Logitech G815 LIGHTSYNC Review

The Logitech G815 LIGHTSYNC is a low-profile mechanical keyboard that replaces the G810. It shares its design with the wireless G915, and aims at gamers who want a slim, full-featured board with per-key RGB lighting.

Design

The G815 is only 22mm thick and uses a brushed 5052 aluminum alloy body. The low-profile GL switches suit the slim profile and give the board a sharp, clean look.

Slim as it is, the keyboard is not small: it measures 475mm across. That leaves room for five dedicated mode keys on the left, function keys along the top, and multimedia keys at the upper right, along with a volume cylinder. The cylinder is also aluminum and turns on an endless-rotation basis, which gives it a solid feel. The five mode keys sit below the ESC key, so the ESC key stays where you expect it.

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Features

Logitech offers the G815 with three switch options: GL Linear, Tactile, and Clicky. Our test unit used the GL Linear switches, which stayed quiet both when typing and gaming. One caveat: because these switches are supported at only two points, they have a bit of play, and that can make a finger feel like it is slipping while typing.

Keyboard Lights

Each RGB switch supports 16.8 million colors and can be lit individually through Logitech’s G HUB software. You can store three profiles on the keyboard itself, adjust the lighting level directly on the board without opening G HUB, and pick effects with the lighting key plus the 1-7 keys. A dedicated key at the top switches the board into gaming mode.

One drawback: the secondary characters on the keys are not illuminated. Symbols such as +, =, and similar are hard to read at night, so you end up relying on muscle memory.

Performance

Despite the thin body, Logitech fit a USB 2.0 passthrough slot on the back. It is USB 2.0 rather than 3.0, but still useful. At launch the G815 was priced at $179.99.

Conclusion

The G815 fits someone who wants a full-size, low-profile mechanical board with aluminum build, per-key RGB, and on-board profiles, and who does not mind the premium price. The tradeoffs are the slight play in the GL switches and the unlit secondary characters, which matter most if you type in the dark.