($78/£67) is a 121 gram monster (that’s with its weights removed, and not counting the cable), slightly longer than the Deathadder, and built to look vaguely like some kind of futuristic weapon. It also happens to have the best mouse sensor on the market. Where most gaming mice use custom-tuned variations of the same pool of Avago sensors, Logitech is still doing a ton of their own engineering work, and have fitted the mouse with 12,000 CPI sensor that can be configured to a lift-off distance of about 1mm, making it a great choice for either high or low sensitivity players.
12,000 CPI is absolutely overkill, and it would be all but impossible to play a game at that setting without massively cranking down sensitivity in-game. But mouse enthusiasts who have put the G502 to the test back up Logitech’s claim that the sensor has no smoothing at any sensitivity level, and have found that it’s acceleration- and jitter-free even at max CPI. That’s impressive: its means the mouse has a high enough maximum control rate, even at 12,000 CPI, to track fast swipes without losing accuracy.
While the G502 looks far more angular than the G500s it replaces, it’s actually similar in shape and ergonomics. It’s primarily built for a palm grip thanks to its heavy left-side thumb groove, but you can still claw grip the mouse with some compromises. The G502 is packed with extra buttons—two to the left of the left mouse click, two above the thumb groove, and a “sniper” button at the end of the thumb groove. Its scroll wheel also has a button to switch from free to notched scrolling, has the standard middle click, and also can rock left-to-right for two more clicks.
In the palm grip, it’s difficult (impractical, really) to use the two buttons that rest next to your index finger. They’re easier to press with a claw grip, but that still means moving your finger off the primary mouse click, which you won’t want to do often—and a claw grip means repositioning the thumb and losing some of the stability of the thumb groove, plus the sniper button. I also don’t think the two thumb buttons, which sit above the thumb, are as well-positioned as the Deathadder’s. Having to raise your thumb up to press them, rather than being able to rest it partially on them, makes them less practical in the heat of the moment.
Beyond those criticisms, the G502 has the best-designed body of any heavy mouse I’ve used. The left side has a rubbery grip for the pinky, and the surface of the mouse uses a nice matte plastic. Left click has a subtle, but nice, concave design that cradles your finger. And if you’re getting the G502 because you like a heavy mouse, you can make it even heavier with its removable weights.
Logitech’s gaming software is good, though I prefer the simplicity of Razer Synapse (Logitech’s has some unnecessary animations that don’t add anything to usability). Unlike Synapse, though, the G502’s drivers don’t require an online account, and they allow you to tweak the usual features—profiles and keybinds, macros, sensitivity levels, and lighting. The software also has surface tuning for analyzing a mousepad, which is how the G502 can get down to such a low lift-off distance.
Due to the design and placement of its buttons, and its heavy weight, the G502 isn’t as great an all-around mouse as the Deathadder 2013. It’s also expensive at $80. But for gamers who love a heavy mouse, and anyone who cares deeply about mouse sensors and can feel even the tiniest differences between them, the Logitech G502 Proteus Core is the mouse to get.