How to choose a wireless mouse for your laptop?

Choosing a mouse-type mouse for your laptop: what type should it be so that it doesn’t interfere with convenience?

We have a separate guide on how to choose a “tailed” one for your desktop computer – listing all the tricky features, right down to how fast the cursor moves across the screen. If you want to quickly become a mouse expert, you’re welcome. In the meantime, let’s talk about how to choose a wireless mouse for your notebook that’s comfortable and mobile. What nuances to consider?

We researched the best FPS mouse for small hands in the previous post.

Why wireless?

A laptop is a mobile device that you carry around with you. Is a corded mouse or a wireless mouse better? We think the answer is pretty obvious. The accessories and peripherals of a laptop should be as mobile as possible. It is unlikely that you want to sit in a park or a cafe, tangled in the wires. So, of course, it is better to choose a wireless mouse for your notebook.

Wireless mouse work with batteries – you should pay attention to their type. And they are connected by means of an IR- or Bluetooth-adapter: the second one has a larger range. As an alternative to the “blue-tooth mouse” there are wired mouse with a short USB cable. Their advantage is that they do not waste the battery, unlike Bluetooth devices.

Laser or LED?

All modern mouse are optical, and laptop mouse are no exception. Here are wireless mouse: which are better in terms of optics?

The principle of the LED optical mouse (very simplified) is that it is a high frequency “photo” of the surface underneath, highlighting it with a LED, and the built-in graphics processor on these pictures determines in what direction the mouse is moving. The LED version is suitable if you work from a laptop on flat surfaces – at a desk at university, in a café or in a co-working room.

A laser mouse does the same thing, but with a laser beam that illuminates very small areas. This makes laser mouse better at positioning the cursor, but they also cost more – compare the price of the inexpensive models from OCLICK and Logitech. But they are less demanding to the surface and are suitable if you often sit with your “laptop” in the nature – or on the contrary, lying on the blanket at home.

Large or Small?

Laptop mouse are in principle smaller than computer mouse, and much lighter. This is due to the fact that they need to be carried around – well, why, one may ask, to add extra weight to your bag or pouch? Many models have a special thin and flat shape, such as this mouse from Xiaomi:

But if you carry a laptop in a backpack in the old way, and the size is not important to you, pick up the dimensions for your working hand (right or left). You can measure the length of your middle finger: the body of the manipulator should not be shorter. This is the ergonomic shape of the device.

Office or gaming?

Here is what you should know: you can use a gaming mouse like a desktop mouse but not vice versa. So it is necessary to choose as follows: if your notebook is for work, and for games – a good computer, it makes no sense to overpay for peripherals for gamers. Buy a good office mouse, like this one – even with a little design chic.

If your laptop is the only device for both gaming and work, it makes sense to splurge on a gaming mouse. For example, this “proprietary” model from Asus ROG with a cool design and a whole set of different accessories – one of the best wireless gaming mouse:

Choosing a mouse for your laptop?