All the way back in 2014 Logitech introduced the G502 Proteus Core. Up until that time Logitech had a very specific style which ironically they just brought back with the reintroduction of the MX518. The G502 was a complete departure and Logitech followed the G502 up with other mice and keyboards that continued the new styling. It is also their most popular gaming mouse, you can find people using the G502 all over the place. The G502 has always been a wired mouse though, today they are finally introducing a wireless G502 called the G502 Lightspeed Wireless. Logitech has been killing it with wireless mice, adding the G502 into their lineup, especially given how popular the design is, should make for an interesting mouse. I am a little concerned with the weight, the wired G502 is a little heavy. But I’ve heard that Logitech did a little work to keep

Product Name: Logitech G502 Lightspeed Wireless

Review Sample Provided by: Logitech

Written by: Wes Compton

Pictures by: Wes Compton

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specs

 


Packaging

If you run across the G502 Wireless on a store shelf it is going to blend in really well with the rest of Logitech’s peripherals. It has that same mid gray background with a zoomed in photo across the front that they use on all of their gaming boxes these days. The model name is in huge letters sideways with the Logitech logo under that. That said I don’t think they set this apart much from the wired version when it comes to that. They do have the LIGHTSPEED branding in the corner with “Wireless Gaming Mouse” below that. But I think the Lightspeed should be sideways along with the G502 model name. It looks more like a feature, than the product name. The Wired looks exactly the same only with Hero in place of the Lightspeed part and the picture has a wire going from it.

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The back of the box has another picture of the mouse, this time looking more at the bottom and side where they also have the weight storage area and dongle storage covers off showing those features. The rest of the back of the box talks a little about key features like the Lightspeed wireless tech, the Hero sensor, programmable buttons, and the weights.

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Inside the mouse sits right up on top when you open the box up in a small tray that keeps it secure. The top of the box is also formed around the G502 shape to help with this as well. Then up under that tray is a “Play Advanced” cover that hides some of the accessories and documentation as well as the weight case that is visible.

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For documentation, you get a setup guide that shows where all of the buttons are and how to get up and running. There is a safety and warranty paper as well as a small sales guide for other Logitech products. Then they include a sharp Logitech Gaming sticker.

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In addition to the mouse, you get a few accessories which you wouldn’t get with a wired mouse. The most obvious is a charging cord. The cord has a hard black sleeving on it that I would prefer to be a little softer for when you are still gaming while charging. I also noticed that the winged charging cable design has been dropped here for a more standard looking plug. Sadly though the plug isn’t standard, the Micro-USB connection is but the plug itself has a specific shape to match the hole on the mouse. Logitech did this with the winged design as well, but at least with that, it matched the same plug for the PowerPlay wireless charging mousepad.

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Also included for accessories was this small plastic case. Inside on both sides are small weights that you can use to balance the G502 Lightspeed. Also in the case is the USB wireless dongle and an adapter. The dongle has the G502 model name on it to help prevent mixups for anyone with more than one device. The adapter is basically designed to be used with the charging cable if you want to move the dongle up on your desk for an improved signal. It has a micro USB port on one in for the cable and a USB port on the other for the included dongle.

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Photos and Features

Like I said before, the styling of the G502 is very unique for a mouse with a lot of angular shapes which at the time of the original G502 wasn’t seen much on most PC hardware. In the last few years, that same design has been showing up on a lot of motherboards and video cards along with the influx of RGB as well. The G502 Lightspeed Wireless hasn’t really departed much from the original G502 design, at least on the exterior of the mouse. But once we get looking closer there are a few changes from the last time we had a G502 up for review. They did introduce an updated wired model last year but I haven’t taken a look at so my observations are going from the original to now. There are a few new colors/finishes in place. The new design is all black where the old one had dark grey for the palm area and silver in the DPI indicator area as well as a touch of blue down on the thumb wing. The Logitech Logo is a little different as well with a boxy design, but still in the same spot.

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Both sides still have a rubber finish with tiny up and down arrows embossed into the rubber for extra grip. Speaking of grip, one of the aspects that I like about the G502’s shape is that both sides of the mouse do have a small overhanging shape that helps with holding on to the mouse, especially if you lift as I do. The right side has it mostly at the front where your ring finger would be and the left up under the thumb buttons. Speaking of the side buttons, those haven’t changed as well. The thumb side has two long buttons above where you would put your thumb and then a third farther up at the front. The G5 and G4 buttons are traditional programmable buttons and the forward button has a target on it. This defaults as the DPI Shift button that can be used to slow down your DPI for aiming. It, of course, can still be programmed to do whatever you want. Above the thumb buttons, there are three small dashes, those are LED indicators which would normally show your DPI setting but for this mouse, Logitech is using them to show battery level when paired with the default setting of the G9 button.

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The G502 is a right-handed design through and through with the shape of the mouse being higher on the left and leaning down on the right. Not to mention the wing that comes out of the left side of the mouse that keeps the side of your thumb from sliding on the mouse pad as well. This carries around to the front of the mouse as well where the right trigger sits down significantly lower than the left trigger does. Also on the front, we can finally get a look at the charging port. Like Logitech's other Wireless mice, the G502 Lightspeed does use a Micro-USB port for charging but if you look closely you can see how it is set back into the mouse about 1/3 of an inch. This is where the shape of the included charging cable comes in, it has a keyed shape that makes this the only cable that can be used. The older winged design that Logitech used was nicer because while it was keyed you could still use a normal cord most of the time which most people have multiple Micro-USB cords around.

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Looking down from the top you can see that the G502 Lightspeed does have a slight coke bottle shape in the middle. The majority of the mouse has a flat finish but Logitech did use gloss in between all of those components to split them up, this includes in between the triggers where the G502 has a few things going on. The scroll wheel has changed from the original design which used an all-metal wheel. This design has rubber on the outside for additional traction and the wheel itself has had weight removed from the middle. It does still have a free spinning mode button right behind it. Pushing that will get rid of the bumps/clicks when you scroll and let you spin the when all the way down to the bottom of a long page. There are three programmable buttons up on top with the G9 in the middle and G8 and G7 to the left of the left trigger. This does make the left trigger a little smaller than the right but this is still a relatively large mouse so even at that size it was still larger than my fingers width. Now under the triggers, I was especially curious what switches were used. I’ve personally had big issues with multiple Logitech mice in the past year with Omron 50 million click switches failing. Funny enough Logitech doesn’t mention the switch branding in any of their reviewer documentation this time around, but from what I’m told they have gone with Omron 20 million click switches this time around. Hopefully, that addresses those issues.

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At first glance, there doesn’t seem to be much going on under the G502 Lightspeed. The model name is in that Logitech blue right next to the power switch and there are five Teflon gliders including that large front glider that the G502 has always had. But most of the bottom of the mouse comes off. The pulling on the wing will pull most of the bottom off to expose where you can place the included balancing weights. Then at the back, it has the same round panel that the G903/G703/GPro Wireless all have. Both panels are held in with magnets. The round panel hides some of the FCC and certification info and it has a nice hiding spot for the G502’s wireless dongle as well. This round plug also has two metal contact points where you can swap the included dummy cover for the one included with a PowerPlay Wireless Charging Mousepad. I took a look at the PowerPlay last year in THIS review and I have been using it from then on. Having PowerPlay support for the G502 is huge because you can keep the mouse charged without ever having to plug it in or in my case without ever having it die because I forgot to plug it in.

Now we can’t talk about the bottom of the G502 Wireless without also bringing up the sensor. The original G502 gained a lot of its popularity at the time because it brought the PWM 3366 sensor with it which was/is a great sensor and back in 2014 most mice had horrible sensors in comparison. Logitech changed the G502’s sensor last year when they introduced the G502 Hero which uses their Hero 16K sensor. The G502 Lightspeed didn’t change this, it uses that same Hero 16K sensor which as the name indicates goes up to 16,000 DPI. No one cares about going that high, but knowing that it tracks at over 400 ips with 40gs of acceleration are the important numbers here. The Hero 16K was also a big step for Logitech because it uses significantly less power and was when they moved directly on to the PCB as well which saves weight. Both are significant for a wireless mouse.

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Software

Logitech has always stood out to me on the software side of things, leading the pack to integrated software across multiple products years ago. They recently redid their gaming software entirely and it is now called G Hub. When you open the software up it has all of your installed Logitech Gaming devices available to flip through, in this case, you can see the G Pro and the G502 Lightspeed and the Lightspeed also shows you the battery charge right away as well. The bottom of the software on this page has links to a few articles on how to use the software as well as a link to the new Logitech Website and up top, you can switch between profiles.

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Clicking on the G502 gets us into what a lot of people are going to use most on their peripherals, the Lightsync page. Once I have my mouse or keyboard setup, the only reason I make any changes normally is to change the lighting so it is nice that this is easy to get too. The primary tab sets the color of the DPI lights and the logo does the logo lighting. You can pick a few different effects and on those, you can also change their speed. Solid color effects like breathing or the fixed color option also let you click and use a color sampler tool to set the color to anything you want. If you run more than one Logitech device you can also pick the sync option to sync the same effect or color across all devices. When using something like the PowerPlay this is especially nice.

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The second page is all about programming the G502 Lightspeeds buttons. On the right, there is a photo of the mouse with lines going to each of the programmable buttons including the scroll wheels down click and left and right clicks. You can also click the arrow on the left or right of the mouse photo to flip back and forth from a side angle as well to change the side buttons. The G-Shift option down at the bottom lets you set different actions when you are holding the g-shift button like a function layer or the shift key on a keyboard. Then over on the left whichever button you have selected you can pick any option you want the button to do with long lists of system options, windows and software commands, basic keys, or you can program your own macros.

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The last tab is focused on mouse sensitivity. By default, there are 3 DPIs selected that you can flip through on the mouse. You can add up to 5 total or go down to just one. I personally lock my DPI in just to one just in case I bump any buttons. But if you like having more than one speed between games and windows or in game depending on weapons it is nice to be able to set them to anything you want in increments of 50. You can set the g-shift DPI with the yellow dot, the rest will be white. Then on the bottom left you can also change the report rate for the mouse, lower will help battery life and higher means less lag.

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The gear up on top of any of the tabs takes you to this page where you can see details on your batty charge and consumption. You also can see the current firmware and turn on a few different options like the onboard memory mode to lock your settings into the mouse to be able to turn the software off.

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Performance

For testing, I swapped out my day to day mouse with the G502 Lightspeed. I just happen to normally use a wireless Logitech mouse so the transition software wise was as simple as getting the updated version with G502 lightspeed support. From there I also use a Logitech PowerPlay to charge my mouse so getting things up and running required me swapping the PowerPlay disc from my Pro Wireless to the G502 and then going into the software for the PowerPlay and telling it to research for a mouse. If you aren’t already using the PowerPlay and add one at the same time as the G502 you won’t need to do this. If you aren’t using the PowerPlay mat at all, plugging the included wireless dongle into your PC will get the mouse up and running right away.

Once up and running adjusting to the G502 wasn’t all that bad comfort wise. I am right handed but typically prefer ambidextrous mice like the G Pro Wireless but the G502 actually fits my hand better. This is partially because of its size, this is a larger mouse than the G Pro Wireless both in length and height. That height helps push up into my palm a little better. Now the triggers aren’t as wide as on the G Pro Wireless and I was a little concerned that I would accidentally bump into the G7 and G8 buttons on the left but in my testing that hasn’t been an issue at all. The trigger shape for the left trigger is curved to keep you centered. Reaching them isn’t too hard when you want too so they are very well placed. The G8 button in front was easier for me to reach than the G7 because of the length of my fingers. On that same topic, the side buttons weren’t placed too bad. The thumb ends up centered a little to the front button where on the G Pro Wireless it is perfectly centered between the two. But both of the normal side buttons were reachable. The G-Shift button all the way at the front was reachable as well but only with the end of my thumb. But that also isn’t a button I normally need to use.

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The biggest difference for me coming from the G Pro Wireless to the G502 was really the weight difference. The G Pro Wireless was designed to be as lite as possible without drilling holes. Adding the extra buttons of the G502, the larger size, and things like the thumb wing all add to the weight. Even when not adding extra balancing weights that system on the underside of the G502 adds a lot of weight with its magnets and weight tray. The G Pro Wireless comes in at 74 grams for me while the G502 was at 106 grams, both without the round insert where you put the PowerPlay module. With all of that said at 106 grams, Logitech has managed to make their G502 actually weigh LESS than the wired version which comes in at 121 grams. That includes adding a battery, space for the PowerPlay, and the wireless tech itself inside. Personally, I know some web forums and on Reddit, there seems to be a push to race to the bottom for mouse weight, but given the G502’s huge sales and popularity, I don’t think that everyone wants a mouse that has no weight to it. In fact, at 106 grams I think the G502 isn’t bad at all for a wireless device leaving the G Pro Wireless as an option for those who need even less weight.

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As for the rest of the performance, I didn’t have too much to say about the Hero 16K sensor. I’ve been using it on multiple mice for a while now. It feels just like the 3366 variations on my hard pad surface. Tracking is smooth even at speed thanks to the 400 ips and I didn’t have any angle snapping or stepping. My only complaint was that the lift-off distance felt a little low and it wasn’t adjustable in the software. For battery performance I ran without the PowerPlay and the 48 hour of use rating seems to be about spot on which is a nice sweet spot for anyone who doesn’t mind plugging in every few days if you are at your PC for a full workday or more or every week or two if you are gaming at night for a few hours. Turning off the lighting extends that 48 hours of charge to up to 60 which given that the G logo is under your hand anyhow, I don’t know why you wouldn’t do this. Power users who are doing a lot more than that should really consider the PowerPlay mat for charging all of the time. As much as I hate the cost of the PowerPlay as well as its thickness as mentioned in my review of it. Not having to ever worry about plugging my mouse in or swapping out batteries is nice.

As for wireless performance, frankly, Lightspeed from Logitech and most of the other major brands have gotten wireless performance down to a point where it is a known issue even for the most demanding of users. You do have to run at 1000Hz to get that ultra-fast response time but if you still have any preconceived notions about wireless performance it is time for you to give a new one a chance. My other concern was with the trigger switch performance, this was where I had issues on 3 Logitech mice in the past 8 months. My testing so far hasn’t had any issues, but only time will really tell on that one. Changing back to the 20 million click Omron switches is most likely going to handle it though.

 


Overall and Final Verdict

So a wireless G502 has been a long time coming, was it worth the wait? Well if you were a G502 fan before, Logitech did a great job of sticking with what people liked about it. You have the exact same shape and size, adjustable weights, and all of the same programmable buttons. The Hero 16K sensor is solid just like the 3366 of the original G502 so no complaints there. One of my big concerns was weight, the original G502, and the G502 Hero both weigh 121 grams which is on the high end, adding batteries and everything else to that could make the G502 which is already a meme for mouse weight even heavier. Impressively Logitech did manage to lower the weight while going wireless down to 106 grams. I have this as a pro and a con though because it is a significant improvement, but it is still a little heavy. Especially when compared to the G Pro Wireless.

It's with the wireless performance that The G502 really stands out. Logitech’s Lightspeed wireless tech feels just like wired mouse as far as latency goes. Battery life is great as well with 48 full hours of gaming with the lighting on or 60 with it off. You also have the option to use the PowerPlay mousepad and have wireless charging of the mouse all of the time. My only complaint was with the new charging cable. The old winged design would support a normal Micro-USB cable from any standard phone, but the design Logitech went with, while still Micro-USB, didn’t fit any other cables I had. It's nice to be able to just charge your mouse with the same cable you already have on your desk.

The issues I have personally had with Logitech mice with Omron 50 million click switches failing made me really happy to see that they went with the 20 million click design for this mouse. Only time will tell if any double click issues come up, but it does look like they are addressing the issue with the G502. My only other complaint with the mouse is just that the G502 isn’t an ambidextrous design, so lefties don’t have an option.

As for pricing, the G502 Lightspeed has an MSRP of $149.99 which right away is going to scare off a lot of people. This is the same MSRP as the G Pro Wireless and G903 as well but the wired G502 Hero is $69.99. That is a huge price difference and it eliminates one of biggest selling points of the G502. Personally I think given they have the same MSRP (and especially with the G Pro Wireless selling for $135 on Amazon),  I think the G Pro Wireless is a better option. The only exception to that are the sometimes problematic micro-switches. Now if you prefer an ergonomic shape or have loved your G502 for years, the G502 Lightspeed is going to be a great performing mouse if you can afford it.

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Author Bio
garfi3ld
Author: garfi3ldWebsite: http://lanoc.org
Editor-in-chief
You might call him obsessed or just a hardcore geek. Wes's obsession with gaming hardware and gadgets isn't anything new, he could be found taking things apart even as a child. When not poking around in PC's he can be found playing League of Legends, Awesomenauts, or Civilization 5 or watching a wide variety of TV shows and Movies. A car guy at heart, the same things that draw him into tweaking cars apply when building good looking fast computers. If you are interested in writing for Wes here at LanOC you can reach out to him directly using our contact form.

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VaporX's Avatar
VaporX replied the topic: #38661 13 May 2019 19:56
Wish people would point out that this is a "faux" wireless product. There is still a wire either as a recharge cable or for the wired power mat.

I use a G603 mouse and G613 keyboard with ZERO wires on my desk ever needed for these peripherals. I am getting a battle life of about 10 months on the mouse and over a year on the keyboard.

Also concerning weight, ultra light is not always better. I am a big man and I find I prefer a heavier mouse.

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