[ Review ] Logitech G400s vs G500s vs G700s

THIS REVIEW IS CREDIT TO
http://www.overclock.net/t/1386834/logitech-g400s-g500s-g700s-review-by-takasta

Review (Overview) of the Logitech G400s / G500s / G700s

Introduction

The news of Logitech releasing their new G-series refreshes has been buzzing on the OC forums for quite some time. Some have found their decisions questionably, whilst others look forward to splurging their money on refreshes of their favorite mice. It’s a very interesting strategy from Logitech taking a page out of Razer and Steelseries by refreshing their mice to make the most out of their designs and hardware. Many of these models have been out for quite a number of years now without a new successor. Reasonably, they’re probably less and less people buying their older mice due to them being so damn well built with a crazy long warranty. However, I feel like the refresh is somewhat welcomed – albeit a small one – to reinvigorate their Gaming brand. Notably, their gaming presence has been greatly diminished by the likes of Razer / SteelSeries and their short refreshes on all their models, *cough xai / DA. But anyways…

I’ve chosen to review all three mice at once in a single forum post, perhaps due to the similar nature of the build quality of the mice, and the similarities that they draw to their predecessors. I have however, released individual video reviews on YouTube, so you guys can check that out if you’re more into video.

G400s Review: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rKsLC0iGehU
G400s Unboxing: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LkF5mjT_KuM
G400s Button / Scroll: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2NX4HDUtfz0

G500s Review: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fFOFrkBMCm4
G500s Unboxing: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_-vxFcAl-oc
G500s Button / Scroll: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=avSiBkABDek

G700s Review: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nXpIxWKQp1E
G700s Unboxing: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pztcs-se8WU
G700s Button / Scroll: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LA5t4hS9eXU

Price:
G400s – $59
G500s – $69
G700s – $99

Weight & Shape:

Own Measurements:

G400s – 70 x 125 x 41cm – 109g (without cord)
G500s – 70 x 128 x 40cm – 121g (without cord) (without weights)
G700s – 80 x 120 x 45cm – 152g (without cord, with battery)

All three sport the same shapes as their predecessors. For all of you that are familiar with those mice, expect the exact same thing in terms of it’s shape. Here are some pictures for viewing pleasure:

G400s

G500s

G700s

Build Quality

By all means, the overall build quality of the mice are of very high standard. More importantly, the biggest (albeit small) change to the refreshes is the surface. Many if not most people think that this is probably just a way to cheap out on redesigning a mouse, by refreshing the surface. However, there are subtle differences to all the surfaces.

If you’ve ever used the older G500, all three surfaces are quite similar to that – fairly smooth, light reflects gently off the surfaces, somewhat comfortable to grip. However, it is a straight up smooth surface unlike that of the G500. To my recollection, the G500 employed a smooth surface with textures that gave the mouse a patterned feeling. In these refreshes, you cannot feel the textures and ti’s a very smooth surface all around. Notably, the G400s surface is slightly more slippery than the G500s & G700s which both employ a fairly similar grip.

For the side grips, nothing much has changed in this department either. The grainy surface remains the same allowing for decent sweat resistant grip which, to be honest I actually somewhat enjoy. The G400s does not have a grainy surface as employes the same smoothy matte surface as the G400 did (as opposed to a sticky more grippy matte surface).

There is very little change in the overall build quality compared to before, which… can be a good thing or a bad thing, depends on how you look at it. I personally think that’s up to you.

Nonetheless, all three mice do seem fairly sturdy in this regard.

Sensor / Performance:

Below you’ll find polling rate tests / speed tests / jitter testing at the respective DPIs.

Summary
G400s: Avago S3095 – upgraded to 4000dpi – adjustable with steps of 50
G500s: Avago S9808 – upgraded to 8200dpi – adjustable with steps of 50
G700s: Avago S9808 – upgraded to 8200dpi – adjustable with steps of 50

Pretty impressive tracking results for the S9808 – even at higher DPI ratings and 1000 polling rate. Wireless tracking for the G700s was quite impressive as well.

Additionally, for people who are concerned about Acceleration issues with the S9808 – I could not test for acceleration on both the G500s and the G700s. Does this mean it’s potentially fixed from it’s old problems of the G500s? maybe… just maybe… until someone else presents results to the contrary, I’m sticking with my result.

All tests done on the Steelseries 5L Mousepad.

G400S

G500S

G700S

Buttons / Switches / Scroll Wheel:

All 3 mice are rated with Omron D2FC-F-7N(20M) Switches for Mouse 1 / Mouse 2. However, the clicks do feel slightly different due to the chassis. Nonetheless, still very similar to the original G400 / G500 / G700.

Scroll wheels are exactly the same – and very distinctive.
G400s – very light, rubber, doesn’t feel as “mechanical” as the other two, same as G400 / MX518
G500s – mechanical – has gear switch – very light and scrolls very quickly from one indentation to the next
G700s – mechanical – gear switch – slightly heavier and requires force from one indentation to the next, has a noticeable stop in between scroll bumps

Software – Logitech’s new Suite

This is probably their newest refresh. Although it doesn’t offer anything substantially different, it has a fairly nice presentation and will do the job well in terms of macroing and programming. The g500s / g700s has onboard memory while the g400s does not.

Conclusion:

So that concludes my short overview of Logitech’s new offerings in the mouse department. Is it worth it? The upgraded sensors on the G500s / G700s might be a deal breaker for some. If you’ve gotten used to the acceleration, it may take some time to adjust back to no acceleration, and to that extent I might not even recommend getting the upgrade if your G500 or G700 isn’t broken. Overall, just a breath of fresh air in terms of looks and sensor, however, nothing too innovative in terms of it’s internals, ergonomics, or firmware.