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Logitech Adds Harmony Smart Keyboard to Universal Remote Mix

Will Greenwald
 & Will Greenwald Principal Writer, Consumer Electronics

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Logitech on Tuesday announced the Harmony Smart Keyboard, a new universal remote system that adds a wireless keyboard to the mix.

Logitech's Harmony line of universal remotes has evolved a lot in the last few years, moving on from conventional (albeit programmable) push-button remotes to touch screen-equipped remotes to infrared blaster hubs you can control with your smartphone or tablet. Harmony is going a step further by adding many more buttons than ever before, arranged in that familiar QWERTY layout we all know and love.

The Harmony Smart Keyboard adds a wireless keyboard to Logitech's Harmony Hub, letting users input text easily. The included Harmony Hub allows smartphone or tablet control of home theater devices through Logitech's iOS and Android Harmony apps, and the keyboard itself has several multiple-use keys that double as playback control, volume control, menu navigation, and even game controller buttons.

The keyboard can function as a stand-alone universal remote through the Harmony Hub, and includes three Activity buttons that can be programmed with six multiple-device activities to activate and set the keyboard to control specific devices for watching television, movies, playing games, or anything else you might do with your HDTV.

The keyboard includes two USB receivers which can be connected to your PC or game system to add text input. Several media hubs like the Roku 2 and Apple TV can also accept typing through infrared commands sent by the Harmony Hub. The keyboard supports the Xbox One, Xbox 360, and PlayStation 3 game systems.

The Harmony Smart Keyboard is the first smartphone- and tablet-controlled Harmony device that is set up and programmed entirely through your mobile device of choice. Previous Harmony remotes, like the Harmony Ultimate, required a USB connection to a computer for the remote to be set up through Logitech's Harmony Web app. The mobile device setup should make configuring and changing remote settings much more convenient.

The Logitech Harmony Smart Keyboard ships later this month with a suggested retail price of $149.99. Keep an eye on PCMag.com for our full review of the remote.

About Our Expert

Will Greenwald

Will Greenwald

Principal Writer, Consumer Electronics

My Experience

I’m PCMag’s home theater and AR/VR expert, and your go-to source of information and recommendations for game consoles and accessories, smart displays, smart glasses, smart speakers, soundbars, TVs, and VR headsets. I’m an ISF-certified TV calibrator and THX-certified home theater technician, I've served as a CES Innovation Awards judge, and while Bandai hasn’t officially certified me, I’m also proficient at building Gundam plastic models up to MG-class. I also enjoy genre fiction writing, and my urban fantasy novel, Alex Norton, Paranormal Technical Support, is currently available on Amazon.

The Technology I Use

Where to start? I have a standard IT-issued Lenovo Thinkpad for writing and editing, supplemented with an iPad Air and an 8Bitdo Retro Keyboard when I want to write on the go. I also have a Lenovo Legion Go as a platform for running Portrait Displays’ Calman software and controlling the Klein K-10A colorimeter, Murideo SIX-G signal generator, and Leo Bodnar 4K Video Signal Lag Tester I use for testing TVs. 

For gaming, I use a Nintendo Switch 2, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X, and a GeForce 5080-equipped MSI gaming laptop. I like collecting retro games as well, and have an Analogue Pocket and a ton of classic consoles and portables. Photography is another interest, and I use a Sony A7 IV when I’m shooting products and events, and a Fujifilm X-Pro3 for my own attempts at visual creativity. And for reading and writing, I’ve become partial to the Kobo Sage for books and the ReMarkable 2 with Type Folio.

When it comes to phones and tablets, I’m pretty platform-agnostic. I use a Google Pixel 8 for my phone and an iPad Air for a tablet. Android, iOS, and iPadOS are all totally fine, but I need a Windows PC. MacOS just isn’t for me.

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