SteelSeries has updated the faulty mouse under the name Aerox 3 2022 Edition in an effort to address all of the complaints it has received. The wireless version of the SteelSeries Aerox 5 is a portable, multi-genre gaming mouse called the SteelSeries Aerox 5. It contains five side buttons, a dedicated CPI button behind the scroll wheel, and a plastic shell with diamond-shaped cuts to lessen overall weight. This mouse has the same sensor and the same right-handed shape as the wired version, but you can use a USB receiver or Bluetooth to connect it wirelessly. You can also use the provided cable to recharge the internal battery.
SteelSeries Aerox 5 Wireless review: Design
Although not immediately apparent, we soon discovered ourselves navigating around the SteelSeries Aerox 5’s extreme length. Although there isn’t an immediate sense of weight with this pointer, the longer dome tail and higher buttons soon make their presence known. Here, there is a smooth slope that leads to the back, but we thought it lingered a bit too long. It made the mouse’s butt rest too comfortably on the pad of our palm, making it harder to control in confined spaces. This mouse isn’t made for a fingertip grasp because of its length. Naturally, everything is moulded together with high-grade materials as you might anticipate at that pricing point, providing a persistent sensation of excellence here. The honeycomb shell’s softer-touch material caught our attention in particular. When used for extended periods of time, honeycomb patterns might occasionally feel a touch harsh on the hands. But in this case, we hardly noticed the plastic’s notches, and we even though they provided a pleasant sense of grip. There are three RGB lighting zones here as well, although only one of them is visible from the top—a panel of light that runs underneath the mouse’s back. Although they were wonderful to have, we didn’t pay much attention to RGB settings when playing because we couldn’t notice the effect once our hand was on the mouse and because we valued battery life much more.
Comfort
The SteelSeries Aerox 5 appears to be just another lightweight gaming mouse with holes. But if you look closely, you’ll notice that there’s more going on here. The layout and appearance of this nine-button mouse are interesting. It is actually an ergonomic right-handed mouse with a very attractive design, despite its roughly symmetrical shape. Your thumb can rest comfortably in it because of a small dip on the side of the object. It pushes up into your hand in a wonderfully gratifying way and is also simpler to hold because the frame sits taller than the Aerox 3 does. If you compare the Aerox 3 and Aerox 5, you’ll notice that the Aerox 5 has a little larger frame, larger buttons, and a more pleasing design. You can certainly tell the difference when you play with it. Five buttons, including a cute small silver switch at the front, are within reasonable thumb reach on the side. Interestingly, the biggest of these buttons is an up/down flick switch rather than your typical thumb button. You have to push that down toward the mouse mat or up toward the sky rather than pushing it in as you would a regular button. also, you can check our article on SteelSeries Aerox 5 Wireless review. The flick switch is peculiar and strange. Although we found it difficult to get the hang of, you could potentially use your index finger instead of your thumb when using this mouse. Once you get acclimated to it, we believe it might even be enjoyable. Five buttons, including a cute small silver switch at the front, are within reasonable thumb reach on the side. Interestingly, the biggest of these buttons is an up/down flick switch rather than your typical thumb button. You have to push that down toward the mouse mat or up toward the sky rather than pushing it in as you would a regular button.
SteelSeries Aerox 5 Wireless review: Connectivity
Both a wireless USB Type-C dongle for quick connections and a wireless adaptor that turns the wire into a USB Type-A charger are included with the SteelSeries Aerox 5 Wireless. Installing the SteelSeries GG application, which has a number of features including a battery life tracker and options to change mouse performance, is also possible after plugging in the dongle. Additionally, there is RGB lighting, which, although not essential, is a lovely addition that cheers up what might otherwise be a tense gaming session. A speedier connection between the mouse and PC while travelling is made possible by the Aerox 5’s usage of Bluetooth 5.0, which eliminates the need for a dongle. Additionally, every mouse includes a USB Type-C charging cable, which not only guarantees incredibly quick charge speeds but also lets you continue using the mouse normally while you wait for a complete charge.
Battery life
With the Aerox 5, SteelSeries promises up to 180 hours of nonstop play, but that’s with a Bluetooth 5.0 connection. According to our research, you can expect to use Quantum 2.0 wireless for about 40 hours before needing to recharge. At least with the default settings. To maximise battery life, you can modify the SteelSeries GG software’s battery efficiency settings. To further enhance it, you can completely turn off the RGB if illumination isn’t important to you. you can read our article on SteelSeries Aerox 5 Wireless review. The Aerox 5 boasts fast charging capabilities, which is fantastic news, and you can use it to game while it charges as well. It’s extremely impressive that you can get up to 40 hours of battery life from just 15 minutes of charging when you plug in the USB-C cable. When you do need to plug in the USB-C cable, it doesn’t pose any problems because it is floppy and flexible thanks to its excellent mesh construction. It’s important to note that the 2.4GHz dongle that is included is also USB-C. There’s no need to worry, though, if your computer or gaming laptop doesn’t have a USB-C connection; an adaptor is provided in the box that you can use to connect the mouse through USB-A and increase the dongle’s range.
SteelSeries Aerox 5 Wireless review: Performance
The SteelSeries Aerox 5 Wireless gaming mouse provides the performance that every gamer deserves thanks to its SteelSeries TrueMove Air optical sensor, SteelSeries mechanical switches, and configurable polling and DPI rates. Once set to your preferences, the mouse responded quickly and accurately without missing or mis clicking. We had zero performance concerns while using the mouse for Windows applications like Photoshop and Lightroom, Heroes of the Storm, or Call of Duty: Warzone. In fact, because to the added side buttons, it quickly became our preferred mouse for productivity as well. Since we frequently spend a lot of time in Photoshop, having the ability to link five distinct actions to the side buttons dramatically sped up our workflow. As far as we are aware, the Pixart 3335 sensor used in the SteelSeries TrueMove Air is a sensor. Once more, it is the same as the HyperX Pulsefire Haste, and SteelSeries also used it for the Prime Wireless mouse. Due to several modifications, it won’t work exactly like those mice, but it will be comparable. Even if this Pixart 3335 variant is not regarded as one of the best gaming mice sensors available, most users won’t be aware of it. With the exception of a little wake-up period and the preset lift-off distance, this sensor works perfectly. We played a lot of Overwatch on the Aerox 5, and we had a great time doing so. We don’t even need to change how we hold the object because of the shape’s extreme comfort. It is not a one-trick pony because it performed admirably in dota2 and Path of Exile as well. The distraction caused by all those holes, especially if you utilize a claw grip, could be a problem. Simply put, there isn’t enough room on the major buttons for your fingers without sticking them in the holes, which might be aggravating for certain people.
Price
At $140 (about £115/AU$197), the SteelSeries Aerox 5 Wireless is somewhat expensive compared to other gaming mice. One of the most expensive gaming mouse brands is SteelSeries, and it makes sense considering all the features and mechanics that go into its construction. SteelSeries ships to numerous locations, including the UK and Australia, therefore the availability is quite diverse. However, the cost is only given in US dollars, which is a problem. You won’t know the precise charge, aside from the UK’s VAT fees, until the transaction is over.
Conclusion
Although it doesn’t have quite as many side buttons as some dedicated MMO gaming mice, the SteelSeries Aerox 5 Wireless is still a very good MMO gaming mouse. However, you may use the customization software to reprogramme every button on it. Though it’s best suited for larger hands, the construction quality is excellent, and the mouse has a comfortable right-handed shape. It performs admirably, with excellent click latency and a wide CPI range. Sadly, the set CPI can’t be altered as accurately as it can on many other high-end gaming mice.
