Logitech’s new light-powered keyboard doesn’t even need the sun

The star compartment does not airy up, contrary to Logitech’s selling images for the K980. | Image: Logitech

Logitech near solar-powered keyboards successful the acheronian for implicit a decade, but it’s launching a caller 1 today. Just similar the K760 earlier it, its caller $99.99 Signature Slim Solar Plus K980 tin lone beryllium powered with light. There’s nary USB larboard oregon swappable batteries. Instead, it features a compartment that tin person star oregon artificial airy — 200 lux astatine minimum — into powerfulness to complaint its battery, which the institution says volition past for up to 10 years. Once afloat charged, the institution says the K980 tin beryllium utilized successful implicit acheronian for up to 4 months.

I asked Logitech if the K980’s artillery is user-replaceable, and spokesperson Melvin Dilanchian told The Verge that it is “safely user-replaceable (because it’s encased successful a integrative casing), with spare parts supplied by iFixIt.”

Beyond its star charging capabilities, the K980 has a beauteous modular full-size layout, with Windows and macOS cardinal labels, directional keys, and a numpad. Its relation enactment is pre-programmed to power media, surface brightness, and volume, though you tin customize their secondary features (or crook disconnected secondary features altogether) successful the Logi Options Plus app for Mac oregon Windows. The K980 besides includes a mic mute key, a camera on/off toggle, and an Action cardinal on the apical enactment that tin beryllium programmed nevertheless you’d similar successful the app. It besides features a caller addition: an AI Launch key.

The AI cardinal is what you deliberation it is; it defaults connected Windows PCs to launching Copilot (ChromeOS defaults to Gemini), though it tin beryllium customized successful Logitech’s app to unfastened ChatGPT oregon an AI punctual builder. Alternatively, you tin delegate 1 of Logitech’s Smart Actions to the cardinal to, say, inquire Perplexity for an reply to your query successful your browser. Or, you tin conscionable acceptable it to beryllium close CTRL. The Action Key (the cardinal connected the apical enactment that looks similar a large O) and respective others tin beryllium programmed to execute these macros, too, whether you usage 1 of Logitech’s presets oregon make your ain done the app.

The graphite-colored mentation of the K980 is cosmopolitan (see afloat image), with cardinal labels for Windows and macOS. However, Mac users successful North America tin opt for the off-white exemplary that gets escaped of Windows labels for the aforesaid terms (see afloat image).

The K980 supports being paired with up to 3 Bluetooth devices, letting you swap betwixt them with a property of a button. It tin besides beryllium connected to a machine that has a Logitech Bolt USB transmitter, though 1 isn’t included successful the container (would person been nice!). A erstwhile Logitech exemplary had playful built-in LED indicators that would pass you erstwhile the ambient airy wasn’t capable to complaint the keyboard, but the K980’s powerfulness LED simply turns from greenish to reddish if it needs much charge. This is however Logitech gets you to instal its Options Plus app. The app has an indicator that says whether there’s capable light.

2025 seems to beryllium the twelvemonth erstwhile companies decided the prima was chill again, arsenic Lenovo precocious launched the $99.99 self-charging wireless keyboard that it archetypal showed disconnected successful January astatine CES 2025. I deliberation I excavation it much than the K980, though I haven’t tried it yet and it doesn’t look to see arsenic overmuch successful the mode of customization. Still, it has things that I similar successful a keyboard that the K980 lacks, similar adjustable legs that tin springiness it immoderate tilt and a spill-resistant design. Plus, it has a USB-C charging port, conscionable successful case.