Logitech MX Master 4 vs MX Master 3S: Is the Upgrade Worth It in 2026?

Quick picks: MX Master 4 | MX Master 3S | Alternatives

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Quick Verdict

The Logitech MX Master 4 is the better mouse. The MX Master 3S is the better buy for most people. The 4 adds haptic feedback and a radial shortcut menu called the Actions Ring, but it keeps the same sensor, the same MagSpeed scroll wheel, the same quiet clicks, and a near-identical shape. If you are buying your first MX Master, get the 3S on sale. If you already own a 3S, upgrade only if you live in apps with deep shortcut lists.

What’s New on the MX Master 4

The Logitech MX Master 4 launched in September 2025 at around $129. It is the first MX Master with haptic feedback: a small motor in the body vibrates when you trigger certain actions, hit the edge of a scroll, or move through menu items. Logitech pairs that with a new thumb-side haptic panel that replaces the 3S’s single gesture button.

Press the panel and the Actions Ring appears on screen: a radial menu of shortcuts that changes per application. In Photoshop it can show tool switches; in a browser, tab and window commands; in a video call, mute and camera toggles. You customize the ring in Logi Options+, which also handles button remapping, Smart Actions macros, and Flow for moving the cursor between computers. The thumb area itself is reshaped, wider and flatter, so the panel sits under the thumb pad rather than at its tip.

Logitech also claims a stronger Logi Bolt connection than the 3S, which matters in offices dense with wireless devices. Battery is rated at around 70 days, the same as the 3S. Charging remains USB-C. The mouse is slightly heavier than the 3S, around 150g by Logitech’s figures; check the spec sheet if weight matters to you.

What did not change is as important as what did. The sensor, the scroll wheel, the quiet click switches, and the overall hand feel are carried over. Logitech did not redesign the mouse; it added a control layer on top of one that already worked. That is why the comparison comes down to whether you will use the Actions Ring, not whether the 4 tracks or scrolls better.

Side-by-Side Spec List

Specs below are from Logitech’s published figures. Where we are unsure, we say so.

• Sensor: 8,000 DPI Darkfield on both, tracks on glass.
• Scroll wheel: MagSpeed electromagnetic on both, with a horizontal thumb wheel on both.
• Clicks: Quiet clicks on both.
• Haptics: MX Master 4 only.
• Thumb control: Haptic panel with Actions Ring on the 4; single gesture button on the 3S.
• Connectivity: Bluetooth and Logi Bolt on both; the 4 has Logitech’s improved Bolt radio.
• Devices: Pair with up to three computers on both.
• Battery: Around 70 days rated on both; USB-C charging on both.
• Weight: Around 141g for the 3S; around 150g for the 4, per Logitech.
• Launch price: $129 for the 4; $99 for the 3S, though the 3S now sells for less.
• Colors: Graphite and pale grey on both; the 4 adds a Mac edition and business edition.

Where the 3S Is Still the Smarter Buy

The Logitech MX Master 3S is often around $79 to $99, and it has been stable at those prices since 2024. For the difference, you give up haptics and the Actions Ring. You do not give up anything about how the mouse feels under your hand, how it scrolls, or how it tracks. That is the whole argument.

The 3S gesture button already does most of what the Actions Ring does for people who set up two or three gestures and leave them alone. Hold the button and flick left, right, up, or down and you get four commands plus a press. Most owners never touch the setting after the first week. The Actions Ring is more discoverable and holds more commands, but it is a refinement, not a new capability.

The 3S is also lighter, and if the haptic motor does not appeal, the older mouse has one less thing to turn off. Logitech continues to support it in Options+ and it is not being discontinued as of this writing.

There is one more practical point. The 3S has been on the market since 2022, so replacement feet, spare receivers, and third-party accessories are easy to find. It is a known quantity with a long track record for reliability, and the price has already bottomed out. The MX Master 4 will get cheaper over the next year; the 3S will not get much cheaper than it already is.

Who Should Upgrade

Upgrade if you work in software with dozens of shortcuts you actually use. Video editors, 3D artists, and anyone in Adobe or DaVinci Resolve all day get real time back from the per-app Actions Ring. The haptic pulse when you land on a menu item makes it usable without looking at the screen.

Upgrade if your 3S disconnects in a crowded office. The improved Bolt radio is the least glamorous change and the one that fixes an actual complaint.

Upgrade if you are buying for a new machine anyway and the price gap between the two has closed to $20 or less. That happens during sales. At a $40 or $50 gap, keep the 3S.

Do not upgrade for the sensor, scroll wheel, or ergonomics. Those did not change in any way you will notice.

Alternatives

MX Anywhere 3S. The Logitech MX Anywhere 3S is the compact version: same MagSpeed scrolling and 8,000 DPI sensor in a smaller, lighter body around $79. Pick it if you travel with a laptop or prefer a claw grip. You lose the thumb wheel and the thumb rest.

MX Vertical. The Logitech MX Vertical tilts your hand to a handshake angle to reduce forearm rotation. It is the right pick if wrist or forearm pain is the reason you are shopping. The sensor is lower resolution and there is no MagSpeed wheel, so it is a comfort choice, not a productivity one.

Logitech G Pro X Superlight 2 DEX. If gaming is any part of the decision, the Logitech G Pro X Superlight 2 DEX is the mouse to buy instead of either MX Master. It weighs around 60g, uses a HERO 2 sensor with far higher polling, and has a shape built for fast aiming. It has none of the productivity features and does not pretend to.

Bottom Line

Buy the MX Master 3S if you want the best productivity mouse for the money. It is the same shape, sensor, and scroll wheel as the newer model at a lower price. Buy the MX Master 4 if you use per-app shortcuts constantly, want haptic feedback, or need the more reliable wireless connection. Both are excellent; only one is a bargain.