Keychron G5 review: the body might be super light, but the clicks aren't | Tech Radar

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I was surprised by how well Keychron’s new mouse performed — but one aspect might disappoint FPS players

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The Keychron G5 impresses with its wealth of features, solid yet fabulously light construction, and smooth performance. It might not have many buttons, and clicks might be a little too heavy for some, but these are minor drawbacks for a reasonably priced, top-spec gaming mouse.

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The Keychron G5 is a small and lightweight symmetrical gaming mouse designed for both work and play.

It sports a gamer-centric design, with nondescript patterns embossed all over the unit. I can’t say I found these appealing, looking dated as they did, but at least they’re reasonably discreet, given they’re close to the same shade of black as the base color. Their texture feels good in the hand, too.

With its small and ergonomic, it sits low to the ground, while the mouse buttons slope downwards quite prominently, and feature deep indents to secure your fingers. The sidewalls are similarly cinched, and the whole unit is narrower and less bulky than many of the best gaming mice.

It’s no surprise, then, that the G5 is also very light. Weighing just 43g, it's one of the lightest models around. Despite this, it feels well-made: the plastics used are solid and premium-feeling, and put together without a hint of looseness or rattle. All the various buttons feel stable and tightly installed, too.

However, there aren’t many of them. There are no extra inputs beyond the usual, not even a DPI button, which may prove inconvenient for those wishing to switch between productivity and gaming regularly.

All this isn’t to say the G5 is bereft of features, though. Thanks to Keychron’s Web Launcher software, accessible via your browser, there are plenty of input customizations and performance tweaks on tap. Remapping assignments include various system and media shortcuts, (although these are confined to the most basic ones), macros (a macro creator is featured here for this purpose), and DPI and polling rate toggles.

There’s also a remapping mode called Gaming Keys, which allows you to assign a key or mouse button that repeatedly triggers while holding down your chosen button. As well as selecting the number of times it fires, you can also alter the rate of fire in millisecond increments, from 10ms to 1000ms.

As for performance tweaks, there are three settings for the lift-off distance (0.7mm, 1mm, and 2mm), as well as toggles for motion sync, angle snap, and ripple control. You can also adjust the debounce times for every button on the G5, not just the left and right clicks. Each has a slider with a range of 0-20ms, adjustable in millisecond increments.

It’s somewhat disappointing that the G5 uses a web app for these customizations, as I usually prefer standalone apps for the sake of convenience and ease of use. However, I have to say that Keychron’s works better than many others I’ve tried, proving responsive and stable during my time with it.

In action, the G5 is very effective. It glides very smoothly and easily, thanks to that aforementioned weight and the frictionless skates. Its ergonomic proportions and textured sides made for a comfortable grip and problem-free lift-offs as well.

However, in wired mode, this maneuverability is somewhat compromised, owing to the resistance introduced by the USB cable. I didn’t find the dragging sensation as strong as other gaming mouse cables I’ve experienced, and the upwardly curved jack does help to free the cable from your desktop, like a mouse bungee does. Unfortunately, the benefit here is comparatively marginal; ultimately the cable was still detrimental to my movements.

The left and right clicks were also heavier than I expected, which I noticed when playing Counter-Strike 2. They failed to provide the snappiness I was after when spamming clicks. But they’re not heavy to the point of being prohibitive and they’re nicely damped, which lends them a satisfying feel.

Oddly, the scroll wheel is perhaps the most pleasing input of them all. Its soft yet textured material feels good and offers a secure grip, while the notching of the wheel itself feels excellent. It’s solid enough to prevent misfires, yet loose enough to allow for fast flicks when needed, such as when navigating web pages or documents. The middle click is also easy to actuate without triggering accidental scrolls.

Connectivity is very good, too. It connected to my devices via Bluetooth and the 2.4GHz USB dongle without issue, and I didn’t experience any drops or lag in my connections. Hot-switching between devices is also easy, thanks to the underside selector. However, I did find that the DPI value I set when connected via the dongle didn’t carry over when I hot-switched to Bluetooth, an issue that’s exacerbated by the absence of a DPI button on the G5.

I wasn’t able to extensively test the battery life of the G5, but it doesn’t seem to be particularly enduring. After about a day of use, switching between two different PCs connected via the two wireless modes, the battery depleted by about 10%.

The G5 isn’t exactly a budget mouse, but it represents good value considering its build quality, performance, customization options and multiple connectivity modes. It might not have many inputs compared to others in the sector, and the clicks are a bit too heavy for certain situations, but these are about its only drawbacks. All in all, then, the G5 makes a compelling rival to the big hitters in the space.

The Keychron G5 costs

For an 8K gaming mouse with multiple connectivity modes and a supremely lightweight construction, the G5 represents good value for money. Pointers from the big brands with comparable specs usually cost more, such as the Razer Death Adder V4 Pro. This mouse lacks Bluetooth support as well, although we were mighty impressed with its performance when we reviewed it, ranking among the best esports mice you can get right now.

If you need more inputs, the Logitech G502 X Plus is a prime candidate. The line to which this mouse belongs has been a perennial favorite of the gaming community for years. It features 13 buttons, all customizable thanks to Logitech’s versatile G Hub software. What’s more, it’s about the same price as the G5.

Expensive in absolute terms, but for a 43g 8K mouse with multiple connectivity options and plenty of customizations, it’s a good deal.

Expensive in absolute terms, but for a 43g 8K mouse with multiple connectivity options and plenty of customizations, it’s a good deal.

Small, super light, and very comfortable. The pattern looks a little dated, though.

Small, super light, and very comfortable. The pattern looks a little dated, though.

Very smooth and satisfying, but those heavy clicks do let the side down a little. Connectivity is mostly great, save for the DPI reset issue.

Very smooth and satisfying, but those heavy clicks do let the side down a little. Connectivity is mostly great, save for the DPI reset issue.

The G5 mightn’t suit every gamer, but it’s certainly worth considering if you prize lightness and a comfortable form.

The G5 mightn’t suit every gamer, but it’s certainly worth considering if you prize lightness and a comfortable form.

You want something comfortable At just 43g, the G5 is easy to move around, and the small yet ergonomic shape is easy to grip, too.

You like to tinker Keychron’s web app offers all sorts of customizations and tweaks that should please pro-level gamers.

You want plenty of inputs The G5 only gets the basic buttons — there’s not even a DPI cycler, although you could remap another button for this purpose.

You want the snappiest clicks While clicks are satisfyingly damped, I found them a little too heavy for spamming quickly.

Razer Death Adder V4 Pro If you want to play like the pros, this is the mouse for you. We loved how well it performed when we reviewed it, and were even taken by its fantastic optical scroll wheel. It’s costlier than the G5 and lacks the same multiple wireless connectivity options, but the V4 Pro is just about the best pure gaming pointer right now in our eyes. Read our full Razer Death Adder V4 Pro review.

Logitech G502 X Plus The G502 line has been acclaimed by gamers for years, and this edition is no less impressive. It has a lot more buttons than the G5, all of which are programmable. It also has an ergonomic shape, although it’s much larger and heavier, so not ideal for those looking to shed the weight. Read our full Logitech G502 X Plus review.

I tested the Keychron G5 for a few days, during which time I used it for gaming, working, and general browsing.

I played Counter-Strike 2, a stern test for peripherals given the demands it places on quick movements and accurate aiming. I also made sure to try out as many of the mouse’s customization features via the Keychron Web Launcher.

I’ve been PC gaming for over a decade, and have used a large number of gaming mice in that time. I’ve also reviewed plenty of them, across a broad range of price points, form factors, and feature sets.

Lewis Maddison is a Reviews Writer for Tech Radar. He previously worked as a Staff Writer for our business section, Tech Radar Pro, where he gained experience with productivity-enhancing hardware, ranging from keyboards to standing desks. His area of expertise lies in computer peripherals and audio hardware, having spent over a decade exploring the murky depths of both PC building and music production. He also revels in picking up on the finest details and niggles that ultimately make a big difference to the user experience.

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• I was surprised by how well Keychron’s new mouse performed — but one aspect might disappoint FPS players

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