Gamers love a clean setup, which is exactly why low-profile and small form-factor keyboards are so popular. Logitech has long offered one of the best products in the former category with its G915 LIGHTSPEED wireless gaming keyboard, but that’s an ultra-premium affair. Now, you can get a lot of the same experience in an all-new and rather attractive design… and at a much lower price point. The Logitech G515 LIGHTSPEED TKL Wireless Gaming Keyboard is here, and I’ve been using it.
I love the look of this keyboard, especially in its two-tone white and with the RGB lighting enabled, and it offers a great overall typing experience with your choice of switches. For gamers, performance is exemplary. There’s a lot of good things to say about this keyboard, but it does feel restricted by its mid-range pricing when it comes to build quality, which you can tell at a glance or touch from the all-plastic body or loose keycaps.
I’ve been using the Logitech G515 LIGHTSPEED for a while now, so here’s my complete and in-depth analysis of this new wireless, tenkeyless low-profile keyboard.
This review was made possible thanks to a review sample provided by Logitech. The company did not see the contents of the review before publishing.
Logitech G515 review: Pricing and specifications
Pricing highlights
- The Logitech G515 LIGHTSPEED TKL Wireless retails for $139.99 at Best Buy, and is available to purchase now.
- You can pick up the Logitech G515 in two colors (black and white) and two different switch types (linear and tactile).
Logitech G515 LIGHTSPEED TKL Wireless
• Price: $139.99 at Best Buy | Logitech
• Switches: Linear w/ 43g actuation force or tactile w/ 45g actuation force, 1.3mm actuation distance, 3.2mm total travel distance, not swappable
• Connectivity: 2.4GHz LIGHTSPEED Wireless via USB Type-A dongle, Bluetooth, wired via USB Type-C
• Battery: Up to 600 hours or up to 36 hours w/ RGB lighting enabled
• Dimensions: 368 x 150 x 22mm (14.49 x 5.91 x 0.87in)
• Weight: 880g (1.94lbs)
• Other features: LIGHTSYNC per-key RGB lighting, Logitech G HUB software support, KEYCONTROL & G Shift features
The Logitech G515 LIGHTSPEED TKL Wireless Gaming Keyboard is a mid-range peripheral, coming in at $90 less than its more premium G915 older sibling. More specifically, the Logitech G515 has a retail price of $139.99 at Best Buy, and that pricing is the same whether you choose the black or white colorway, or the linear or tactile key switches.
For your money, you’re getting a standard sized tenkeyless wireless gaming keyboard with support of both 2.4GHz and Bluetooth wireless connections (and the ability to quickly switch between them). Logitech G HUB support is also here, of course, giving you additional customization over the keyboard’s features, like the per-key RGB lighting.
In the box, you’ll find the Logitech G515 LIGHTSPEED TKL Wireless Gaming Keyboard, a 1.8m USB Type-C to USB Type-A charging and data cable, a USB Type-A 2.4GHz wireless dongle, and a USB Type-A extender cable. This keyboard also comes with a 2-year limited warranty as standard, offering some peace of mind.
Logitech G515 review: The good
The pros highlights
- The Logitech G515’s two-step design looks clean in any setup, and the per-key RGB lighting is high quality, too.
- The layout is comfortable, and the linear switches I tested have a great, responsive action.
- Wireless performance is also excellent, and battery life over the connection is dependable.
The Logitech G515 sets itself apart from the run-of-the-mill midrange wireless gaming keyboards with its design. It’s a low-profile design, for one, meaning a shortened base and shallower keycaps that make the keyboard both look sleeker and be more comfortable to use without a wrist rest. Logitech also flexed its artistic side with a refreshed design language versus the more premium Logitech G915 that came before it.
This keyboard is all-plastic, which you do notice (and I’ll touch on again later), but it’s a rather fetching design. The keyboard is divided into two halves, with a more noticeable two-tone look with the white version. The top half houses all the keys, while the bottom half slopes up into a forehead that contains the power switch, charging port, and three buttons for toggling 2.4GHz wireless, Bluetooth, and Game Mode.
It’s a minimalist design that I personally love, and the per-key RGB lighting is gorgeous. That combination means the G515 can meld into any setup as long as you choose the right colorway. It’s not a particularly heavy keyboard, but it does feel sturdy. The actual base has little flex to it, and the G515 does a great job staying seated on your desk when you’re typing or gaming. There’s a slot to store the USB dongle inside the keyboard, too, which can also be used to dual-connect to supported Logitech wireless mice.
When it comes to typing, Logitech offers low-profile linear or tactile switches with the G515, with both boasting a 1.3mm actuation distance and 3.2mm travel distance. I got to try out the linear switches (although I tend to prefer tactile), and they’re wonderfully responsive, consistent, and comfortable. This keyboard feels great to type and game on, and the sound is soft and pleasant. Each switch is factory-lubricated, and there’s a layer of sound-dampening foam here, too, so I can’t say I’m too surprised.
If you want to squeeze more utility out of every switch, the G515 LIGHTSPEED TKL fully supports Logitech G HUB. This is a more basic software hub, but it still gives you decent customization of the LIGHTSYNC RGB lighting and very in-depth key and macro customization that Logitech dubs “KEYCONTROL.”
With this, you can create and switch between various profiles, assigning shortcuts and various functions to every key — up to 15 layers, actually, if you use a combination of shortcuts, the Fn key, and an assigned G Shift key (which can even be on a mouse). That’s more than I’d ever need, but G HUB is responsive and the interface is intuitive enough to make this feature useable.
Rounding the rest of the positives out, I had zero issues with Logitech’s LIGHTSPEED wireless technology, which always instantly connected and stayed connected. There were no missed inputs, no lag, and no latency. Performance was excellent all around. Battery life is also surprisingly good; Logitech promises up to 36 hours with the RGB lighting turned all the way up, which seems accurate. What surprised me, however, is how good this keyboard’s standby time is. I frequently forgot to turn the keyboard off overnight or even over an entire weekend, yet I never came back to a dead keyboard.
Logitech G515 review: The bad
The cons highlights
- While I adore the design of the G515, the actual build quality does leave some to be desired.
- There’s also a lack of additional features, like no extra macro keys, no dial, and no additional Bluetooth connections.
- Finally, if it matters to you, these switches are not hot-swappable (but the keycaps are).
The Logitech G515 LIGHTSPEED is a quality product that feels appropriately priced, but you can see the corners cut to meet that price in places. Mostly, it’s in the keycaps. Yes, they’re double-shot PBT with an anti-oil layer, so they’re presumably durable and resistant to your fingertips, but they also feel a little too smooth and flat for my liking. At least you can replace all the keycaps if you wish, but you’ll never get rid of the shakiness.
All the keycaps feel loose under your fingers, with a lot of movement in all four horizontal directions. It’s not enough to make me concerned about reliability, but it is enough that you’ll notice it (and may even observe keys not lining up perfectly straight like they should). Elsewhere, the heavy use of plastic is obvious, and you can tell where the various panels come together. The RGB lighting may look great, but it’s also noticeably dimmer than any other gaming keyboard I’ve reviewed. That can all be forgiven at the price, though.
However, this keyboard is also light on extra features. Beyond the KEYCONTROL detailed above, G HUB doesn’t give you much customization. There are no additional macro buttons or dedicated media keys, nor is there a customizable dial. Bluetooth connectivity is here, and that’s great, but you only get one Bluetooth profile. Some may also lament the lack of a wrist rest, but I’m personally not as bothered by that omission since this is a low-profile keyboard.
Logitech G515 review: Final thoughts
You should buy this if …
✅You want a quality, low-profile wireless gaming keyboard
The Logitech G515 may not be swimming in extra features or luxuries, but it’s still a really good low-profile gaming keyboard that doesn’t need a wire to stay connected. It’s perfect for those that want the basics in a slim and compact form factor. The typing and gaming experience is great, and minor compromises in build quality are easily forgiven at this price.
✅You love the design of this keyboard
I personally think the Logitech G515 is a fetching gaming keyboard, especially at this price level, and its two-tone design combined with the customizable RGB lighting and low-profile form factor means it could be an excellent centerpiece for your gaming setup. At the very least, it stands out compared to the sea of drab grey keyboards out there.
You should not buy this if …
❌You value extra features and are willing to pay more for them
Other premium low-profile gaming keyboards from Logitech and companies like Razer may be more expensive, but they also boast a lot more features and luxuries in addition to their more premium designs, like more software customization and extra remappable buttons. There are also keyboards like the Alienware Pro Wireless Gaming Keyboard, which may not be low-profile but it’s still very compact, very premium, and boasts swappable switches.
The Logitech G515 LIGHTSPEED TKL Wireless Gaming Keyboard isn’t the most exciting peripheral I’ve had on my desk, but I’ve been able to depend on it the last few weeks to be responsive, comfortable, and reliable when gaming, typing, and everything else. Logitech has done a good job balancing an attractive design with decent build quality and has covered all the bases with its low-profile switches and feature set.
Is it the best low-profile keyboard you can buy? Certainly not, but most of the better alternatives will also cost you more, and more affordable low-profile keyboards are often more designed for the office than for gaming. You’ll also be able to save even more if you’re okay with dropping wireless support, as the Logitech G515 LIGHTSPEED TKL Wired is coming later this year for just $100. That’s an enticing price point to get practically the same keyboard.
If Logitech’s goal was to build one of the best gaming keyboards for less than $150, I’d argue that objective was met. This is a no-fuss, low-profile, wireless gaming keyboard that comes out of the box, fully ready to go and looking great, and that’s exactly what a lot of gamers are looking for.
Logitech G515 LIGHTSPEED TKL Wireless Gaming Keyboard
Logitech’s latest gaming keyboard isn’t going to set the world on fire, but it’s a great addition to the low-profile category that nails the basics at an attractive price point. It’s not exciting, but it’ll still make a lot of gamers happy.
