The Best Mice for Beginners

It is among the cheapest mice here. All 11 buttons can be reassigned, including a rapid-fire key, and five DPI levels run up to 4,000. The frosted coating helps grip.

Its frosted coating resists sweat, and the streamlined shape suits a claw grip. Five RGB modes can be turned off. It is the only pick here with a right-handed ergonomic shape; the EVGA X10 has an ambidextrous shape instead.

You also get RGB backlighting. It cost the least of the 5 picks at the time of writing, with the E-YOOSO X-31 the next step up. There is no published button count figure, whereas the EVGA X10 offers 9.

It is shaped for large hands, with an anti-sweat, non-slip finish. Five DPI steps run up to 4,800, and the receiver stores inside the mouse. It works with Windows, macOS, Linux and ChromeOS, though the side buttons do not work on Mac.

The receiver reaches about 33 feet. The large contoured shell uses an anti-slip, anti-sweat material suited to big hands. It also offers a selectable 125Hz or 250Hz polling rate and the lowest price among the large mice here.

The nearest alternative on button count is the EVGA X10 at 9, against 6 here. When we checked, only the M612 cost less, and the Lenovo M210 cost more.

The maker specifies Windows and ChromeOS support. It polls at 1,000Hz with 300 IPS tracking, and its medium-large symmetrical shape suits a palm grip. Seven buttons are programmable.

You also get RGB lighting and a DPI button for quick sensitivity changes. Another plus is no battery to charge. Before buying, weigh one limit: costs more than the M612 at the time of writing.

When we checked, only the E-YOOSO X-31 and cheaper picks cost less, and the Redragon large cost more. If you want a confirmed button count, look to the EVGA X10 instead: it offers 9, while this one gives no figure.

It pairs with three Bluetooth devices. It is sized for medium to large hands and connects over Bluetooth, a USB receiver or a USB-C cable. Programmable buttons can be remapped in the software.

Its 1,000mAh battery and low-power chip give long runtimes at a 1,000Hz polling rate, and DPI runs up to 12,800. RGB lighting can be adjusted. Keep the Redragon large on its dongle for games; Bluetooth is for a laptop.

On price it sat fourth of 5, between the cheaper Lenovo M210 and the pricier EVGA X10, at the time of writing. The maker doesn't give its button count; if that figure matters, the EVGA X10 offers 9.

It has nine buttons. Its height and weight systems adjust to your grip, Omron switches handle the clicks, and the software sets macros, profiles and on-screen display. The ambidextrous shape works for either hand, and on-the-fly DPI adjustment reaches 8,200.

Omron switches and a silver-coated cable round out the build. An ambidextrous shape is unique to it among these picks, while the M612 uses a right-handed ergonomic shape. It also brings no battery to charge. It was the highest-priced of the 5 picks at the time of writing, so the case for it rests on what it adds over the Redragon large and the rest.