Elgato Key Light Mini vs Logitech Litra Glow
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Quick Comparison
Specifications
Build Quality
Controls
Software
Performance
Verdict
Quick Comparison
The Elgato Key Light Mini is brighter and produces softer light than the Logitech Litra Glow. It also has a rechargeable battery. However, the Litra Glow can be mounted to a monitor unlike the Key Light Mini which needs an external mount.
In short, the Litra Glow is a better option out the box for use at a desk. The Key Light Mini is better for traditional camera work on the go where you can utilize it’s 1/4th inch threading for various mounts and take advantage of its 4000 mAh battery.
Specifications
Elgato Key Light Mini
Maximum brightness: 800 lumens
Color temperature: 2900 -7000 Kelvin.
Color Rendering Index: 94
Dimensions: 147 x 100 x 17 mm (5.79 x 3.39 x 0.67 inches)
Weight: 300 grams (0.66 lbs)
Battery: 4000 mAh, rechargeable. Stated to last 4 hours at 50% brightness.
Personally, I got over 2 hours of use out of the Key Light Mini at full brightness by the time it got to half. And it fully recharged from 0 with the AC adapter in just 1 hour. Alternatively, the Key Light Mini can be powered using a USB connection.
2.4 and 5 GHz wifi connectivity allows the Key Light Mini to be controlled through a phone or computer. Physical controls are on the device as well, and I'll get into those in a later section.
Logitech Litra Glow
Maximum brightness: 250 lumens
Color temperature: 2700 - 6500 Kelvin.
Color Rendering Index: 93
Dimensions (without mount): 90.5 x 90.5 x 27.5 mm (3.56 x 3.56 x 1.08 inches)
Weight: 99 grams (without mount), 177 grams (with mount).
There's no battery inside and there is no wifi connectivity on the Litra Glow. Instead it's USB powered and can be controlled through the Logitech G Hub software.
Physical controls are on the back of the Litra Glow as well.
Comparison Table
| Attribute | Key Light Mini | Litra Glow |
|---|---|---|
| Max Brightness | 800 lumens | 250 lumens |
| Color Temperature | 2900 - 7000 Kelvin | 2700 - 6500 Kelvin |
| Weight | 300 grams | 177 grams |
| Panel Dimensions | 147 x 100 x 17 mm | 90.5 x 90.5 x 27.5 mm |
| Battery | 4000 mAh, rechargeable | none |
| App controllable? | Desktop and phone app (wifi) | Logitech G Hub (USB) |
Build Quality
Key Light Mini
Key Light Mini mounted inside my Elgato Ring Light since it doesn’t come with a mount or stand in the box.
Back plate of the Key Light Mini.
The Key Light Mini has a metal frame on the outside. The rest of it feels plastic, but I’m not 100% sure of the material. The back plate is magnetic. The 1/4th inch threading on the bottom lets you mount it to tripods and other accessories, but not directly to a monitor.
The Key Light Mini’s USB-C to A cable is 78 inches long.
Litra Glow
The monitor mount isn’t very secure.
The monitor mount can be extended vertically.
The Litra Glow is all plastic and it's a frankly cheap build. Still, the presence of a monitor mount gives it the advantage over the Key Light Mini in out-the-box convenience.
Although you can extend the mount’s length, you cannot adjust the clamp to be more snug. Any slight pull of the wire - such as when you're plugging it in - could make it fall off a monitor.
1/4th inch threading on the Litra Glow.
The Litra Glow’s mount can be twisted off which will reveal its 1/4th inch threading for use on a tripod or other stand. However, there's no battery inside and the included USB-C to A cable is really short at 1.5 meters (4.92 feet). So removing the mount isn’t super useful.
I’ll cover the controls more in-depth shortly, but the actual buttons on the Litra Glow give a satisfying click when pressed. The Key Light Mini has a jog wheel that can be held up, down, or pressed in, but it’s quite mushy feeling.
Overall, the Key Light Mini is a more sturdy device due to its metal frame, but I prefer the conventional buttons on the Litra Glow.
Controls
Controls on the Key Light Mini (left) and Litra Glow.
The physical controls feel better to press and are more responsive on the Litra Glow, but they offer slighly less control than the Key Light Mini. On the Litra Glow, there are 5 tactile buttons with functions to turn the device on or off, change the brightness, or change the color temperature.
There's not as much granular control available on the device itself as you get with Logitech G Hub. For example, you can only cycle between 5 different color temperature presets from the coolest to warmest instead of a complete slider.
The Key Light Mini has a jog wheel to control its functions.
You hold it up or down to change the brightness. Clicking it in swaps the mode to color temperature, so you can then hold up or down to change the Kelvin value of the light.
Unfortunately, the physical controls of the Key Light Mini aren't super responsive. It can take 7-8 seconds to get from minimum to max brightness or color temp since it’s not a true sliding wheel.
You can tap the power button to see how much of a charge you have, but it takes a few seconds of holding that button it to actually turn on.
The advantage of the Key Light Mini’s jog wheel is it has more granularity of brightness and color temperature compared to the Litra glow’s buttons.
Software
Both of these lights can be controlled through software, but both software solutions have issues….
Elgato Control Center
Elgato Control Center is great, but only when it decides to work. The Key Light Mini’s wifi connection pairs faster during its initial setup than Elgato’s other lights, but the phone app is still shaky. It takes a long time to load, and it constantly loses connection with paired lights.
The desktop app only recently started working for me after being completely broken for months. When you do get everything working, the Key Light Mini can have its color temperature and brightness adjusted with a slider in the software.
The Elgato Control Center Desktop app is a system tray menu.
The power button in the apps puts the light into a standby mode. It’s not truly off, and it’s still draining the battery while waiting to be activated again.
The Key Light Mini can also be controlled with the Elgato Stream Deck, but I don't have one yet myself, so I can’t say more about that.
Logitech G Hub
Logitech G Hub is just bad software. I updated it twice and it still wouldn't detect my Litra Glow, so I had to do a fresh install. Even after I did, the software was super buggy and the controls would move completely on their own.
Close up of G Hub.
Reacting to the G Hub controls moving by themselves.
The preview window in the software is also suspect. By default, G Hub automatically (and without asking permission) selects a video capture device or webcam to use as a preview to show what your light’s effect will have on you.
While it hogs this device, you cannot use it in other applications until you close the preview. This means while you have G Hub open and are adjusting your settings based on the preview you can see, your webcam or camera is unable to be used in Zoom or OBS.
Elgato’s Control Center is more stable so it gets the win in the software category, but it’s still inconsistent.
Performance
I tested both of these lights in various conditions with both my Elgato Facecam and Sony ZV-1. In the following shots, the Elgato Key Light Mini is placed to the left of the shot (my right) and the Litra Glow is on the right.
Although I did not note the light’s Kelvin value setting for each shot, I took stills in a wide range of color temperature settings to demonstrate them.
Day time
The performance of these lights mostly mirror the specifications.
The Key Light Mini shines significantly brighter at 800 lumens versus the Litra Glow's 250. In the day time, they both perform well enough for video conferencing purposes, but the Key Light Mini will leave you much more well lit.
For YouTube or Twitch, I’d much rather have the Key Light Mini, but when considering the cost of an external mount, it would be better to get the Key Light Air which I have also reviewed.
The differences between these lights is more apparent in a dark room.
Night time
These lights are not ideal in an otherwise pitch black room, but with high enough exposure settings on your camera or webcam, the shot is passable. With a bit of overhead room lighting, these can illuminate the subject quite well.
That said, neither light is a true substitute for a large ring light or other lighting setup. The uneven and concentrated lighting from only one angle will still give off that "ghost stories at night" look. Especially with the Litra Glow. But it's a massive improvement from no light or just a room light.
Diffusion
Both lights have different diffusion systems that make them relatively easy on the eyes and spread light across the room well. The Litra Glow has several layers that the front facing LEDs have to go through, while the Key Light Mini uses edge lighting and a reflective surface inside.
When it comes to softness of light, the Key Light Mini gets the win. As shown in the above images, it fills in and hides fine lines by creating less contrasty shadows. The Litra Glow makes it hard to hide your age unless you have another light source filling in some of the darker areas. Every crease stands out.
Outdoors (Key Light Mini)
The Key Light Mini is excellent for vloggers. It won't do anything in direct sunlight, but in the shade or indoors it can transform a bad or unusable lighting environment into an absolutely amazing shot.
Key Light Mini on a C-bracket.
In summary, the Key Light Mini is a much better performing light in terms of brightness, softness, and lighting a wider area.
Verdict
For use at a desk, I recommend the Logitech Litra Glow. Its light isn't as bright or as soft as the Key Light Mini, but you can actually mount it to your monitor. It’s great for those on a tight budget.
For traditional camera work such as photography or vlogs, I recommend the Elgato Key Light Mini. The Litra Glow isn't even competing with it in this space because it doesn’t have a battery.
The performance of the Key Light Mini from brightness, softness, color temperature is very good when compared to other on-camera lights.
Product Listings
Elgato Key Light Mini: https://amzn.to/3K5EKUd
Logitech Litra Glow: https://amzn.to/3J4W0rB
