Top critical review
3.0 out of 5 starsLogitech Falls Short on Delivering New Value in Gen2
Reviewed in the United States on September 12, 2023
Pros
- Extended battery
- Satisfying new clicks
- USB-C support without a proprietary cable
Cons
- Incomplete PowerPlay support
- Firmer, slower mouse clicks
- Little noticeable tracking improvements from Gen1
I love my first generation Logitech G Pro X Superlight. It's one of the only mice I've used that proves Logitech really gets it. It was also the first mouse that convinced me that wireless was the way to go, even for serious fast-paced gaming. When Logitech announced a second generation of the mouse, I immediately grabbed one to see what they could do to step it up even further.
The results are, unfortunately, underwhelming. Unboxing the mouse, the differences between my Gen1 and Gen2 are almost unnoticeable while carrying a $40 price markup. The plastic body appears to be almost the same exact mold, with the added USB-C port being the only noticeable feature that has changed. The mouse is slightly lighter, though almost imperceptibly so. The second most notable feature is the new switches - these hybrid switches are firm and loud, offering a light clack akin to a mechanical keyboard switch. While I think they're extremely satisfying to click, the noise is particularly distracting to me, and the firmness of the switch reduces its hair-pin trigger reactiveness, a major drawback for gaming usage. The firmness offers a lot of travel-time feel on a mouse click, since it takes more force to depress, which isn't desirable in a high-reflex situation. This behavior may improve as the mouse is broken in, but out of the box, it was very off-putting to me.
Another major feature is the doubled poll rate added with this new mouse. Along with the Hero 2 sensor, this mouse feels crazy precise to use. Between intensive gaming or even tasking work, the precision is akin to replacing a dull knife with a sharp one - it is razer focused and feels incredibly responsive. However, for most tasks, I wasn't able to discern the difference between the first generation mouse and the new one in a blind trial. Both mice are extremely competitive, and I don't know if the enhancements are truly worth the upgrade.
Finally - the biggest kicker for me. Despite apparently no indication, the PowerPlay system is not compatible with the enhanced 2000 Hz poll rate. Surely, the ideal experience when buying into a $300 Logitech mouse ecosystem is that you achieve the maximum value out of each product working together. Unfortunately, Logitech failed to deliver here and only provides the 1000 Hz poll rate via the PowerPlay mousepad, despite bundling and marketing the products together. There was no indication of this anywhere, and seems like a lack of foresight on Logitech's part to ensure interoperability.
Overall - while I love Logitech's commitment to creating great product, this second generation simply does not justify itself with any new features that warrants replacing existing first generation mice, or justifies the price for new adopters of Logitech's mice. USB-C support is irrelevant for a mouse you'd never plug in, the tactile response on the clicks is less responsive than the first generation, and the enhanced poll-rate is unnoticeable, when you can get it to work.
