Review: SteelSeries Aerox 3 wireless gaming mouse

Over the last few years, gaming mice have made some pretty substantial advancements. Gamers are always looking for the next great gaming mouse and that has led to all kinds of changes. For many PC gamers, the lighter the mouse, the better the performance in-game.

That has led to a new design of mice where a sort of honeycomb pattern is etched into the mouse’s plastic to cut down on unnecessary weight. SteelSeries has now thrown its hat into the ultra-lightweight gaming mouse category with the Aerox 3.

I’ve been given a chance to try out the new Aerox 3 from SteelSeries. The mouse comes in both a wired and wireless version, with the wired version being the ultimate lightweight device, weighing in at just 59 grams. But the wireless option is pretty light itself at 68 grams, and that’s the version I’ve been trying out for the last couple of weeks.

The Aerox 3 is ridiculously light and almost feels like nothing’s there

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I’ve tried a few different SteelSeries mice over the last year, and the Aerox 3 is definitely the lightest. The Prime Mini comes pretty close, with the wireless version sitting at 73 grams and the wired version comes in pretty light at 61 grams.

This gaming mouse gets to that ultimate lightweight number by shaving away some of the excess plastic found on most mice. The Aerox 3 is pretty low-profile, coming in at about the same size as the Prime Mini. But all of the missing plastic on that honeycomb section up top help to cut down on the weight.

The Aerox 3 is also a little bit skinnier on the sides. Where the Prime mice all feature a more rounded shape all the way from left to right, the Aerox 3 dives off in a flat section just on either side of the mouse buttons. This tiny design took me a little while to get used to, but it actually feels pretty ergonomic after a few gaming sessions.

One of the coolest things about this gaming mouse is that you can see most of the inner workings of the mouse through the honeycomb design on top. And speaking of inside the mouse, the Aerox 3 is rated for 200 hours of gaming on a single charge.

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While I’d say that 200 hours is a pretty close estimate of the mouse’s battery life, I’ve found that it’s actually a little bit less than that. Still, I’ve used the mouse for a full week of seven days without ever turning it off before having to charge, so there’s definitely plenty of battery life.

It has a great feel for a no-frills gaming mouse

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When you’re looking for a gaming mouse for competitive games, like CS: GO or Escape from Tarkov, sometimes the best options are the most simplistic ones. And that is definitely what you get with the Aerox 3.

This mouse doesn’t have any special extra buttons and what you see is what you get. It does have some pretty nice RGB action going on and you can use the SteelSeries engine to set up different sensitivities and RGB profiles. But other than that, this is a straightforward, performance-focused gaming mouse.

And it does its job really well. It can be connected either via Bluetooth or through its own, proprietary wireless connection using the included USB-C dongle. Connecting the mouse is super easy, and as long as you have the right setting selected on the bottom of the mouse, you won’t have any problems hooking it up.

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The Aerox 3 gaming mouse does, at least, feature the two normal side buttons that you find on most mice. The placement of those buttons can sometimes be a little wonky, but that’s not the case on the Aerox 3. Everything about this mouse, including the slightly textured matte finish, feels really good in my hands.

Should you buy this gaming mouse?

I used to be such a non-believer in lightweight mice for the longest time. I used the Logitech G502 for years, and it was definitely on the heavy end. Now, it is pretty well documented that my days of being good in any kind of competitive shooter are over.

That being said, I have definitely been swayed over to the side of the lightweight gaming mouse, especially in games like shooters that require a decent bit of quick reactions. And out of all of the ones that I’ve tried out so far, the Aerox 3 just might be my favorite.

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The only quarrel that I have with this mouse is that it is a bit smaller than the mice to which I had grown accustomed. But even that issue sorted itself out quickly, and I have become a big fan of the Aerox 3.

And at $59.99 for the wired version, you really can’t beat the price. Of course, the wireless option is a bit more expensive, at $99.99, but it is still a competitive price for a top-tier ultra-lightweight wireless gaming mouse. And the mouse is also available in both black and white, so you shouldn’t have any problem trying to match your setup.

If you’ve ever been curious at all about the new honeycomb-style of gaming mouse, give the Aerox 3 a try. I promise you won’t be disappointed.

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