Razer Mamba 4G 2012 edition review

The Mamba is Razer's most expensive gaming mouse. At £95, it will set you back a significant chunk of change, but its wireless abilities might make it worth the investment.

Wireless mice and gaming haven't exactly gone hand-in-hand in the past – the lag between moving the mouse and the cursor reacting on-screen meant many gamers couldn't play fast-paced first person shooters as accurately as with a wired mouse. Razer thinks it solved that problem with the original Mamba, a "gaming-grade" wireless mouse that had a less than one millisecond delay between movement and reaction. We never got the chance to see the original in action, but we recently got to put the new 2012 edition through its paces.

With a revised 4G laser sensor capable of a massive 8,200 DPI and user-customisable LED lights, the Mamba checks the boxes for a serious gaming mouse. If it looks familiar, it’s because Razer based its shape on the iconic Deathadder. It has the same shape that favours right-handed users, twin side buttons and illuminated scroll wheel, which unfortunately doesn’t scroll horizontally.

What sets it apart from the Deathadder are the two small buttons recessed into the left mouse button for controlling DPI settings and the three small LEDs on the left hand side. They glow red to indicate mouse sensitivity, and green to show remaining battery life.

Although you can use the Mamba with the bundled micro USB cable, it’s when you switch to wireless that it comes alive. There’s absolutely no discernible difference between wired and wireless modes, giving you the complete freedom of your desk without having to worry about cable lengths or tangles. It’s the ideal weight and has a rubberised finish, so we never worried about flinging it across the room by mistake.

The gorgeous charging cradle lets you keep the mouse topped up when you aren’t gaming, to ensure you never run out of juice mid-game. We managed to get through eight hours on on-and-off use before needing to charge it, so you should be covered for even the longest play sessions.

Everything about the Mamba 4G screams high-end – the fantastically over-the-top packaging, the extreme DPI values that are next to impossible to control in-game without years of practice and the incredible wireless performance. You certainly pay a premium, but only around £10-20 more than other flagship gaming mice. If you want the best, this is it.