Logitech G502 Lightspeed wireless gaming mouse review

Logitech has long been a leader in PC peripherals, producing some of the best gaming keyboards available (and some of the pointers on our best gaming mouse roundup), so they have a broad history to draw on and apply to new technology. Many of those learnings are clearly evident in the newest refresh of the G502, a wireless mouse that's as responsive as a wired unit and that comes with a bevy of excellent features aimed squarely at the gaming market.

The core of the G502 Lightspeed is Logitech's 16,000 CPI HERO sensor. Rated for 400 IPS, so it won't drop tracking or stutter when you're wildly sweeping it across the mat, Logitech boasts the latest iteration of the HERO delivers that excellent performance at 10x the power efficiency of previous generations. The G502 does charge quickly, up from nearly empty to 100% inside 90 minutes, and offers up to 60 hours of battery life with the lights off (48 hours with RGB enabled on the logo and CPI indicator). 

The buttons on the latest G502 are clicky, sensitive, and mostly well positioned. My only minor issue with the button array is that the left side of the mouse is a bit over-crowded—it's host to a pair of CPI buttons, two proper thumb buttons, and a sniper button that drops the CPI to 400 by default for precise aiming. I occasionally found myself pushing the sniper button by accident when moving the mouse or reaching for other buttons, and while a brief drop in CPI is certainly not a deal-breaker, it was a minor annoyance.

A welcome addition is the scroll lock button that sits just below the mouse wheel, allowing you to toggle the wheel between free-spinning and stepping through clicks. While I wish the steps in the locked configuration were a little heavier and better differentiated, the option to quickly switch between modes is great for when you want to bounce down to the bottom of an article, or switch over to locked mode when you're slowly scanning it. The scroll wheel is also quietly home to three different buttons—push it down to actuate the obligatory middle mouse button, or flick it to the left or right for two other programmable functions. There's even a battery life button under the scroll lock that will light up bars on the left of the mouse, giving you a quick indication of how much juice you've got left.

It's not just the buttons that are customizable. The G502 also comes with a set of optional weights in 2g and 4g sizes that can be added to the mouse chassis if you prefer a heavier pointer. Adding the full 16g to the unit makes it feel and behave substantially different, and brings the overall weight up to a pleasant 130g. It's nice to be able to alter the mouse on the fly from it's default sparrow weight to something with a little more heft—I tend to lean towards a heavier mouse for productivity and something lighter when I game, so building both options into a single chassis is a nice convenience.

Probably the flashiest of the G502's features is its compatibility with the Powerplay charging mat. The mat not only continuously charges the mouse on the fly but if you pair them in Logitech's G Hub software suite allows your PC to register the mouse without having to plug in the USB Nano dongle. It's completely free of the detection issues I encountered testing Razer's similar Hyperflux charging mat solution, which lost tracking near the edges of the mat, and charges the mouse at a very brisk rate. You can also sync lighting between the two peripherals in G Hub if you prefer a unified aesthetic across your desk. 

Most importantly, it feels great to use. It suits my hand really well and outside of the sniper quibble, all of the buttons are well positioned and easy to reach—I never found myself pushing the wrong button of a pair by mistake, or accidentally unlocking the scroll wheel. The G502 Lightspeed is a tremendous gaming mouse and easy to recommend...if you can afford it. Even without the Powerplay charging mat, the G502 retails for $149.99 (£129.99 in the UK). If you do want mat charging, it's going to cost you another $99.99. $250 is a lot to spend for a mouse and mouse pad, regardless of its futuristic feature set, but if you have the money to spare, the G502 is an excellent product, even divorced from it's supportive sibling.