Tom's Hardware Verdict
While the SteelSeries Aerox 3 Wireless Gen 2 isn’t the best-performing mouse on the market, it’s one of the flashiest.
Pros
- +
Very bright RGB
- +
Semi-translucent design
- +
PTFE feet
- +
Satisfying switches
- +
Ironically, water-proof
Cons
- -
Software demands your email address
- -
2.4 GHz tracking issues
- -
Battery life isn't great if you use the lighting, which is great
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In 2001, a Danish company with the name of “Soft Trading” released the ICEMAT - a simple, yet effective mousepad. Six years later, the company became what we know today as SteelSeries. SteelSeries is now known for a variety of gaming peripherals, such as the Arctis Nova Pro Wireless — a headset known for its fantastic noise cancellation for gaming and media — but its roots are in the best gaming mice (or, well, mouse-related things).
The SteelSeries Aerox 3 Wireless Gen 2 is the company's latest gaming mouse to go on those mouse pads. The Aerox 3 is a lightweight mouse, with bright colors and loud yet satisfying switches. It's also one of the few lightweight mice that still sports the perforated design that was trendy a few years back but has since been mostly abandoned in favor of ultra-lightweight plastic. The Aerox 3 Wireless Gen 2 is available in three colors — Magenta Haze (pink), Shadow (black), and Ghost (white), for an MSRP of $110. That $110 price tag makes it a little competitive — competitive enough to take a deeper look at, anyway.
Design and Comfort of the Aerox 3 Wireless Gen 2
The SteelSeries Aerox 3 Wireless Gen 2 is a lightweight, colorful, honeycomb-style gaming mouse with lots of RGB, a semi-translucent shell, up to a 4,000 Hz polling rate, a 26,000 DPI sensor, mechanical switches, and PTFE skates for $110.
First things first, I want to discuss the color of the SteelSeries Aerox 3, because it’s truly my favorite part of this mouse. We received the Magenta Haze version and it took me back to the days of translucent controllers and consoles in the late ‘90s. Even with the RGB disabled, the mouse looks great and just makes you feel good.
Despite having a honeycomb construction, the Aerox 3 features an IPS4-rated design called “AquaBarrier,” which will protect the mouse against spills and dust. Honeycomb mice have never really been my favorite — I feel like the design has been beaten to death, and is more of a gimmick than anything given how light non-perforated mice are these days.The brand-new Logitech G Pro X2 Superstrike, for example, has no holes and weighs just 61g — 7g less than the Aerox 3's 68g weight. But while I personally don't see the appeal of the design, I know some people love it.
Aesthetics aside, I found the SteelSeries Aerox 3 to be a very comfortable mouse. The Aerox 3’s dimensions are as follows: 2.64 inches (67mm) wide, 4.74 inches (120.5mm) tall and 1.49 (37.8mm) deep. Not the largest mouse on the market, but on the larger side in general. For perspective, I have pretty large hands, so if you do as well then you’ll probably find this mouse to be pretty comfortable.
Underneath the colorful shell are the loudest switches I have used in any gaming mouse before — and I love it. The clicks aren't obnoxiously loud, but they’re certainly audible — and very satisfying. They're rated for up to 80 million clicks, so you should be set for many years.
What I didn't like about this mouse was its sensor. I didn't hate it, but I found the TRUEMOVE 26K optical sensor to be sluggish and a little awkward-feeling. This was surprising, because the Aerox 3 Wireless' software is full of features to help you fine-tune the mouse, yet I just couldn't get it to feel right. When I was using the 2.4GHz connection, I noticed my cursor would almost lock up just before I went to click on something. Needless to say, this was very frustrating. Fortunately (sort of), this wasn't an issue over the Bluetooth connection.
As you might expect, the bright, awesome-looking RGB means a lower battery life. SteelSeries rates the Aerox 3 Wireless' battery life at 120 hours over a 2.4GHz wireless connection and 200 hours over Bluetooth. Of course, this decreases as you add lighting and up the polling rate. When I had RGB and Bluetooth enabled, I noticed the battery dropped about 10% every three hours, which wasn't too bad. The mouse also charges quite fast, so you shouldn't have too much trouble keeping this mouse working wirelessly.
Specs
Sensor Model | TRUEMOVE |
Max Sensitivity | 26,000 |
Max Speed (IPS) | 400 |
Max Acceleration (Gs) | 40 |
Polling Rates | 1,000 - 4,000 Hz (with dongle) |
Programmable Buttons | 5 |
LED Zones | 0 |
Cable | Braid |
Connectivity | Wired or wireless |
Measurements (L x W x H) | 2.64 inches (67mm), 4.74 inches (120.5mm), 1.49 (37.8mm) |
Weight (excluding cable) | 68g |
MSRP / Price at Time of Review | $110 |
Release Date | Out now!! |
Performance & Software of the Aerox 3 Wireless
The SteelSeries Aerox 3 is powered by SteelSeries' “GG” software (which is named after the classic text chat slang for "good game," I assume). The GG software is good, but frustrating. Upon booting up the software, you’re asked to enter your email address to utilize its unique features, such as Sonar, Moments and 3D Aim Trainer. Sonar is basically an audio mixer for your headset to make it easier to identify enemies in-game, Moments is for capturing clips, and 3D Aim Trainer does what you think — it helps you improve your accuracy.
As mentioned earlier, the Aerox 3's sensor is a bit sluggish. I usually set my DPI to 1,900 but with the SteelSeries Aerox 3 Wireless Gen 2, I had to bump it up to 2,000 — which is a pretty significant increase. I also had tracking issues when I was utilizing the 2.4GHz wireless connection. It was almost like the cursor was locked to only horizontal and vertical movements. Fortunately, this issue didn't happen when I was connected via Bluetooth or USB-C, but it's definitely concerning given that 2.4GHz wireless is going to be most people's primary connection with this mouse.
During my testing I racked up a few hours on Ready or Not, which is a tactical, SWAT-style FPS that calls for strategic movements, quick reaction, and every button on the mouse. Despite my issues with tracking, I never experienced any issues in-game — I had no issues snapping to targets and calling for my squad mates to secure the perimeter.
The Bottom Line
The SteelSeries Aerox 3 Wireless Gen 2 is a nice-looking mouse — even though I'm not a fan of the honeycomb design, the semi-translucent bright magenta shell makes this mouse pop, especially if you have the RGB lighting enabled.
But looks aren't everything, and the mouse's sluggish performance over the 2.4GHz wireless connection was frustrating. I hope this was just an issue with my review sample, and if not, it's probably something that SteelSeries could fix with a firmware update, but it's something to be on the lookout for if you're considering this mouse.
While I did genuinely enjoy the Aerox 3 Wireless Gen 2, it's not my first choice for a lightweight mouse. While lighter mice, such as the 56g Razer DeathAdder V4 Pro, tend to be stripped down and less exciting-looking, mice like the Glorious Model O 2 Wireless weighs the same as the Aerox 3 Wireless Gen 2 and also comes with holes and RGB lighting (and costs $10 less). The Aerox 3 Wireless Gen 2 is a solid mouse, but even at its $110 price point... I'd still recommend waiting until it goes on sale.
