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Logitech MX Master 4 vs MX Master 3S: Is the Upgrade Worth It?

Haptic feedback and the Actions Ring make the MX Master 4 Logitech's most ambitious mouse yet — but the 3S is still the smarter buy for most people.

The MX Master 4 is the first real shape-and-feature update to Logitech’s flagship productivity mouse since 2019. The MX Master 3S is still on shelves, still excellent, and now $30-50 cheaper. So which one should you buy?

Short answer: most people should save the money and get the 3S. The MX Master 4 only earns its premium if you live in Adobe, Figma, DaVinci Resolve, or another shortcut-heavy creative app.

What’s Actually New on the MX Master 4

Two headline features, plus the usual round of small refinements.

Haptic Feedback

The MX Master 4 has a small linear resonant actuator under the palm rest. It buzzes when you scroll past a section break, snap a Figma layer to a guide, hit the end of a Premiere timeline, or trigger a custom Logi Options+ action. It’s subtle — not a phone-style rumble — and it’s surprisingly informative once your hands learn what each pulse means.

The Actions Ring

Press the new thumb button and a radial menu fans out around your cursor with up to eight app-specific shortcuts. In Photoshop it might be brush size, layer up/down, undo, hand tool. In Figma it might be frame, component, auto-layout, comment. You configure it per-app in Logi Options+.

It’s the first Logitech feature in years that genuinely changes how you work — but only in apps where you actually use shortcuts constantly.

Everything Else

  • Slightly reshaped thumb area, marginally more comfortable for long sessions
  • Same 8K DPI Darkfield sensor
  • Same MagSpeed scroll wheel
  • Same ~70-day battery, USB-C charging
  • Same Flow multi-device control across up to three machines

What the MX Master 3S Already Does Well

The 3S is not an old mouse. It launched in 2022 with the quiet click switches and 8K sensor that the 4 still uses. You get:

  • The same world-class MagSpeed electromagnetic scroll wheel
  • Quiet clicks (90% noise reduction vs the original MX Master 3)
  • Logi Options+ with per-app profiles, gesture button, horizontal scroll
  • Bluetooth + Logi Bolt receiver, Flow across devices
  • The exact same shape your hand has probably used for years

For coding, writing, spreadsheets, browsing, email, and general office work, you will not miss the haptics or the Actions Ring. You won’t even think about them.

Mac vs PC: Pick the Right Version

Logitech sells dedicated Mac variants of both mice and they are worth seeking out if you’re on macOS:

The hardware is identical to the standard models, but the Mac SKUs skip the receiver you don’t need and the color matches a Space Gray or silver Mac better. If you’re a Windows user, the standard versions include the Bolt receiver, which is more reliable than Bluetooth in busy RF environments.

Who Should Upgrade to the MX Master 4

Buy the MX Master 4 if you:

  • Spend hours per day in Adobe Creative Cloud, Figma, DaVinci Resolve, Blender, or a DAW
  • Already use keyboard shortcuts heavily and want them on your mouse hand
  • Edit video or audio where the haptic timeline feedback genuinely helps
  • Want the latest hardware and don’t mind paying for it

Who Should Stick with the 3S

Buy the MX Master 3S if you:

  • Write code, write prose, do spreadsheet work, or live in a browser
  • Already own an MX Master 3 or 3S and it works fine (it does)
  • Want the best productivity mouse value on the market right now
  • Don’t want to learn a new shortcut layer just to justify a purchase

The Verdict

The MX Master 4 is the better mouse. The MX Master 3S is the better buy. Pay the premium only if you can name three apps where the Actions Ring will replace shortcuts you already use — otherwise the 3S delivers 95% of the experience for meaningfully less money.