but forget about it. What you must remember is that in terms of performance, these switches run with the best, being designed to have a 1.5 mm actuation point, a shorter travel distance compared to regular keyboards, as well as an actuation force of 45 g.

To give you an idea, the Romer G are noticeably quieter and have a springier action than the Red Cherry MX, and overall, the keyboard is phenomenal for both hardcore gamers and avid typists, like yours truly.

The only criticism performance wise regards the macro keys, and what really sucks about it is that you don’t have an on-board profiling option, as in there’s no way to manually switch to them directly on the keyboard. You can create as many profiles as you want via Logitech’s desktop gaming software, but if you’re the kind of guy or gal who regularly switches profiles while playing MOBAs, well, this will definitely piss you off.

Final words

If you’ve made it this far, we must say: congrats, you’re a true geek. Seriously speaking, the Logitech G613 is an outstanding wireless mechanical keyboard, that offers a fantastic gaming experience and its custom switches are better than most when it comes to typing.

So, if you’re looking for a wireless keyboard for both work and leisure, the G613 comes highly recommended.