Apple Magic Keyboard Touch ID vs Logitech MX Keys S

What actually differs

The Apple Magic Keyboard with Touch ID and the Logitech MX Keys S look alike, and that resemblance is not an accident. PCMag says the Magic Keyboard inspired third-party alternatives such as the Logitech MX Keys for Mac, and Tom’s Guide describes the MX Keys S as a Logitech peripheral that borrows the Magic Keyboard’s styling cues 12. The differences that matter sit under the surface: a fingerprint sensor on one, a backlight and multi-computer switching on the other.

Direct comparisons are rare, so this page leans on the few that exist. AppleInsider reviewed the Mac-layout MX Keys S against Apple’s Magic Keyboard. Tom’s Guide framed its MX Keys S review as the best alternative to the Magic Keyboard. Macworld lists both in one round-up of Mac keyboards, ranking Apple’s first for Touch ID and Logitech’s second for power users 324. Other comparisons below rest on manufacturer figures, each cited to its own spec page.

Two cautions apply throughout. First, the Apple keyboard comes in two sizes. The compact model lists at $149 and the full-size model with a numeric keypad at $179 in white or $199 in black, and PCMag, Chuniversiteit and MacRumors reviewed the full-size one 4156. Second, the Logitech is sold in a Mac variant that connects over Bluetooth only and ships without a receiver 7. AppleInsider and Macworld reviewed that variant, so some conclusions below apply to it specifically 34.

Which has the better typing feel?

Only AppleInsider compares the typing feel with the Magic Keyboard in detail. Digital Camera World is looser, calling the MX Keys S a definite upgrade on a standard laptop or Apple keyboard without naming the Touch ID model 8. AppleInsider’s reviewer says the MX Keys S gives “a much better typing feel than Apple’s Magic Keyboard” 3. The same reviewer calls the MX Keys S middle-of-the-road, neither forceful like a mechanical board nor squishy like Apple’s 3. That reviewer also says they like the Magic Keyboard’s feel while it has never been their favorite typing experience, and the comparison is to the Magic Keyboard in general, not the Touch ID model specifically 3.

The rest of the coverage describes each board separately. For the Apple keyboard, Cult of Mac’s reviewer, a self-described mechanical-keyboard enthusiast, made more typos than on boards with more travel but calls it one of the better laptop-style membrane keyboards, and PCMag says the shallow travel is a demerit for heavy-handed typists and a plus for light-touch ones 91. Chuniversiteit rates the full-size model’s typing as little travel, similar to a MacBook keyboard 5. For the Logitech, Windows Central calls the action responsive, tactile and quiet, and TechGearLab measured a 0.65 mm tactile bump and 1.9 mm total travel 1011. No Apple travel measurement appears in the material we read to set against those figures.

Verdict: the MX Keys S, on one reviewer’s direct comparison. Treat it as a single opinion; feel is subjective, and a heavy-handed typist like PCMag’s reviewer might weigh it differently from a light-touch one.

Which one does Touch ID better?

This dimension is not close, because only one board has the feature. Apple says its Magic Keyboard with Touch ID provides fast, easy and secure authentication for logins and purchases, and that it needs a Mac with Apple silicon on macOS 15.1 or later 12. AppleInsider says the sensor is the one thing the MX Keys S lacks, and that Apple is unlikely to open biometric authentication to a third party 3. Cult of Mac makes the same point from the Apple side, saying the Magic Keyboard is the only way to get Touch ID on a Mac 9.

How much it matters is the buyer’s call. AppleInsider’s reviewer relies on Touch ID mostly to log into websites, but with a password manager integrated into their browser reaches for it less and less, and accepts losing it 3. On the Apple side, reliability is contested: PCMag’s reviewer found recognition close to foolproof, while Chuniversiteit says it works only on the rare occasion that it actually works 15. Intel Mac owners cannot use the sensor at all, according to Macworld and MacRumors 46.

Verdict: the Apple Magic Keyboard with Touch ID, because the Logitech has no equivalent.

Which works better across several computers and operating systems?

Macworld makes this comparison itself. It calls the MX Keys S for Mac significantly cheaper than Apple’s keyboard and a lot more versatile, since dedicated buttons pair it with three devices including Macs, iPads, Windows PCs, Linux and Chrome devices 4. The supporting facts come from separate pages. Logitech lists Windows, macOS, Linux, ChromeOS, iPadOS, iOS and Android support, with the Bolt receiver covering desktop systems and Bluetooth covering the rest, while Digital Camera World and Tom’s Guide add that the Logi Options+ software runs only on Windows and macOS 1382.

Apple’s page names Bluetooth as its wireless connection and an Apple-silicon Mac as the requirement 12. Cult of Mac says the keyboard stays paired to one Mac and that Universal Control is only a partial workaround, and PCMag asks why Apple’s board cannot cycle through multiple Bluetooth connections when others can 91. Wayne Dixon, reviewing the 2021 Lightning-charged model rather than the current USB-C one, found that first-time pairing needed a cable 14.

One caveat on the Logitech’s side: PCWorld found its Bolt receiver slightly more finicky than the older Unifying receiver, while Trusted Reviews called connectivity virtually flawless 1516. Neither compares it with Apple’s Bluetooth link.

Verdict: the Logitech MX Keys S, supported by Macworld’s direct comparison and by separate criticism of the Apple board’s single-device pairing.

Which has the better backlight and battery?

Backlight is a clear split. Macworld and PCMag both list the missing backlight as a fault of the Apple keyboard 41. The MX Keys S has one that Windows Central, Trusted Reviews and PCWorld describe as automatic, though Tom’s Guide calls it dim and limited even at maximum 10152.

Battery is harder to call, because the two makers state claims under different conditions. Logitech states five months with the backlight off, and its own table gives roughly 6 to 10 days with the backlight on, depending on room light 13. Apple says about a month or more between charges, and the keyboard has no backlight to drain it 124. Reviewers back both claims loosely: PCWorld did not need to recharge the MX Keys S in two weeks of testing, and Chuniversiteit got more than a month from the full-size Apple board with workweeks of 50-plus hours 155. AppleInsider lists limited runtime with the backlight on as a con of the Logitech 3.

Placed side by side, the manufacturers’ figures favor the Logitech with the light off (five months against a month or more) and the Apple board when the Logitech’s backlight is on (a month against 6 to 10 days). Since a backlight-on comparison pits a lit keyboard against an unlit one, it is not like for like.

Verdict: the Logitech wins on having a backlight; battery is a split that depends on whether you use it, and no source tests both.

Which is lighter, and which is more portable?

The spec sheets settle weight by arithmetic. Apple lists 0.54 lb (0.243 kg) for the compact Touch ID keyboard, and its separate page for the numeric-keypad version gives 0.81 lb 1217. Logitech lists 810 g for the MX Keys S without the palm rest, and TechGearLab weighed its unit at 808 g 1311. Apple’s stated weight is lower than Logitech’s under either of its two sizes, and Apple notes that weight varies by configuration and manufacturing process 12.

The Logitech’s heft is treated as a drawback. Windows Central calls it heavy and says it creaks when picked up, How-To Geek lists heavier than most keyboards among its cons and calls it not portable, and TechGearLab calls it the heaviest non-mechanical keyboard in its group 101811. No reviewer we read describes the Apple board’s weight as a problem.

The layouts also differ. RTINGS lists the MX Keys S as full-size, while Cult of Mac points out that the compact Apple model lacks dedicated Page Up, Page Down, Home, End and Forward Delete keys 79. Choosing the lighter board therefore costs keys unless you buy the numeric-keypad Apple model, which Apple lists at 0.81 lb and PCMag prices at $179 or $199 171.

Verdict: the Apple Magic Keyboard with Touch ID on weight, by the manufacturers’ figures; no source compares them for travel.

Which costs less?

On list prices, the Logitech. Logitech’s US store page showed $119.99 and $129.99 beside a ten-dollar-off marker on October 25, 2026, and Macworld lists the Apple compact Touch ID model at $149, with full-size versions at $179 and $199 in PCMag’s review 1941. These are separately cited figures, so the comparison is arithmetic and not a reviewer’s judgment.

Direct price comparisons also exist. Tom’s Guide set the MX Keys S at $109, $20 below the full-size Magic Keyboard it priced at $129, without tying that figure to the Touch ID model, so the gap is dated and may not match today’s 2. Macworld calls the Logitech significantly cheaper than the Apple keyboard, though the Apple price it quotes in that entry does not match the $149 compact figure elsewhere on its page 4.

Price complaints run on both sides. Tom’s Guide and Trusted Reviews flag the Logitech as expensive, while Macworld calls the compact Apple model a premium for the Touch ID sensor, and PCMag lists a compact model without Touch ID at $99 21641.

Verdict: the Logitech MX Keys S, though both draw price criticism.

Which is better built and more ergonomic?

Only Macworld ranks the two on build, and it favors the Logitech. Windows Central says the MX Keys S is all plastic, heavy and prone to creaking, while Trusted Reviews says its frame is sturdy with no real deck flex 1016. Digital Camera World calls the build solid 8. For the Apple board, Chuniversiteit calls the full-size model very sturdy but finds its smooth plastic underside a bit cheap-looking, and PCMag calls the design as gorgeous as ever 51. Macworld calls the MX Keys S for Mac the most solidly built Mac keyboard it has tested, in a round-up that also covers Apple’s board, and its Apple entry says the thin panel leaves the keys feeling a bit lifeless, so heavy typists may prefer larger, more solidly built keyboards from other manufacturers 4. That is a single outlet’s judgment, and no other source in this comparison ranks the two on build.

On ergonomics, neither adjusts. PCMag notes the Apple board has no adjustable feet or wrist rest, while How-To Geek and PCWorld note the Logitech has no height adjustment, and Windows Central and Digital Camera World say its palm rest is sold separately 11815108.

Verdict: the Logitech MX Keys S on build, on Macworld’s word alone; ergonomics are a tie, since neither adjusts and no source ranks them.

Which one to buy

Pick by the feature you cannot do without, because the dimensions above do not add up to one overall winner. The Apple board wins on Touch ID and on weight; the Logitech wins on typing feel (by one reviewer’s comparison), multi-computer use, backlight, list price and, by Macworld’s account alone, build; ergonomics are a tie, and battery depends on how you would use it 341213.

Buy the Apple Magic Keyboard with Touch ID if you own an Apple-silicon Mac, want fingerprint login at the desk, and use it with one computer. MacRumors calls it most useful for the Mac mini, which ships without a keyboard, and Tom’s Guide agrees the pairing looks ideal 620. Skip it if you are a heavy typist, since Macworld says the low travel can feel lifeless, or if you share one keyboard among several machines 49.

Buy the Logitech MX Keys S if you type for long stretches, work in dim rooms, or switch among a Mac, a Windows PC and a tablet. Trusted Reviews calls it a truly excellent office keyboard, and How-To Geek says it is not a portable board 1618. If you want the Logitech but lean on Touch ID, AppleInsider’s reviewer found 1Password integration in the browser made the sensor matter less, which may not describe your own setup 3.