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Review: SteelSeries Aerox 5 wireless gaming mouse

SteelSeries has built on its Aerox line with a new MOBA-style wireless mouse.

Steelseries aerox 5 wireless mouse
Image: Alex Gatewood / KnowTechie
The Good
Ergonomic shape
Extra buttons but still lightweight
Good build quality - all buttons feel good to press
The Bad
Slightly expensive
Front thumb button is a little far away
8.7
Overall

SteelSeries is going all-in on its lightweight form-factor mice. The company introduced the Aerox 3 last year and has since introduced two new mice in the lineup, the Aerox 5 and Aerox 9. Today, we’re going to be taking a look at the Aerox 5 wireless mouse.

The Aerox 5 takes the original honeycomb design of the Aerox 3 and adds in a few extra touches. The mouse features five programmable side mouse buttons, similar to the company’s Rival 5 mouse, that are great for a few extra functions in games.

The Aerox 5 Wireless is available on the company’s website for $139.99 or on Amazon for the same price. I’ve been using the Aerox 5 Wireless for a couple of weeks now and have become pretty familiar with its capabilities. So let’s see what it’s all about.

The Aerox 5 is big but still light for a wireless mouse

Steelseries aerox 5 wireless mouse right
Image: Alex Gatewood / KnowTechie

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The first thing you notice about the Aerox 5 when you take it out of the box is the familiar honeycomb design found on the company’s previous lightweight mouse, the Aerox 3. But the Aerox 5 is a bit bigger than its predecessor and weighs just a little bit more.

The Aerox 5 Wireless mouse weighs in at 74 grams, which is a bit heavier than the 59-gram Aerox 3. But that’s still an incredibly lightweight mouse, considering the extra buttons on the side.

Another thing I noticed quickly about this mouse is how big it is. Where the Aerox 3 was extremely low profile and cut a lot of edges out to save weight, the Aerox 5 is seemingly less concerned about weight.

In fact, the Aerox 5 is on the larger side of mice I’ve tried in the past and is comparable in shape and size to the Rival 5 from last year.

And the design is very similar to the Rival 5 as well. The Aerox 5 features five total side buttons, with the two normal thumb options and one silver button in the front.

READ MORE: Review: SteelSeries Arctis Nova Pro Wireless headset

The final two buttons on the side of the mouse act as a paddle. Pushing the paddle up is one input and pushing it down is another. The paddle feels nice and sturdy even after clicking it up and down quite a bit. It’s an improvement over the paddle buttons on the Rival 5, which felt a little loose.

I find the front button to be just a little too far forward to be perfectly comfortable. The button angles back slightly towards your thumb to make it a bit easier to press. But I have pretty big hands and still have a hard time reaching the button in-game.

Customizable buttons for all of your gaming inputs

Steelseries aerox 5 wireless mouse front
Image: Alex Gatewood / KnowTechie

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The overall build quality of the Aerox 5 Wireless mouse is up to SteelSeries‘ standards, which are pretty high. The mouse is covered in a great feeling, matte plastic with glossy accents on the buttons.

All of the buttons feel great to use. They are all responsive and solid and feel the same every time you press them.

With the exception of the front thumb button, which could shift back just a bit to be more comfortable, I wouldn’t change anything about the buttons on this mouse.

I found the extra buttons were super useful in games like League of Legends with tons of inputs to think about. Having those extra few buttons to spread out your abilities makes a huge difference.

Including the two mouse buttons, the scroll wheel, and one more button in the middle, that’s nine total buttons on the Aerox 5.

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And you can customize all of the buttons to different functions using the SteelSeries Engine software. That’s also where you go to adjust the RGB lights that display on the palm of the Aerox 5.

The RGB is nothing to write home about, but there are a few different lighting options to customize the mouse to your liking.

Great feel and in-game performance

Steelseries aerox 5 bottom
Image: Alex Gatewood / KnowTechie

As you’d probably expect at this point, the Aerox 5 Wireless performs great in most games. It combines the attraction of a lightweight mouse with the capabilities of several additional input buttons.

It’s designed for games that have a lot of mechanical inputs, like MMOs, MOBAs, or any type of game that requires quick access to many buttons. But I found that its lightweight design also makes it a good option for first-person shooters, like Valorant.

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The Aerox 5 features a battery that’s suited for up to 180 hours of battery life on a single charge. And you can get around 40 hours of playtime with just a quick 15-minute charge of the mouse.

You can connect it via Bluetooth or use its proprietary wireless connection with the included USB-C dongle. I’m always a big fan of this option for wireless peripherals, considering not everyone’s PC has Bluetooth capabilities.

Should you buy the SteelSeries Aerox 5 Wireless mouse?

Steelseries aerox 5 top
Image: Alex Gatewood / KnowTechie

SteelSeries has repeatedly proven itself as one of the best PC gaming peripherals companies on the market. And the company has presented another fantastic product with the Aerox 5 Wireless.

It features the versatility that you might find in other, established mice like the Logitech G502, but at a fraction of the weight. Its lightweight frame combined with the extra customizable buttons makes it a great option for gamers who play many different kinds of games on their computer.

And SteelSeries designed the Aerox 5 ergonomically so it fits a palm grip really nicely. One of my complaints about the Aerox 3 was that the sides were cut down to shave some weight, and they felt out of place in my hand. The sides of the Aerox 5 are more rounded and better fill up my hand in a relaxed position.

Other than the positioning of the front thumb button, there isn’t much bad to say about this mouse. And even that button isn’t that hard to press after getting used to its location.

The only other possible downside of the Aerox 5 is the price. The Aerox 5 Wireless version goes for $139.99, which could be a little too steep for some.

For comparison, Corsair’s Ironclaw Wireless has similar capabilities at only $79.99. Though to be fair, the Ironclaw is an older model and weighs more than the Aerox 5.

All in all, the Aerox 5 Wireless is a great gaming mouse that will work well with just about any game you want to play. You can get it from the SteelSeries website for $139.99 or from Amazon for the same price.

Have any thoughts on this? Let us know down below in the comments or carry the discussion over to our Twitter or Facebook.

Editors’ Recommendations:

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The Good
Ergonomic shape
Extra buttons but still lightweight
Good build quality - all buttons feel good to press
The Bad
Slightly expensive
Front thumb button is a little far away
8.7
Overall

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Staff writer at KnowTechie. Alex has two years of experience covering all things technology, from video games to electric cars. He's a gamer at heart, with a passion for first-person shooters and expansive RPGs. Shoot him an email at alex@knowtechie.com

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