HERO Power

Logitech brings wireless to a lower price point.

HERO Power

Logitech brings wireless to a lower price point.

When it comes to gaming mice, Logitech has never been afraid to take risks and innovate. With PixArt, they created one of the most popular optical sensors in the industry with the PMW3366, which is renowned for its excellent tracking. In fact, the sensor is still be adopted by Logitech’s competitors today, often rebranded with custom firmware and fancy in-house names.

Logitech wasn’t content to rest on their laurels and has continued to push boundaries, introducing their new LIGHTSPEED wireless technology and the HERO sensor which is poised to lead the way into the next generation of gaming mice.

Today, we’re looking at the newest and cheapest way to try this new tech for yourself with the Logitech G305 Wireless Gaming Mouse. It promises performance to rival the best wired mice on the market and battery life between 250 hours and nine months, all for $59.99. Is there a catch? Let’s find out in our full review.

Specifications and Design

  • MSRP: $59.99 (Amazon.com)
  • Sensor: HERO
  • Resolution: 100-12,000 DPI
  • Max Acceleration: > 40G
  • Max. Speed: > 400 IPS
  • USB Data Format: 16 bits/axis
  • USB Report Rate: 1000Hz (1ms)
  • Wireless Technology: LIGHTSPEED (Logitech G Custom 2.4GHz)
  • Microprocessor: 32-bit ARM
  • Battery Life:
    • Performance mode: 250 hours (non-stop gaming, single AA battery)
    • Endurance mode: 9 months (standard usage, single AA battery)
  • Durability:
    • Main Buttons: 10-million clicks with precision mechanical button tensioning
    • Feet: > 250-km range
  • Weight: 3.42oz, 99g (with 1AA battery inserted)
  • Warranty: 2-year limited hardware warranty

As always, we begin with packaging. It’s a simple affair this time around with a small blue box showcasing the body of the mouse as well as the usual feature callouts on the back.

Unboxing it, it’s surprising just how lightweight it is. Without a battery, it weighs in at under 80g. With the included AA battery installed, it comes in at 99g. For the size of the mouse, this is just about perfect for claw-gripped users and gamers making rapid mouse movements (though I palmed it just fine). Swapping the alkaline battery out for a lithium-ion, you can drop that down even further to about 90g and extend battery life by another 30%.

It’s also clear that the G305 is about as simply designed as they come. You won’t find any fancy RGB lighting or additional buttons. You have your standard six buttons which can be programmed in the Logitech Gaming Software suite. These include the left, right, and middle-clicks, as well as the forward, back, and DPI selector buttons. Like the G Pro headset, what we find with the G305 is a performance mouse that does away with the frills and reinvests in performance – a move we suspect many users will appreciate.

The mouse can be used with or without the Logitech Gaming Software, though you’ll definitely want to pick it up. The G305 ships with four DPI levels pre-programmed in and running in performance mode. LGS is required to change these settings, as well as to remap any of the buttons or create game-specific profiles.

The mouse glides like a dream on hard or soft surfaces. The bottom features four teflon feet in the expected places and a fifth in the rear for extra support and ease of movement. They’re rated for greater than 250km of travel, so you shouldn’t have to worry about them wearing out.

Also on the bottom we can view the lens of the HERO sensor, which we’ll get to shortly, and the on/off switch. Notably absent from Logitech’s more expensive HERO mouse, the G603 (reviewed in February), is the HI/LO efficiency switch, which is sadly now controlled through software only.

The sides of the mouse are quite simple. The positioning of the forward and back buttons is about perfect for my thumb. They’re raised enough to prevent mis-clicks but not so much that they’re uncomfortable to press. They also have a nice tactile feedback, like the left and right buttons up top.

I like overall mold of the mouse. The curve feels good in my hand and the slight texturing on the sides makes it easy to pick up and reposition. The one thing I wish is that the left side arched out to support the thumb, even if slightly. I’m traditionally a palm-mouser, and the lack of lip leaves my thumb dragging along the mat.

Inside the shell, the left and right buttons use high quality Omron switches. They’re rated for 50 million presses each, which means you’ll probably be upgrading the entire mouse before the switches go. They have a nice tactile feedback with enough travel to prevent most accidental actuations.

The palm arch is removable for changing the battery. There is also a convenient spot for storing the USB dongle which is convenient if you travel with your mouse. Pictured in the bottom right is the extension wire for using the mouse further away from your tower.

The Next-Gen HERO Sensor and LIGHTSPEED Wireless

The HERO sensor – High Efficiency Rated Optical – is a breakthrough is sensor technology. It has been designed from the group up to not only be highly accurate but also incredibly power efficient. The core of the improvements come from a redesigned front-end capture system that’s designed to be continually improved over time; however, very little in the sensor design has gone untouched. The end result is a sensor that promises the accuracy and adjustability of the PMW3366 sensor (200-12000 DPI) and a vastly extended battery life of 250 hours in Performance/HI mode and nine months in Endurance/LO mode.

The first part of that ties directly with Logitech’s proprietary LIGHTSPEED Wireless connectivity system. LIGHTSPEED operates on the 2.4GHz band but is able to achieve the coveted 1ms response time achieved by wired gaming mice. This is, of course, in Performance Mode. In Endurance mode, that response time drops to 8ms, which is fitting for slower paced games or browsing the web.

I tested the G305 alongside a number of other gaming mice, including a PMW3366-packing Logitech G903, a Corsair Scimitar Pro, a Razer Naga, and a Roccat Leadr. Of note, each of those mice is substantially more expensive than the G305. I wasn’t able to detect any difference whatsoever in their performance, nor was I able to make the G305 spin out at high DPI settings. Logitech also wisely avoided any kind of smoothing, which can play havoc on your accuracy in shooters above all.

Final Thoughts

I’m quite impressed at what Logitech has been able to achieve here. With the G305, they’ve delivered a mouse that makes no compromises when cutting its cord. This is a mouse that delivers competition grade performance for modest price. Like the Logitech G Pro Gaming Headset, the sacrifices we find come down to the simplicity of design. You won’t find many extras on this mouse, but where it matters most – performance, comfort, battery life – it stands strong. If you don’t mind the simplicity of its design, the G305 may be the best mouse you can buy at this price point.

Review Terms and Disclosure
All Information as of the Date of Publication
How product was obtained: The product is on loan from Logitech for the purpose of this review.
What happens to the product after review: The product remains the property of Logitech but is on extended loan for future testing and product comparisons.
Company involvement: Logitech had no control over the content of the review and was not consulted prior to publication.
PC Perspective Compensation: Neither PC Perspective nor any of its staff were paid or compensated in any way by Logitech for this review.
Advertising Disclosure: Logitech has purchased advertising at PC Perspective during the past twelve months.
Affiliate links: This article contains affiliate links to online retailers. PC Perspective may receive compensation for purchases through those links.
Consulting Disclosure: Logitech is not a current client of Shrout Research for products or services related to this review.