It takes a lot to get me excited about a gaming mouse, but Logitech’s new G309 looks incredible. Unlike the recent G Pro X 2 Superlight, the G309 comes in at a more sensible $80, but it’s still packing some insane features.
It’s not exactly a budget mouse along the lines of the G305, but Logitech is offering an awful lot for under $100. The mouse itself is wireless, with support for both Bluetooth and Logitech’s low-latency Lightspeed connection, and the company claims it can last for 300 hours. What stands out most, however, is Powerplay support.
This is Logitech’s wireless charging tech, but prior to the G309, it was only available on mice north of $100, with the cheapest being the G502 Lightspeed. The G309 is now the cheapest way to get in on the Powerplay system, assuming you’re OK dropping $120 on a Powerplay mouse pad alongside an $80 mouse. At least that combo isn’t much more expensive than something like the Razer Viper V3 Pro.
You don’t have to use a Powerplay mouse pad, but it makes the G309 lighter. Like other budget Logitech mice, the G309 is powered by a single AA battery. With a Powerplay mouse pad, you can ditch the battery and run the mouse just off of the mouse pad. With the AA battery, the mouse clocks in at 86 grams. Without it, the mouse is only 68 grams, which is encroaching on competitively light weights.
You’ll want to use the mouse with the Lightspeed dongle most of the time, which Logitech says will net you 300 hours if you’re not using Powerplay. With Bluetooth, which the mouse supports through a switch on the bottom, Logitech says the G309 will last 600 hours. That’s incredible, and likely due in no small part to the lack of RGB lighting on the mouse.
Under the hood, the G309 is using Logitech’s Hero 25K and Lightforce mechanical-optical switches. The sensor isn’t quite what you’ll find on a competitive mouse like the G Pro X 2 Superlight, but for all but the most competitive gamers, the Hero 25K sensor is great. It’s a reasonable trade-off considering how much cheaper the G309 is compared to the high-end crop of gaming mice from Razer, Corsair, and Logitech itself.
It’s rare that budget mice stand out from the crowd, but the G309 is targeting a sweet spot of premium features at a more affordable price. You can pick up the mouse now — I spotted it in both white and black on Amazon .
