This is a request for help, thank you for clicking through.
I use a MacBook Air, but I didn’t buy an Apple mouse or trackpad. The built in trackpad already handles a lot of my work, but I often need to copy and paste and keep scrolling to the second page, so I’m looking for a mouse with a standard scroll wheel and side buttons.
I currently have a tri mode mouse, but on my Mac I can only use it over Bluetooth because its 2.4GHz receiver is USB A, and I notice some lag when using it. I’d like to switch to a new mouse. Wired is fine as long as it’s USB C. Wireless is fine too, but it has to feel smooth, at the very least not laggy like my current one.
My friends always recommend Logitech, but I’m not a big fan of the design of their mice, so I’d like to explore other options first. Has anyone used a non Logitech mouse on a Mac that feels really smooth? Either a wired USB C mouse or a low latency wireless one would work. If nothing else works out I’ll just go with Logitech, I’m open to it as long as it helps me be more productive.
My lived experience is that after the Nth time recharging/replacing batteries in a wireless mouse (esp after having it die mid-game, for example), you will wish you’d bought wired.
*Disclaimer: I am a complete wired household, 802.11 completely disabled, ethernet everywhere. Bias may be a factor.
always. Either sth is wrong with battery, BT/proprietary dongle/whateverwirelessstandard used, compatibility…good old wire+USB-A just works. Unless you use the mouse on the go, on the couch, etc…“mobile” mouse justifies wireless for me.
The universal truth is, whenever there is an option between something wireless and something wired, the wired option is always orders of magnitude better.
More secure, more reliable, performs better, you name it. Doesn’t even matter what type of device it is.
Currently I’m using a Refurbished G502 X (White) Wireless.
The USB dongle is connected into my 4 port KVM switch box and it works fine on all my machines, 3 Windows machines and 1 Linux.
I purchased a purple USB A to USB C charging cable connected onto a 10 port, powered USB Hub device for when it needs charging.
I run the G-Hub app on my Windows machines to tweak the settings on each machine, one of which is my primary gaming rig so I have it a bit more sensitive on that device.
I was using an older Logitech Wireless model but the built-in battery pack stopped holding a proper charge and I just never got around to replacing it.
Like @BigBodZod I also run a Logitech mouse (but an wireless M705 that uses a AA battery, which seems to last forever and I use it heavily every day) and also have the dongle plugged into a 4 port KVM. The great thing about is that on Windows & Linux I don’t need to install 3rd party drivers and it just works. Sorry don’t have a mac.
I’m quite happy with my Logitech G305, I use it about 9 hours a day and haven’t changed the battery yet in almost 3 months. The razer hyperspeed on my other computer has similar usage & i’m on the 4th battery change in the same amount of time- using 2.4 on that though. Both work great, wish my keyboards had the same stable connection.
Edit Sorry, completely overlooked the stated need for USB-C receivers. Yeah that makes things much more difficult, I don’t know of any mice with a decent sized usb-C dongle. And as you said, Bluetooth sucks.
My keychron M5 vertical mouse lasts at least 4-5 days wireless (could be longer, i’ve never timed it actually), but also works fine while connected via usb (both data and power). Many wireless mice (but not all) are also capable of this.
So for me that ends up being a non-issue, and the shape of the mouse ends up being more important.
That said, a dedicated wired mouse can be lighter.
What brand is your current mouse? Logitech mice tend to work terribly on macOS in my experience, unless you install their Logi Options+ software, especially scrolling.
I have been eyeing a Keychron M6 8K, but I’m not sure it comes with a USB C receiver. I also don’t have experience with mice on macOS beyond my current Logitech MX Master 3S
The regular version of the MX Master 4 from Logitech comes with a USB -C dongle (the Mac version doesn’t), it works with Bluetooth or the dongle, has 3 saved paired devices and a really excellent battery life. It isn’t exactly a cheap mouse but I think it’s worth it, if you can try to buy it from a retailer that has a return policy like Microcenter where you can return it for any reason within the return window.
What you may be looking for is “polling rate”. Most bluetooth mice have really slow polling rates, but end up lasting a year or more on a AA battery. There are many bluetooth mice with higher polling rate, mainly gaming though.
Off hand, I’m unsure if bluetooth can support higher polling rates. Say what you want about logitech, but they support universal 2.4GHz adapters, and you can join a mouse to multiple. So you can get multiple devices with good polling rate.
So if you’re looking for a mouse, i’d try to find something that let’s you bind a mouse to adapters. Keeping a close eye on polling rate (though that’s not everything, just one variable).
Came here to ask this. In this era where USB-A legacy devices need to connect to USB-C ports, I’ve got a few dongle-hops which do exactly this. Might it work for OP?
I use a wired mouse at home and then I have a wireless mouse for the backpack that I basically use if I’m in a coffee shop. It’s a Dell mouse from one of those keyboard and mouse combo packs, but that’s good enough for now and then when I’m doing something at a coffee shop. It’s not a great mouse, it’s not terrible - but I can’t justify spending more money on something I use rarely. When I’m home I plug my laptop into a USB C dock that connects everything and my cables are pretty tidy and I can basically forget about them.
I’ve always been bothered by the drag that wired mice have, which is quite noticeable. Because of this I vastly prefer wireless mice. I also demand that my wireless mouse runs on standard AA batteries, as this give a good mix of battery longevity and easy battery replacement. So that is my declaration of bias for you.
Well I’m going to assume that gaming is not a thing for you, since you’re on a Mac. I guess that polling rate is less important than ease of use. A good enough polling rate is probably between 500Hz and 1kHz. Anything over 1kHz and above is not required for anything other than gaming IMHO. It will also eat into the battery life as well.
When I used a PC before, I had a wired mouse. It was definitely reliable, but it wasn’t very attractive or convenient, since I have a Mac and often work anywhere and everywhere. I don’t stay in one place. Thanks for your answer. If I really can’t find a wireless mouse, I’ll just use a wired one.
