Lately, I have been working on modifying my computing setup to have less cables to have a neater and tidier look, while looking sleek and professional at the same time. The trouble comes when the battery depletes in my devices, leaving me with a spiderweb of cables running every which way. The Logitech Signature Slim Solar+ K980 could be just the thing to alleviate the stress of charging at least one more device.
As the name states, the Logitech Signature Slim Solar+ K980 is a solar powered Bluetooth keyboard, meaning no cables are needed at all to use it. Simply pair it via Bluetooth to your pc, Mac, mobile device, or even Chrome powered system and you’re off to the races. Within a matter of seconds, my laptop found and paired to the keyboard with no troubles at all, nor did my iPad give me any struggles either.
Coming in two colours, white and grey respectively, mine being the latter, either colour will help the Logitech Signature Slim Solar+ K980 blend into your setup and enhance the overall appearance. The Logitech Signature Slim Solar+ K980 offers a sleek and slim profile, while providing a full key layout, complete with full size number pad. The layout reminded me of the look of my HP EliteBook 8 G1I’s keyboard, with similar looking and feeling keys. This made warming up to the layout much faster than I would’ve typically expected, making usage much more enjoyable.
As someone who has primarily used laptops for my computing since high school, adapting to using a traditional style keyboard on a desktop always feels weird to my hands and often results in me struggling to find my rhythm, therefore hindering my potential productivity. The Logitech Signature Slim Solar+ K980 is one of the first times I have found a keyboard I can pick up and use trouble free from minute one.
“The Logitech Signature Slim Solar+ K980 offers a sleek and slim profile, while providing a full key layout, complete with full size number pad.”
Logitech’s inclusion of several different hotkeys along the function row, similar to that of laptops, made controlling my media or even adjusting the brightness of my screen a simple button press away, helpful if I hook my laptop to a tv or projector and I am working out of arms reach away from it.
Of course, the main highlight of the Logitech Signature Slim Solar+ K980 is its solar charging. Logitech has built a large solar panel strip that spans a majority of the top deck above the function keys which maximize light input from not only charge from sunlight, but even artificial light meaning those even working a night shift at the office can rest assured that the battery will charge under most well light environments.
Logitech claims that the internal battery will run up to 4 months in the dark, however how they arrived at that time span is undetermined. That being said, it is still great to know I can use the keyboard in my room in the dark. Also claimed, Logitech says the battery should be good for up to 10 years, which is quite the bold statement for any tech product these days, let alone a keyboard.
For all that the Logitech Signature Slim Solar+ K980 gets right, there are a few small things I can’t help but wish Logitech added. For starters, there is no backlighting available here, something that would’ve been nice for working in the darker spaces Logitech claims the keyboard is good to work in. Additionally, the angle the keyboard sits on the table at, is the only angle. No adjustable legs here to further improve ergonomics. Hopefully these are improvements that Logitech can add in a later model down the road as they would enhance the overall user experience.
Overall, the Logitech Signature Slim Solar+ K980 is a great Bluetooth keyboard for those looking to streamline the overall appearance of their desk setup by reducing the number of cables running all over. For those who enjoy a laptop style typing experience, this is one of the best iterations I have had the opportunity to test to date. I have no issues recommending the Logitech Signature Slim Solar+ K980, as long as you can live with its few shortcomings.
