SteelSeries has been a fan favourite for many members of the CGMagazine staff. Delivering fantastic features, support and overall well-built products, it is easy to understand why so many people flock to the brand. Their latest offering, the SteelSeries Aerox 9 Wireless Gaming Mouse, keeps with this trend, boasting impressive specs while delivering one of the more unique mice I have ever used.
At first glance, the Aerox 9 brings a staggering new design to the table. The MMO focused mouse looks like something out of the future, featuring a honeycomb like look, with the internals of the mouse on full display. The mouse, like some high-end Razer products, features both SteelSeries’ own proprietary Quantum 2.0 Wireless 2.4 GHz tech and Bluetooth 5.0, making it an impressive offering for people that demand the best mouse experience possible.
Opening the box, you will find all the accessories to get things started. Much like other SteelSeries offerings in the past, the SteelSeriesAerox 9 comes with a long detachable USB-A to USB-C super-mesh data/charging cable, a wireless dongle, the Aerox 9 mouse itself and a Female-to-Female USB-C Extension Adapter to connect the dongle to the cable.
As mentioned before, the Aerox 9 diamond honeycomb-like mesh design that lets you see into the mouse when in use. When powered on, the mesh also shows all the Prism RBG lighting you have come to expect from SteelSeries. Even more astounding about the mesh design is the fact it brings with it a 54 water resistance rating. This AquaBarrier is made to keep your new SteelSeries Aerox 9 protected from dust, dirt, oil, and debris, so the internal components stay safe even when dust or spills happen near the mouse.
The SteelSeries Aerox 9 is made with MMOs and MOBAs in mind, and beyond the normal six buttons you find on most mice, also features an additional twelve buttons on the left-hand side, that can be adjusted best for the game you play. From World of Warcraft, Final Fantasy 14, League of Legends, or Lost Ark, what ever game you play, you will find a way to make the Aerox 9 work for you.
I have long found the Razer Naga Pro as one of my go-to choices for gaming. I loved the ability to assign buttons as I needed, and the additional side buttons made it possible to really perfect the mouse for my style of gameplay. Thankfully, SteelSeries took note, since the layout and design of the Aerox 9 have won me over, making it easy to see how much effort the company took to perfect the shape and style to make it as finely crafted for gamers as possible.
Looking over to the lighting, SteelSeries has blessed the Aerox 9 with three zones of 16.8 million colour lighting that can all be changed in the SteelSeries Engine. While I don’t think lighting make or break a mouse of this level, the fact there are so many options to make the SteelSeries Aerox 9 feel tailored for you is a great thing to see. Beyond just lighting, the SteelSeries Engine really made setting up the mouse a breeze. I found with everything installed, I was up and running with Lost Ark in a matter of minutes, and that included making sure the lighting and buttons were just right.
Another advantage of the mesh style design is that the Aerox 9 is incredibly light. At only 89 grams, it is noticeably lighter than my personal Razer Naga Pro (117 grams) and even lighter than my standard DeathAdder, which is my usual go-to mouse when I am travelling.
I also have to say, SteelSeries nailed the smoothness of the mouse on almost all surfaces. The PTFE (Polytetrafluoroethylene) skates make sure you always feel you have complete control when using the Aerox 9. It makes all movement feel incredibly smooth, and very precise, in or out of games. I used the mouse for almost two weeks for the review, and I loved how well it performed when gaming, but also just for doing work in Photoshop and Premiere.
Part of this smoothness is also due to the SteelSeries’ Truemove Air sensor that delivers a staggering 18,000 CPI, along with 1-to-1 tracking, 400 IPS, 40G acceleration and tilt tracking. I found the SteelSeries Aerox 9 delivered incredible precision in every application or game I tested it on. While it is not quite as precise as Razer’s 20,000 CPI seen on the Naga Pro, it is more than enough for most gamers, even at a tournament level.
The SteelSeries Aerox 9 is packed with features, and it is one of the more precise mice to come though the doors of CGMagazine. It also manages to offer a ridiculous 180 hours of battery life. This is a fantastic feature that makes sure you only need to plug the mouse in when it is running low, and you can almost forget it for weeks before it needing another top-up. Using it for around two weeks now, the mouse is nowhere near needing a charge, so while we have not tested the full extent of the 180-hour claim, we are inclined to believe what is on offer.
As mentioned before, the SteelSeries Aerox 9 features both Quantum 2.0 Wireless 2.4 GHz tech and Bluetooth 5.0. I absolutely love the fact that SteelSeries includes both options for people, especially for a mouse of this level. When testing, I found the Quantum 2.0 was a fantastic option for while at my desk, but when on the go, the ability to switch to Bluetooth was invaluable. It makes it ideal for travelling and wanting to travel light. The battery life and easy dongle free connection makes it perfect for long plane trips.
The SteelSeries Aerox 9 feels like a logical step for the brand, delivering a mouse that feels great in the hand as well as boasts industry leading features. The 18 customizable buttons make this an ideal mouse for long MMO sessions, and the design will keep you cool as you put this 180-hour battery through its paces. While the Aerox 9 is not for everyone, if you are a fan of MMOs or MOBA style games, the Naga Pro has met its match.
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