Logitech G309 wireless gaming mouse review

Why I use a mouse

The buttons are well-placed and tactile. (Image credit: Anuj Bhatia/The Indian Express)

I don’t know about others, but I always use a wireless mouse, no matter how good the laptop’s touchpad is. Since I travel a lot for work and rarely work in an office, often filing stories from media rooms or hotel rooms, I prefer the convenience of a mouse. Using a trackpad, especially when working on complex stories early in the morning from a hotel desk, can be frustrating. During those times, I like the feel of an office computer setup, complete with a mouse. Convenience is a big draw for me, and so is longevity. I bought a Logitech mouse in 2018, and it’s still going strong. I’m always open to using a new mouse, provided the model is comfortable for hours of use and has excellent battery life.

Simple design and setup

The supercapacitor is essentially a tiny battery that is constantly being wirelessly charged by the Powerplay mousepad. (Image credit: Anuj Bhatia/The Indian Express)

The design of the Logitech G309 is as simple as it should be; it’s a mouse, after all. It has a standard look, featuring six buttons. Sure, Logitech’s MX Master 3S looks more unconventional, but it caters to a different audience. That said, the G309 feels incredibly solid in hand, even for those with larger hands. It’s lightweight, weighing just 86 grams with the included AA battery or 68 grams (battery-free) when used with the Powerplay wireless charging system (more on that later). The mouse is made of plastic and has the Logitech G logo printed on its hump. It doesn’t come with RGB lighting but features a pinprick status LED that changes colours as you cycle through DPI steps. The G30 is designed to keep the wrist and arm at a comfortable angle.

The front of the mouse features left and right buttons, which are handy for web browsing, along with a scroll wheel that has a satisfying click, though it lacks a free-spinning option. The lower left side of the G309 has ‘Forward’ and ‘Back’ buttons. However, it does appear to be specifically designed for right-handed users, given that the thumb buttons are located on the left side. On the back, in the centre of the G309, is the laser with a sensitivity of 25,000 dpi. A small toggle switch on the right of the laser turns the mouse on or off, while a round button on the left allows you to switch between devices. This mouse can be used with up to two Bluetooth-connected devices, making it easy to switch between them. The great thing about the G309 is that it works with Windows PCs, Apple Macs, ChromeOS, Android, and iOS.

Setting up the G309 is easy. The mouse comes with ‘batteries included,’ with an AA battery ready to get you up and running. Plug the battery into the mouse, turn it on, and connect it to your laptop via Bluetooth, or plug the dongle into a USB Type-A port on the PC to use the Lightspeed connection. Pairing the G309 with my Mac was fast and easy. The G309 does not exhibit any lag when moving the mouse; cursor movement is fast, precise, and smooth. I’ve tested the mouse with a Mac, Windows laptop, and my iPhone. It works on wooden and plastic surfaces without any issues with cursor tracking.

One thing I like about Logitech’s premium accessory options is that you can customise them using the company’s G Hub software. You can customise your G309’s buttons specifically for each application that you use. In fact, it is also possible to customise the mouse’s sensitivity presets. I found the software intuitive and configured.

Wireless charging is a great addition but comes with a hidden cost

PowerPlay connector on the base. (Image credit: Anuj Bhatia/The Indian Express)

Perhaps the reason the Logitech G309 costs more than traditional mice is its magnetic charging feature. You may have heard that some devices support wireless charging, and now Logitech is bringing this feature to its mouse, especially for under $100 (the G309 can be purchased for under Rs 8,000 online). As mentioned earlier, to take advantage of the mouse’s wireless charging capability, you need Logitech’s PowerPlay wireless charging mousepad, which charges the mouse while in use. This means you’ll never run out of batteries. The G309 comes with a supercapacitor inside, which is essentially a tiny battery constantly being wirelessly charged by the PowerPlay mousepad underneath. However, the mousepad needs to be purchased separately. At the time of writing this review, I couldn’t find the PowerPlay in stock online, and that accessory doesn’t come cheap.

But the advantage the G309 has over previous wireless power mice options (which didn’t have any other way to charge) is that, unlike those, this one also uses an AA battery when you’re on the go. With a single AA battery, it lasts around 300 hours with 2.4GHz wireless or up to 600 hours with Bluetooth. To be clear, the G309 has no rechargeable battery inside — it has a supercapacitor (as mentioned above), which holds enough charge to keep the mouse powered when it’s not directly touching the mousepad. However, the supercapacitor only holds about five minutes’ worth of charge. Still, it gives you the option of using a battery when you don’t have your PowerPlay mousepad on hand, which is actually quite convenient.

Conclusion

The Logitech G309 isn’t a budget mouse, and that should be very clear. It features a unique magnetic charging gimmick, but the PowerPlay mousepad is expensive, costing over $100. That being said, the G309 is a very comfortable and well-designed wireless mouse. It’s highly responsive, and the battery tends to hold its charge well over an extended period.