Logitech K580 Review – Surprisingly good mobile worker’s keyboard

Logitech issues a variety of work-oriented keyboards to suit almost all work profiles ranging from the compact MX Keys Mini for tight setups to the expansively large K780 for static desktop layouts.

The Logitech K580 wireless keyboard is a different beast altogether with its unique design that makes it perfect for mobile workers on the go who work off a smartphone or who need ultralight setups. Here’s our Logitech K480 review where we put their mobile keyboard to the test!

Logitech K580 review – Build and Design

Conceptually speaking, the Logitech K580 is a multi platform wireless keyboard that connects via Bluetooth connectivity or via Logitech’s Unifying receiver wireless USB-A dongle. On paper, it has compatibility not only with Windows laptops and Android phones but iPhones and MacOS laptops too.

Our Logitech K580 review sample is almost wholly hewn from polycarbonate from stem to stern which offers significant weight savings which is critical for mobile workers who have to tote it around all day. Inclusive of the two AA batteries that power it, the K580 only weighs a total of 558 grams; about the weight of a can and a half of Soda. 

Available colours for the keyboard consist of either a shade of pinkish rose with white trim, a dark greyish shade of graphite with light grey trim and in the case of our sample, a shade of Off-White which consists of a shade of matte white alternated with grey trim.

The keyboard itself is a full sized arrangement using membrane keys that has a numeric keypad, a full row of function keys that also double as shortcut keys at the top along with a pair of dedicated keys to rapidly swap between two paired devices.

The upper row of shortcut keys offers the ability to mute, increase or decrease volume, control media playback and return to the home page on a browser. Of note is that the keyboard has the critical MacOS Cmd and Opt keys available in the layout. If you’re using a Windows device, the Opt key summons the Windows Start menu.

Located just above the uppermost row of shortcut keys is arguably the most defining aspect of the Logitech K580 – a smartphone trough that runs across a third of the keyboard’s width. The trough is fairly deep at 11mm with a tiny lip at the edge that allows it to tilt a phone at a 6mm angle in both portrait or landscape for effective viewing.

Logitech K580 Review – The most defining feature to this wireless keyboard design is its keyboard trough that enables you to work effectively off a smartphone or tablet

In general, the phone trough is large enough to store almost any phone in landscape orientation and likely an iPad Mini though larger iPads will have to be docked vertically in portrait orientation. While the trough is wide enough to accommodate most phones with a thin protective casing, phones mounted with thicker casings will not fit.

Sliding the tray open reveals a bay to store a Logitech Unifying receiver dongle as well as the slots for two AAA batteries. Logitech has generously included two in the box to get you started. On paper, these two AAA batteries allow the keyboard to last on standby for an astonishing 24 months – that’s a whopping two years of standby time. 

The underside of our Logitech K580 review sample is almost brutally minimalist in design with a series of rubber feet for friction and a raised, weighted top where the battery bay is that angles the keyboard at an optimum typing angle while also ensuring that any phone plonked in the tray doesn’t topple the keyboard over. 

Perhaps the only quibble to what is otherwise a robustly effective design is that the underside edges of the keyboard feel almost unfinished with slightly sharp edges to them but it’s not a portion of the keyboard that users would regularly interact with on a regular basis so it’s not a deal breaker.

Logitech K580 review – Setup and Performance

Getting our Logitech K580 review unit up and running is simply a matter of getting it out of the box, pulling the arming tag to let power flow from the batteries to the keyboard and then pairing it with our Windows laptop and our Galaxy Z Fold4 via Bluetooth.

Unfortunately, the Unifying receiver dongle requires a USB-A port to connect to a device and it’s a factor to consider before purchase if your laptop  either lacks a port or simply doesn’t have enough ports to spare one solely for docking the dongle and can’t connect via Bluetooth but that’s an extremely unlikely scenario.

Logitech K580 Review – Sliding the top portion open reveals a bay for the Unifying receiver and two AAA batteries that power the keyboard for up to 24 months

If you’re already familiar with a standard keyboard layout, you’ll take to the K580 like a duck to water. Over a period of a week, our Logitech K580 review sample performed in sterling fashion. The keys had a fair amount of travel and a slight springiness to it which made typing a relatively comfortable affair.

Touch typing was possible and the keys are relatively quiet which helps in open plan office environments or if you’re typing on the commute. When tested with both the Unifying receiver or Bluetooth, input from the keyboard did not exhibit any lag and I was able to comfortably type at my standard speed without too much trouble. 

As a wireless keyboard emplaced in a static layout, our Logitech K580 review sample is on par with their other wireless keyboard offerings though it loses out slightly to the MX Keys series in terms of the responsiveness of its keys  and its connectivity options.

Where the K580 maxes out with the ability to pair up and swap between a maximum two devices at a time, the MX Keys can swap between three devices on a whim. The K580 keyboard also uses membrane switches which is the sort that most keyboard and budget laptops use though the MX Keys use higher-end scissor-style switches with the tradeoff that it also costs almost double what the K580 retails for.

When placed on a flat surface, the modest tilt of the K580’s keyboard makes it comfortable to use though it’s not adjustable so you may have to prop it up with something else if you need a steeper typing angle.

Where the Logitech K580 comes into its own is as a travel keyboard and paired up with a smartphone or tablet to get some paperwork done on the go. In this role, it shines. It’s light enough at 558g that it isn’t a chore to tote around all day and its avoidance of complicated folding mechanisms or mechanical keys means that the odds of it getting knocked out due to a mishap are vastly reduced. Unfortunately, it’s not water resistant though it would have been a nice feature to have. 

When paired with a Galaxy Z Fold4, the Logitech K580 wireless keyboard provided sterling service especially on the move in a bus or train. Even with its large display, typing long articles on the Fold4’s display is typically a chore but the provision of the K580 and the integrated phone tray means that I was able to effectively ditch a laptop and still get some serious work done as the keyboard allowed me to type longer tracts without fatigue

Better yet, the keyboard is wide enough to comfortably place on a lap and sufficiently balanced that it didn’t tip over even with the Fold4 placed in the phone trough which made working solely on a smartphone not only possible but a viable enough prospect that leaving a heavy laptop at home doesn’t seem all too bad an idea.

Even after intensive use over the course of a week, the keyboard was still humming along nicely and still had plenty of juice left. The use of AAA batteries makes it easy to resupply in the field even in the most remote regions of the globe which further adds to its charm as an excellent portable keyboard.

Should you buy the Logitech K580?

On its own merits, the Logitech K480 wireless keyboard is a sturdy, proven design with a full numeric keypad, solid build quality, absurdly long battery life and a useful dock for docking a phone or small tablet that makes it ideal as a portable keyboard for mobile workers.

If you’re solely after a superior keyboard typing experience in a static desktop or home office setup and have the budget, the pricier Logitech MX Keys series is a better choice. However, if you’re a mobile worker who aims to travel light and maximise the potential of working on a smartphone, the Logitech K580 keyboard is a fantastic choice.

Specifications
Price RM209
Connectivity Bluetooth Low energy (BLE) or Logitech Unifying receiver
Slot dimensions 11 x 175.7 x 103mm
Battery 2 x AAA batteries w/ 24 months battery life (quoted)
Size/Weight 143.9 x 373.5 x 21.3mm / 558g (including 2 x AAA batteries)

Logitech K580 review sample courtesy of Logitech Malaysia. For more details on the K580 visit https://www.logitech.com/en-my/products/keyboards/k580-multi-device-wireless-keyboard.920-011329.html