Each mouse from the ASUS TUF Gaming M4 series stands out with an unusual concept. At TUF Gaming M4 Air the bet is made on uncompromising relief, as a result of which the engineers managed to achieve a 47-gram weight. What are the impressions from using such a light rodent? The answer is in the review!
Specifications
- Number of buttons: 6.
- Sensor: Pixart PAW3335, optical.
- Polling rate: 1000 Hz.
- Sensor resolution: up to 16,000 DPI.
- Speed: 400 inches/s.
- Switches: Mechanical Kailh GM 4.0, 60 million clicks.
- Case Materials: Rigid PBT polymer with antibacterial coating.
- Connection: wired, TUF Gaming Paracord Cable 2 meters.
- Dimensions: 126 × 63.5 × 39.6 mm.
- Weight: 47 grams.
Appearance and ergonomics
The novelty promotes a perforated design with the goal of maximum lightness. The result will be excellent – 47 grams excluding cable, subject to perfect solidity. Indeed, the case is monolithic and feels very strong. The plastic is practical matte without obvious texture, and some triangles are made glossy. Backlighting was also abandoned for the same purpose of facilitating.
The symmetrical body is aimed at right-handers, due to the location of additional buttons. Ergonomics fully corresponds to the name – air mouse. Working with it does not require any effort, as if you are not pushing the body, but simply and easily moving your wrist in the air. The thumb and little finger firmly dig into the albeit firm, but embossed ends and do not slip. On top of that, the fabric-braided wire does not resist movement at all. The result is a feeling of absolute lightness, thanks to which the wrist does not get tired after long hours of play or work.
Through the body of the TUF Gaming M4 Air, you can look at the light, and yet it contains all the electronics, which in theory is vulnerable to moisture. To solve this problem, ASUS sealed the board with a special coating that protects against moisture and splashes according to the IPX6 standard. Certification allows resistance to water jets, that is, wet hands will not be a problem. The only thing, with strong soaking, the device should be given a day to dry. An unresolved problem is the clogging of the body with dust, which freely penetrates through the honeycombs. After some time, the mouse will either have to be thoroughly blown out with compressed air, or disassembled for complete cleaning. The plastic is coated with an antibacterial compound that prevents the growth of bacteria – a relevant option in modern realities.
Hardware and performance
The main keys are Kailh GM 4.0 with a claimed resource of 60 million clicks. In the TUF Gaming M4 wireless model, these switches turned out to be tight, while our TUF Gaming M4 Air does not have such problems, the force is balanced. Under the additional buttons are also Kailh switches, but simpler. Their effort coincides with the main keys, and after actuation, there is practically no spring-loaded free play. The Kailh encoder wheel pleased with quiet staggering and balanced pressing force with a muffled click.
In the center between the main keys is an additional button – the DPI switch. There is no color indication on the body of the mouse itself, a resolution change is accompanied only by a belated notification from Armory Crate. This is a minor, but still a drawback – nothing prevented ASUS from adding a small colored LED to the model.
Pixart’s PAW3335 sensor is mid-range, up to 16,000 DPI, 400 ips tracking, and up to 40G maximum acceleration. The sensor class made it possible to add lift-off height adjustment to the TUF Gaming M4 Air settings. The mouse easily coped not only with games, but also with the daily mode filled with web surfing, drawing in AutoCAD and editing photos with brushes in Photoshop.
Connection
The connection is wired, a two-meter cable is hidden in a fabric braid TUF Gaming Paracord Cable. It is very light and soft, which means it does not interfere with the movement of the mouse. The reusable rubber tie adds convenience when you need to take your device with you.
Armory Crate Utility
The mouse is fully controlled through the Armory Crate. The primary possibility is the setting of all keys, except for the LMB. It is also possible to reassign scrolling up and down. The list is varied: all mouse actions, keyboard actions, macros, as well as double-clicking and entering arbitrary text.
Sensor resolution is adjustable from 100 to 16,000 DPI. You can pre-set 4 presets for quick switching with one press of the center button. There is also a change in the polling frequency from 125 to 1000 Hz, as well as the option of smoothing corners. On the adjacent page, one of two levels of tear-off height is selected.
Three profiles are stored in the built-in memory of the mouse, switched by a combination of the central button with the side buttons and with the wheel. Additionally, you can create any number of profiles that will be stored locally on your computer or online in your ASUS account. Also, each of them can be associated with any application.
ASUS software is stable and undemanding to system resources. On my PC, there was an incident with Armory Crate, leading to 100% CPU usage, but this is an isolated case. The only thing you really should scold the utility for is the need to update the firmware of the peripherals before using it. After a successful update, in most cases, a restart of the computer is required.
Review after two weeks of use
New ASUS TUF Gaming M4 Air remarkable not so much design as ergonomics. I have never had such a light gaming mouse (47 grams) in my hands. Impressions are cool: if you put them in one word, it will be weightlessness. With all this, good dimensions for a strong finger grip give confident control, and the Pixart sensor does not smear or break at all. Back to the looks, I personally like the perforated style. And it’s doubly nice that ASUS took care of IPX6 protection, so you can not be afraid of moisture getting into the case. With all the advantages, it remains unclear why the TUF Gaming M4 Air lacks a color DPI indicator. After all, this little thing does not weigh so much to affect the final weight of the rodent. In any case, the novelty is successful and deserves the highest rating.
Pros:
- unusual perforated style;
- the lightest body (47 grams);
- solidity and complete absence of backlash;
- symmetrical shape for finger grip;
- rough plastic with a minimum of gloss;
- antibacterial coating;
- lightweight fabric braided cable;
- handy Armory Crate utility.
May not like:
- no DPI indicator.
Source: Trash Box
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