The Logitech G910 Orion Spectrum Mechanical Keyboard Review
by E. Fylladitakis on October 6, 2016 8:30 AM EST- Posted in
- Peripherals
- Logitech
- Mechanical Keyboards
- RGB
- Omron
Conclusion
I always try to use every keyboard that we review as my personal keyboard for at least a week. My typical weekly usage includes a lot of typing (about 100-150 pages), a few hours of gaming and some casual usage, such as internet browsing and messaging. I personally prefer Cherry MX Brown or similar (tactile) switches for such tasks, but I do not consider linear switches to be inconvenient either. The very subtly tactile Romer-G was almost perfect for such tasks, as it was very comfortable and relatively quiet, but I found it nearly impossible to get accustomed to its short travel distance and stop bottoming keys down. Still, even with the keys bottoming down, the G910 Orion Spectrum was very comfortable over long typing sessions. Note however that the tactile feeling of the Romer-G switch is nearly imperceptible and cannot provide effective feedback - you should consider the Romer-G to be much more like a linear rather than a tactile switch.
The intended market of the G910 Orion Spectrum is that of advanced and professional gamers. In terms of comfort, gamers will love the keyboard, as it is highly responsive and very convenient to use. The limited programmability however is disappointing considering the target group of the keyboard, with only the nine G keys being programmable on the entire keyboard. This limits the flexibility of the G910 Orion Spectrum, especially for hardcore gamers, but also for advanced professionals.
The Setpoint software is quite good, being visually appealing, simple, and effective. We feel that the macro recorder could include some more advanced options, especially the ability to record/insert mouse movements. Very few manufacturers implement such advanced macro capabilities but it is a feature that we do expect to see with keyboards this costly.
The ARX Control application however, in our opinion, does not really provide any useful information or features. It can only monitor the system’s hardware or provides options that are directly accessible via buttons found right on top of the keyboard itself. It could be useful if applets for popular games and applications were readily available, but there are only a few available applets. Most of the available applets were developed by individual programmers and offer very limited information or are buggy. Logitech’s support of the ARX Control software seems to be minimal at best, leaving the development of applets almost exclusively to volunteer enthusiasts. For the majority of users, the ARX Dock will be nothing more than a nice stand for their phones.
Aesthetics are a subjective matter but we feel that the designer achieved a perfect balance of elegance, modernity and extravagance. Some could insist on a metallic top body for a keyboard of this price range, but that would be nothing more than an aesthetic preference. Despite its plastic body, the Logitech G910 Orion Spectrum is a very high quality, solidly built keyboard. It is also very functional, with a healthy number of macro keys, mode switch buttons, multimedia controls and a good volume control wheel. What the keyboard lacks is the presence of USB pass-through ports. We consider that to be a significant issue for the G910 Orion Spectrum because of the ARX Dock, as the intended Android/iOS device requires a power source.
Overall, the G910 Orion Spectrum is a very good keyboard but we feel that it does not live up to Logitech’s expectations. Generally speaking, it is the same keyboard as the G910 Orion Spark, just with cylindrical keycaps and a straight palm rest. These corrections do make the G910 Orion Spectrum much more comfortable to use, but they are unlikely to prove enough to convince advanced users that the G910 Orion Spectrum can justify its price tag. With an MSRP of $180, the G910 Orion Spectrum is one of the more expensive keyboards on the market, and a user’s expectations at this price point are very high. Lacking full programmability and with very limited support for its unique feature, the ARX Dock, we feel that the G910 Orion Spectrum will be easy prey of its competition, at least until Logitech brings down the price.
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Footman36 - Thursday, October 6, 2016 - link
I have many mechanical keyboards and these Romer G switches are by far the best mechanical switches I have used. They are quiet, fast and reliable. I am not so sure about the actual design of the Logitech keyboards themselves, the wrist support is lousy and the keyboards are asymmetrical (looking at you G410). If you can overlook the actual design then the key stroke and switches are close to perfect for me. I have a bunch of Corsair and Coolermaster keyboards sitting in my storeroom that I did not care for.qlum - Thursday, October 6, 2016 - link
interesting that they send the us international layout considering its really only commonly used in the netherlands. Even here a lot of manufacturers don't produce specific us international keyboardsVayra - Friday, October 7, 2016 - link
I'm not a huge fan of the Romer G switches, but then I really like to have a bit more tactile feedback and more travel.R7 - Thursday, October 6, 2016 - link
"The limited programmability however is disappointing considering the target group of the keyboard, with only the nine G keys being programmable on the entire keyboard"Thats not entirely correct. The macro switch keys (M1, M2 & M3) allow switching between sets of 9. So actually it's 3*9=27
I currently own the first Orion Spark version and to be honest i see no reason to upgrade. For those concerned with keycap shape you can also buy cylindrical kaps for Spark: http://gaming.logitech.com/en-us/product/romer-g-k...
Plus (atleast where i live) the Spectrum version is actually more expensive than the Spark version. Problably because Spectrum is a "new" product.
The only major downside i've found on the Spark is the LED color issue where (at least to my eyes) the white and yellow colors are not quite what they should be. Yellow appears more greenish and white appears as a pale blue. Aside from that - no complaints here.
BurntMyBacon - Friday, October 7, 2016 - link
@R7: "The only major downside i've found on the Spark is the LED color issue where (at least to my eyes) the white and yellow colors are not quite what they should be. Yellow appears more greenish and white appears as a pale blue. Aside from that - no complaints here."I've found that you can compensate the white issue by setting the color in Setpoint to a very light red. My whites were a very pale cyan, though. If you are pale blue, you may need a light yellow. Your yellow setting shouldn't have any blue in it, though, so it sounds like your red LEDs are relatively week. You could probably get a better yellow by setting it slightly orange.
NeonFlak - Thursday, October 6, 2016 - link
Is it just me, or does the keyboard graphic on the box not show the actual product? Look at the enter keys.Ryan Smith - Friday, October 7, 2016 - link
Our best guess is that Logitech is making both ANSI and ISO layout boards, but only using ANSI for the box art.Houdani - Friday, October 7, 2016 - link
If I opened the box and found an ISO layout for the [enter] and [backslash], I would immediately box it up and send it away. Begone!SteelRing - Friday, October 7, 2016 - link
Yep, that Enter key with a tiny backslash is an automatic deal killer for me.... i would not care one bit what kind of key or switch or whatever..... trash it is.bearxor - Thursday, October 6, 2016 - link
I have been using the Orion Spark for some time and I do like it. There's one thing missing here in the gaming software set that I don't think the reviewer had time to really experience but that I loved.I don't know how many profiles the software will detect but it will pick up whatever game you're not playing and customize the lighting on the keyboard to match.
For instance, I'll just be using Windows and the keyboard will be totally backlit. But if I fire up The Division, the software will recognize it and customize the lighting to match the game turning off the keys not needed.
It even goes a further step by detecting if you even need the key you'd normally use during the game. For instance, the G key is for a grenade. It lights up like normal but if you use up all of your grenades the key will turn off. When you pick up more the key will turn itself back on.
Really cool.