Logitech G305 Lightspeed – Review

Logitech has long been known to make hardware that can slot into any environment as well as any budget.  All of this, while being seen as one of the leading brands in all things gaming.  This is no small feat.  It is tough to find a Logitech product that isn’t, at worst, good.  It is easy to find the truly exceptional.  To find either at the sub R1000 mark, from a major manufacturer, is where it gets tricky!

The Logitech G305 sits firmly in the middle.  It’s not quite adventurous enough in design or function to revolutionize the industry.  Yet it is more than capable of handling everyday challenges that might arise during PC gaming or productivity.

 

Design

If you are not careful, you would assume the G305 to be a G Pro without RGB and the cord being chopped.  The design is identical down to the ridged scroll wheel.  Some might say this is a bad thing, but for those who have used the G Pro will know, it is simply sublime.  The G305, just like the G Pro, is a sleek and comfortable mouse that has absolutely no wasted space.

The G305 comes as a six-button mouse.  Left, right, clickable scroll wheel, DPI adjuster and two thumb buttons.  Which, depending on whether you use it left- or right-handed, will be inside or outside.  A big selling point for the G305 is the fact that it is also wireless.  Not only that, but it weighs in at a measly 96g!  A big chunk of this being the AA battery that sits inside it.

Features

From the moment you take the G305 out of its box, it will work on any PC.  Thanks to the dongle that fits perfectly inside the mouse when you pop off the top cover.  This is also the way that you would insert and replace the AA battery it requires to run the mouse.  By using a AA battery this obviously means that the G305 is not rechargeable like many of its family members.  On the flipside, Logitech rates the battery life to be around 250 hours if you are using it for an 8 hour day.  By making the G305 non-rechargeable is also an easy way to cut costs.  The DPI switch, which simply scrolls through the four-set DPI settings, sits perfectly under the wheel, barely protruding out.  If you want to customize your DPI levels, a quick visit to the Logitech Ghub will have you adjusting them quickly.

Many folks might see wireless, and instantly think that that equals to slower response times.  Logitech has proved everyone that wireless doesn’t need to mean slow input.  The lightspeed range, which covers nearly the entire modern Logitech range, boasts a 1ms response time, even on wireless use.

Some people might argue the fact that the G305 only offers wireless through the dongle, and not through Bluetooth like many of its counterparts and even lesser productivity mice within the Logitech stable.  This means you won’t be able to use the G305 with tablets, mobile phones or some gaming consoles.  But at the same time, this just proves the point even more.  The Logitech G305 is content to be what it is.

Even though it might come across as rather mundane and boring, the G305 still boasts the Hero sensor, which is one of the best optical sensors around.  Although in this version it is only capable of 12 000 DPI.

Performance

No review would be complete without putting the G305 through its paces.  Upon arrival, I was using it in the office for productivity.  Going from a trusty Microsoft mouse to the G305 felt really great.  The wireless felt great and its small form factor just felt right when using it in a cluttered environment.

When I got home, I simply popped in the dongle, and off I went.  Playing some Wolcen: Lords of Mayhem, moving over to For Honor and then to some Rainbow 6 Siege.  As expected the G305 handled them all superbly.  It did not favor any of the genres more than any other.  I did find my aim to be not as true as it usually is but that is due to changing up my mouse that I use most of them time.  The clicks feel true and the movement smooth and predictable.

Verdict

At the end of the day, the Logitech G305 does not put a foot out of line.  Whatever you throw at it, it takes the challenge in its stride.  It is elegant, it is small, and it is uncluttered.  For the individual who wants some RGB, it, unfortunately, does not cater to you.  You could drop considerably more money and get into the top of the line G900 range which will give you all the features and then some.  But the G305 will serve the same core function at a fraction of the cost.

 

 

Special thanks to Logitech for providing the review content