EVER since I transitioned to a lightweight wireless mouse earlier this year in the form of the Logitech G Pro X Superlight, I’ve been quite invested in the lightweight mice scene.
Keen to see what else was out there, I came across the Aerox 5 Wireless, a new lightweight gaming mouse by SteelSeries that not only weighs just 74 grams, but also has raft of nifty features that see it challenge my beloved Superlight for the title of my personal favourite gaming mouse of all time.
In order to trim the overall weight of the mouse down, the Aerox 5 Wireless features the honeycomb hole design that is commonplace across the majority of lightweight mice. At a measly 74 grams, the Aerox 5 Wireless manages not only to feel light and comfortable in hand, but also has additional physical niceties such as RGB lighting and 9 programmable buttons, which can both be customised to your heart’s content via the SteelSeries GG client.
The SteelSeries GG software can be used to do an array of different things, such as capture gameplay clips or manage your audio devices. When it comes to mice however, it allows you to easily adjust aspects of the device such as its sensitivity, button actions, and illumination. It provides a welcome amount of customisation for those who want to get into the weeds tinkering their mouse, but at the same time is a bit buggy, as I often had moments where the app just froze on me when I wanted to perform a basic task such as entering the illumination settings. Overall though, SteelSeries GG client is a welcome tool that gives you the freedom to play your way.
Unlike plenty of mice on the market these days that still clutch onto the outdated and finicky port that is Micro USB like their lives depend on it, the SteelSeries Aerox 5 Wireless has USB-C charging, which not only means you’ll never plug in the charger incorrectly, but also provides USB-C’s greatest benefit which is its superior charging speed.
SteelSeries say that 15 minutes of charging the Aerox 5 Wireless will give you roughly 40 hours of usage, which is frankly ridiculous in the best possible way. You also needn’t worry too much regarding its honeycomb hole design and the potential damage caused by dust, dirt and water, as the Aerox 5 Wireless coined IP54 “AquaBarrier Protection” protects its precious internal circuitry.
Yet another advantage of the SteelSeries Aerox 5 Wireless is the fact it supports wireless connectivity across both Bluetooth and its included 2.4GHz USB-C wireless dongle. As someone who constantly toggles between my desktop PC and other devices such as my home and work laptops, the flexibility provided by the Aerox 5 is yet another huge positive in its favour, making it not only a easily transportable gaming mouse, but a worthwhile everyday normal use mouse as well.
It’s truly impressive that the Aerox 5 Wireless manages to pack as much as it does within its porous 74 gram matte black body, but does it actually feel good to play with/use? The answer to that is a resounding yes.
Despite having 9 programmable buttons, the Aerox 5 Wireless manages to still feel like a rather simplistic and easy to maneuver mouse. It’s multiple side buttons have a satisfying click and are easily accessible, and the button placed below the scroll allows for fast adjustment of the mouse’s sensitivity.
I haven’t played a heap of competitive games lately, but I did test the mouse out in a match of Counter-Strike: Global Offensive, where it and myself performed very well. I also played plenty of Golfie during my time with the Aerox 5 Wireless. You can check out my review of it here. There were moments where I did miss the noticeably lighter feel of my beloved Superlight, but I still tended to opt for the Aerox 5 Wireless given its clear advantages like USB-C charging and easily adjustable connectivity options.
The Aerox 5 Wireless has plenty of positives, but it does also have some negatives as well. My biggest issue with the mouse is the battery life, which probably sounds like an interesting complaint given the advertised battery life of up to 180 hours on either the 2.4GHz or Bluetooth modes. I never once got anywhere near the recommended time out of my mouse, often having to charge the thing back from 5% battery life to 100% every 2-3 days. My day job involves constant working at the computer so I can understand my daily time spent with a mouse is probably greater than most, but even then, it’s pretty disappointing to see it struggle to get near what it touts. I also found the USB-C receiver to be a bit hit or miss in terms of it actually working in some instances. More often than not I had to unplug and plug the dongle back in numerous times before it picked up, an issue that also seemed to happen with the Aerox 9 Wireless mouse I’ve been playing around with also. I’m not sure if these are issues that may be alleviated in future by a software update, but they are minor annoyances that let down what is otherwise a fantastic piece of technology.
With price hovering between $230-$270 when not on special, the Aerox 5 Wireless is undoubtedly expensive, but still finds itself priced similarly to arguably its most prominent direct competitor in the form of the Logitech G Pro X Superlight.
Although I do prefer the more traditional form factor and lighter weight of the Superlight, the Aerox 5 wireless offers up a solution to all the shortcomings I had with the Logitech mouse I’ve been using for months on end, like USB-C charging, more programmable buttons and the option of Bluetooth and USB-C.
I haven’t yet been able to determine if it’s going to replace my Superlight as my everyday mouse in the long run, but there’s no denying that the SteelSeries Aerox 5 Wireless is a fantastic and durable lightweight mouse that is worthy of its price tag.
#gameonAUS
Written by: @GrumpyGoron
