is a senior reporter who’s been covering and reviewing the latest gadgets and tech since 2006, but has loved all things electronic since he was a kid.
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Logitech finally announced its new ultraportable travel mouse following leaked marketing images that spoiled the surprise last month. As the name implies, the Mobi Fold is a compact mouse that can fold in half using a hinge that can pivot about 130 degrees. At $79.99 in graphite, off-white, lilac, and sand color options, the Mobi Fold isn’t Logitech’s lightest or cheapest mouse, but it’s definitely one of its smallest and a well-featured alternative to your laptop’s trackpad if you can get used to some unconventional ergonomics.
The arch-shaped Mobi Fold looks similar to other folding devices, like the Surface Arc mouse. But while Microsoft’s design folds flat, making it thinner and easier to slip into a pocket or bag, the Mobi Fold is more like a clamshell cellphone. And even though it doesn’t snap shut with a satisfying clunk, it feels durable. Logitech says the hinge was “tested to withstand 15 years of daily use.”
Nearly half of the mouse is wrapped in a grippy silicone skin that covers its hinge mechanism. A USB-C port is used to charge the mouse, and a 1-minute top-up will power it for up to 22 hours.
That hinge, along with more than half the mouse, is wrapped in a silicone skin that improves grip while semi-protecting it from drops. Where it covers the hinge you’ll find a pleated design that expands and stretches when the mouse is folded in half, so there’s no risk of pinching.
At 79 grams the Mobi Fold is a few grams heavier than Logitech’s Pebble Mouse 2 and the bare-bones M196 that I’ve been recently traveling with. When folded, the mouse is a little over three-quarters of an inch tall and about 2.6x2.5 inches in size, making it feel seriously compact. It reminds me of some wireless earbud cases, but a bit thinner.
On the underside of the Mobi Fold is its optical sensor and a button you can use to cycle between three connected devices. The mouse’s rechargeable battery is easily accessible through a removable panel, potentially extending its lifespan.
Logitech claims the Mobi Fold’s rechargeable battery will power the mouse for up to one month on a full charge, while a 1-minute quick charge will keep it going for up to 22 hours. It’s getting a global release. which means we can probably thank recent EU regulations for a removable cover on the underside allowing that rechargeable battery to be replaced in the future.
The Mobi Fold isn’t designed to entirely replace a full-featured desktop mouse, but it offers enough functionality and customizability to be a solid trackpad alternative. There’s a 4K DPI optical sensor on the bottom and a pair of left and right mouse buttons on top with a multifunction touch panel between them. That panel’s behavior can be changed using the optional Logi Options Plus software, so swiping your finger up and down either causes websites and documents to zip by or a more leisurely line by line scroll. The top and bottom of the touch panel also function as two additional clicky buttons. You can customize their functionality using Logitech’s app, but by default they function as forward and back buttons while browsing.
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