Gaming remains a big part of my life, even now. While I don’t have as much time as I used to, I still like to fire up Overwatch, try my luck with a chicken dinner with PUBG, and die an absurd amount in Escape From Tarkov. When I’m at my laptop, what I’ll generally have in my right hand is the Logitech G602 wireless gaming mouse. It has served me well, and when I got a chance to review its successor, the G603, I jumped on the chance, being such a fan of its older brother.
Design: 4/5
The design of the G603 is extremely generic. It’s symmetrically built, save for two buttons only righties can use, and has a large, curved top shell that works about as well in a full palm grip as it does with a claw grip. The plastic used is a finely textured matte gray on the top, and black on the sides, with two shiny black remappable buttons on the left side, and a DPS button on the top. The mouse wheel is rubberized, and has positive feedback when spun, though doesn’t toggle left and right. The underside of the unit has the power switch which also serves to select high-, and low-power mode, a pairing button, and the sensor. To reach the dongle and the batteries, one simply has to pop off the top magnetized cover. It was designed for durability, and doesn’t seem like it will wear out in short order.
Hardware: 4/5
The heart of the G603 is the new HERO sensor, which offers great resolution, allows for fast polling, and generally better performance than the G602, with ridiculously increased endurance. The G603 can interface with your device with the included dongle, for fast, lag-free connectivity, or Bluetooth, for a more convenient, no-plug experience. It is powered by two AA batteries that rest under the main shell, and has two friction reducing pads fore and aft, below the unit.
User Experience: 4/5
The G603 would have gotten a perfect score if not for a decrease in the number of buttons available. Some of the games I play have complicated functions bound to multiple keypresses, so having extra buttons within easy reach is a huge plus. Fortunately, this is somewhat made up for by performance that’s as fast as wired mice, in my own non-professional gamer experience.
Comfort levels are up there as well. I play with a very loose palm grip, and tend to still use my fingers for finer movements, but even then, the mouse sits perfectly in the palm of my hand. There’s not tiredness at the wrist from awkward hand positioning, and it’s light enough to move around the table with speed, precision, and ease.
Battery life is absurd. With a rater 1500 hours of use on endurance mode, and about half that on performance mode, this is a device that really takes its time with the batteries you put in there. I expect not to have to change batteries for well over a year of daily use. It might as well be wired.
Configuration of the buttons can still be done with the Logitech PC app, which is the same for all their other devices, and more than convenient enough for me.
The icing on the cake here though is the Bluetooth connectivity. Should you leave your dongle in another device, or have no need for the ultra-fast wireless connection, you can just switch to Bluetooth mode, and connect that way. There’s no real perceptible difference in daily use, and I have been using Bluetooth connectivity more and more, just for the convenience. And just like its predecessor, it’ll work with just one AA battery if you need it to!
Value: 4/5
At USD 70, it’s not cheap, but it’s much more affordable than other gaming mice out there, has superb battery life, and a few extra tricks up its sleeve, such as additional connectivity options. Overall, pretty good value.
Bottomline:
This is a great all-around, do it all kind of wireless mouse.
Also published in GADGETS MAGAZINE May 2018 Issue.
Reviewed by Ren Alcantara