In a Nutshell
The SteelSeries Aerox 9 is an excellent gaming mouse for playing MMO and MOBA games. Featuring plenty of buttons and low weight, its only major flaw is its steep price.
- Good build quality
- Ideal ergonomics for flat palm grip
- Excellent optical sensor
- Huge number of buttons
- Cramped side buttons
- Steep price
It is said that you shouldn’t overdo things that are already good, but SteelSeries’ Aerox 9 Wireless looks like a mouse that wants to put that thesis to the test. The mouse that we saw much more often ten years ago, but never in the holey, perforated version, at the same time looks as something new, but also as if it belongs to the time when the most popular game in the world was World of Warcraft.
As strange as it sounds, the basic dimensions of the Aerox 9 Wireless are actually identical to the Aerox 5, a much more conventional, wired and seemingly smaller gaming mouse. The new Aerox 9 Wireless feels bigger and bulkier, thanks to the greater amount of material, but the identical dimensions mean that its ergonomic characteristics are close to similar models from the Aerox line, which is great.
The weight of 89 grams is not as light as that of the simpler Aerox, with which the Aerox 9 Wireless shares a breathable casing, but it is definitely the lightest mouse of its type. It is very convenient that it comes with a built-in battery, as this reduces the overall weight, makes it easier to use, but also offers a fairly long life between charges. The manufacturer claims that one charge will last up to 180 hours of continuous use, and that has proven to be true in our tests.
SteelSeries Aerox 9 Wireless Specifications
| Sensor Type | Optical (18,000 DPI) |
| Dimensions | 128.8 x 62.8 x 26.7 mm |
| Weight | 89 grams |
| Buttons | 18 |
| Connection Type | Wireless (2.4 GHz), Bluetooth 5.0, USB |
| Cable | 2 m (braided) |
| Warranty | 2 years |
The main feature of the Aerox 9 Wireless is its 18 buttons, 12 of which are located on the side under the thumb. The relatively neutral placement of that small keyboard with numbered keys means it’s equally easy to use, regardless of hand position, provided you don’t have long fingernails. Button functions can be changed and programmed in SteelSeries’ GG software, which also allows control of the built-in lighting.
In practice, apart from arousing a sense of nostalgia, especially among users who used a similar specialized mouse in the past, we noticed that it takes a lot of practice to be able to reliably press the button we want at speed. However, getting used to it helps with the slightly asymmetric shape and well-struck size of the buttons, as well as the fact that the activation is felt with a pleasant and precise “click”.
SteelSeries’ TrueMove Air sensor is already familiar to us, so it is logical to expect that its performance will be identical to all other mice with the same sensor. In most tests, the results were in line with expectations. Pixart’s rebranded optical sensor shows superior performance. However, in testing at the highest sensitivity settings, we observed smaller differences compared to other models with the same sensor. Specifically, during the test at a maximum of 18,000 DPI, jittering is noticeable.
We can assume that the key difference is that this is a wireless version of the mouse; despite the high quality of the wireless connection, the device cannot send the necessary amount of information to the computer at a stable interval, so that the movement of the pointer on the screen fully corresponds to what the mouse does on the pad. The good news is that this remark only applies to settings of 15,000 DPI and above, and the vast majority of humans will never set their mice to such a high setting. On human-friendly settings, the mouse proved to be just as accurate as the rest of SteelSeries’ lineup, including the wired models.
Only minor criticisms can be made about this mouse, but even those are important when we consider the price of 150 dollars. Its specific design and functionalities mean that for those looking for a mouse with the maximum number of buttons, the Aerox 9 Wireless will be worth it even at its price. However, for users with conventional needs, whose eyes are caught by the design, ergonomics and other features of SteelSeries’ new mice, a more prudent choice will be another model from the Aerox line.
