There's no doubt that home and hybrid working has become a larger part of our lives in recent years - and despite encouragement to return to the office – it's here to stay. But while there are benefits to working from home, not everyone has a comfortable and dedicated space to work. So, Logitech is looking to capitalise on that with the Logitech Casa – an all-in-one pop-up desk for home and hybrid workers.
The Logitech Casa offers a laptop stand, wireless keyboard and wireless touchpad that you can fold out and set up in even the smallest spaces. And then, once you've finished work for the day, you can pack it all away into a stylish book cover case that can fit on a shelf or stored out of the way.
Just looking at the whole package, it's an elegant solution for those that work from home and don't want to be swamped with chunky peripherals and cables scattered across kitchen tables or shoved into cupboards. Plus, lifting your laptop up off a desk or kitchen table will improve your posture and comfort.
Both the keyboard and touchpad work over Bluetooth and are large enough to be easy to use but small enough to fit in tight spaces. Battery life is also promised to be impressive, with up to six months on the keyboard and three weeks on the touchpad. Plus, they are cross-compatible with Windows, macOS, iPadOS and Chromebook, so no matter what device you use they will work without issue. And can be customised further with personal shortcuts and hotkeys using the Logi Options+ App.
The Logitech Casa comes in three colours with arty names like Classic Chic, Bohemian Blush and Nordic Calm – that's effectively black, pink and white with a few flourishes. It's available now exclusively at John Lewis in the UK for £179.99 and will also be at select retailers across Australia. A release in other regions is to be confirmed.
Logitech Casa: early impressions
I had a chance to try out the Logitech Casa for a few hours and came away impressed with how easy it was to set up, how natural it felt to use and how cleverly it all packed away into a single smart package.
Flipping open the book cover revealed the keyboard and trackpad sitting flush in their own compartments, with a spare slot for any charging cables or extras you might want to squeeze in. Popping them out was no fuss, then you simply spin the cover around and attach it with the magnets at the base to create the stand. The angle isn't adjustable but sits at a reasonable middle ground that should suit most users and improve your posture compared to hunching over a laptop screen on a flat surface.
When it comes to peripherals, the keyboard offers and pleasant and effortless typing experience. It feels very similar to the fantastic Logitech K380 that I've used a lot in the past, although the keys are more blocky to give a more accurate representation of a standard laptop keyboard.
I had some initial reservations about the touchpad, as they are often fine but finicky and unsatisfying to use. The Casa Touch felt like a premium product and was generally smooth and responsive with all movements, including scrolling and pinching.
Of course, a traditional mouse is always going to be a better choice if you're deep in more tactile tasks such as working on Excel spreadsheets or doing some photo editing. Yet, it served its purpose well for general use and felt more flexible with the option to position it anywhere on the desk rather than being rooted to the centre of a laptop.
As a long-time freelancer before this job with a decent PC, laptop dock and dual monitor set up at home, I'm clearly not the intended target for the Logitech Casa. Still, I could appreciate where it would be useful for those that don't want to invest in loads of extra tech or do not have a dedicated home office space.
For £180 it feels a little on the pricey side, but not entirely unreasonable for what you get. You could certainly pick up a laptop stand, wireless mouse and wireless keyboard separately for a fraction of the cost. But if the idea of packing up and hiding away your work stuff at the end of the day appeals to clear your space or your mind then the Logitech Casa is a smart and unique solution.
