Logitech G305 Lightspeed Review: Still the $60 Wireless Mouse to Beat?
The G305 has run on one AA battery for years, and Logitech still sells it at $59.99. We check the 250 hour claim, the 99 g weight and the plain shape, and who should pay more.
The verdict
Still the wireless gaming mouse to buy at $59.99 if you want a fast sensor, 1 ms Lightspeed wireless and weeks of battery life from one AA cell. It is heavy at 99 g, its shape suits small and medium hands best, and it has few buttons. Esports players should spend more on a lighter mouse. Everyone else can stop here.
Best forBudget buyers who want a wireless mouse that just works
What we liked
- HERO sensor, 200 to 12,000 DPI, with no smoothing or acceleration
- Rated 250 hours on a single AA battery, swapped in seconds
- Lightspeed wireless matches a wired mouse at 1 ms
- Costs $59.99 and often drops lower on sale
- Plain shape that works for claw and fingertip grips
What we did not
- 99 g with battery is heavy next to modern 50 to 60 g mice
- Flat, compact body is a poor fit for large hands
- Only six buttons and no tilt wheel or side scroll
- 1,000 Hz polling only, with no 4,000 Hz mode
Wireless gaming mice used to mean paying double for a battery you charged every few days. The G305 broke that deal years ago, and the strange part is that nothing has displaced it at $59.99.
Our verdict fits in one line: this is the mouse to buy at $60, with one big exception, and we get to the exception below.
One AA battery and then you forget about it
Logitech rates the G305 at up to 250 hours on a single AA cell, and says its HERO sensor is ten times more power efficient than the previous generation. Do the sum. Play four hours a day and one battery lasts about two months. When it dies you swap in another AA from the drawer, with no cable and no dock.
That is the real selling point, more than the spec numbers. Rechargeable mice give you a battery that ages. An AA mouse never does.
The sensor is better than the price suggests
The G305 uses Logitech's HERO optical sensor, which the maker describes as having zero smoothing, filtering or acceleration from 200 to 12,000 DPI. For a $60 mouse that is far more than you can use. Few players run above 3,200 DPI, and the sensor tracks cleanly at the levels most do.
Lightspeed is Logitech's 2.4 GHz link, with a 1 ms report rate. Reviewers who tested it against wired mice found no latency gap in normal use. The USB receiver tucks inside the mouse when you travel.
Where it falls short
The G305 weighs 99 g with its battery. Modern esports mice come in at 50 to 60 g, and the extra weight shows when you flick across a mousepad. Some owners swap in a lighter AAA battery with an adapter, which reportedly takes it to around 75 to 80 g, though that costs you the plug-and-play simplicity.
The body is flat and compact. Claw and fingertip grips work fine; palm grip with a big hand gets tiring. If you wear a large glove size, try a Logitech G502 or G Pro line instead.
Specs
- Price
- $59.99
- Sensor
- HERO optical, 200 to 12,000 DPI
- Wireless
- Lightspeed 2.4 GHz, 1 ms report rate
- Battery
- 1x AA, up to 250 hours (Logitech)
- Weight
- 99 g with battery (reviewers)
- Polling rate
- 1,000 Hz
- Buttons
- 6, programmable in G HUB
- Connection
- USB receiver stored inside the mouse
- Colours
- Several, shown on the Logitech page
