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Scharon Harding-November 5, 2021 at 10:17 PM UTC

Rats are obvious candidates for thread cutting. Using wireless technology ensures that you won't get entangled in wires or have to deal with cable dragging issues, and the wireless connection has become so reliable that even gaming companies provide wireless mice without real lag problems.

For people who use multiple devices, the situation is a bit complicated. The Bluetooth connection may be stable, but this does not mean that I have to pair and re-pair the mouse repeatedly. Sometimes it seems easier to be able to just plug in the mouse.

But there is another way. Razer Pro Click Mini has added a series of wireless mice, allowing you to pair with three Bluetooth devices and select the machine you want to control by pressing a button. You can use the included wireless dongle to add another PC to the combination, connecting a total of four devices.

The $80 Pro Click Mini is a more portable and cute version than the original Razer Pro Click, and it costs $20 more. The new mouse has a longer battery life and is highly programmable, from a five-way scroll wheel that can manage two different scrolling styles to the ability to store macros. But competitors with similar feature sets can offer longer battery life, quieter scroll wheels, and easier ways to switch between connected devices. Is Razer's new mouse enough to keep up?

Like the previous full-size Pro Click, you can connect the Pro Click Mini to three devices via Bluetooth, and you can also use the wireless dongle of the mouse to connect to the fourth device. There are some wireless mice that allow you to control multiple PCs via Bluetooth. However, if you want to connect to a fourth device or use a dongle, Pro Click Mini will stand out. Logitech's MX Anywhere 3 can also do all the above operations, and is the same as the manufacturer's suggested retail price of Pro Click Mini, but it raises the stakes by providing wired control and charging. Dell MS7421W and HP Spectre 700 mouse can also be connected to four devices, and all can be charged.

But using Pro Click Mini to switch between Bluetooth devices is not easy. You can switch between machines by pressing and holding the same button that started Bluetooth pairing. But unlike the MX Anywhere 3, MS7421W and Spectre 700 mice, there is no image on the mouse itself to let you know what you are currently connected to. Instead, you must remember the color code. When connected to PC 1, the light on the bottom of the mouse turns blue, for example, PC 2 is green and PC 3 is green-yellow. This is a small light, the two colors are very similar, so the system is not completely intuitive.

It is much easier to use the dongle to move to the device. You only need to switch the switch on the bottom of the mouse from Bluetooth mode to 2.4 GHz mode. Compared with the Bluetooth option of Pro Click Mini, the dongle connection should be more reliable and have less latency. Both work well for me, even when used with a Bluetooth keyboard.

If you prefer to keep a USB-A port, there is a useful dongle storage under the top cover of the Pro Click Mini. Zooming in/opening the mouse will show the location of the two AA batteries and the dongle. Scharon Harding removes and replaces the top cover without any shocking plastic rubbing sound. I have never encountered the problem of accidentally falling off the cover.

Pro Click Mini is smaller than its predecessor, but has a longer battery life. Razer said that via Bluetooth connection, this mini-clicker can be used for up to 725 hours, while it can be used for up to 465 hours when using the dongle. However, the battery life of MX Anywhere 3 dwarfs this number at 1,680 hours. Dell's MS7421W claims to be as long as 6 months, which is approximately 4,464 hours, while HP's Spectre wireless mouse should last up to 1,848 hours.

Of course, you can expect that the battery life of Pro Click Mini will vary depending on how you use it and whether you switch between different wireless modes. In addition, if you use a mouse with one AA battery instead of two batteries (you can use one battery for a lighter mouse-3.1 ounces vs. 3.9 ounces), you can expect a decrease in battery life. Giving up the battery will make the mouse feel slightly unbalanced, and is not enough to justify the reduction in battery life. A wireless mouse with zoom/similar functions can last longer than Pro Click Mini. Scharon Harding

When the remaining battery life is less than 5%, the indicator light under the steering wheel flashes red. Razer's Synapse software provides a battery fuel gauge, but it does not give an exact percentage.

You can also use Synapse to program the mouse to enter sleep mode when idle (1 to 15 minutes) to maximize the use of the mouse’s battery power. I set it for one minute, which is lower than the default five minutes, and the mouse still wakes up very quickly.

But no matter how long the battery lasts, once the battery is dead, you need to replace it; the mouse itself is not rechargeable.

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