I hate folding mice. Logitech’s Mobi Fold actually seems okay

Man, do I hate folding mice. And man, is Logitech doing everything it can to convince me to buy one.

A few years ago, Microsoft sent me its Surface Arc Mouse, an $80 folding mouse that promptly vanished into my desk clutter before resurfacing later during a cleaning project. The Logitech (Logi) Mobi Fold is Logitech’s answer, another $80 mouse that, well, folds.

I don’t really see the point of either mouse, honestly. Folded, the Mobi Fold measures 0.83 inches in height. A no-name Dell wired mouse that my employer provides me as an incentive to commute close to two hours to the office measures about 1.25 inches at its highest point. The Mobi Fold measures 2.24 inches wide and 2.6 inches deep when folded; my desk mouse also measures 2.25 inches wide and 4.25 inches deep, just sitting like a $40 bump on my desk. I’m barely saving anything in terms of space.

So I initially wrote off the Mobi Fold as a useless gimmick, and part of me still believes that it is. I don’t consider space savings or a pretty lilac color anything to write home about.

Logitech

A wireless travel mouse is handy, though, and the Fold’s ability to charge 22 hours with just a minute of USB-C charging caught my eye. I literally charged my phone while I brushed my teeth this morning, just to eke out a few more minutes of battery power on the interminable trip to the office. Logitech’s Fold uses Bluetooth Low Energy 5.0 to connect, or the Logi Bolt USB Receiver. Battery life is about the same with both.

Logitech says you can get a month’s worth of charge from a full charge via the USB-C cable (cable not included), which doesn’t tell me the average use or how quickly the mouse will discharge in your bag. But it’s a good start.

What I’ve always liked about Logitech mice is that the company considers its accessories as part of your holistic desktop. Naturally, the Mobi Fold comes with the Easy Switch technology to allow it to roam between three devices, regardless of operating system, including Chromebooks and even smartphones. The “one mouse for all devices” appeals to me.

Of course, this mouse nails the basics — a 400 to 4000 DPI optical sensor, and adaptive touch scrolling, which can adjust the scroll speed on the fly. (A Windows designer told me recently that Microsoft is testing this out, too, and trying to find the right balance between aggressive and precision scrolling within Windows.)

Logitech

Weirdly, I was a little turned off by the mouse’s “silent” clicking feature, as I passive-aggressively enjoy typing and clicking next to my coworkers to show them who’s really in the zone. And honestly, most workplaces have enough ambient noise that a click or two won’t disturb anyone.

I have absolutely no love for the ridiculous AI features within the Logi Options+ app, which are still here but thankfully downplayed. That’s partially forgiven; didn’t all of industry rush to embrace AI?

I’m still not in love with the Mobi Fold. Even my son, who inherited the Arc Mouse, gave up on it and asked for a “regular” mouse instead. But as a generic travel mouse, I might consider it. Logitech has built a base of basic productivity features, and that might carry the Mobi Fold home.