Logitech G502 X Lightspeed review

The Logitech G502 X Lightspeed is a smart upgrade for a smart gaming mouse. Like its predecessor, the Logitech G502 Lightspeed, the G502 X Lightspeed is a comfortable, functional and gorgeously designed device, with excellent core performance and plenty of extra features. Unlike its predecessor, however, the G502 is a little bit sleeker, a little bit more customizable and a little bit cheaper - $140 instead of $150, at least for the default version.

Since the G502 X Lightspeed is still a Logitech G502 at heart, it's admittedly difficult to find serious fault with it. Saving RGB lighting for the more expensive Logitech G502 X Plus variant is a slight step back, and for a mouse in the $150 range, it should arguably come with Bluetooth connectivity. Otherwise, though, the G502 X Lightspeed is a contender for both the best gaming mouse and the best wireless gaming mouse you can buy. Read on for our full Logitech G502 X Lightspeed review.

Logitech G502 X Lightspeed review: Configurations

Before we dive into details about the Logitech G502 X Lightspeed, it's important to note that there are two variants of the device.

The Logitech G502 X Lightspeed is the basic version, which includes an ergonomic design, wireless USB connectivity, Logitech G Hub software compatibility, a long battery life and a receiver that also supports Logitech G keyboards. This device costs $140.

There's also the Logitech G502 X Plus, which retails for $160. It has identical functionality to the Lightspeed, in all areas save one: RGB lighting. The G502 X Plus has a gorgeous and unusual LED band running across the palm rest, in which you can program various lighting patterns, from rainbow waves to static colors. This device has a slightly shorter battery life (130 hours instead of 140) and a slightly higher weight (3.7 ounces instead of 3.6), but seems identical to the G502 Lightspeed otherwise.

Because the two mice are so similar, this review will cover both the Logitech G502 X Lightspeed and the Logitech G502 X Plus. Between the two, I would recommend the basic model, as I don't think RGB lighting alone is worth an extra $20. On the other hand, Logitech mice can last quite a while, and an extra $20 over the course of a few years is trivial.

There's also the wired Logitech G502 X, which costs $80. Tom's Guide will cover this peripheral in a separate review.

Logitech G502 X Lightspeed review: Design

If you're familiar with previous G502 models, then the Logitech G502 X Lightspeed should look pretty familiar to you. Like the last few iterations, the G502 X Lightspeed is a right-handed ergonomic mouse with a curved profile, a thumb rest, a textured grip and a small indentation in the palm rest. It's a little smaller, lighter and lower to the ground than its predecessors, as well as quite a bit less angular. Otherwise, though, the G502 X Lightspeed doesn't reinvent the wheel.

In terms of buttons, the device is generous without feeling overwhelming. On the face, there's a left button, a right button, a scroll wheel that clicks three ways and two dots-per-inch (DPI) sensitivity adjustment buttons off to the left. Beneath the scroll wheel, there's one programmable button that changes profiles, and one non-programmable button that changes the tension on the scroll wheel. The free-scrolling mode is unbelievably useful if you do productivity work that requires you to scroll through documents quickly, and I find myself constantly reaching for it, even when I'm reviewing a mouse that doesn't offer the feature.

On the side, there are two thumb buttons and a "sniper" button that can temporarily lower DPI to line up headshots and such. The sniper button has undergone a big improvement since last time, though. Now, you can swap the button between a standard design and a "paddle" button that extends further below the thumb buttons. For competitive players with small hands, this is a boon. Swapping the button is simple, since it attaches and detaches via magnets. These magnets also keep it firmly in place when you want the button to stay put.

While it's slightly lighter than the G502 Lightspeed, the G502 X Lightspeed is still comfortable to hold and provides enough heft to help it go where it's supposed to.

Logitech G502 X Lightspeed review: Features

The Logitech G502 X Lightspeed runs on the intuitive Logitech G Hub software, which lets you reprogram buttons, create profiles for individual games and apps, customize the DPI levels and monitor the battery. On the G502 X Plus model, you can also adjust the RGB lighting, which offers a variety of patterns and colors. The software isn't flashy, but it works well enough.

It's also worth noting that the mouse offers five onboard profiles, in addition to a theoretically infinite number of software-based ones. This could be useful for tournament players, or gamers who use their mouse on multiple machines. Switching between onboard and software profiles is easy, as is customizing both.

The G502 X Lightspeed dongle also pulls a neat trick, as you can pair it with the mouse and a Logitech G keyboard, such as the Logitech G915, simultaneously. I wasn't thrilled that the option to do so was buried deep within G Hub's general settings menu, rather than on the page for either the mouse or the keyboard. However, once it's activated, it works fine, and saves you a USB slot in the process.

Of more interest is the battery life, which Logitech estimates at 140 hours in the Lightspeed, and 130 hours in the Plus. Our testing bore this out on the Lightspeed model, although the Plus model drained the battery quite a bit faster, at least with the RGB lighting turned on. Assuming you use the mouse for about eight hours a day, you could get 17 days of use with the lighting turned off, and perhaps 10 days with the lighting turned on.

Logitech G502 X Lightspeed review: Performance

I tested the Logitech G502 X Lightspeed with Age of Empires IV, Doom Eternal, Cyberpunk 2077 and Final Fantasy XIV, and loved the way it handled each game. In Age of Empires, the G502 X Lightspeed helped me whiz around the map, assigning tasks and scoping out enemy positions as I went. In Doom Eternal, it helped me take accurate aim at demons. Whether I was sprinting through a burning building in Cyberpunk or recruiting a party to tackle a dungeon in FFXIV, the mouse parsed my commands quickly and accurately. The extra buttons also came in handy without crowding my fingers.

Normally I'd give some kind of caveat about genres the mouse doesn't handle well here, but I can't think of any offhand. Since it has so many programmable buttons, MMO aficionados should be taken care of; since those extra buttons are unobtrusive, real-time strategy (RTS) and multiplayer online battle arena (MOBA) players shouldn't have any trouble. At 3.6 ounces, the G502 X Lightspeed isn't incredibly light, so esports competitors may not gravitate toward it, though.

Logitech G502 X Lightspeed review: Verdict

It's perhaps not shocking that the Logitech G502 X Lightspeed is a great product. It comes from a long line of excellent gaming mice, produced by one of the premier manufacturers on the market. But there's nothing wrong with a slight refinement of an excellent concept. If you already own a Logitech G502, you don't have to run right out and pick this one up. If you're in the market for a new wireless gaming mouse, however, the G502 X Lightspeed should be one of your first stops.

If you prefer wired gear, the $80 G502 X should serve just as well. Similarly, if you don't want to spend a ton of money on a wireless gaming mouse, the $100 Roccat Burst Pro Air has a lot going for it. Otherwise, the G502 X Lightspeed is a worthy successor to one of the best wireless gaming mice we've ever reviewed. Whichever model you decide to buy next time you need an upgrade, make sure to check our Logitech promo codes to see if we can save you some extra dollars.