Logitech MX Vertical mouse review

First, let's get the obvious out of the way. Like most ergonomic, vertical mice, the Logitech MX Vertical isn't exclusively built or marketed as a contender for the best gaming mouse crown. If you're looking to primarily play twitch shooters on your PC setup, there are better options available (though I did play a few rounds of Apex Legends with the Vertical and found I performed just as poorly as I did with any other, dedicated gaming mouse). On the other hand, if you primarily play strategy games or any other titles that don't require you to wildly shuttle a mouse across a surface screaming with white hot friction, the Logitech MX Vertical is a fine choice. For productivity tasks, it is easily one of the best mice money can buy. 

The MX Vertical pivots traditional mouse design 90 degrees, and has the appealing look of a miniature cresting wave just about to break on your desktop. While the design feels foreign, even a bit alien at first, I found after an hour or so of use I wasn't even thinking about its vertical orientation. The bottom of the unit is ringed with a slick, glossy plastic that lets it glide effortlessly across all the mousing surfaces I tested it on, including a number of pads of varying materials. The left side, where your thumb rests, is wrapped in a pleasantly grippy rubber, while the main interface surface on the right is standard, matte black plastic. The placement of the primary buttons makes them easy to find and click, and they're satisfying tactile and audible.

The thumb buttons are less ideally placed, however. While the rear of the two buttons is easy enough to actuate, I found pushing the forward button often ended up causing me to mash the main left click button as well. Instead, I'd have to awkward lift my fingers off the primary buttons and crook my thumb just so to press the forward thumb button. It's a fairly minor adjustment but, because I use the thumb buttons to adjust system volume I'm pressing them quite a bit, and the awkward design is a bit of an irritant. 

The entire mouse is constructed to simulate a neutral handshake gesture, a posture Logitech claims is ideal for reducing muscle strain and fatigue. They worked with ergonomists and engineers and considered hundreds of different shapes before settling on the final form factor for the MX Vertical, angled at 57 degrees to release pressure across your arm. In the weeks I've been testing the unit, I have noticed a significant decrease in the amount of wrist strain and discomfort I experience, which as someone who works in front of a PC at an office all day was fairly high. 

Connectivity options are varied and excellent. The MX Vertical provides three ways to attach it to a machine, either wirelessly via Bluetooth or through the provided USB dongle, or wired through USB-C to USB-A. I've been using it almost exclusively wireless, and have yet to notice any lag or latency issues. The experience has been near flawless, and as someone who prefers to have a workspace uncluttered by wires a reliable wireless mouse is a boon. It's even possible to effortlessly switch the mouse between up to three devices, like tablets and laptops, with the push of a button on the bottom of the unit. 

Because it's not designed as a high performance gaming mouse, the sensor in the MX Vertical isn't specced up to match the most precise pointers in that space. It's rated at between 400 and 4,000 CPI, which doesn't compete with some of the 16,000 CPI pointers I've tested, but it's still extremely precise and likely much more sensitive than you'll ever need. Only the most demanding, sniper-scoped headshots or pixel perfect interactions will require higher sensitivity. 

Retailing at $99.99 (though regularly available at closer to the $80 mark), the MX Vertical is definitely an investment, but not priced out of the range of what you'd expect to pay for a high-end PC peripheral. And it's an excellent choice, not just because you're getting an extraordinary mouse that's a joy to use (and, due its futuristic aesthetics, also a conversation piece) but because it's also an investment in the health of your arms, hands, and wrists. 

For anyone that uses a mouse regularly and has struggled with soreness, muscle fatigue, or chronic pain, the MX Vertical is incredibly easy to recommend. Even for anyone who's never experienced those issues, the MX Vertical has quickly become one of my favorite mice and is a route to avoiding those problems in the future.