Tech review: The best wireless mouse
This post was done in partnership with The Wirecutter, a buyer’s guide to the best technology.
We spent 100 hours researching nearly 200 mice, surveying more than 1,000 mouse users, testing 28 mice ourselves, and consulting with a panel of experts and laypeople to determine that the $30 Logitech Marathon M705 is the best wireless mouse for most people. Our panel of mouse users with varying hand sizes and mousing grips almost unanimously favored the size, shape and glide of the Marathon over the feel of the competition, especially praising its button selection and placement.
How we tested
We had a panel of six mouse users test all 28 mice and tell us what they thought. We also put each mouse through a battery of sensor tests and tested each one on a desk, a hard mouse pad, a soft mouse pad, a wood floor, fabric, and a mirror to make sure none had trouble with various common mousing surfaces. Then we used each of the finalists for at least one day of work to explore the bundled software, rule out any long-term performance issues, and get comfortable with all the different designs.
Our pick
The Logitech Marathon M705’s buttons are well placed and easy to reach by hands of all sizes. (Wirecutter)
The Logitech Marathon M705's buttons are well placed and easy to reach by hands of all sizes. (Wirecutter)
The Logitech Marathon Mouse M705, our panel's favorite, has the best overall balance of features: medium size, ergonomic shape, six customizable buttons, long battery life, a Unifying Receiver (which lets you use up to six Logitech keyboards and pointing devices on a single USB port), and a three-year limited warranty.
The Marathon's shape is ergonomic and comfortable for most grip styles, and all of our testers loved it regardless of their hand size. In our tests, the Marathon worked flawlessly on every surface except glass and a mirror. It has nine buttons: left click, right click, a toggle to switch between ratchet and infinite scrolling, forward and back buttons, an application-switcher button on the grip, and down, left, and right on the scroll wheel. You can customize eight of these buttons to your liking using Logitech's software.
Logitech says the M705's battery life lasts a maximum of three years. I've been using this mouse on and off for more than a year; the battery is still at 95%, and Logitech's software estimates that it has 991 days of battery life remaining. I haven't been using the mouse every day, but that's still impressive. At this rate, it feels as if it might never die.
A Bluetooth mouse with more features
The Logitech MX Master is expensive, but it’s comfortable and offers five programmable buttons, a thumb scroll wheel and Bluetooth. (Wirecutter)
The Logitech MX Master is expensive, but it's comfortable and offers five programmable buttons, a thumb scroll wheel and Bluetooth. (Wirecutter)
The $100 Logitech MX Master costs more than most people should spend on a mouse, but it's a great option for professionals and anyone else who uses a mouse for long periods every day. The Master has five programmable buttons, a second (programmable) scroll wheel for your thumb, and a rechargeable battery, plus it can pair with up to three Bluetooth devices at the same time. The MX Master is larger and heavier than the Marathon—though smaller than our pick for large hands—but our panel loved the Master's contour, size and features.
A cheap, portable pick (that's also good for small hands)
The Microsoft Sculpt Mobile is a compact, travel-sized mouse that doesn’t lack palm support. (Wirecutter)
The Microsoft Sculpt Mobile is a compact, travel-sized mouse that doesn't lack palm support. (Wirecutter)
If you need a travel-size mouse and don't mind a wireless dongle, we recommend the Microsoft Sculpt Mobile. It offers a compact design without sacrificing palm support, and it has a great scroll wheel. The Sculpt Mobile is a bit small for most people to use daily, and it doesn't have as many programmable buttons as the Marathon, but it's great for travel. It's also a nice option for people with smaller hands.
For large hands
Most of our panel members thought the Performance MX was too large, but they liked its shape and button selection. (Wirecutter)
Most of our panel members thought the Performance MX was too large, but they liked its shape and button selection. (Wirecutter)
The $55 Logitech Performance MX is our recommendation for people with big hands who don't need all the features of the MX Master. In addition to being larger than the MX Master, it costs less and has a longer warranty. Our largest-handed tester even preferred the size and shape of the Performance MX over that of the MX Master, though he liked the features of the MX Master better. The Performance MX is too large for most people's everyday use, however.
Wrapping it up
The Logitech Marathon M705 is the best wireless mouse because its size and shape are comfortable for people of most hand sizes and all grips, and it has eight programmable buttons, ratcheted and smooth scrolling, and a Logitech Unifying Receiver. What's more, it isn't too expensive and it comes with a three-year warranty if anything breaks.
This guide may have been updated. To see the current recommendation, go to TheWirecutter.com. The Wirecutter's extensive research and testing is supported by a small commission from the purchases its readers make.
