Razer Viper Mini Review

When the Razer Viper (and the Ultimate version of that mouse) got dropped on the market you could almost hear the combined cheers of mouse enthusiasts around the world. After a couple of rough launches that didn’t exactly appeal to hardcore competitive gamers it was made clear that Razer was getting back into that competitive gaming market. With a lightweight shell (without holes!), extremely flexible cable, flawless sensor, onboard storage, and Razer’s new Optical Mouse Switches the Razer Viper (and the later released Viper Ultimate) was widely praised as a fantastic gaming mouse.

The Viper isn’t the smallest mouse of the bunch, though, and pretty soon people started wondering if and when Razer would add a smaller version to this new family of mice. Well, today is that day. The Razer Viper Mini should be exactly what all those fans of small(er) ambidextrous mice have been asking for, but to fully confirm this we’ve send a unit over to our reviewer, and he’s got the full verdict for you below.

At a Glance


Razer Viper Mini

Used by 4 players ()
  • Nick Eh 30
    Nick Eh 30
  • Endretta
    Endretta

This is a bit of a weird one to me. The Viper Mini has everything to make it one of the best budget mice on the market (great cable, great clicks, PTFE feet, super light weight and a fantastic build quality) but I’m just not sure if people who were clamoring for a Viper Mini wanted to a budget mouse. Granted, it doesn’t really feel like a budget mouse, but still.

Pros

  • Great cable
  • Great clicks
  • Great build quality
  • Good budget option

Cons

  • LOD is on the high side
  • Most people who wanted a Viper Mini weren’t looking for a budget mouse, so the usage of a budget sensor is disappointing

Specs

SensorPMW 3359
Polling Rate125 / 500 / 1000 Hz
Button SwitchesRazer Optical
ConnectionWired
ShapeAmbidextrous
Length11.83cm
Height3.83cm
Weight61g
Width5.38cm

First Impressions


As you may or may not know I am a huge fan of the original Viper, and while I only tested the Ultimate (read: wireless) version of that mouse in depth I did come into this knowing how good Razer’s Speedflex cable is, so I was pretty excited to spend some time with the Viper Mini.

A lot of people were perhaps expecting this to be your regular ol’ Razer Viper that’s been put into the shrinking machine, but there are a couple of differences. The Mini, for starters, only has side buttons on the left, doesn’t come with rubberized sides, and sees the DPI selector button moved to the top of the mouse. Under the hood we’ve also got a a different sensor (though more on that later) and on the underside we see the inclusion of PTFE feet.

What I did notice almost right away is that the Viper Mini feels a bit humpier in my hand than its bigger brother. More on that in the ‘shape’ section, but it’s definitely something that I noticed fairly quickly so I added it to my first impressions here.

One more thing that immediately caught my eye is the RGB zone at the back of the mouse. It’s not all that visible in bright light, but at night this gives the mouse tiny ‘half aura’ that looks pretty nice if you’re into that kind of thing.

Razer Viper Mini Review Mouse

The original Viper was already a light mouse so it’s logical that the smaller version is even lighter. My scales showed 61 grams, putting this firmly in the ‘ultralight mouse’ category and it does all that without having holes in the shell. I’m pretty neutral on the whole holes debate (but I do know some people who absolutely hate mice with holes in them) but it is impressive to see just how light Razer has managed to make this product without making compromises when it comes to structural integrity and so on.

Recommended Grip Types

Obviously this mouse isn’t going to be the one for people who have shovels for hands, but thanks to the pretty safe shape it should suit a wide variety of grip types.

It could work for palm grippers with very small hands, for instance, but I think it really shines for people who use fingertip grip or claw grip (or variations that trend towards those, since hybrid grips are the most common) and like smaller mice.

Obviously this is all very subjective: I can only give you a couple of pointers but in the end whether you like this shape or not is almost completely down to personal preference, so I encourage you to do your own research and find what suits you.

Packaging


The Viper Mini comes in a mini Razer box, and on the inside you’ll find the mouse, a quickstart guide, and one Razer sticker.

Seeing as this is the unofficial ‘budget Viper’ I didn’t expect a lot of fancy stuff in the packaging so this rather straightforward unboxing experience isn’t a drawback, but I will say that I always appreciate some replacement mouse feet in the packaging. Again, though: no big deal that they aren’t included here.

Razer Viper Mini Review Packaging

Shape, Coating, and Finish


As I said in the intro the Viper Mini actually feels a bit different in my hands than the OG Viper. That’s due to the fact that it’s a couple of millimeters higher and because of the hump feeling a little less gradual than what the regular Viper offers because they had to make it shorter. This gives the mouse a bit more of that ‘egg’ feeling as opposed to the pretty flat sensation that I got from the OG.

That’s not to say that the shape is bad though; I think that a straight 1:1 copy made smaller would turn out to feel pretty weird for a mouse of this size so I can’t say that I disagree with the (small) changes that they made. I personally like this shape even though it’s a bit small for my liking, and seeing as there are no sudden curves or grooves I think that this is a safe shape, all things considered.

I’m no chemist or anything so I don’t know what exactly Razer does with their coatings, but as far as I’m concerned they’re top of the table with their coating team. The Viper Mini has this sort of matte/rubbery mixture and I absolutely adore it. My hands can get pretty sweaty when I’m tryharding in games so I have a rather low tolerance for coatings that don’t handle skin oils and sweat easily but luckily the Viper Mini (and most other recent Razer releases, to be fair) does so with ease. Picking up the mouse is no issue either thanks to the fantastic coating and the extremely light weight, so performance-wise we’re all solid here.

Side buttons can now only be found on the left side. That might disappoint some left-handed gamers but I can easily follow their decision making here: had they kept the buttons on the right side I’d be accidentally pushing them all the time due to the smaller size of the mouse, and I doubt I’d be the only one with that problem so I can definitely understand the thought process. The two side buttons that are there are easy to reach and distinguish though.

On the bottom of the mouse you’ll now see two large PTFE mousefeet (and one smaller ring around the sensor that oddly enough doesn’t seem to be removable) that provide a pretty decent glide. This isn’t the fastest stock experience I’ve had in recent months, but there’s no scratching and it’s all smooth so no worries there. I do find the fact that the center ring is made out of plastic a bit of an odd choice; if you accidentally manage to put a dent/bump in there while traveling to a LAN or whatever you could start to feel it when gliding, and then there’s nothing you can do about it. The odds of that happening are of course extremely small, but still.

Razer Viper Mini Review

Buttons and Scroll Wheel


Razer, as you may know, have been pushing their new Optical Mouse Switches with their recent releases, and if you knew that you probably also know that these have been somewhat polarizing in the community. Yes, the added durability is great, and in theory the faster response time is awesome too, but they did have to sacrifice a lot of that satisfying crispiness that you get with a traditional mechanical switch in order to get to those response times and durability ratings. At least at first.

I already noticed a difference between my Viper Ultimate and the new Razer DeathAdder V2 but here the difference is even more outspoken. When compared to the Viper Ultimate that I normally use I can definitely feel a massive difference between both main sets of clicks. The Viper Mini has a pretty nice clicking sensation, and while the main buttons still aren’t the crispiest on the market it’s very clear that these Optical Mouse Switches are improving with every new model they put out. I didn’t really care too much about the mushier feeling clicks (though I do prefer clickier switches) but I know a lot of people who did, so this should be great news for them. The only downside here is that the durability rating has gone down to ‘only’ 50 million clicks but that’s a welcome trade-off for crispier clicks if you’re asking me.

If I’m being nitpicky I could say that there’s a bit of post travel on the main buttons if you tend to press them further towards the back or that there’s a bit of sideways movement on my left mouse click, but realistically this all isn’t noticeable to the extent that it starts to annoy me.

Unfortunately the good news train stalls for a while when it gets to the side buttons. Yes, they’ve got a pretty good click to them (though it feels a bit hollow) but there’s a lot of travel, and once pressed the buttons can feel a bit wobbly. That’s disappointing since these were really nice on the original model.

The scroll wheel feels the same on the surface thanks to the rubberized grip elements but when you start scrolling it’s quite apparent that the Viper Mini‘s wheel feels a bit looser. Whether you like that or not depends on your preferences, of course. To summarize: this is a silent wheel with very little definition between steps and it’s very easy to click, making it a great wheel for me personally.

Razer Viper Mini Review Mouse

Build Quality and Cable


A lot of ultralight mice from inexperienced and experienced manufacturers alike drop the ball when it comes to the ‘quality’ part, but that’s not the case with the Razer Viper Mini.

I can shake, swipe, and squeeze this thing all day and it won’t budge, nor will it make a sound. That’s something that I personally always like to see, doubly so when I’m holding one of the lightest gaming mice on the planet in my hands.

The people at Razer really seem to have shifted up a gear or two when it comes to the products that they bring out, both when it comes to specs and overall design, and that’s extremely refreshing to see from a company that’s had a bit of reputation for releasing ‘form over function’ products in the past. I’m not here to comment on that reputation, but I think we can all see how much the enthusiast community is loving this new path that Razer is taking. I am too.

The cable here is Razer’s Speedflex cable. That’s their take on a paracord-style mouse cord and it’s a good one in my opinion. This is a very light and flexible cable, and I’m happy to use this with or without a bungee. Stick it into a bungee, though, and you’re getting pretty close to a ‘no cable’ feeling, depending on your sensitivity.

Razer Viper Mini Review Mouse

Sensor and Everyday Performance


This Viper Mini isn’t just a scaled down version of the regular Viper; it’s also very much an attempt by Razer to get into that budget mouse market. For this reason the Mini doesn’t house the usual Razer Focus+ ‘it’s over 9000 DPI‘ kind of sensor, but just a ‘regular’ variation of the 3359. Cutting corners with sensors could have been a disaster for budget gaming mice a couple of years ago, but these days even the budget sensors that top companies are using offer flawless tracking, so there’s no need to worry about acceleration or smoothing or any of that nonsense.

What you might need to worry about is the LOD, depending on your tolerances. The mouse stops tracking just above 2 DVDs (2.4 millimeter) and while that’s not outrageous it’s definitely a bit on the high side. You can change it a bit under the ‘mouse mat surface calibration’ tab in Razer’s software, where you can mess around with different configurations and lower the LOD slightly, but it’s always (a bit) above 2 DVDs for me. Whether or not that’s an issue depends on your playing style and I can’t say that I was actively bothered by this when gaming but it’s obviously something that needs to be noted in a review.

In a nutshell: are there sensors out there that are superior to this one? Theoretically, yes. Razer’s own Focus+ and 5G sensors come to mind, for example. In practice this sensor will be perfectly fine for 99% of people though, so I wouldn’t get too hung up on the ‘downgraded’ sensor. The only thing that’s noticeably different when using the mouse is the slightly higher LOD.

As an amusing side note: the default sensitivity stages for this mouse are now 400, 800, 1600, 3200, and 6400. That sounds logical but that wasn’t always the case with previous Razer mice, so it pleases me that they’ve gone for the more sensible settings here.

Razer Viper Mini Review Backside

Razer Viper Mini Review – Conclusion


This is a bit of a weird one to me. The Viper Mini has everything to make it one of the best budget mice on the market (great cable, great clicks, PTFE feet, super light weight and a fantastic build quality) but I’m just not sure if people who were clamoring for a Viper Mini wanted to a budget mouse. Granted, it doesn’t really feel like a budget mouse, but still.

The choice to go for a cheaper sensor (that, once again, performs flawlessly as far as tracking goes) is a bit of weird one to me. That aspect alone will drive some of the more specs-oriented customers away I think, and that’s a bit of a shame since this is a fantastic product aside from that. I’m not big on the whole sensor debate (flawless sensors have been the norm for a couple of years now, so any theoretical gains in performance aren’t really all that noticeable ingame for the vast majority of people) so I don’t mind the inclusion of a theoretically ‘subpar’ sensor to lower the cost but I obviously can’t ignore the fact that the LOD is on the high side. Whether or not that bothers you will depend on your personal preferences, though.

Aside from the LOD this is definitely a great product. It still uses Razer’s Optical Mouse Switches but the clicks on the Viper Mini are far crispier than what I’ve seen on other Razer products with these switches, and the Mini has also received an upgrade to their PFTE feet, so it’s evident that Razer’s been listening to what the people have been asking for.

Is this the greatest gaming mouse I’ve ever seen? No, not for me personally, but it is an extremely solid gaming mouse that offers a bunch of very attractive features at a very attractive price, so if you’re looking for a small and ultra light ambidextrous gaming mouse this should be on your list. It’s also one of the best mice (spec-wise; make sure that your mice fit your hands) to go for if you’re on a budget.

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.

52 Comments
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yisacreative

Hi i am currently using the hyperx pulsefire core

and i cant decide between the glorious model o- and viper mini,i claw grip and play in a mixed sense between low and high,thanks!

Ebad

Hi can u tell a best mouse under 25 dollar
the mouse I am in search is that while playing CS GO on low Sensivity I could easy make hard flicks without any Misshot
so can u recommend me a best mouse in 25 dollar so that I can make hard flicks easily thank u

Win Htet

What grip style should I use with viper mini?(18.5×9.5) It would be a big help for me.

magiicz

would you consider this a better overall than the model o- for claw.

asd

hella yeah

Frank

HI!Soo my hand size is 16cmX8.5cm.Is this mouse the right choice?

Max

It could be yeah, but it depends on your grip style. If you prefer a lot of palm contact I’d look elsewhere, but if you’re more into claw or fingertip gripping then this could be really good for you.

kevin

what are the main differences with the mini and the ultimate and which should i get?

Max

The sensor, and the size and wireless aspect of course. Other than that there are some minor differences that I highlighted throughout the review (skates, …). Which one you should get depends entirely on your hand size (and a bit on your grip style too) so I cannot help you with that without that info I’m afraid.

xgums

i bought this mouse few days ago and i’ve been concerned because it stutters when i play sometimes, do u have any fix to this? thank you

Max

It shouldn’t do that so I don’t have a fix. What could be happening is that there’s some dust in the sensor opening, so what you can do is gently blow on the sensor to clear it out and see if it’s still happening. If it persists after that and you’re playing on a normal (gaming) mousepad I’d contact support since that’s not something that I encountered during testing.

tallicaman

I tried it with 20 x 10.5 cm hand and it was too small. My hand was in pain while using fingertip grip. Would G305 or Rival 3 be better? I thought about viper ultimate but it looks to be long for fingertip grip.

Max

I haven’t tested the Rival 3 yet but the G305 is also a rather small mouse to be honest. Your hands are on the larger side I’d say so you might get away with a regular size Viper though you can also take a look at the Zowie FK line, Ducky Feather, and the Glorious Model O mice if you like that flatter style of ambidextrous mouse.

clwzera

G203 or Viper Mini? i play full claw and sometimes fingertip, 18.5×8.5cm hands, i’m searching for a nice budget mouse at aim in tracking nd flicking but i saw a lot of comments which say bout the Lit Off Distance, im thinking to buy the HyperX Fury S Pro Mousepad, cuz some professional aim coachs told me Viper Mini w/This pad it’s a great combo(V. Mini w a higher friction pad=nice flicks and nice stopping power)

Max

It kind of depends, the G203 is more egg shaped so to say than the Viper Mini which is a bit flatter feeling. Both are pretty great mice though so it depends on what shape you think you’d prefer. I wouldn’t necessarily worry about the LOD of the Viper Mini: you can get it to be a bit lower with some surface tuning in Synapse so it’s not completely outrageous or anything. The Viper Mini does have the better feet so the glide out of the box should be faster.

In short: both are great budget mice so I really think that the deciding factor is the shape.

Pixerr

I bought the viper mini 2 days ago and I want to know if the one I bought is a copy or not since the side buttons feel different from the original as well as the sound of the click and on the back it says made in thailand than I suspect if it’s a copy

Max

If you’re unsure you should probably contact Razer support, they’ll be able to determine whether or not you got a legitimate one through the serial number on the back of your mouse. That said: if you bought it from a legitimate retailer the odds of it being a fake are quite small.

Kasper Bergmann

I just got the viper mini, and out of the box there was barely any movement on 2 dvd´s and after calibration, it did not move at all. Im fine with having it not track under 2 dvd´s. But it would have been optimal with even lower. Hope they learn from this for the next time. I would rather shell out just little more money, and get a sensor that can give you a low LOD without issues. For info I use a the Razer Gigantus mousepad, don´t know if that makes it that much difference for the LOD.

Max

I agree, I was actually a little disappointed to see that they downgraded the sensor. It doesn’t make the biggest difference in the world (aside from the LOD it’s a great sensor) and I kind of get it if they want to go for that ‘budget’ side of the market but I would’ve liked it more with the standard Viper sensor if I’m being honest. That said: the Mini is definitely a good mouse too! You can mess with the LOD a bit by changing the surface in Razer Synapse, by the way.

mEGATRON

im a 14 y.o player and i used to play on a microsoft trash mouse was about 10cm grip width and 5cm grip height with a 16cm tall hand with 8cm wide.

is this mouse good for my small hand for a palm grip and get an excellent performance in fps games ?

Max

Hi! I think I talked to you on Discord as well, no? In any case: the Viper Mini would be a decent fit but it’s not the greatest for palm, theoretically. Perhaps also consider the Endgame Gear XM1 or Zowie S.

Yahya

Optical switch make razer viper mini more responsive.

Max

Yes, but you do have to sacrifice some of the crispiness of the clicks. It kind of depends on what you prefer as an individual. It’s definitely a great mouse though.

Pogchamp

I switched from normal Viper to this one, Flicks are ok, but i have weird feeling, when it comes to Tracking, when u track a target fast from left to right, the normal viper feels much more accurate to me. Why is that?

Max

It shouldn’t feel any different since the sensors are flawless. If it’s actually different it’s probably best to contact support and see what they have to say about it.

Tezec

Hi, this or the model d? I’m a palm gripper and I have 17×9.5cm hands

Max

For a pure palm grip I’d recommend the Model D since the Viper Mini doesn’t really have an ideal palm grip shape and it’s a pretty small mouse so there’s not a lot of real estate to put your palm.

E K

For fortnite, should I get this or the glorious model o-? The shape of the o- looks better to me, but the viper mini has a ton of hype. Any thoughts?

Max

You shouldn’t really look at hype if you’re asking me. If you feel like the Model O- would be a better fit for you I’d honestly just go with that. Aside from the shape both mice are really, really good (save for perhaps the LOD issues you could have with the Viper Mini) so it’s important to go with something that would fit you personally.

Rad

What is the size of your hand and what is your main mouse to date?

Max

My hand size is around 18.5 x 10 cm and currently I’m maining the Razer Viper Ultimate. I do kind of ‘hesitate’ between that one and the G Pro Wireless because the Viper is just a bit too flat for me. I am a sucker for wireless though, and I’m anxiously awaiting the day that the first really good ambidextrous wireless mouse comes out.

As an aside: I also used the Xtrfy M4 for a couple of weeks, as well as the Glorious Model D since I am personally more of a fan of ambidextrous shapes. The more mice you review the pickier you get I suppose, so even for people like me it’s hard to find the perfect mouse. Again though: a wireless and rather lightweight ambi mouse with an EC shape (or a slightly smaller DeathAdder shape) would come very close.

MJI

I have Logitech G203 Prodigy , Razer Viper Mini is better than G203?

Max

It really depends on your preferences as far as shape goes. Both are pretty darn good gaming mice, definitely on a budget. The Viper Mini does have better feet and a better cable in my opinion, but the LOD of the sensor could be a deciding factor as to whether or not you like the mouse.

yoo

For 19-19.5 by 9-9.5 hands do you think this would be good to fingertip grip? Thanks for the review btw.

Max

It should do just fine for you. I’m not a big fan of these absolute statements such as ‘this mouse is good for grip X and hand size Y x Y’ because every individual is very different and preferences vary so much but I would say that it should be good for you, generally speaking.

Mike

LOD was definitely a deal breaker for me. They way I reposition my mouse, makes it feel *off* /wonky.

Max

Yeah, the sensor change is something that’s making me scratch my head a bit. I get that they wanted to get into the budget market and it is a really great mouse for the price but you do need to be able to live with the LOD which is something that I suspect not everyone who was waiting for the Viper Mini will be able to do.

Stagga

@yes IMO the Viper Mini is. MM710 has very prevalent QC issues (I got 3 defective copies in a row). I would choose the Viper Mini over it 100%.

Max

Thank you for sharing your thoughts!

yes

is the MM710 or this better?

Max

I haven’t tested the MM710 so I can’t really say unfortunately.

fvfaga

i think the mm710 is better but viper feels more premium

Andres Cisneros

I’ve tested many mouse, cheapest, most expensives and This Razer Viper Mini is WINNING… and It doesnt feel like a cheap mouse, it feels better than my Ultralight 2 from final mouse.

Max

Thank you for sharing your thoughts on the Razer Viper Mini.

Rizky Isrofani

should i get the zowie s2, or this?

Max

Depends on your preferences; the shapes are actually a bit different too so it’s really difficult to say just like that. I think that the S2 has the better shape (but that’s subjective) whereas the Viper Mini has better buttons and cable, so perhaps that can help you out a bit.

hh

nice review!

Max

Thanks a lot! Much appreciated.