I’ll start this review by saying I love Logitech’s G502x Plus wireless mouse. It’s easily the best mouse I’ve used.
Packed with advanced features like a DPI (dots-per-inch) shifter, 13 programmable buttons, tactile Lightforce switches in the clickers, a dual-mode scroll wheel and a great design, it’s a beast.
Primarily, this is a gaming mouse, but it’s also good for office-type work. Whether I was navigating crafting menus in New World, dogfighting in Star Citizen or twitch shooting in Hell Let Loose, it stood up to the tasks. It has a nice, balanced, ergonomic design and the ability to bind virtually any control to one of its plethora of inputs, via the Logitech G Hub software, is first class.
This isn’t a mouse for everyone, though. Those with small hands may find it a bit big, and if you’re someone who uses a claw or fingertip technique to operate your mouse, it’s going to be a tad uncomfortable.
With that said, if you have larger hands and tend to rest your palm on the top of your mouse, the G502x Plus is one of the premium options on the market, and you’ll love it. Just be prepared to pay a premium price.
Price
The G502x Plus costs $279. This puts it at the top of the price range for wireless gaming mice, along with the $279 Razer Viper V2 Pro and the $298 Steelseries Aerox 9 wireless.
Design
The G502x Plus is a great-looking mouse. It boasts a futuristic and sleek design that won’t go unnoticed but isn’t brash. It comes in two colours, white/grey and black, with the former being the standout.
This is a large mouse measuring 131.4mm (H) x 41.1mm (W) x 79.2mm (D). Those with smaller hands will find it big. To put that into perspective, the previous mouse I was using, the SteelSeries Prime, measured 125.3mm (H) x 42.4mm (W) x 23mm (D), and it felt significantly smaller.
This is an ergonomic wireless mouse weighing a reasonable 106g. It’s not the lightest mouse on the market but it’s easy to use and has a durable feel. Unfortunately for left-handers, there is no left-handed version here.
The length of the mouse and the gentle gradient in the body lends itself well to users who adopt a palm mouse grip. It isn’t great for claw or fingertip techniques. Fortunately, I have long fingers, so it suited me nicely, but if you don’t hold a mouse with your hand lying on top of the shell, it will take some getting used to.
On the left and right sides, there are rubberised grips to keep your hand in place. These large areas grip your thumb on the left side and your pinky and ring finger on the right. I appreciated this, especially as I’m quite thumb-intensive when using my mouse. It never slipped out of my hand and always gave me a firm grip on it, even when performing fast FPS-like movements.
I could comfortably use the G502x Plus all day. The fin protruding out the mouse’s left was a significant reason for that. This acted as a platform to rest the side of my thumb on. It seems like a minor feature but coming from a mouse that didn’t have this; I instantly noticed a difference in comfort.
Towards the rear of the body, RGB lights are scored into the shell, making it look like they’re coming from underneath. It’s a unique design that feels natural as opposed to forced. The RGB lights are bright and can be customised between 16.8 million colours to match your preferred lighting setup. And, of course, these can be synced with other Logitech products as well.
The RGB lights support what Logitech calls “active play detection”, which will turn the RGB lights off when your hand is covering the mouse in order to conserve battery.
The mouse comes with 13 programmable buttons, and it’s spaced nicely. A few highlights are the DPI up/down buttons to the left of the left click, the scroll wheel being able to go in four directions, not just two and the DPI shifter near the thumb (more on this below).
The mouse clickers utilise Logitech’s own Lightforce Switches. These are designed to have the responsiveness of an optical switch and the feel of a mechanical switch. The results are impressive. Clicking feels excellent; it’s crisp, tactile and responsive.
Features
If you’re wondering what the difference is between a $100 gaming mouse and a $279 mouse like the G502x Plus, it’s usually the features. In this regard, the G502x Plus doesn’t disappoint. It’s packed with advanced features and controls that enhance the “premium” mouse experience you’d expect from a $279 mouse.
The G502x Plus utilises the HERO 25K Optical Sensor. It’s accurate and highly responsive; I never had any issues with tracking or accuracy. It allows for a maximum DPI of 25,600, which is impressive. It means it’s more accurate than something like the SteelSeries Prime with its 18K CPI rating.
It’s also a very efficient sensor, boasting a 10x improvement in power efficiency over its predecessor. Using an intelligent power management system, the HERO constantly adjusts frame rates based on the movement of the mouse. If you’re moving it a lot, the frame rate increases and uses more power. If you’re not using it much, it decreases to use less energy. This means more battery, and more battery is always good in a wireless mouse.
To add to the speed, the G502x Plus is compatible with Logitech’s Lightspeed wireless delivery. This delivers low-latency performance via a small USB-A dongle, and it felt just as responsive using the mouse wirelessly as it does plugged in. Yes, you can use the G502x Plus while plugged in via a USB-A to USB-C cable.
On the left side of the mouse, there’s a DPI-Shift button. I loved this feature. Holding this button down allows you to switch between two DPI settings of your choosing. Playing first-person shooters like Hell Let Loose, this truly came into its own. By holding down the shifter, I could instantaneously slow down my mouse’s responsiveness. I used this most when sniping or doing something that needed more precise movements. Then release the button to go back to the default DPI setting. It’s a game changer, and you can easily set the two values on the Logitech G Hub app.
The G Hub app is one of the best software for peripheral customisation. The app is easy to use and, most importantly, has a massive range of customisation capabilities. You can change mouse sensitivity from 100 to 25,600DPI, customise the RGB lights and alter mouse inputs exactly how you want. The possibilities are endless here.
Customising the mouse controls was ideal, especially for games like Microsoft Flight Simulator or Star Citizen, where there are many different commands throughout the game. Also, you can save the settings per game/program. Set your profile for Squad, then change to your New World profile, and the commands change. It’s simple, easy and helpful.
Another physical feature I appreciated was the Dual-Mode scroll wheel. A button behind the scroll wheel lets you change the scroll from free flow to fixed. Free flow is much faster with less drag, perfect for bunny hopping on Counter Strike or scrolling large spreadsheets. Fixed adds a bit more resistance and is better for more precise movements. It works well.
Battery
The G502x Plus achieves up to 130 hours of battery with RGB turned off and 37 hours set to always on. It’s decent.
Verdict
There isn’t much Logitech’s G502x Plus doesn’t work well with. Fast-paced twitch shooters a la Overwatch 2, slower-paced MMORPGs like Star Citizen, strategy games like Total War Warhammer 3 and simulators like Microsoft Flight Simulator. It works well with it all.
It looks great, has a highly accurate HERO 25K Optical Sensor, has advanced inputs like the DPI-shifter and the Dual-Mode scroll wheel, and has a comfortable design and crisp clickers. It’s the whole package.
These sorts of things do come at a price, though and it’s a tough ask paying $279 for a gaming mouse. It’s also big, so people with smaller hands might find it uncomfortable.
But if you use a palm grip and have the money, you won’t be disappointed by Logitech’s G502x Plus.