Keychron M3 mini 4K Metal Edition review: Simply excellent

Price When Reviewed

99.00

Best Prices Today: Keychron M3 mini 4K Metal Edition

Keychron’s M3 mini 4K Metal Edition is the last word all-rounder gaming mouse. It’s sturdy and powerful, armored with a steel chassis, and but very light-weight; it additionally has all of the connectivity choices you possibly can ever want, and a lightning-quick 4K polling fee that can hold you aggressive within the quickest video games.

At $99 it carries a much bigger price ticket than some mice in Keychron’s lineup. But with sturdiness, performance, and elegance aplenty, players of all kinds are actually going to dig this mouse.

Further studying: See our roundup of the best gaming mice to study competing merchandise.

Keychron M3 mini 4K Metal Edition: Design and construct

With a perforated again lined by a grid of interlocking geometric shapes, the Keychron M3 mini 4K Metal Edition boasts a futuristic aesthetic that’s distinctive and recent. That stated, perforated backs are magnets for mud and spills, so it’s a mouse you’re actually going to must hold your espresso cup away from.

The M3 mini 4K Metal Edition has a symmetrical right-handed configuration with two small thumb buttons on the left and two compact foremost clicks. The mouse wheel contains three extra clicks and, on the underside, you’ll discover a DPI switcher, polling fee button, and a button to change between Bluetooth mode and Wi-Fi mode.

Delicate contours on both facet of the chassis simply molded the mouse to my hand for a snug match, in order that I felt a variety of management irrespective of which route I moved it. The again sections of every of the primary clicks are additionally perforated, which isn’t significantly snug for a claw grip, however it’s snug sufficient for palm or fingertip grip sorts.

Dominic Bayley / IDG

Dominic Bayley / IDG

Dominic Bayley / IDG

If you do favor a claw grip, all shouldn’t be misplaced; Keychron additionally make a non-metal version of the M3 mini 4K with a closed prime, so go for that one if a claw grip is your jam.

I used to be proud of the mouse’s weight however its measurement solely simply match my massive hand. Still, its designation as “mini,” doesn’t imply it’s tiny — it’s just a bit smaller than another full-sized mice. The dimensions measure 4.76 x 2.36 x 2.62 inches in complete, so some gamers might have a quarter-inch overhang on the entrance.

The chassis is produced from a light-weight magnesium materials, so the M3 mini 4K Metal Edition is remarkably sturdy. The perforated shell serves to maintain the load to a minimal. In truth, it weighs simply 2.25 ounces (64 grams). That made it appropriate for FPS video games and it was straightforward on my wrist and arm for lengthy play periods.

Having now used this mouse, I’m an enormous fan of magnesium alloy in a mouse’s chassis. It made the black colour shimmer like a starry night time sky beneath vibrant lights, which was an impact I by no means received uninterested in seeing.

Keychron M3 mini 4K Metal Edition: Connectivity and battery life

The 4K Metal Edition’s connectivity choices present a variety of versatility for each gaming and for work on the go. For connecting wirelessly, you get a 2.4GHz wi-fi receiver. The Bluetooth connects by way of Bluetooth model 5.1.

Both of those connection sorts had been fast for me, delivering clean, uninterrupted gameplay. A 4K Wi-Fi receiver allowed me to set a most polling fee as much as 4,000Hz, which is 4 instances the reporting fee of among the quickest esports mice launched final yr. Consequently, I used to be happy to see that it’s included within the buy value.

In the field, the Keychron M3 mini 4K Metal Edition additionally comes with a USB-C to USB-C cable for a wired connection. It’s a paracord, so it has that fast shoelace-like really feel that simply glides throughout your desk.

As to the battery life, you could have the choice of setting the polling fee to 1K for the longest doable lifetime of as much as 600 hours, or 4K for a extra modest battery life of roughly 40 hours.

Keychron M3 mini 4K Metal Edition: Gaming efficiency

The M3 mini 4K Metal Edition boasts a Pixart PAW 3395 sensor with a most DPI decision of 26,000 DPI and a most velocity of 650 inches per second. Rounding out these spectacular stats is the mouse’s lightning-fast 50g acceleration fee, which makes it exceptionally fast off the mark.

The PAW 3395 has a fame for being a bit of extra synced to polling occasions than another Pixart sensors and that rang true for me in my playtesting. I observed a variety of consistency within the mouse’s actions — they felt crisp with a transparent absence of any hiccups or jumps within the movement.

Dominic Bayley / IDG

Dominic Bayley / IDG

Dominic Bayley / IDG

In Battlefield I the 4K polling fee made an enormous distinction to the velocity at which I might monitor opponents. Those instances I assumed I used to be going to overlook targets, I might usually pull off surprising hits, which was a pleasant shock and massive confidence enhance.

The buttons really feel very good too. They’re among the softest I’ve used, however their debounce is extremely fast. They took all the hassle away from me, permitting me to click on with simply the slightest stress. I might use much less power in my clicks however nonetheless really feel like I had the very quickest actuation I might presumably get.

That response comes courtesy of the mouse’s Huano 80M microswitches. They’re rated for a protracted lifetime of 80 million clicks, too.

I additionally actually preferred how handy it was to change DPI and polling fee with the exterior buttons. Keychron has made this even simpler, with helpful RGB indicator lights that present you what polling fee you’ve chosen, so I by no means needed to cease my sport and go into the app to see what I’d switched to.

Keychron M3 mini 4K Metal Edition: Software

Keychron Engine is the 4K Metal Editon’s companion app. The software program is simple to observe and offers an honest quantity of customization.

You can tweak the same old suspects like DPI and polling fee, and assign macro key capabilities, however there are additionally just a few extra in-depth settings to change just like the mouse’s lift-off distance and sensor efficiency.

The “sensor performance” setting permits you to activate one of many key benefits of the PAW 3395 sensor, Motion Sync, which is the way it syncs the mouse’s sensor motion to polling fee occasions for smoother, extra correct motion.

Dominic Bayley / IDG

Dominic Bayley / IDG

Dominic Bayley / IDG

Should you purchase the Keycrhon M3 mini 4K Metal Edition?

If I used to be purchasing for a mouse that’s fast sufficient to run toe-to-toe with among the greatest esports mice, however packs in additional performance than you’ll see in most — issues like Bluetooth, a DPI switcher, and a really sturdy steel physique — then the Keychron M3 mini 4K Metal Edition can be prime of my checklist.

This mouse has nearly every thing I’d need and wish in a gaming mouse. I additionally actually like that it could depart me with roughly $50 left in my pocket than if I purchased some premium rivals. Ergo, if you need a stellar mouse and to avoid wasting cash too, this mouse is a positive wager.