Appearance and Size

These Logitech combos are different in the way that they shape. The mk550 keyboard has a wave design which is a bit hard to explain. The design is intended to be ergonomic and for products like keyboards where you will be using it for hours at a time, this is important. Look at the picture and you will see what I mean. This is an obvious difference in appearance. The mk710 looks like a typical keyboard. Both keyboards have a built-in wrist rest.

Logitech Mk550 Wireless Keyboard Mouse

The mk550’s keyboard (k350) measures 19″ x 10″ x 1.25″ while the mk710’s keyboard (mk700) is 18′ X 9.5″ X 2.25”. The mouse for both measures about 4 inches by 2 inches a size that should work well for most hands.

Wireless Receiver and Signal Strength

Signal strength is most important when it comes to wireless peripherals. Regardless of which model you choose, you should experience a good wireless range – this is made possible because each of these combos comes with a 2.4 GHz wireless signal. Logitech claims that you will have a decent signal up to 30 feet away.

User experience seems to back up this claim although some have reported a different experience – this could be due to interference from other wireless devices in your home such as a telephone that uses the same frequency.

The receiver is tiny and works to control both the keyboard and the mouse. The same receiver can be used to control other devices too. There is a slot inside the mouse that you can use to store the receiver

Operational and Navigational Keys

Both of these models come with the same operational and navigational keys. You’ve got your enhanced F keys that have pre assigned operations. But you can assign new ones if you download the corresponding software from the Logitech website.

LCD Dashboard

When I press the caps-lock, num-lock or scroll-lock key on my laptop, there is no indicator lcd display to let me know whether it’s off or on. This isn’t a big deal, but it can be annoying at times, like when I try to login to my bank account.

Only the mk710 comes with an LCD dashboard that lets you know your current power level along with when the “lock” keys are on or off.

Click here to get more details on the Logitech MK550

Click here to get more details on the Logitech MK710

Hyper Scroll

Have you ever been scanning through a long document or webpage, i.e. tax forms or terms of service and found that it takes a long time to scroll to the end? Yeah, I have to. It can be annoying. The mouse in the mk710 combo (the mouse is also known as the m705 Marathon) has a super-fast hyper-scroll feature that will help you speed through any long page or document. The scroll itself is reported to be very smooth compared to the m510 (mouse from the mk550 package).

Battery Life

You won’t need to change your batteries for a very long time regardless of which combo you choose. Both come with the “AA” batteries that you need already installed. These batteries for all of these devices, with the exception of the m510 mouse that has a max 2-year battery life, are supposed to last up to 3 years before you need to change them but that will depend on your habits.

Noisy Key Clicks…

Noisy keyboard keys aren’t really bothersome to me but you might have a different tolerance level. There is no solid information to back up the claim, but if I had to guess, I’d say that the mk710 has the quieter keyboard. This is based on what I read from users.

Comfortability

Both of these combos have design features and attributes that makes them more comfortable than your run-of-the-mill alternatives. Both have rubber grips on the mouse and both have cushioned wrist rest.

The design of the mk550 keyboard is said to be “ergonomic” with its wavy design. But users with experience with “true” ergonomic keyboards state something different. This one seems to be somewhat of a hybrid. The wavy design does seem to be appreciated though.

A true ergonomic keyboard is one like the Microsoft Natural Keyboard. It is designed to more naturally align with your hands and wrist. In fact, the keyboard is actually split along the T-G-B and Y-H-N keys (this design might require you to relearn some typing skills).

The incurve or concave keys of the mk710 help your fingers to glide and helps with your typing speed and reduces hand fatigue.

Easy to Set Up

If you use windows 7 or higher then all you have to do is plug in the receiver and both should instantly start working.

Pros and Cons

When it comes to the cons, I only consider a con if it seems to be problem that many users complain about. There will always be random one-off issues that pop up with any product.

MK550 Pros

Very affordable

Very comfortable wave design

Great Customer Service

Great wireless receiver range

Long Battery life

Easy to setup

MK550 Cons

A number of customers found the keyboard to be noisy.

There is no nums lock/caps lock notifier

A number of users experienced keys sticking

MK710 Pros

LCD dashboard icons show you power, scroll, caps, and num-lock

Super-fast scroll

Incurve keys help your fingers glide key to key

Very affordable

Great Customer Service

Great wireless receiver range

Long Battery life

Easy to setup

MK710 Cons

A number of users experienced keys sticking

Warranty

Both combos have a 3-year warranty.