Earlier this year SteelSeries released their new competition-focused Prime lineup of peripherals, and now we’re seeing the next additions in the form of the Prime Mini and Prime Mini Wireless mice. I ended up using the Prime Wireless as my main after reviewing that mouse, so needless to say I was pretty excited to check out the Prime Mini Wireless. Would it become my new main? Be sure to hit the video below to see all the details.
SteelSeries Prime Mini Wireless: Design
As a standard five-button mouse, the SteelSeries Prime Mini Wireless is a competition-focused right-handed ergonomic mouse. No RGB or other frills here. There are two thumb buttons on the left side, two main mouse buttons on top, and a clickable scroll wheel. The solid matte black shell feels solid without and creaks or clicks when handling and squeezing the body.
How mini is it?
As its name would suggest, the biggest difference between the bigger Prime Wireless is the dimensions of this mini variant. Even the list price is the same at $130, so really you just need to decide which size is best for you.
The Prime Mini Wireless comes in at 120.3mm long by 66.2mm wide in the back and 40.7mm tall. Those dimensions aren’t too far off from the bigger Prime Wireless, which comes in at 125.3mm long, but it is noticeable.
This smaller size also brings down the weight of the mouse from 80g in the bigger version to 73g in the mini-me. That’s still significantly heavier than the Logitech G Pro X Superlight at just 63g, but it is still perfectly respectable and feels easy to handle.
SteelSeries Prime Mini Wireless: Same great OM switches
Just like the bigger Prime Wireless, one of the main features of the mini is the Optical Magnetic switches that provide a consistent click, which SteelSeries claims is good for up to 100 million clicks and should retain its sharp clicky response. This is one thing that drew me to the feel and performance of the larger Prime mice, and I’m so glad it’s a part of the mini line as well. It might have a slightly heavier actuation force than some other gaming mice switches, but that click is very satisfying.
SteelSeries Prime Mini Wireless: Video
SteelSeries Prime Mini Wireless: Sensor
Once again the Mini is using the same TrueMove Air gaming sensor as its bigger brother. For me, it’s worked perfectly well on the Razer Gigantus V2 mouse mat (desk mat?) that I’ve been using. There isn’t much in the way of performance customization in the SteelSeries GG app to tweak sensor performance, but again, it’s worked perfectly well for me.
Now about that scroll wheel
If I had to nitpick anything on the SteelSeries Prime Mini Wireless, it’d be the scroll wheel click. Since I came directly from the larger Prime wireless, I’ve found the Mini’s scroll wheel click to be much lighter, which means I accidentally click it a lot. I am getting more used it the more that I use the mouse, though.
Now, one thing to note here, this might be because I use a 1-3-1 mouse grip, meaning that I have three fingers on the top of the mouse with my middle finger hovering over the scroll wheel. So for those who use a more common 1-2-2 grip with their index finger on m1 and middle on m2, that miss click might not be much of an issue.
100% virgin-grade PTFE skates
SteelSeries is also using 100% virgin-grade PTFE skates on the Prime Mini Wireless. Once again, movement on my Razer Gigantus V2 mouse mat feels nice and smooth.
Battery life
With a lack of crazy RGB, the battery life on the SteelSeries Prime Mini Wireless is similar to its bigger counterpart at an impressive 100 hours. This mouse doesn’t have dual connectivity with Bluetooth like some of its competitors, but being a gaming-focused mouse, I doubt that would get used very often and might just drive up the price.
gadgetnewsonline’ take
Overall I’ve been really enjoying the SteelSeries Prime Mini Wireless. I appreciate the smaller size and lighter-weight design, but in my opinion, you really can’t go wrong with either size. Of course, if $130 is too much for your budget, I always recommend checking out the Glorious Model O Wireless as well, thanks to its lightweight performance for the $80 price point. And to answer the question at the top of this article, yes, I do believe the SteelSeries Prime Mini Wireless will be my new main mouse.
Buy SteelSeries Prime Mini Wireless
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