Logitech G309 Lightspeed

Verdict

The Logitech G309 is a fantastic lightweight wireless gaming mouse with stylish looks, a zippy sensor and fantastic battery life. Convenient wireless connectivity and a comfortable frame are also high points, although the software is quite basic.

Introduction

The Logitech G309 Lightspeed is the Swiss brand’s latest entry into its longstanding run of solid wireless gaming mice with powerful sensors and excellent battery life.

It’s on the latter point where Logitech makes a lot with this choice, given its 300 hour quoted figure on its AA battery, or virtually infinite endurance when used in conjunction with the brand’s Powerplay mouse pad. That’s better battery life than a lot of the G309’s competitors, including the Razer Cobra Pro and even some of Logitech’s own heavyweights such as the G502 X Plus and G Pro X Superlight 2.

This all comes for the mid-range price of £79.99/$79.99/€89.99, which out of the gate makes this one of the best value packages I’ve seen for a gaming mouse in a while. Whether it’s enough to become one of the best gaming mice we’ve tested is another story, though – let’s find out.

Design

• White and silver chassis offers modern looks
• 86g weight provides a helpful mid-range
• No real frills with RGB lighting and only the buttons you need

Compared to other mice in Logitech’s canon, the G309 Lightspeed is a smaller option, sitting well in my medium-sized hands. It’s available in black or white, with my sample shipping with the latter, to give it a bright and modern look. There are also flecks of grey, such as between where the battery compartment ends and where the main mouse buttons begin, as well as on the Logitech logo, adding a little more flair.

The plastics used in its construction are solid, and the slight texturing to the G309’s chassis feels great in hand. It is entirely made of plastic however, with no rubberised sides on either side to offer a little more support for better ergonomics.

Button placement makes sense, with a total of 7 buttons across the top, left side and underside, six of them programmable. The top contains the typical left and right mouse buttons, as well as a comfortable rubberised scroll wheel, and DPI button, while the left side contains forward and backward buttons. The G309’s underside has a button for toggling between its two methods of wireless connectivity, as well as an on/off switch.

With its AA battery inside, the G309 weighs 86g, which provides a happy medium between those who like ridiculously light mice, and those who prefer a bit of heft, like me. It’s light enough to be manoeuvrable in the heat of battle while also having a bit more weight to give the sense that this is a quality product. With the AA battery removed though, the G309’s weight drops to 68g, putting it more firmly in the ultralight category when used in conjunction with the Powerplay mouse mat instead.

Apart from the buttons that are present, the G309 otherwise offers no real frills. There isn’t any RGB lighting, as it would go where the battery compartment is, nor is there a USB-C port for wired use or for charging. With the AA battery inside, you simply don’t need one.

As with other Logitech peripherals, the G309 features environmentally conscious packaging, with the mouse being wrapped in a paper bag of sorts and coming in cardboard otherwise.

Performance

• 25,000 DPI sensor offers ample sensitivity
• Lightforce switches are precise and quick, if a little loud
• Excellent battery life

As much as the G309 Lightspeed may offer minimal frills in its design, it packs a lot more oomph internally. For such a small mouse, its 25000 DPI Hero sensor means it packs quite the punch, and felt especially responsive in testing with competitive FPS titles including CS:2, whether I was in close combat with bots or firing aimlessly into the distance.

Tracking was smooth, and the G309 was precise in my testing, too. The only thing with its choice of sensor is that it is now quite an old one. Logitech has used the 25000 DPI Hero sensor in mice for several years, where more recent options have moved to the upgraded Hero 2 sensor with 32000 DPI and other notable improvements under the bonnet. Nonetheless, it makes for a responsive choice, especially being so lightweight. A flick of the wrist allowed me to go rather far, that’s for sure.

Its mouse buttons are Logitech’s opto-mechanical Lightforce switches, which offer the benefits of both the speed of optical inputs and the precision of mechanical inputs. They feel tactile, and work especially well, being some of the better switches I’ve tested. With this in mind, under load, they can be quite loud.

Connectivity is taken care of with both Bluetooth and Logitech’s longstanding Lightspeed 2.4GHz USB-A receiver. In testing with the likes of my main gaming PC over Lightspeed, or over Bluetooth on both my MacBook Pro and the Microsoft Surface Laptop 7, the G309 worked a treat, pairing easily and working remarkably well.

The G309 also excels with its battery life, too. The combination of its bundled AA battery and no RGB lighting to act as a drain means it offers some fantastic endurance. With the AA battery, it offers a quoted 300 hours of runtime, meaning you can go for several weeks before even needing to think about changing the battery. I didn’t have to during my time with the G309.

Much like with the SteelSeries Arctis Nova Pro Wireless headset, there is also a way to get practically infinite endurance out of the G309. Whereas with SteelSeries’ headset it is because of its base station and swappable batteries, with the G309, it’s because of Logitech’s clever Powerplay mousepad. This is a £119/99/$119.99 accessory that is essentially a USB-A powered mousepad with wireless charging capabilities. With it, and a compatible mouse such as the G309, you can use the mouse without needing to charge it, as it’ll gain go-juice from the wireless charging surface on the mousemat.

Software and Lighting

• Basic software support with G Hub
• No RGB lighting in sight

The G309, as with lots of other lightweight mice from the last couple of years, only delivers on one side of this section. Software support is taken care of with Logitech’s clever G Hub software, which is available on both Windows and macOS. Mac compatibility is rare with gaming peripherals software, so is pleasant to see from the outset here.

Inside G Hub, there is only one tab to deal with, where you can change your DPI settings on up to five levels. These can be set completely freely, or with Logitech’s genre-specific presets, such as for FPS titles, Simulation or MMORPG games. There is also a preset for productivity, so you can use the G309 for basic office work, too. With this tab, you can also change the polling rate from as low as 125Hz to 1000Hz.

However, that’s all you can do. There isn’t any way to remap any of the G309’s buttons, adjust its lift distance or enable any angle snapping, for instance. While G Hub is presented in a slick and lightweight manner, it feels as if some functions are missing for the tinkerers out there.

As previously mentioned, the G309 Lightspeed also comes with no RGB lighting for any added flair. It’s becoming increasingly common for lightweight mice to forego any form of flashy lights in a bid to be as light and responsive as possible. It isn’t a sore miss from a personal perspective, although others may feel different.

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