Logitech G715 Review: Pretty, but Maybe Not $200 Pretty

When I saw the press images for Logitech’s new female-focused (sorry, “gender-inclusive”) Aurora Collection, my first thought was “is this what Logitech thinks women want?” 

My second thought, however, was “...but I know a lot of women who would totally want this.” 

The Aurora Collection is part of Logitech’s gaming division, Logitech G, but it’s not designed for the “stereotypical type of performance-driven gamer.” Instead, the collection is designed for gamers who value things other than performance, such as creativity, collaboration, and community. And style, of course. And pretty, pastel light shows. And…clouds?

The Aurora Collection includes two keyboards, the G713 and G715, which are virtually identical except the G713 is wired and the G715 is wireless. I took a look at the G715, a mechanical keyboard with a tenkeyless (TKL) layout that can be purchased with your choice of Logitech’s GX mechanical switches (linear, tactile, or clicky).

It’s definitely pretty with its all-white construction and bright RGB lighting that’s been specially tuned to match the collection’s “low-key vibes.” (Read: Pastel pink-blue-teal lighting with soft, twinkly animations.) The keyboard also comes with a special palm rest that’s shaped like a cloud. Yes, a cloud.

I can’t hate too much on the way this collection looks, because I kind of love it. Alongside the main peripherals, Logitech has also released a collection of accessories for further customizing the look. But customizable style doesn’t come cheap: The G715 costs $199.99 (the G713 is $179.99) without a Logitech G promo code, which is pretty expensive for a gaming keyboard (even a wireless gaming keyboard). The accessories, of course, are sold separately — top plates for $19.99 and keycaps for $39.99. 

Specs

Design and Construction

The G715 comes in one colorway — “White Mist,” or white with gray-lavender accents. Logitech offers custom accessories (keycaps and a magnetic top plate) in “Pink Dawn” (coral-leaning pink) and “Green Flash” (neon lime green), which are sold separately. White makes a great aesthetic base, especially with the Aurora Collection’s signature lighting, but it’s definitely not for everyone. I don’t think I’ll have trouble keeping this clean (mostly because I obsessively clean my keyboards), but almost everyone I showed it to felt otherwise.

The keyboard is packaged with a white, padded palm rest in the shape of a cloud. I’m not totally sure how I feel about this — I keep flip-flopping between finding it ridiculous and…kind of cute? It definitely works with the whole manic-pixie-e-girl aesthetic Logitech seems to be going for with this collection, so there’s that.

The palm rest is finished in a white leatherette that feels relatively durable and easy to clean, but only time will tell how the faux leather will hold up with regular use.

The Aurora Collection may be all about dreamy ethereal vibes, but the G715 is pretty solid. The keyboard is housed in a sturdy plastic chassis, with rounded corners and two sets of flip-out feet on the back for adjusting tilt. It measures 14.6 by 6.2 inches (370.6 by 157mm) and weighs a little over two pounds (987g). The keyboard features a TKL layout with media buttons and a volume roller, as well as buttons for switching connections, toggling game mode, and adjusting brightness.

The G715’s white color makes an excellent base for pretty lights — the keyboard features both per-key RGB and undercase perimeter lighting. The keyboard is pre-loaded with the Aurora Collection’s “signature” lighting, a pastel blend of pink and blue synced to four “dreamy” mood animations. (This is otherwise just regular RGB, though — you can switch up the colors and animations however you like using Logitech’s G HUB companion software.)

The G715 comes with a six-foot (1.8m) USB-C to USB-A cable, a USB extender, and a 2.4GHz wireless dongle in the box.

Typing and Gaming on the Logitech G715

The G715 comes with your choice of Logitech’s GX mechanical switches — linear, tactile, or clicky. Logitech sent me review units with both clicky and tactile switches; the G715 had clicky switches (specifically, Logitech GX Blue). Clicky mechanical switches are my favorite type of switches, because I’m a writer and I’m very loud, and there’s nothing I enjoy more than writing LOUDLY.

Typing on the G715 was then — unsurprisingly — very satisfying, thanks to the GX Blues’ tactile and audible feedback. I also found the cloud-shaped palm rest to be surprisingly comfortable — surprising, both because I’m not usually a big fan of palm or wrist rests to begin with, and also because, well…yeah. It’s a cloud! But a very comfortable cloud, with just the right amount of height and cushion to support your wrists while you’re typing on the G715.

Clicky switches are excellent for typing but less so for gaming — especially when speed is a priority — and hardcore gamers should probably opt for a different switch type. But I guess the whole point of the Aurora Collection is inclusiveness — not everyone fits the performance-driven, speed-hungry gaming stereotype, after all.

The G715 does have a game mode — toggled on and off using the game mode button at the top of the keyboard — which disables the Windows key and the menu key by default. You can customize the game mode by disabling additional keys in Logitech’s G HUB software.

Features and Software on the Logitech G715

You can manage the G715 using Logitech’s G HUB software suite. In addition to updating the keyboard’s firmware and checking battery life, G HUB is where you can customize the keyboard’s RGB lighting, reassign keybinds, and customize game mode.

The keyboard is preloaded with the collection’s “signature” lighting effects, which includes custom startup and shutdown effects, as well as active and static lighting effects. But you can change the lighting to whatever you want — the keyboard has per-key RGB and perimeter lighting with 16 customizable zones.

Keybind customization is, unfortunately, limited to the keyboard’s 12 function keys. The function row does offer a second layer of customization using G-SHIFT, but that’s still only 24 programmable keybinds. The media keys and roller are not programmable. G HUB is at least pretty robust and offers a slew of preset actions and system commands, as well as a macro recorder, to make customization easier.

The G715 is also physically customizable, with a removable top plate and keycaps (okay, all keyboards have removable keycaps, but Logitech is at least offering some matching accessories at launch). Accessories are available in “Pink Dawn” and “Green Flash,” at the moment. We may see more colors in the future but Logitech has no concrete plans it wants to talk about at the moment.

Wireless Experience and Battery life

The Logitech G715 offers wireless connectivity via “Lightspeed,” aka Logitech’s version of 2.4GHz wireless, and Bluetooth as well as wired connectivity via USB-C. You’ll find the keyboard’s 2.4GHz wireless USB-A dongle stored on the back of the keyboard, and the keyboard has a dedicated button for switching between connections. The keyboard only has one Bluetooth profile.

The G715 boasts up to 25 hours of battery life, according to Logitech — but the company didn’t include any parameters for this number. Still, it seems relatively accurate; I’ve spent the last five hours using this keyboard from a full charge, with all lighting at its brightest, and G HUB estimates about 81 percent, or 19 hours, remaining.

Bottom Line

The G715 is an attractive, well-built wireless keyboard that offers up a pretty enjoyable typing experience. Its sturdy construction, textured, double-shot PBT keycaps, and — I’ll admit it — very pretty lighting effects give it a premium overall feel. Being able to customize the top plate and keycaps with matching accessories is a nice touch, even if the current color options aren’t my favorite.

But it’s also $200 — more if you want a color other than white. This price isn’t necessarily shocking (Logitech’s own G915 TKL is similarly priced), but it’s definitely on the pricier side. And the G715 is far from perfect: most of its keys aren’t programmable, its switches aren’t hot-swappable, it only has one Bluetooth profile and its battery life is pretty average.