The MX Anywhere 3S is the portable MX done right: quiet clicks, a sensor that tracks on glass, a 70-day battery, and a MagSpeed wheel — all in a 99 g shell that disappears into a laptop bag. Against the MX Anywhere 3, though, it is a two-trick upgrade, and the quieter clicking alone will not justify the full price if you already own one. First-time buyers get Logitech's most polished travel mouse; 3 owners should keep theirs.
— THE VERDICT · JUDGEANY EDITORSAn S-grade upgrade to a proven travel mouse
Logitech launched the MX Anywhere 3S in May 2023 — the same compact travel shell as the MX Anywhere 3, with two headline changes: Quiet Clicks borrowed from the MX Master 3S, and a jump from a 4,000 DPI sensor to an 8,000 DPI Darkfield one. Everything else — the 99 g body, the MagSpeed wheel, the 70-day rated battery — carries over. This review pulls together Logitech's published specs, hands-on reviews from working tech journalists, and owner impressions from retail feedback. We don't run a test lab; the scores below are editorial judgments built on that evidence.
Quiet clicks and the 8K DPI sensor: what the S stands for
The clicks are the reason the S exists. PCWorld's Foundry review found the 3S noticeably quieter than the Anywhere 3 — more of a tap than a click — with the same satisfying feel, and How-To Geek's reviewer reached the same conclusion in their 9/10 review. The sensor upgrade is the other half: 200–8,000 DPI in 50-DPI steps (1,000 DPI default) with Darkfield tracking that works on glass, per Logitech's spec sheet. SlashGear's reviewer put that claim through real travel conditions — a sheet of glass, a mirror, an unmade bed — and reported the mouse tracked on all of them without a hiccup.
The wheel, the battery, and the fine print
The MagSpeed wheel remains the best part of using this mouse: it free-spins at up to 1,000 lines per second or locks into a ratcheted scroll you can adjust in Logi Options+, and a tap of the mode-shift button flips between the two. Logitech rates the 500 mAh battery up to 70 days per charge, with a 1-minute USB-C top-up adding up to 3 hours of use, and a USB-C cable ships in the box. The fine print: the standard retail box has no Logi Bolt USB receiver — Bluetooth only out of the box, with the receiver sold separately — which GadgetBridge flagged as a miss at this price, and which Best Buy owner reviews echo as the most common complaint. There are six buttons total: left/right click, back/forward, middle click, and the wheel mode-shift.
Software: Options+, Flow, and the limits of six buttons
Logi Options+ is where the mouse grows up — per-app button customization with ready-made templates (a Best Buy reviewer notes the Zoom template maps the side buttons to mute), tracking-speed adjustment, and Flow, which moves the cursor and drags files between computers that sit on the same network. PCWorld's reviewer was cooler on the fancier software layers: with only six buttons, Smart Actions and gesture macros never earn their keep — more trouble than they are worth, in his view. Options+ has since added an AI prompt-builder button owners can map or launch, per retail owner reviews. One practical note from those same owners: plugging the mouse in over USB-C charges it but will not run it as a wired mouse.
What owners consistently praise — and complain about
On Amazon the MX Anywhere 3S holds around 4.5 stars across several thousand ratings. Owners consistently praise the portability, the quiet clicks for shared offices and flights, and a battery that stretches for weeks. The recurring complaints are just as consistent: no USB receiver in the box, a price premium over discounted Anywhere 3 stock, a shell too small for large hands, and — SlashGear's reviewer said it first — plastic that feels a bit cheap for the money.
3S vs 3: the upgrade question
Here is where the published verdicts split, and it is worth stating plainly. How-To Geek's 9/10 review and ChromeUnboxed's comparison call the 3S a clear no-brainer for new buyers — quieter clicks, a better sensor, USB-C charging, and enough to justify the step up. PCWorld's Foundry review lands on the other side for existing owners: the mouse is barely changed from the Anywhere 3, and the quieter clicking alone is not worth the full price to 3 owners. SlashGear's 7/10 sits in the middle — superb tracking everywhere, let down by the feel and the price. The evidence points one way: if you already own the Anywhere 3, keep it; if you are buying your first MX travel mouse, the 3S is the one to get.
Who should buy it
Frequent travelers, hybrid workers who live out of a laptop bag, and anyone who has been asked — politely or not — to quiet their clicking in a shared space. Large-handed users and desk-bound ergonomics fans will be happier with the full-size MX Master line. Check the live price on Amazon before deciding; the 3S is worth it at a discount, and a steep premium over leftover Anywhere 3 stock is the one scenario where the older mouse still wins.