Glorious Model D Review

When Glorious dropped their first ever gaming mouse in the middle of last year it received a lot of praise, and rightfully so. The Model O shot up to be one of the most popular mice in enthusiast circles thanks to the lightweight design, fantastic cable and feet and flawless sensor, along with the fact that it’s rather easy to get a hold of (something that can be an issue with other smaller manufacturers) but it did suffer from some minor issues here and there.

Today the Model D has been unleashed upon the world. This new ergonomic shape is something that many fans of Glorious’ design philosophy have been waiting for, and it is the perfect opportunity for Glorious to show the world that they’ve been learning from some of their mistakes. So is this D worth your time and money? Read our full review to find out!

At a Glance


Glorious Model D

Used by 1 player ()
  • HAL
    HAL
Staff’s Choice

This is a fantastic ultralight gaming mouse, with a great shape, fantastic clicks, top of the line feet and ditto cable. Top that off with a sturdy build quality and a nice coating and you’ve got what could very well be one of the best releases of the year.

Pros

  • Great shape
  • Fantastic clicks
  • Great feet
  • Nice coating
  • QC improvements

Cons

  • Holes in the design won’t be for everyone

Specs

SensorPMW 3360
Polling Rate125 / 500 / 1000 Hz
Button SwitchesOmron
ConnectionWired
ShapeErgonomic
Length13.1cm
Height4.17cm
Weight67g
Width5.98cm

First Impressions


Something that I immediately noticed when I first received this mouse is that Glorious have definitely been listening to their customers. This is evident when you open up the box: gone is the smaller box where they crammed the cable underneath the mouse at an odd angle (something that led to cable malfunctions for some people, though I didn’t have that issue on my copies) and in comes a larger box that has way more room for the cable.

As for the mouse itself there isn’t really anything super special about it, at least not if you’ve been following the mouse market for a while. If you haven’t then you’ll definitely notice the fact that there are holes all over the shell. This is called the HoneyComb Shell by Glorious, and it’s done in this way to cut back on the weight of the product and to provide ventilation to keep your hands feeling fresh after hours of gaming.

The shape of the Model D is obviously very different from what you get with the Model O, but the overall design ideas stay the same. You can get this one in white or black and both colorways are available in a matte and a glossy version. On the left side of the mouse you’ll see the bearded Glorious mascot and on the right side there’s a small ‘GLORIOUS’ print towards the front of the mouse. A total of three programmable RGB elements provide the mandatory light show to finish off the look of this product.

All in all this D looks really nice if you ask me. Something about the way the RGB lights up parts of the inside of the mouse just looks interesting to me, and while I am aware of the fact that some people strongly dislike the inclusion of the Glorious beard-man I can definitely say that this mouse is an eye-catcher.  Not that this matters for performance, but I thought I’d mention it.

Note: I did not get a glossy Model D to test so I cannot give any definite statements on that version, though the only difference between the two coatings is that the glossy mice weigh one gram more and cost 10 dollars more at MSRP. 

Glorious Model D Review Mouse

The Model D is Glorious’ first ergonomic mouse, and people who know their stuff will notice that it looks very similar to something like a Zowie EC. As a reviewer I try to stay away from making too many comparisons to other mice because I prefer to let products speak for themselves but I obviously cannot ignore the fact that this is basically a clone of the EC. I’m not taking a position in this whole ‘are copied shapes a good thing or not’ debate, I’m just mentioning it in case you want to try out this particular shape.

Aside from the extremely comfy shape (more on that later) it’s also extremely light: I weighed it in at 67 grams, which is pretty impressive for a mouse this size. As far as functionality goes this is your standard gaming mouse: you get a DPI button on top (with the indicator LED being on the bottom) and two side buttons on the left side.

Packaging


As I said in my intro the Model D comes in a bigger box due to the fact that they’ve now allocated extra space for the cable so that there are no more issues with kinked cables out of the box.

The unboxing experience is pretty nice here: you get a quickstart guide, one of those ‘thank you for purchasing’ notes, and two stickers but you also get a pair of additional mouse feet. Note that these aren’t replacement feet, but rather extras that you can stick between the existing smaller skates to create a larger gliding surface if you so desire.

That’s nice of them to include, but I do wish they’d gone all the way and threw in some replacement feet as well while they were at it. It’s always handy to have some spare parts around.

Glorious Model D Review Packaging

Shape, Coating, and Mouse Feet


The Model D (which is the second mouse to come out in Glorious’ O.D.I.N. line of mice) has an ergonomic shape, and boy is it a good one. It flows extremely naturally and there are no odd curves or ‘you must put your fingers here’ kind of grooves, leading to a shape that can be a comfortable fit for pretty much all grip types out there. This type of shell design remains one of my favorites so I absolutely love holding the D. As mentioned earlier it is a copy of the Zowie EC, so if you’re unsure about this kind of shape you can always go out and find one of those to see how it suits you.

The coating (I only got matte versions to try out) feels and performs good as well. My hands get pretty sweaty when I’m tryharding in my favorite competitive games so it’s important that the mouse that I’m using doesn’t attract oils and fingerprints too much, and luckily the Model D is more than decent here. I never got the feeling that I had to wipe down the mouse, even when I was gaming for multiple hours at a time, so I’m more than satisfied by the D.

Glorious Model D Mouse Review

We can’t talk about the finish of a mouse like this without talking about the holes, and in case you’re wondering: you don’t notice them at all when you’re using the mouse. That’s partially due to the fact that there aren’t any cutouts at the parts where you’ll actually be grabbing the Model D and also because of the fact that they’re really nicely finished and implemented. It doesn’t feel like someone took a drill, went to town on this thing, and called it a day; the cutouts don’t feel sharp or annoying at all.

On the bottom of the mouse you’ll see four small ‘G-Skates,’ which is basically Glorious’ name for their pure PTFE feet. These have definitely been improved since I last tested one of Glorious’ mice; they absolutely weren’t bad on the original Model O but the D’s skates are noticeably faster and smoother, so much so that I found myself whiffing a couple of shots and sprays during the first few hours of testing due to the mouse gliding faster and more easily than what I’m used to. Despite me feeling like Bambi on ice for the first couple of hours I am very impressed by these G-Skates, and if you’re after speed this is one of the best stock experiences you can get right now.

Glorious Model D Review Mouse

Recommended Grip Types

Those of you who are deep into the gaming mouse scene can probably skip this part since you already know how an EC shape performs, but for those who are unaware this is a rather safe shape that should work for the vast majority of grip types (if the mouse suits your hand size) except for maybe fingertip grip.

It is incredibly important to do your own research and find out what works and doesn’t work for you in a gaming mouse though, so take what we reviewers say about grip compatibility with a grain of salt. I’m sure there are fingertip grippers out there who absolutely love this mouse, for example.

Buttons and Scroll Wheel


The Model D uses Omron switches to handle the clicks and I have to say that these feel great. The actual clicks were already really good on the Model O, though the buttons were plagued by varying amounts of side travel and QC issues. But it seems like Glorious have stepped up their game. I didn’t find any travel whatsoever on either of the copies I received, and the whole ‘button rubbing over the switch’ feeling when you hold it down is gone too. That’s great news, and it results in a supremely satisfying clicking experience.

The main buttons sound a bit deeper and fuller than what I got from the Model O and they actuate with a superbly satisfying tactile snap. The feeling of main clicks isn’t something that ranks very high on my list of ‘make or break’ features for a gaming mouse (unless they’re extremely bad of course) but I do really love these. Kudos to Glorious. They’re not the lightest feeling clicks though, so do take note of that.

The side buttons also feel good. They don’t suffer from that all too common problem where they travel into the shell of the mouse after clicking them and the minimal amount of pre- or post travel combined with a crispy click makes them pleasant to use at all times.

The good vibes continue with the scroll wheel: this now has a bit more definition when compared to the Model O and seeing as that was basically the only complaint I had about the wheel I’m very pleased with this one. The textured rubber wheel is nearly silent but still nicely defined so that you don’t accidentally scroll too far and it’s easy enough to press as well.

Glorious Model D Mouse Review

Build Quality and Cable


When shaking and tapping the mouse I couldn’t hear anything move on the inside at all. There’s also almost no give at any point when applying pressure to the shell (with the exception of the back part of the shell flexing a tiny bit when applying frankly abnormal amounts of pressure) so it’s good to see that Glorious have also been improving on this front.

It is now impossible to actuate the side buttons by squeezing the shell when holding the mouse normally, which is something that did happen to varying degrees with their Model O. To be complete I have to say that you can still actuate the side buttons by applying a lot of pressure but you’d have to be holding the mouse in both hands for that to happen and I don’t know anyone who games like that so for me that’s a non-issue. It’s nice to see that the people at Glorious have been paying attention to what consumers have been saying about their products, and while I have no doubt that they could’ve shaved off a few grams at the cost of structural integrity I’m happy that they went with this approach. As it is the mouse is still very light and it feels sturdy to boot.

Glorious Model D Mouse Review Cable

Last year was the year of the lightweight mice, but we also saw another revolution in the form of stock cables becoming better and better. The Model O was one of the mice that helped paracord-style cables become mainstream so it’s only natural that the Model D follows suit. It houses Glorious’ Ascended Cord, which is basically an improved version of what we saw on the early Model O versions. This is a thin, light, and very flexible cable and it’s without a doubt one of the best stock cables that you can get at this point in time. It performs great even without a bungee, and while nothing can compare to true wireless (in my opinion) this does come pretty darn close.

Since the release of the Model O other companies have been quick to come out with their own versions of paracord cables and made improvements here and there, so it’s encouraging to see that Glorious didn’t rest on their laurels and instead immediately started cooking up their own improved version even though the original cable on the Model O would still be more than decent by today’s standards.

Glorious Model D Mouse Review Packaging 2

Sensor and Everyday Performance


Before the lightweight revolution and the cable renaissance we had the sensor shift, where pretty much every respectable gaming mouse manufacturer started using flawless sensors in their mice. As such, part of this section has perhaps become quite superfluous but of course we have to talk about the sensor. I can be short here: the flawless 3360 sensor inside of the Model D performs as it should, which basically means that it’s flawless.

There’s no smoothingacceleration, or any of that nonsense to worry about so you can rest assured that every single move that you make gets transferred to the screen with perfect precision.

There’s optional software where you can create macros and adjust the lighting as well as tune the LOD and polling rate and all of that good stuff but you don’t have to use it. The mouse comes with preset DPI values of 400, 800, 1600, and 3200 so you can just take the mouse out of the packaging and go to town right away if that’s what floats your boat. I do love it when my peripherals are capable of being true plug and play, but optional software for those fine or outside-the-box adjustments is always a plus in my book, so the inclusion of this straightforward piece of software is a nice touch.

As I said earlier on the Model D also comes with two additional mouse feet that fit in between the existing feet on either end of the mouse, creating a larger ‘skate surface’. I applied these extra feet on one of my review copies and left it off on another and I think I prefer the mouse with those extra feet on though the difference is honestly pretty marginal and it might even be the placebo effect talking. It’s important to note that the additional skates are of the same high quality as the ones that are already on there, so you don’t have to worry about them being some kind of afterthought if you decide to try them out, though I would’ve honestly preferred to see a bunch of replacement main feet instead of what we got now.

Glorious Model D Review – Conclusion


Glorious is a pretty new company all things considered but they are definitely showing that they know how to handle things.

The Model D is an entirely new shape (well, entirely new for the Glorious line of mice that is) so it can’t really be compared to their Model O but it is nice to see that the company has taken pretty much everything that reviewers and consumers alike were complaining about with their first release and used that to improve on those aspects with the Model D.

This is a fantastic ultralight gaming mouse, with a great shape, fantastic clicks, top of the line feet and ditto cable. Top that off with a sturdy build quality and a nice coating and you’ve got what could very well be one of the best releases of the year.

Glorious do a great job at bringing together everything that gamers want these days (lightweight design, super flexible cable, …) so that they can combine it into a very alluring ‘greatest hits’ package but I would love to see them put out a brand new album, if I’m allowed to carry on this metaphor a little while longer. They’ve proven that they’re more than capable of listening to what gamers want these days, and we know that they can put those ideas into practice so I would love to see them come up with their very own shape for the Model I, even if only because I’m curious to see what they can come up with.

But of course that’s in the future. Until then I’ll be more than happy to sit here playing with my D.

This product was received for free from the manufacturer and given to our reviewer to test and review. Brands and manufacturers have no editorial control over our reviews. For more information, check out our review FAQ.

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SHAYON SEN

hello greetings, my hand size is length 18-19 cm and width 10 10.5 cm..will glorious D be a good fit for me 🙂 ?

styr1x

Hand size – 19.5cm*10.5cm
Grip – Relaxed palm/claw hybrid
Help me choose between Model D/Deathadder v2/G403/EC2-A

Metcii

So my hand size is 19cm,8cm is the Model D good for my hand size?
PS: I don’t have a stable grip sometimes I play with a palm grip sometimes a fingertip and sometimes a claw one lol

Nate

Glorious Model D, VAXEE ZYGEN NP-01, and Zowie EC2. Which one would you recommend for Csgo?

Max

That entirely depends. The Zowie is a bit of an ‘oldschool mouse’ in the sense that it’s not trying to go for a super lightweight design (Glorious Model D) nor does it do fancy stuff with the clicks (NP-01) but all three are great mice. Out of those three I would personally pick the NP-01, but all three can be used for top level CS:GO so it really comes down to what you prefer when it comes to features, weight, …

Jatin

Hi ProSettings, thanks for this great website. I am confused between the Glorious D- and the glorious O.. I have a medium size hand with 18.2 cm length and 9 cm width.. O- seems small and D seems large. O and D- are medium size mouse which suits my preference but I dont know that much about the shape as I have never tried standard ergonomic or ambidextrous mouse. Out of these two which one should I pick. Many people said that D- has poor build quality, is this still true today or a misconception thats the thing I am worried..

Max

Hi, thanks for the kind words! I unfortunately haven’t been able to test a D- for myself yet. I am supposed to receive a review copy of it but that still hasn’t gotten here so as soon as I do I will get to work on testing it. That said: if you have any QC issues with any mouse you should be able to send it back and get a new one. I know that that’s not ideal but that’s why products have a return policy of course.

If you’re unsure as to what you prefer when it comes to the shape design I can’t really help you though; that is completely down to preference so it’s a matter of figuring out what works for you. Perhaps it’s a good idea to try and hold a few cheaper office mice to see if an ambidextrous or ergo shape is more your thing.

Lucas Martinez

model d vs g403 hero? it’s worth to save some money and get the model d instead of g403 hero?

Max

Well it depends. Both are actually pretty different as far as shape goes. The G403 has a hump that’s far more focused towards the back while the Model D has a more conventional back curve. Objectively though I’d say that the Model D is the better mouse; it has a lighter weight (whether or not that’s a selling point is subjective though), better stock feet, and a way better cable.
Shape is the most important factor for a gaming mouse though so I would suggest looking up some images of both mice to see what you like best. You can’t really go wrong with either of them though the G403 definitely isn’t up to ‘modern standards’ (paracord-style cable, PTFE feet, lighter weight, …) anymore. That doesn’t stop a lot of people from still loving it though so don’t be frightened by that: I’m just putting it out there for you to consider.

Klip

Hey there. I’m fairly new to PC gaming and I can’t really decide on whether I should get the Model O, O-, or Model D or D-. My hand is about 16.5 cm x 9 cm. I play palm and I like the mouse to feel comfortable. I currently have a G502 but I really don’t like it as it isn’t very comfortable and is pretty heavy. I liked my previous mouse, the Deathadder Elite better, and want to choose a Glorious model. What do you think would be the best for me?

Max

If you like the ergonomic shape of the Deathadder it’s probably best to go for the Model D- with your hand size. If you prefer a neutral shape then the Model O- is definitely an option, but that’s a lot flatter than the other mice you tried. From what I’ve been reading though I would recommend looking at a Model D-.

Ned1s

Should i go for deathadder v2 or model d? If i like fps games but most rainbow 6 siege and i need high accuracy to hit those kills ( im a competitive player i like to win and TRYHARD a lot).

Max

Depends on your preferences to be honest since both are great mice. Both of these have a flawless sensor and perform perfectly in game situations so the only thing influencing your accuracy will be you, the player. I’d recommend weighing the pros and cons of both mice to come up with a decision.

Will

Does the mouse come with a plastic protective layer over the feet?

Max

I can’t remember that to be honest. I always peel them off the minute I start my testing period so I don’t pay much attention to it, sorry!

Jayza

Would you think it would be a good idea to upgrade to this or the d- from a model o?

Max

It’s not really so much an upgrade as it is a sideways move. Both mice are from the same manufacturer so they have mostly the same features and design philosophy. The major difference is the shell design. If you think you’d be better off with an ergonomic shape then by all means go for it! The Model D isn’t an objectively better mouse than the Model O though.

TcR

Coming from a g402 hyperion mouse
Is this a worthy upgrade?

Max

In my opinion it is: I think the G402 is too heavy for FPS gaming. That said: it does have a lot more buttons so it kind of depends on what you prefer. The Model D is definitely a fantastic mouse though and if it suits your grip style and hand size it’s a fantastic product.

Siddhant

i have a hand size of 19*10 and my current harpoon by corsair feels small and sharp to my hands. i am looking for a fingertip-palm hybrid mouse for playing csgo . will this suit me ? Nice review 🙂

note: mouse so small (harpoon) that my pinky sticks outside the mouse and i have to force stick +drag my pinky along with the ring finger on the mouse pad. so was looking for an ergonomic mouse 🙂

Max

It should be a great mouse for that hand size and grip style but whether your pinky will float outside of it or not will depend on your grip style to be honest. My pinky is always on the pad no matter how big the mouse I’m using is. Aside from that, though: the Model D should suit you fine.

Gharib Anass

When you said it is a clone of the Zowie Ec series plus a lightweight , i fell iinstantly in love with the glorious D but i wish i could get the Glorious D- .

Max

You’re in luck because the D- is due to release soon!

Rafael

what is the best mousepad combining with this mouse? for fortnite

Max

It depends on what you personally like. I like to use it with more controlling pads such as the G-SR or the G-SR-SE since it’s so light but that’s just me, some people want as much speed as possible so if that’s the case the Fnatic DASH might be something for you, for example.

Felipe

Model D vs EC1-B …. palm / relaxed claw grip, hand width 10cm

Max

Depends on whether you like a lightweight mouse or not. I’d say both are fine (the EC1 -the newest version- is preferred over the EC1-B though) and almost the same though the cable and feet on the Model D feel better to me.

Lukas

Model D vs G Wolves Hati … Which ist better?

Max

They’re very different shapes so it kind of depends but for me the Glorious mice feel the best to me personally as far as finishing and overall build goes.

Arshvik Bhatia

hey i am really confused and i will be switching from controller to kbm i am confused between glorious model o and d for fortnite
my hand size is 18cm length
10 cm width

Max

Well it depends on how you like your mice; if you like them to be ‘formed to your hand’ a bit more you should go for the Model D, if you like them to be a bit flatter and with a neutral shape the Model O is your best bet.

schnochss

I know that the lenght is close to ec1 but how would you compare the grip widht to the ec2. I have 19×9.5 hands and the model d feels too wide when i grip it. Sadly on gearsearch they come pretty close at 59.5 for model d and 59 milimeters for ec2 for the grip widht.

Max

I’d say they’re pretty much the same to be honest. It’s extremely hard to accurately measure grip width (do you measure it right at the bottom of the shell? Do you measure it just a bit higher up?) and different people grip at different spots so there’s that too but I just brought out both mice and in the middle the feel really similar to me. The Model D is longer though and feels a bit wider at the front so it could be that.

TXOne

which one is better? glorious model D (or O) vs final mouse ultralight cape town?

Max

I haven’t done an in-depth test of the Finalmouse UL Cape Town so I can’t say for sure unfortunately. From everything I’ve read about it the UL Cape Town is a pretty great mouse, but so are the Glorious mice and those are actually still available so unless you can find a Cape Town at retail price I would definitely recommend Glorious.

Mytbii

I’m just wondering how large the mouse is compared to like a Zowie S1 or Razer Deathadder Elite which is what I have used previously. The Deathadder was a bit large for my preference and the S1 was just right so I wanna know how the Model D’s shape compares. Thanks!

Max

The S is a completely different shape so it’s kind of difficult to really compare the two, but the Model D is quite a bit bigger than the S1 and also longer and higher than the DeathAdder so if that was too large I don’t think this would be the one for you. Glorious did release a smaller version of their first mouse (the Model O- is the smaller version of the Model O) though so it’s not unlikely that they’ll do the same with the Model D. Perhaps it could be a good idea to wait for that one, though there’s obviously no telling what happens with planned releases and what not with the current COVID crisis.

If you can’t wait you can always check out the Xtrfy M4, that’s a touch smaller than the DeathAdder.

zer0

do m1 and m2 have some pretravel?I’m coming fra an ec2b divina and i would like to try a lightweight,do you lightweights mouse are better?Also,is this better than the skoll?
I play csgo at high level

Max

The travel on the main buttons is negligible in my opinion, though it might vary from copy to copy as previous Glorious releases did have some QC issues with this in the past, though I’ve got the impression that those have been mostly ironed out judging by reactions on forums and social media.
I wouldn’t say that lightweight is better per se. CS:GO professionals, for example, aren’t using lightweight mice en masse at all (only 3% are using a mouse that weighs less than 70 grams) so there’s definitely some personal preference involved.
Aside from that: I’d go for the Model D if you’re keen on trying out a lightweight mouse. It feels nicer to me and the brand G-Wolves has been involved in some financial issues recently so Glorious is definitely the safe bet.

Kabir

Compared to the model O is it too different

Max

The shape is obviously completely different, but aside from that the specs are pretty much the same.

Mr.deavid

How does this compare with the skoll?

Max

The Skoll is almost the exact same shape and size but I do prefer the clicks on the Model D a bit better, though the clicks on the Skoll aren’t bad at all either. There isn’t all that much that separates both though, aside from the fact that the Skoll feels a slight bit larger in the hand. If I personally had to choose I’d go for the Model D, but that’s just my opinion of course.