Overall and Final Verdict
Even though Logitech made a few changes with the new G502 X mice, I think it is safe to say that they have continued the heart of the G502 by keeping the same aggressive styling, wide feature selection, lots of programable buttons, and even with losing some weight still keeping it as a heavier mouse. That last part pains me a little because I wouldn’t be against a SuperLite version of the G502 that cuts the features back somewhat to get to a more modern weight, but I also know that the G502 fans that have continued to run the different versions through the years wouldn’t like that. Logitech also did a great job with the G502 X lineup by having a lineup at all, having multiple models gives the flexibility needed to cover different price points, for some you may only want the wired G502 X, but you can get it wireless but without the lighting with the G502 X Lightspeed, and of course with the lighting in the G502 X Plus that I have covered today. All of those are also available in both black and white but I have to admit that the white which uses grey for trim looks good.
The performance is solid of course there aren’t any big surprises here. The HERO 25K sensor is flawless once again just like past HERO sensors and the switch to PTFE feet was a nice addition. Wireless performance is just like wired and it has the same software that Logitech uses on all of their gaming peripherals and they have refined that as well. The new swappable side button was another good addition which helps make that forward button usable no matter your hand and thumb size. I was also happy that the G502 X Plus has a Type-C connection which makes charging easier if you already have a phone charger at your desk, unless of course you are like me and still run PowerPlay to wirelessly charge and it supports that as well.
The design wasn’t perfect, I did run into a few issues along the way. One of the biggest gripes that I had were with the inclusion of the rubber grips on the sides when I feel like the design is capable of being held with the shape alone. Not that the grips don’t help, but often these break down long before the rest of a mouse. I also found the new trigger switches to have a weird springy sound that took a long time to get used to. They were otherwise great though. Specific to the G502 X Plus was the battery life when you have the lighting on, it goes from 140 hours of active use down to 37 hours which is a HUGE drop for lighting. That alone makes the G502 Lightspeed a better option for anyone indifferent on the lighting. I do think they could improve on that by turning the lighting off when the mouse is actively being moved when it is all hidden under your palm, I hope they consider that as a software option. I also think that the included charge cable should be a little more flexible on the off chance you use it to charge when in use. None of those are big game-changing issues, and a few of those most people would consider nitpicking or trivial.
My last downside for the G502 X plus would be its price. It has an MSRP of $159 which is in line compared to other high-end mice and the Razer Basilisk V3 Pro has the same price as well. But it is really expensive for a mouse. The wired G502 X has an MSRP of $79 which is a little high as well but shows that the mouse itself isn’t that expensive. You are paying $60 more for wireless and then on top of that $30 more for the small bit of addressable lighting. I do think that the G502 X Lightspeed is a better value at $139 which is cheaper than the original G502 Lightspeed launched at 3 years ago. You also get more than three times the battery life by skipping out on the lighting. But if you are a G502 fan, hopefully one of the options is the mouse for you.
Live Pricing: HERE
