At a look

Expert’s Rating

Pros

• Very quick and exact 26,000 DPI sensor
• Well-proportioned and really comfy
• The quickest buttons I’ve ever used

Cons

• It would have been extra handy for the DPI button to be positioned the place the RGB button presently sits.
• Mac customers must wait on the software program app
• Finding the M3 on the largest on-line retailers was exhausting

Our Verdict

The Keychron M3 redefines wi-fi gaming mice, being ultra-light, very highly effective, and most significantly, extraordinarily reasonably priced, additionally coming with every thing you’ll ever want for seamless connectivity proper out of the field.

Price When Reviewed

$49

Best Prices Today: Keychron M3

In their quest to make gaming mice as distinctive as attainable, corporations are arising with some fancy designs. But having an uncommon design doesn’t at all times translate into higher efficiency. I imply, who actually wants a mouse that appears like a Klingon mom ship, anyway?

Keychron, by comparability, has added simple, however trendy units to its most up-to-date peripherals lineup, championing practicality over flamboyancy and it’s good news for avid gamers. In truth, by homing in on the timeless fundamentals, these undeniably profitable options that make each gamer carry out higher, Keychron’s gear is de facto flaming-hot proper now.

Take the Keychron M3, for instance: It dispenses with a schmancy design, as an alternative displaying off a streamlined, light-weight, and cozy physique, stellar finger grips, and fast and responsive buttons—issues I really care about. It additionally sports activities a flawless 26, 000 DPI optical sensor, thereby including a really respectable degree of energy—and all for simply $49.

Keychron M3: Design

Wireless gaming mice can undergo “heavy-mouse prejudice,” since all that helpful wi-fi gadgetry can weigh them down considerably over their wired counterparts—and each aggressive gamer is aware of it.

In truth, some avid gamers will keep away from them altogether, equating any additional weight to worse efficiency—particularly for FPS video games the place velocity is of the utmost significance. The Keycron M3, nevertheless, smashes that stereotype with its 79 grams feeling disarmingly gentle and fast—particularly given it has the complete gamut of connectivity choices: 2.4GHz low-latency Wi-Fi connectivity in addition to Bluetooth 5.1 and wired connectivity by way of its USB cable.

Keychron

This one issue alone makes this mouse value shopping for, however when you want different causes, there are lots. The M3’s proportions are one other massive one, being simply good for any form of precision motion you care to do. It measures a well-proportioned 4.9 x 2.7 x 1.6 inches. While this received’t imply a lot until you may have your ruler helpful, take a look at how nicely it suits my hand within the picture under…

Dominic Bayley / IDG

I discovered there was no overhang on the entrance, so I by no means felt too squashed or cramped. Up high, too, my digits weren’t too spaced aside that I misplaced any of my mechanical leverage or set off velocity. Additionally, all six buttons on the highest have been at all times inside my attain, together with the 2 left-side buttons that may be awkwardly positioned in some mice.

The high is noticeably tall, which is simply perfect if you wish to get down and tango in firefights with foes at lengthy vary. It nestled properly into the palm of my hand, giving me actually wonderful management of motion down the centerline relatively than from my wrist—so focusing on was very correct and there was additionally little probability of me growing any painful RSI.

Then there are the grips and the customizable RGB lighting, each of which deserve reward. The RGB kinds a hoop across the base and contained in the mouse wheel including a pleasant contact of aptitude, whereas the grips are among the top, I’ve used. They appear to stay your fingers like glue, actually heightening your sense of management. Plus, I’m not going to lie, placing by myself grips out of the field could be as fiddly as hell, so it was an actual aid understanding they got here molded into the machine, proper out of the field.

Keychron M3: The buttons

Apart from the 2 left-side buttons, on high you get two important clicks, a sturdy mouse wheel, and an RGB button for switching RGB profiles simply behind it. It’s a well-recognized setup that can do nicely for many of your gaming wants.

If I might change one factor, I’d have switched the location of the RGB toggle button with the DPI toggle button on the mouse’s underside. Both are nice to have, however having the ability to swap DPI settings with out lifting the mouse is much extra useful than altering up how your mouse seems to be, when efficiency depends upon it.

Still, thanks to those two buttons and an extra polling and connectivity mode buttons beneath, you possibly can change virtually all of the settings you want with out having to enter the Keychron Engine companion software program app—which suggests you possibly can keep gaming for longer.

Dominic Bayley / IDG

That mentioned, Engine M3 is nice little app that permits you to assign the entire M3’s buttons and make modifications to extra specialised settings like your mouse’s carry off distance—so it’s nicely value a go to between video games, whenever you do really feel like taking a breather. A Windows 10/11 model of the software program is presently obtainable; nevertheless, Mac customers must sit tight for a Mac model to reach, which Keychron says will possible be in June 2023.

Keychron M3: Performance

The M3 boasts a PAW3395, a flawless PixArt-branded sensor that you simply’ll generally discover mentioned on Reddit, and in different corners of gaming boards, as one the most effective round. A fast glimpse of its specs exhibits why. I’ve bought to confess, I used to be tremendous desperate to strive it out.

To summarize, it has a most decision of 26,000 DPI and a monitoring velocity of 650 IPS (inches per second). A top-level acceleration of 50g, polling charge of 1,000ms, and adjustable lift-off distance of 1 to 2mm spherical out the drool-worthy attributes that avid gamers will love.

All issues thought-about, I discovered it to be a killer performer, smoother and fewer labored than sensors just like the PixArt PAW3370 and PAW3335. It’s for sure going to make your precision gaming even tighter when you satisfaction your self on hitting small targets. From spinning round to catch foes behind my place, to zipping my cursor as much as catch snipers dug into the peskiest tenting spots, it dealt with nearly each motion I attempted on it with out a trace of lag.

Dominic Bayley / IDG

In truth, it’s so fast it looks like your crosshairs arrive lengthy earlier than your mind has time to register what the heck you’re doing, which suggests there’s loads of scope to enhance your responsiveness—particularly in video games like Fortnite and Call of Duty: Modern Warfare II, the place microseconds could make a giant distinction to your play.

The buttons, too, really feel very gentle and frighteningly quick. They’ll equally problem your reflexes for velocity, seemingly solely restricted by how briskly you possibly can set off them. They function Kailh G Master 8.0 Micro Switches, that are rated as much as a most of 80 million clicks—right here’s a mouse that can final you a really very long time, regardless of how a lot gaming you do per day.

Should I purchase the Keychron M3?

At simply $49 the Keychron M3 already appears astronomically low cost for a 79 gram, RGB gaming mouse with a 26,000 DPI sensor and twin wi-fi / wired connectivity. But what you get within the field ought to seal the deal when you’re nonetheless teetering on the point of deciding.

While some gaming mice provide only a single dongle or wired USB cable with adapter, with the M3 you additionally get an additional dongle thrown in—so that you get each USB-C and USB-A dongles, plus a USB-C cable with a USB-A adapter and extension adapter. For $49 that is incredible worth and one more reason the Keychron M3 will undoubtedly simply zoom off retailers’ cabinets this 12 months, so it is likely to be value snapping one up earlier than they do.