Satechi Slim EX

Although they haven't always succeeded, Satechi is undoubtedly at its best when it offers build quality and design flair at a much lower and more competitive price. This brand is making its mark in offices, on those industrial surfaces where a Logitech MX Master or an Apple Magic Mouse might traditionally be placed on the desk. But for much, much less, it could just as easily be a Satechi Slim EX.

Right, this very, very small mouse costs just $30. That's less than half the price of a Magic Mouse, and just a third of an MX Master. In fact, it competes with the cheapest of the cheap from the well-known manufacturers, and that also sets the bar for expectations.

It weighs 90 grams and comes in a surprisingly stylish two-tone design, where the buttons themselves are made of matte plastic, whilst the body is in slate-grey aluminium, and it looks infinitely more expensive than it actually is. But there's a problem here. This mouse is small, as in really small. With my relatively large hand, it's simply too uncomfortable to use on a daily basis, as it forces a sort of claw grip, and whilst that might be fine for gaming sessions, when we're talking about eight hours of office work, it just doesn't cut it. However, we've had some of our editorial team with smaller hands give it a go, and they said it was quite comfortable.

As for the specifications themselves, this is perfectly reliable. Yes, this sensor has "only" 1200 DPI, but that's the same as the two competing models we're comparing it to here, and via Bluetooth 5.0 it's possible to pair with up to three devices. There's even a 2.4GHz dongle that can be stored inside the mouse itself, something neither of the other two offer.

It even has replaceable batteries that last for many, many weeks, so it's hard to find anything to complain about. That said, due to the mouse's very simple design, it lacks some of the little extra features that some "power users" might be looking for, such as a button for DPI adjustment, or simply extra mouse buttons.

On the other hand, both the scroll wheel and these Quick Click switches are quite good, and as well as being quiet, they're suitably tactile, too. All in all, the Slim EX retains what makes Satechi something quite special. They outdo the competition without this being immediately obvious, but you should check whether your hands find this design comfortable.