Product Manufacturer: SteelSeries
Price: $229
Estimated Time With Gear: 30+ hours

What Is It?: A smaller, lighter version of the Prime Wireless mouse from SteelSeries
Compatible With: Windows, Mac, Xbox, and Linux. USB port required.

When I reviewed the SteelSeries Prime last year, I said it was the lightest mouse I’d ever used. As if a challenge, SteelSeries have gone and manufactured a mini version of the SteelSeries Prime that has all the same fantastic features and build quality but in a smaller and lighter form factor. 

Like the SteelSeries Prime, the SteelSeries Prime Mini is a relatively simple mouse made to last for 100 million clicks and features the Prime Optical Magnetic switches that feel fantastic when playing any fast-paced games that require a lot of clicking, like shooters. Basically, the Prestige OM switches on this mouse can feel like the same life-changing experience you can get from switching from a $20 basic keyboard to one with mechanical keys. 

The Prime Mini (73 grams) is 9% lighter than the Prime Wireless (80 grams), and if you have experience with the Prime or similar sized mice, you’ll feel it the instant you put your hands over it. I love the way this mouse feels; although it was very odd at first, I soon warmed up to the feeling. If you’re someone who has bigger than average-sized hands or prefers a heftier mouse, you’re not the target for this product, and I couldn’t suggest it. But that’s why the Prime range has options! 

STEELSERIES PRIME MINI WIRELESS SPECS

• Hand: Right-handed (Claw, Fingertip or Palm)

• Weight: 73grams

• Battery Life: 100 Hours

• RGB: 1 zone

• Switches : Prestige OM optical magnetic switches – 100m

• Sensor: SteelSeries TrueMove Air

• CPI: 100–18,000 in 100 CPI Increments

• IPS: 400, on SteelSeries QcK surfaces

• Acceleration: 40 G

IN THE BOX:

• Prime Wireless Gaming Mouse

• USB Type-C Dongle

• Dongle Extender

• USB-C to USB-A Cable

The size doesn’t make any difference to what’s available on this mouse as it’s the same as the normal-sized Prime. Again, this is a negative for some people who may want more than just the customizable buttons on the size, but I think this mouse targets more FPS players than those playing MMOs and seeking a lot of customization and hot-keys in the palm of their hands. The CPI quick-switch button is still located on the bottom of the mouse, however, which I just don’t like as it’s awkward to have to pick up the mouse, turn it over, and then flip it back to see if you’re comfortable with the speed you’ve just clicked on. 

One of my complaints about the Prime last year was having my hand slip off the mouse. Even though it features the same textured matte finish, I haven’t had any of those same problems with the Prime Mini. I don’t think this is anything to do with the size, and it makes me wonder if there was something off about the finish of the mouse I used last year. Nonetheless, I have no complaints about the grip and feel of the Prime Mini. 

Included in the box is a USB-C device for connecting the mouse to your computer as it doesn’t use Bluetooth and a USB-C to USB-C charging cable. If you don’t have a USB-C slot on your device, there’s a dongle, so you can still use it on whatever you have available. It’s an easy to use system that gives you lots of options, and quickly unplugging the dongle and charging the mouse and then going back to using it wirelessly takes just seconds. A Bluetooth option is the one thing some gamers, primarily those on laptops, may wish was included here, but I think the included solution is very versatile. The USB cable is braided and very sturdy, so it isn’t going to braid or fall apart quickly. Thanks to the quick charge, the mouse also charges very quickly and lasts a long time. SteelSeries says you can get over 100 hours in particular settings, but that’s rather hard to test. I’ve only had to charge it twice in the couple of weeks I’ve been using it, and that’s a vast improvement over the Logitech mouse I had been using before this review.