Logitech G213 Prodigy Review: Beginner's Class

Logitech is announcing its new Prodigy line of products this week at PAX West, and prior to their official unveiling, the company allowed me to play around with these peripherals for a few weeks.

One of the first peripherals I opened up was the G213 Prodigy, which is Logitech’s entry-level keyboard to help those who want to upgrade from a keyboard that was shipped with their PC to one specifically built for gamers. The G213 Prodigy takes Logitech’s years of experience in the gaming space and presents what it considers to be some of the most important features, such as comfort, RGB support, dedicated media controls and more.

Step Into The Ring

There are a few things I noticed when I first put my hands on the G213 Prodigy, one of feature that stuck out the most was its RGB support. I’ve tested many keyboards and this is the first that I can recall that offers full RGB support for well under $100. While it’s great to see Logitech add this to the G213, I noticed its brightness isn’t as high as it’s other keyboards, such as the G810 Orion which I literally have sitting on my desk right above this one. If I didn’t have the G810 readily available, I probably wouldn’t have noticed its dimness that much, but it’s something I wanted to note just in case you were planning on using the G213 in a well-lit room during the day. You’ll get a decent amount of lighting out of it, but it won’t be as bright as it should be.

The G213 isn't a mechanical keyboard, and is instead a rubber dome keyboard. As a result, it feels very springy and is resistant when I apply pressure to each key. This allows my fingers to propel themselves away from each key, which helps while typing as I don’t need to pull back my fingers as much in order to make my way over to my next set of keys. When compared to a more expensive gaming keyboard, though, I certainly feel the difference as the G810 Orion offers a better feel as its Romer-G mechanical switches wrap around my fingers better and is tuned in such a way that I can move even faster while typing.

Fans of integrated palm rests will like the G213’s slight bump from your desktop to the keyboard itself. My palms felt very comfortable while typing away for a full day and after some time with the keyboard, I didn’t even notice the palm rest that much. That’s because it integrates with the rest of the keyboard so well, even using the same smooth plastic material that’s used on its body.

Takes A Lickin’

Since the Prodigy series is being aimed at entry-level customers, these consumers may not know how to properly treat something like a gaming keyboard. Thankfully, Logitech made the G213 extremely durable without sacrificing comfort. The keyboard was created with a slim body in order to be comfortable to carry and durable plastic construction. The keyboard is also spill resistant, which is a feature that’s especially important for parents or anyone who tends to feel accidental while holding a nice, cold beverage. I took a sloppy sip from my water bottle, which resulted in water being spilled everywhere. While I regret essentially soaking myself at my desk, I was surprised to see water either rolled off of the G213 or was absorbed by the space between each key.

The Logitech G213 can certainly take a beating as I slammed my fist on it a couple of times after being forced to watch another episode of Keeping up with the Kardashians. Once my rage subsided during a commercial break, I went back to typing as I normally would and I noticed no changes in how the keyboard performs.

Keeps On Tickin’

The Logitech G213 Prodigy may not have all of the fancy bells and whistles that a high-priced gaming keyboard would include, but as an entry-level keyboard it performs very well. The combination of comfortable layout, RGB support, and spill resistance make this a keyboard I would easily consider for my child if they wanted to try their hand with a gaming keyboard. I’d also recommend this for those who just can’t help but spill various liquids on their keyboards on a regular basis.

This review is based on a retail version provided by Logitech. The Logitech 213 Prodigy will be available in retail in September 2016, for $69.99.