Logitech’s affordable new low-profile keyboard also fits Cherry MX-style keycaps

Logitech has announced a new low-profile gaming keyboard, the G515 Lightspeed TKL Wireless, featuring upgraded low-profile switches that are now compatible with Cherry MX-style keycaps, improving the keyboard’s customizability.

The G515 is a welcome upgrade to Logitech’s G915 Lightspeed Wireless keyboard, which debuted in 2019. The new G515 features a TKL (tenkeyless) design that’s similar to the smaller Logitech G915 TKL update from 2020; this one completely eliminates not only the G915’s number pad but also the wide volume wheel that sat above it.

Saying goodbye to that physical volume wheel leaves the G515 keyboard, which should be available today, with a $139 price tag that’s significantly cheaper than both the $249.99 G915 and the smaller $229.99 G915 TKL. That’s not quite as cheap as the $104 Keychron K1 Max QMK wireless low-profile keyboard, which offers a lot of similar functionality, but for those looking for an even more affordable point of entry, a wired-only version of the new G515 is also en route and expected to sell for $99 when it’s available later this year.

The new G515 continues to use the company’s low-profile GL mechanical switches that, when they debuted on the G915 almost five years ago, were found to be tweaked versions of Kailh’s Choc V1 low-profile switches, which made them difficult to customize and swap in alternate keycaps.

For the G515, Logitech is introducing an updated design for its GL mechanical switches featuring a “polyoxymethylene (POM), cross style stem,” making the keyboard compatible with low-profile Cherry MX-style keycaps. We’ve reached out to Logitech to confirm whether or not the new G515 is using Kailh’s Choc V2 low-profile switches, which feature the same 1.3mm actuation distance that Logitech’s updated GL switches boast, or if they’re a customized proprietary version instead.

Unlike the G915 Lightspeed Wireless keyboard that offered users the choice of three switch types — linear, tactile, and clicky —the new G515 only offers quieter tactile and linear options with 45g and 43g of actuation force, respectively. It’s also available in either a white or black finish with matching double-shot PBT keycaps that each feature individual RGB lighting supporting 16.8 million colors, customizable through the Logitech G HUB app.

The G515 supports three different ways to connect to a computer or other devices: Bluetooth, USB-C, or the company’s proprietary 2.4GHz Lightspeed technology. Opting for the latter offers a more reliable connection with improved wireless performance. And while it does require the use of an included USB dongle, just one is needed to connect two Logitech Lightspeed devices, potentially freeing up a USB port.

When using the keyboard wirelessly with the Lightspeed dongle, battery life is rated at up to 625 hours with RGB lighting turned off. That drops to up to 120 hours with the RGB lighting set to 50 percent brightness or up to just 36 hours with the brightness at 100 percent — a significant hit for those wanting a bright light show beneath their fingers.