Logitech left solar-powered keyboards at the hours of darkness for over a decade, but it surely’s launching a brand new one at present. Identical to the K760 earlier than it, its new $99.99 Signature Slim Photo voltaic Plus K980 can solely be powered with gentle. There’s no USB port or swappable batteries. As a substitute, it contains a cell that may convert photo voltaic or synthetic gentle — 200 lux at minimal — into energy to cost its battery, which the corporate says will final for as much as 10 years. As soon as absolutely charged, the corporate says the K980 can be utilized in full darkness for as much as 4 months.
I requested Logitech if the K980’s battery is user-replaceable, and spokesperson Melvin Dilanchian advised The Verge that it’s “safely user-replaceable (as a result of it’s encased in a plastic casing), with spare components equipped by iFixIt.”
Past its photo voltaic charging capabilities, the K980 has a reasonably customary full-size structure, with Home windows and macOS key labels, directional keys, and a numpad. Its perform row is pre-programmed to regulate media, display screen brightness, and quantity, though you may customise their secondary options (or flip off secondary options altogether) within the Logi Choices Plus app for Mac or Home windows. The K980 additionally features a mic mute key, a digital camera on/off toggle, and an Motion key alongside the highest row that may be programmed nonetheless you’d desire within the app. It additionally contains a new addition: an AI Launch key.
The AI key’s what you suppose it’s; it defaults on Home windows PCs to launching Copilot (ChromeOS defaults to Gemini), although it may be personalized in Logitech’s app to open ChatGPT or an AI immediate builder. Alternatively, you may assign certainly one of Logitech’s Good Actions to the important thing to, say, ask Perplexity for a solution to your question in your browser. Or, you may simply set it to be proper CTRL. The Motion Key (the important thing on the highest row that appears like an enormous O) and several other others could be programmed to execute these macros, too, whether or not you utilize certainly one of Logitech’s presets or create your personal via the app.
The K980 helps being paired with as much as three Bluetooth gadgets, letting you swap between them with a press of a button. It will also be linked to a pc that has a Logitech Bolt USB transmitter, though one isn’t included within the field (would have been good!). A earlier Logitech mannequin had playful built-in LED indicators that might warn you when the ambient gentle wasn’t adequate to cost the keyboard, however the K980’s energy LED merely turns from inexperienced to crimson if it wants extra cost. That is how Logitech will get you to put in its Choices Plus app. The app has an indicator that claims whether or not there’s sufficient gentle.
2025 appears to be the 12 months when corporations determined the solar was cool once more, as Lenovo just lately launched the $99.99 self-charging wireless keyboard that it first confirmed off in January at CES 2025. I feel I dig it greater than the K980, though I haven’t tried it but and it doesn’t appear to incorporate as a lot in the way in which of customization. Nonetheless, it has issues that I like in a keyboard that the K980 lacks, like adjustable legs that can provide it some tilt and a spill-resistant design. Plus, it has a USB-C charging port, simply in case.