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

The MX Master 3S has been the default productivity mouse recommendation for three years. The MX Master 4 arrived with haptic feedback, a customizable Actions Ring, and a price bump — but kept almost everything else identical.

So is the 4 actually a meaningful upgrade, or is Logitech charging more for a vibration motor? Here’s what’s actually different and who should care.

What’s Actually New on the MX Master 4

Two things, really: haptic feedback and the Actions Ring. Everything else is a rounding error.

The haptic engine is a small motor that pulses when you trigger app-specific actions — switching tools, hitting layer boundaries, scrolling through a long list. It’s subtle, like a phone’s taptic engine rather than a rumble pack.

The Actions Ring is a contextual radial menu that pops up when you press a dedicated button. The menu changes based on the app you’re in, and you flick the cursor toward the action you want.

How the Actions Ring Works in Real Apps

This is where the marketing meets reality, and the answer is: it depends entirely on the app.

Figma

This is the best-case scenario. The Actions Ring exposes frame, component, and layer operations without forcing you to remember keyboard shortcuts. Haptic clicks confirm when you snap to a guide or hit a constraint boundary. If you live in Figma all day, this genuinely speeds things up.

VS Code

Useful but less essential. You can map the ring to common refactor commands, file navigation, or terminal toggling. Most VS Code power users already have these wired to keyboard shortcuts, so the ring is more of a sidegrade than a revelation.

Photoshop

Surprisingly good. Switching between brush, eraser, lasso, and clone stamp via the ring is faster than reaching for the keyboard, and the haptic ticks when you cross brush size thresholds are weirdly satisfying. Illustrators and retouchers will get the most out of it.

Everything Else

In apps without dedicated profiles, the ring falls back to generic shortcuts (copy, paste, window switching). It works, but you’re not getting the magic.

What’s the Same

• Sensor: 8000 DPI Darkfield, identical tracking on glass and dark surfaces
• Scroll wheel: Same MagSpeed electromagnetic wheel with auto-shift
• Battery: ~70 days on the 4 vs 70 days on the 3S — effectively a wash
• Build: Same shell, same weight (within a couple grams), same thumb rest
• Connectivity: Bolt receiver + Bluetooth, multi-device switching
• Quiet clicks: Both have the muted switches Logitech introduced on the 3S

If you blindfold-tested the two mice, you’d struggle to tell them apart by feel alone.

Should 3S Owners Upgrade?

Probably not. The 3S is still an excellent mouse and nothing about it has gotten worse. If the Actions Ring sounds like a workflow unlock for the specific apps you use every day — Figma, Photoshop, a heavily-customized creative app — the upgrade makes sense. Otherwise, save the money.

Mac users on the MX Master 3S for Mac should know that Logi Options+ profiles for the Actions Ring are still maturing on macOS. The Windows experience is more polished today.

Should New Buyers Get the 4 or the 3S?

If the price gap is small (under $30), get the MX Master 4. You get every feature the 3S has plus the option to use haptics and the Actions Ring if you want them.

If the 3S is significantly discounted — which it increasingly is as the 4 takes over shelf space — the MX Master 3S is the better value. You’re losing two features that most users won’t use daily anyway.

The Bottom Line

The MX Master 4 is the new best productivity mouse, but only by a small margin. Haptic feedback and the Actions Ring are genuinely useful in a handful of design and creative apps, and largely cosmetic everywhere else.

3S owners: Skip the upgrade unless haptics specifically excite you. New buyers: Get the 4 if the price delta is reasonable, the 3S if it’s heavily discounted.

Either way, you’re getting one of the best mice ever made for desk work.