Logitech G705 Wireless Gaming Mouse review

The Logitech G705 Wireless Gaming Mouse is an unconventional idea, and that alone makes it worth checking out. Rather than yet another peripheral for the traditional PC gaming crowd, the G705’s target audience skews younger and female. As such, the mouse is compact and stylish, and not quite like any other gaming mouse we’ve reviewed before.

Granted, because the G705 is so small, it’s not a good match for gamers with large — or even medium-sized — hands. At $100, it’s also more expensive than many of its close competitors without offering any standout features for the price.

Still, the mouse looks good, performs well and serves a growing audience that, up until now, hasn’t always had a wealth of options when it comes to PC gaming peripherals. Read on for our full Logitech G705 Wireless Gaming Mouse review.

Logitech G705 Wireless Gaming Mouse review: Design

In case you haven’t heard of the Logitech G705 before, it belongs to a family of Logitech gear called the Aurora Collection. This includes the mouse, as well as the G715 Wireless Gaming Keyboard and the G735 Wireless Gaming Headset, both of which we’re currently reviewing. The philosophy behind the lineup is to make PC gaming gear for women, who tend to have smaller hands than men.

"Our endeavor, to craft a gender-inclusive collection of gaming gear, challenged us to set aside old ideas—and really ask ourselves some essential questions about our own love of play," said Tiffany Beers, Head of Gaming Innovation at Logitech G. "In setting out to design principally for women gamers, we achieved not only that but created a collection we hope is meaningful for an even larger segment of gamers beyond gender and stereotypes.”

Female PC gamers can rest easy, as Logitech has thoroughly avoided the “shrink it and pink it” route. The G705 (like the rest of the Aurora Collection) is an understated and elegant peripheral, with an ergonomic white chassis and a tasteful LED strip in the palm rest. By default, the lighting glows blue and pink, but you can change that if you prefer other colors.

At 4.2 x 2.7 x 1.6 inches, the mouse is, indeed, compact. I don’t have particularly large hands, but even I found it a bit too small for my tastes. However, for women, young teenagers or anyone else with small hands, the G705 might be just the right size, and a welcome respite after years of gaming mice that hover around five inches — or bigger.

The G705 is functional as well, sporting six programmable buttons. On the face, there’s a left button, a right button, a clickable scroll wheel, and a profile button just beneath that. On the side there are two small, thin thumb buttons, right above a tastefully curved thumb rest. The G705 may not be the right size or shape for everyone, but it’s the right size and shape for a group of gamers that, up until now, hasn’t had many peripherals made just for them.

Logitech G705 Wireless Gaming Mouse review: Features

Like most modern Logitech gaming gear, the G705 runs on the Logitech G Hub gaming software. This means that you can reprogram buttons, set up RGB lighting patterns and link profiles with individual games and apps. The software feels intuitive and works well. The preprogrammed pink-and-blue pattern for the LED lighting is also striking, and unlike the patterns I’ve seen in most other Logitech products.

It’s also worth noting that the G705 offers two types of wireless connectivity: 2.4 GHz USB dongle and Bluetooth. Both methods are easy to connect and work flawlessly, although the USB mode has a faster response rate, and is thus better-suited to gaming.

However, whichever mode you use, the battery life is firmly in “good, not great” territory. With RGB lighting active, Logitech estimates that users could get about 40 hours of use between charges. That’s not bad, and we imagine most users won’t have to charge the mouse more than once per week. But some of Logitech’s other rechargeable mice offer more than twice that amount of battery life; some battery-powered mice are well into the hundreds. The G705’s battery life may be an unavoidable result of its small chassis, but it’s still a minor inconvenience.

Logitech G705 Wireless Gaming Mouse review: Performance

One area where the Logitech G705 excelled was in its in-game performance. I tested the device with a variety of PC titles, including Age of Empires III: Definitive Edition, High On Life, Cyberpunk 2077 and Lost Ark. The mouse performed beautifully across the board, whether I was recruiting Portuguese soldiers to fight in Ethiopia, or rescuing a camp of adventurers from a contingent of trolls. The mouse’s high-quality sensor tracked my movements accurately, and each click felt satisfying and responsive.

It’s worth reiterating that the mouse’s size will definitely be a stumbling block for folks with larger hands, however. I occasionally couldn’t get a good grip on the device, or overshot my target while trying to scroll. If you have the opportunity to hold a G705 before committing to buying one, I’d recommend doing so.

Logitech G705 Wireless Gaming Mouse review: Verdict

The Logitech G705 is not the first gaming mouse from a major manufacturer with a female audience in mind, but it is one of the more creative takes I’ve seen lately. It’s not just a smaller version of a classic Logitech G mouse; it’s a unique design, complete with an eye-catching RGB pattern. It performs well, and offers some helpful bells and whistles.

At present, women seem to make up at least 40% of the PC gaming population, so a device like the G705 is timely. However, at $100, it may be a relatively tough sell compared to some other excellent wireless gaming mice. The Razer Orochi V2, for example, is about $30 cheaper, with a similar size profile and longer battery life (admittedly, from a non-rechargeable battery). The Logitech G305 also offers similar tradeoffs in a $60 package.

Still, the Logitech G705 is well worth a look, particularly if you’re interested in other items from the Aurora Collection. If you buy all three peripherals, it’d be an expensive investment (about $530), but potentially a worthwhile one.