Logitech just unveiled a solar keyboard that could last for a literal decade — here's my take after testing it

The best keyboards are only getting better and better, so it's definitely tough to stand out. Logitech already has a ton of gaming and productivity options, so what does the company envision for the future of keyboards?

As it happens, it sees the future of keyboards being one of convenience. Enter the Logitech Signature Slim Solar+ K980, which was just announced. Yes, that is the word "solar" in its name, because this keyboard is powered by light — even better, it could last for a decade! I got a chance to test it out ahead of its launch, and here's my impressions.

The future is light

The $99/£99 Signature Slim Solar+ K980 marks the debut of Logitech’s new LightCharge tech, facilitated by that big solar panel at the top. Using light to charge its battery, Logitech says the battery should last “up to ten years." That’s quite the promise when standard keyboards start to lose their charge much more quickly than that!

Even better than that, the biggest boon is that you no longer need to fumble around for a charging cable. In fact, there’s no charging port of any kind here; such is the confidence Logitech has in its new proprietary tech.

In fact, it really does feel like they’ve covered every eventuality. First off, if you're working indoors, the Signature Slim Solar+ K980 charges from any light source, not just the sun. So it will pick up juice from artificial lighting.

What if I’m working in the dark? According to Logitech, the keyboard should stay charged for up to four months even in total darkness. We pity the poor tester who didn’t see the light during that period, but it really is impressive.

In fact, the only drawback is that the tradeoff for this fantastic battery life is a lack of backlighting, but that kind of feels like an obvious feature to nix when you’re looking to make the most of the battery inside.

Power aside

Sure, the Logitech Signature Slim Solar+ K980 will last a decade, but that doesn’t matter if you don’t want to use it. I prefer a chunky, mechanical keyboard, but Logitech told me it’s looking to appeal to anyone looking for an external board that feels like they’re typing on a laptop.

To that end, the Signature Slim Solar+ K980 nice and slim, but still offers plenty of key travel, as well as offering a full-size array of keys that has a number pad and shortcuts for muting your mic or turning off your camera.

And, with glyphs for Mac and PC (and the ability to effortlessly switch between them), it’s really hard to argue it’s not an excellent buy for just about anyone working from home.

There’s power user potential, too, with customizable keys throughout thanks to Logi Options+. Want your chatbot on hand? It’s a button press away, and while by default it’s tied to Copilot on Windows, you can switch it to Gemini, ChatGPT, or anything else.

As far as a keyboard for work goes, it ticks every box so far. Look out for our full review in the coming days.

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