Logitech G502 Hero

Detailed Review

A good gaming mouse is a really important piece of peripheral for professional gamers. Amidst the numerous brands out there, when it comes to premium gaming mice, the first names that strike is none other than Logitech. The G502 was launched by Logitech back in 2014, and it was an impeccable piece of hardware. The mouse got a number of refreshes after that, in the form of Proteus Core, Proteus Spectrum and so on. The ample number of refreshes itself speaks volumes about the mice’s popularity.  Logitech is finally back with another refresh of the G502, the G502 Hero. What does the Hero offer over the previous iterations of the mice? Does it carry the legacy of the G502 forward? Let’s find out.

Design & Comfort     

To begin with, the G502 Hero borrows the same skeletal design traits from its predecessors. The G502 Hero is designed for right-handed users and it is undoubtedly one of the few mice that hits the sweet spot in the size department. The mouse will perfectly suit people with small to medium hands. On top of that, there is the convenient thumb rest with a rubberized texture aimed at providing proper grip. That being said, mice is one of those peripherals that relies a lot on personal preference. And, the G502 is a bit on the narrower side, which might make it a tad uncomfortable for people with larger hands. However, Logitech has ensured that the G502 Hero is as comfortable as possible for a majority of people if not all.

An important trait adding to the comfort factor is the mouse’s shape and design. The kind of narrow and bulging design the G502 Hero has, it is bound to be comfortable for a variety of grips. Whether you have a claw grip or palm grip, the G502 Hero ensures that your grip doesn’t play a role in the comfortability. One of the most important elements that separate normal mice from a gaming mouse, and people look for in a gaming mouse is additional macro keys. If you’re a person looking for mice with a number of macro keys, there is absolutely no reason that you’ll be disappointed for. The G502 offers a plethora of keys placed at almost accessible locations you can think of.  The mouse has a total of 8 buttons apart from the regular three buttons. Three are along the left side just near the thumb rest, two near the left click button, and one in the middle just below the scroll wheel toggle button. By providing a wide array of macro buttons and various suitable locations, Logitech ensures that it adheres to the needs of a number of people.

Finally coming to another important aspect, the mouse’s weight. To no surprise, Logitech gets this on point as well. Out of the box, the mouse weighs just a meager 121 gms. However, if you are one of the persons who prefer to use a heavy mouse, don’t worry, Logitech has got you covered there as well. At the bottom of the mouse, there is a panel which can be used to customize the mouse’s weight. There are a number of furrows in the bottom panel of the mouse which can be filled with 3.6 gram each weight, provided by Logitech in the box. There are a total of five of these weights and they can ramp up the mouse’s weight from a meager 121 gms to a heavy 139 gms. On top of that, you are further given the freedom to place the weights on either right or left side of the panel, or on top or bottom, giving you more customizability over the mouse’s weight density. In simpler terms, you can make it heavier horizontally or vertically.

Performance & Features

Before we delve deeper into the mice’s actual performance, let us look into what’s new in the G502 Hero. Well, to begin with, it is not just a mere rebrand. A lot is changed, and with a lot, we mean a lot. One of the most important deal-breaking elements of a mouse is the sensor. And, the Hero gets a sensor overhaul over the previous G502. The G502 had the PWM3360 sensor, while the G502 Hero has the PWM3366. That means the DPI range is from 100 to 16000, instead of 100 to 12000. It has a 1000 Hz polling rate and 1ms response time. This might look a lot on paper, but, it isn’t that significant of a difference as compared to the original G502. But, the G502’s sensor was excellent, to begin with, and the Hero makes it a tad better. Comparisons aside, speaking of the actual performance, we faced no issues at all, and to no surprise, we were impressed by the performance. We played games like Rainbow Six Siege and CS: GO with it and the mouse was accurate as it can get, properly registering all the wrist-breaking flicks. That being said, I am still bad at either of the two games, but my skill is to blame for that.

Moving on to the switches, the switches are now the industry standard Omron switches rated at 50 million clicks in comparison to the predecessor’s 20 million clicks. The switches are pretty responsive and efficient, and we faced no double click or other issues throughout our prolonged testing of the G502. Durability is something which can only be asserted after significant usage, but in the short span we used the mouse for, and judging by the build quality, it does look way more durable than its predecessors. The G502 Hero has the RGB Logitech logo, which can be customized using Logitech’s software. The software is also used to assign the macro keys, and assign the various mice profiles. The G502 Hero supports up to 5 mouse profiles as compared to the predecessors 3. The profile indicator light does light up to indicate the profile being used, but it doesn’t stay lit for long which is quite disappointing. The only way one can distinguish through profiles is by assigning various colors to each profile. Logitech’s software is pretty slick and packs a load of features, giving customizability as well as maneuverability.

Verdict

The G502 Hero is as flawless as a gaming mouse can get. From an excellent sensor to a design which is crafted to suit most hands and grip styles, there isn’t a single department the G502 Hero doesn’t tick. That being said, there is one thing that might affect the G502 Hero’s deal breaking traits, the price. The mice are priced at a price of 6,499 INR,  although it can be bought for as low as 3,999 from Amazon. If you are lucky to pick it up below 5,000 INR, then the G502 Hero is an excellent choice. Beyond that price point, you might need to rethink your decision for better options out there. Nonetheless, Logitech impressively manages to improve on what already was the best and looked up to as a benchmark for gaming mice.