PC & Console Peripherals

Logitech Ergo M575 Wireless Trackball – The better mouse?

While the mice and keyboards of the big manufacturers are regularly updated or new products are introduced, the trackball market is much quieter and more manageable. The M575 trackball is the only trackball in Logitech’s range besides the considerably more expensive MX Ergo and replaces the old M570, which appeared back in 2010. Logitech advertises ergonomic design, maximum comfort and a very small footprint.

The Ergo M575 Wireless Trackball has been available in graphite and gray-white since December, and the recommended retail price is €49.99. Whether Logitech can keep its promises and the trackball is also worth a look for convinced mouse users, we’ll clarify in the following test.

Technical data

Connection Wireless (2.4 GHz or Bluetooth Low Energy)
Sensor Logitech Advanced Optical Tracking
DPI 400 – 2,000
keys 5
Shape Right-handed
Accumulator 1 AA type battery
Battery life Up to 24 months (with USB receiver).
Up to 20 months (with Bluetooth)
Size 134 x 100 x 48 mm (H x W x D)
Weight 145 g
Colors Graphite, gray white
Price € 40.90 *

Scope of delivery

In addition to the Ergo M575 trackball itself, the only items in the box are the USB receiver, an AA battery, and a quick start guide. The USB receiver is, as usual for Logitech, stowed in the trackball and the battery is already inserted. All in all, the scope of delivery turns out to be very manageable, but at a price of less than 50€, this doesn’t surprise us negatively.

Design and workmanship

With the trackball, the movement of the mouse pointer is possible through the thumb alone, the hand itself remains still, in contrast to the control with the mouse, including the trackball. This minimization of movement is supposed to make working much healthier and also prevent increasingly common complaints, such as mouse arm. This is caused by chronic overloading. Even if working with the mouse doesn’t seem strenuous, the permanently uniform movements, which are sometimes performed daily and over several hours, cause tiny injuries, which after several years can lead to a clinical picture that significantly restricts the user.

At first glance, it is noticeable that the Ergo M575 Wireless Trackball is significantly larger than most mice, which is also directly noticeable here in comparison with the M720. The hand rests almost completely on it. Furthermore, the trackball is strongly inclined, which provides for a more natural position of the hand and thus also for less fatigue. Buttons and mouse wheel are of course also tilted, and there are also two additional buttons on the left edge of the left mouse button, which are noticeably higher.

The trackball is made entirely of plastic, but it feels very comfortable, which is also due to the light texture of the palm resting surface. The mouse wheel is rubberized, but unfortunately there is no texture here. The ball itself is smooth, but not at all slippery, the thumb rests securely and stays in the desired position. To ensure that the Ergo M575 Wireless Trackball itself also stays in position, rubber is used on the underside, where mouse gliders normally are. Furthermore, the on/off switch and a button for pairing are found there.

Overall, the material quality and workmanship convinced us in the test.

Software

The software for the Ergo M575 Wireless Trackball is the well-known Logitech Options program. This allows the most important functions such as swapping the left/right buttons, adjusting the pointer speed and assigning the additional buttons, either globally, the same for all applications, or differently for each. Furthermore, the type of connection and the battery status are displayed here. If the latter is critical, you can of course also be informed within the Windows notifications.

Practical test

In practical use, the size of the trackball was very comfortable and sufficient to rest most of the hand comfortably on it. We also really liked the slight tilt, as the arm position is more comfortable that way in the long run. Since a trackball doesn’t have to be moved, the high weight isn’t annoying either.

The pressure point of the keys is mostly well chosen, only the additional keys could be a bit smoother. The clicking is well perceptible, but by no means loud. The ball still moved as well as on the first day even after a few days, we did not have any problems with dirt during the test period. However, if cleaning is necessary, the ball can be removed quickly and easily and cleaned afterwards.

Overall, the Ergo M575 Wireless Trackball leaves a good impression after almost 3 weeks of almost daily use over several hours. The ergonomic design is convincing and, compared to the mouse, working with the trackball is actually much more comfortable for the hand, arm and shoulder due to the movement of the thumb.

After some time to get used to it, we found it very easy to control with the thumb, despite years of using a mouse and our last trackball experience many years ago. Mostly because the whole thing is strongly dependent on the application. While typical office use, web browsing and much more worked very well straight away, we found it more difficult to work with, for example, image editing programs like Affinity Photo or Adobe Photoshop, which require very precise movements. However, this is not due to the trackball itself, precise working probably requires much more time to get used to than just 3 weeks for many, including us. An additional key for changing the DPI, which the MX Ergo offers, for example, would be a help here. However, you also have to consider the relatively low price at this point.

Furthermore, we always liked the fact that the trackball, in contrast to the mouse, works well regardless of the surface. Whether on a packed desk, with the notebook on the couch or even on a glass table, the Ergo M575 Wireless Trackball works equally well everywhere and hardly takes up any space. The rubber linings reliably helped the trackball stay in place at all times.

In the end, we can state that Logitech’s Ergo M575 Wireless Trackball is indeed the better mouse for us, if you place a lot of value on ergonomics, comfort and relaxed working. However, we still use the mouse for some applications and also for gaming, at least for the time being, which is why both currently have a place on our desk.

Conclusion

Even as a mouse user for many years, we liked the Ergo M575 Wireless Trackball very much. The ergonomics could convince us and working for hours was much more relaxed with the trackball. If you don’t have any trackball experience, or if it’s been a while, you should of course expect some time to get used to it. We also had some adjustment problems in the first few days, but the handling improved from day to day and working with it was more fun every day.

Apart from that, Logitech convinces with good workmanship and a long battery life. The connection was always very good with wireless and also Bluetooth and had no dropouts.

If you work a lot with a mouse, are not averse to small experiments, or have experience with trackballs anyway, you should definitely take a look at the Logitech Ergo M575 Wireless Trackball.

Logitech Ergo M575 Wireless Trackball

Workmanship
Features
Ergonomics
Software
Value for money

83/100

Good, especially very ergonomic trackball that can make work much more pleasant. Also worth a look for mouse users.

Simon Lüthje

I am co-founder of this blog and am very interested in everything that has to do with technology, but I also like to play games. I was born in Hamburg, but now I live in Bad Segeberg.

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