I used the Logitech Mobi Fold for weeks. This travel mouse belongs in your bag

The Logitech Mobi Fold is the compact mouse many people need, even though they might not know it yet. It’s ideal for every commuter and road warrior who knows they’re most productive with a mouse, but never thinks to bring one. It’s also a great get for those whose hands and wrists are tired of their laptop’s built-in trackpad but don’t have the space to pack the clicker they use at home, because this super-tiny alternative is easy to pack and has special features you might not expect from such a modest mouse. Here’s why the Mobi Fold is my favorite computer mouse that I’ve tested in a while and how it earned a spot in my laptop backpack.

Logitech Mobi Fold Portable Wireless Mouse

Logitech's foldable mouse is my favorite travel-friendly mouse yet, thanks to its tiny size and hidden features.

What I liked about it

Improbably small and portable

No matter if I’m folding and unfolding the Logitech Mobi Fold or using it to mouse around my desktop, it looks and feels like a marvel of design. It’s small enough to fit in nearly every carrying case or compartment I can think of, from a zippered backpack pouch I typically store my work ID in to dress shirt pockets to most of the small sections of my favorite tech organizer pouch. While I can tell you that it measures 2.2 by 2.5 by 0.8 inches folded and weighs 2.8 ounces, you might not truly understand how tiny and light that is until you use it for yourself. I rarely see such a slight size and weight from a tech product — only Bluetooth trackers and the smallest wireless earbuds come to mind.

Why does this portability matter? Well, for starters, it makes getting around easier. I don’t need to open my bag to throw this mouse in: I can pocket it on my way out the door. It’s a big win for anyone with a small laptop bag that doesn’t have room for a large mouse like the Logitech MX Master 4 (my favorite overall). Speaking of the gear I use for work every day, I tested this mouse with both a 14-inch MacBook Pro M2 and the MSI Stealth A16 AI+.

A good mouse that’s much more powerful than it looks

A very small mouse still needs to work well, so I’m happy to report that the Logitech Mobi Fold navigates accurately, clicks well and offers surprisingly decent touch-based scrolling. The latter had me slightly missing the feel of a physical scroll wheel, but it worked well enough throughout my testing.

I have to give Logitech credit for not skimping on the multidevice switching functionality in this mouse. Its other keyboards and mice carry it, but it’s all the more crucial here. Logitech’s input accessories famously can remember up to three previously paired devices, and on the Mobi Fold, you can switch between each with a click of the small circular button under the front of the mouse. Pairing a new device is also easy. You hold that button until its light blinks, and then the Mobi Fold will show up in your computer’s list of available Bluetooth devices. This could be huge for those who keep the Logi Fold in their work bag and throw in whatever computing device makes the most sense for getting things done that day.

This Logitech mouse also reminded me of my favorite axiom in tech: Always look at the software your stuff comes with, because you never know what you might be missing out on. With the Mobi Fold, I’ve been exploring the Logi Options+ app, where I learned that the Touch Panel I thought was just for scrolling also offers you two buttons, which default to forward and backward web browser navigation. I changed them to Mission Control mode, which lets me see all my open windows at once, and a system mute/unmute for quickly turning my volume on or off.

There’re some other extra settings in that app, found under the “Point, Scroll, Zoom” section, such as pointer speed and touch scroll, which you might find useful if you’re not used to having such a light mouse. The more important option to consider is Smart Zoom, which lets you double-tap the Touch Panel to magnify certain kinds of windows, such as web browsers. It’s the kind of special feature that I think could truly help people, but the fact that it’s on by default could also lead to folks activating it unintentionally.

Impressive battery life

For such a little mouse, the Logitech Mobi Fold has a heck of a lot of endurance. While Logitech’s site estimates 32 days of battery life per full charge, I noticed an average of 2% drain per day of usage, which would net out well over their estimate. I get the feeling you’ll never need to worry about battery life, either, as the company claims that one minute of charging with a USB-C cable nets you 22 hours of use. In my own testing, I saw that a minute of recharging over its USB-C port restored 10% of the mouse’s battery.

Managing battery life is extremely easy, too, as you only need to fold the Mobi Fold shut to turn it off. This beats the teeny-tiny power switch in Logitech’s Keys-To-Go 2 keyboard, which I always forgot to use. Sure, you might leave it unfolded at your desk for a day, but even that doesn’t drain the battery much.

What I didn’t like about it

It’s not the most ergonomic mouse

While the Logitech Mobi Fold is better than a laptop trackpad in terms of ergonomics, your regular wireless mouse likely better fits to your hand. You might care about ergonomics, and you might not. If you’re in the latter group, consider yourself very lucky.

For the rest of us, it doesn’t take using the Logitech Mobi Fold’s wide V-shaped design for very long to realize that, while it’s extremely portable, it’s not the most comfortable mouse on the block. Or, in other words, you won’t find it ranked highly in our list of the top ergonomic mice. This might be a problem for those with repetitive strain injuries (RSI) that give them hand and wrist cramps.

A tad pricier than I’d have liked

The Logitech Mobi Fold costs $80, which feels around $10 too much for a great mouse you can take everywhere. It doesn’t feel cheap, mind you. And I do appreciate that it comes in four different color options: the khaki-colored Sand I’ve been testing, a purplish Lilac, Graphite (black) and Off White.

Given the above design and features, there’s an argument to be made that $80 is right for this mouse. I just think, however, as tech product prices go up everywhere we look, that it’s not wrong to have a bit of price sensitivity. If you’d prefer an even smaller and cheaper portable mouse, the Logitech Pop Mouse is just $30, but its flatter design is even less ergonomic.

Bottom line

The Logitech Mobi Fold is the mouse you get because you know your laptop trackpad isn’t enough. This is a sneaky-great mouse you can keep inside of any pouch or pocket that has lots of additional functionality hidden in its Touch Panel. During my weeks testing it, the Mobi Fold had me feeling more productive whenever I left my apartment, be it to work at the office or in the hopes that my local coffee shop was more conducive to getting things done. I wouldn’t say it’s my new main mouse, but I bet my office colleagues and everyone who sees me working in a coffee shop will notice me spending a lot of time with the Mobi Fold going forward. It’s one of those perfect pieces of on-the-go tech that will live in my bag from here on out.

FAQs

Can the Logitech Mobi Fold travel mouse connect to multiple devices?

Yes, the Logitech Mobi Fold travel mouse can connect to multiple devices. You switch the active connection by clicking the little button on the bottom.

Is the Logitech Mobi Fold travel mouse compatible with any computer or laptop?

The Logitech Mobi Fold travel mouse is compatible with most computers, laptops and tablets. Just like Logitech’s other computer mice, the Mobi Fold’s supported platform list includes Windows, macOS, ChromeOS, Android and iPadOS. The only requirement is that your device needs Bluetooth, which means device compatibility shouldn’t be an issue for most people.

What colors does the Logitech Mobi Fold travel mouse come in?

The Logitech Mobi Fold comes in four colors: a khaki Sand, a purplish Lilac, Graphite (which is basically black) and Off White.

Why trust CNN Underscored

CNN Underscored editors and writers ensure every product included in an article is thoroughly vetted and something we ourselves would feel comfortable buying and using. Our team has many decades of collective experience researching, testing and recommending products across every category — from fashion and food, to home goods and health, to electronics and everything in between — and we’re committed to using that expertise to help you make the most of your money and live a better life.

For this article, CNN Underscored tech writer Henry T. Casey spent weeks testing the Logitech Mobi Fold, using it at the office and at a variety of unusual desks and tables that tested the mouse’s ergonomic limits. He’s been writing tech product reviews for more than 11 years and recently learned that even weight lifting can affect one’s wrist health.

Some information for this report was gathered via edition.cnn.com.