Soft rubber on a mouse feels lovely in the first month. It is also the part of the MX Master 3 that owners complain about most once the honeymoon ends, and it tells you what kind of purchase this is: a very comfortable tool with a limited service life.
The evidence leans toward problems, because people who love a mouse rarely open a forum thread about it. Please keep that tilt in mind as you read.
Product image from the Amazon listing.
Be careful with the name. This review covers the original MX Master 3, which iFixit dates to October 2019. The later 3S is a separate model with a different sensor and quieter buttons.
What You Are Paying For
iFixit’s device page lists a sensor range of 200 to 4,000 dpi, a weight of about 142 grams, and a 500 mAh rechargeable battery that should last about 70 days. It also lists Logitech’s USB receiver and Bluetooth as ways to connect.
Related reading
That weight deserves your attention. One user in an OzBargain thread on the 3S, which has the same general shape, said simply “this is too heavy for me,” while another said it “cups on big hands.” A large sculpted body is the whole idea here. People with small hands, or people who like a quick light mouse, are buying against the design.
The other big attraction is the wheel system. The main wheel can click along step by step or spin freely. A second wheel sits under your thumb for sideways scrolling, and a thumb button handles gestures. Logitech’s software lets you set these up per app. Its Options+ page mentions presets for apps like Safari and Zoom, and Flow, which moves the pointer between computers. That page names the 3S and newer models in its device list, and I found no mention of the original 3 there, so check support for your system before you plan around it.
The Mac Case
The Mac story for this product is thin. The best single comment is about the 3S, not this mouse. One owner in that OzBargain thread called it “so useful at macos for shifting full screen windows.” That is the classic use: a gesture button that swaps desktops and Spaces without your hand leaving the mouse. The MX Master 3 has the same gesture button, so I think the point carries over, but it is my inference from one comment.
Sideways scrolling is a split topic. It sounds perfect for timelines in Final Cut, wide spreadsheets and design canvases. Yet in a Level1Techs thread one user found “the horizontal scroll of the mx master 3 to be clunky” and suggested middle-button scrolling instead. I would try the thumb wheel for a week before you decide you love it or hate it.
iFixit also notes that some users report a slight lag when using the mouse wirelessly, and that some find the scroll wheel too stiff or too loose. The suggested fixes are adjusting scroll settings in Logitech’s software and lowering the resolution. Bluetooth can be fussier than a dedicated receiver on any computer, so if you see lag, the receiver is the first thing I would try. I found no owner test comparing the two on a current Mac.
If you often switch between a Mac and a PC, the mouse is designed for that job, and this is one of the main reasons people buy it. I found no detailed owner reports on how reliably it switches in a real two-computer setup, so I can only point at the feature.
Product image from the Amazon listing.
Sticky Rubber and Worn Surfaces
The most repeated complaint is about the surface. One MacRumors owner contacted Logitech after the palm area turned stickier and changed texture, and a Reddit owner reported a sticky top after about a year.
An owner of the 3S in the Level1Techs thread describes the same thing in plain words: “it’s getting pretty worn and nappy looking (finishes on all of the touched surfaces are pretty much gone).” The OzBargain thread on the 3S has one commenter saying it “started to melt on my hands after 2 years,” and another expecting the coating and rubber to “crumble away in 3 - 5 years.”
Related reading
On iFixit’s answers forum for this mouse, one owner of the grey version asks for replacement parts because the housing turns ugly quickly, above all with sweaty hands.
Capes, a company that sells mouse skins and so has a clear interest, explains the likely causes: skin oil and sweat soften the coating, and heat, sunlight and strong cleaners speed things up. It says the wear builds “Over months of daily use.” The advice to keep the mouse away from harsh wipes and hot laptop vents seems sensible whatever you think of the skins.
How much this bothers you depends on you. A mouse that gets sticky still works. But for a premium price, many owners feel they deserved a surface that lasts longer.
Switches and Sudden Deaths
The second group of complaints is mechanical, and these are the ones that end a mouse.
The iFixit forum has threads about left clicks becoming unreliable, including one owner asking whether a specific Kailh switch could replace the worn part. Another owner’s scroll wheel got stuck in free-spin mode. Others describe a mouse that suddenly refused to turn on, or showed no charging light after a few weeks of sitting unused.
A comment in the OzBargain thread gives one number: “My previous MX Master 3 lasted 18 months before the right click broke.” A single report proves little, and I can’t give you a failure rate. iFixit’s forum attracts people with broken mice by its nature. Even so, the pattern of worn switches has been reported for this family, and 3S owners in the same thread describe similar click trouble, so a newer model is no sure cure.
The repair threads also tell you that fixing these is a job for someone comfortable with a soldering iron. The positive side is that iFixit’s page exists at all, with community help for owners who want to try.
Check your warranty terms before you open anything.
Product image from the Amazon listing.
Why You Might Pick the Original Over the 3S
Logitech’s own 3S page offers the clearest comparison. It claims 90 percent less sound on left and right clicks compared with the MX Master 3, and it lists an 8,000 DPI sensor against the 4,000 on the original.
Related reading
Those two points are the honest trade. If you work in a shared office, or on calls with an open mic, the clicks on the original are the louder ones by Logitech’s own account. If you use a very high resolution display, the higher DPI may help a little. The shape and the main controls stay familiar.
So the case for the original comes down to price. A good discount on the older mouse makes sense for a home desk where click noise bothers nobody. At close to the same money, I would take the 3S.
Worth It on a Discount, at a Quiet Desk
My view is that the MX Master 3 is a fine mouse to buy cheaply and use hard, with no plan to keep it for a decade. Mac users who will actually set up gestures and per-app buttons have the most to gain, and people with medium or large hands are the natural fit.
Skip it if you have small hands, if you dislike heavy mice, or if a sticky surface after a year or two would make you angry. Skip it if you need a quiet click for shared spaces. And if you have a price close to the 3S, the choice is easy.
For a home desk and a fair discount, the Logitech MX Master 3 is a good pick, as long as you confirm the seller is offering the original model and a return window. This is an affiliate link. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
One email a month: new articles, reviews and the upcoming live webinar + free recording. No spam, unsubscribe anytime.