Logitech G413 TKL SE keyboard review: Stylish, compact gaming grade performance

The G413 TKL SE keyboard is, without a doubt, one of the more interesting Logitech peripherals I’ve played around with.

Logitech G413 TKL SE review

Appearance and design

The paired-down plain-white backlighting and no-nonsense design makes it look decidedly out of place at first glance, especially when compared to the rest of the Logitech stable.

However – as someone who appreciates devices designed for a single purpose (and designed to serve that purpose well) – there’s a lot to love about the diminutive entry into the gaming keyboard market.

Keycaps and travel

The keyboard feels great for gaming; each key produces a satisfying click at the end of its travel. The keys feel great to the touch as well.

The tactile switches provide a comfortable typing experience and the PBT caps – which are surprisingly large for a keyboard of this size – are heat and wear-resistant.

Compact TKL (tenkeyless) keyboard

Speaking of size, this model is the TKL or tenkeyless keyboard model, which foregoes the number pad attached to the regular G413 SE.

This makes for a keyboard which is easy to cart around and has a small footprint for when you have to share your gaming space with the spouses and/or the work-from-home crowd.

It is however just that though – a gaming keyboard.

Typing on the G413 TKL SE

While I would gladly have this as my go-to gaming keyboard overall, the keyboard never quite felt as though it would be happy doing dual-duty for my day-to-day work.

The keyboard felt better than most in its price range for gaming, but it just never felt great while typing for extended periods.

Having said that, it didn’t feel bad in any way I can comfortably articulate, but it certainly wasn’t as satisfying as the experience I’ve had when using some of Logitech’s other mechanical gaming keyboards.

And to be clear, there’s nothing wrong with a piece of tech which lives up to the purpose it was created to do.

Conclusion

If you’re looking for a good mechanical gaming keyboard at a great price, you can’t go wrong with the G413 TKL SE.

It’s small enough to take on the road or hot-swap with your normal day-to-day workhorse.

If you want to take your gaming to the next level with a good-quality mechanical keyboard that doesn’t look like a Christmas tree when it lights up, this is a great place to start. 

The G413 TKL SE is priced competitively for a mechanical gaming keyboard from a top brand at R1,299, while the full-size variant with keypad – Logitech G413 SE – will go on sale for R1,499.

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