Glorious’ Model O and Model D mice have been around for some time now, and pretty much everyone who is somewhat into the gaming mouse scene knows about these mice and their shapes. What is a little less known is the fact that Glorious had always planned to release four main mouse lines; the O, D, I, and N mice.
Recently, the brand announced their newest model, the Model I, and it’s definitely an interesting mouse. The Glorious Model I is the first mainstream ergonomic mouse with a thumb rest and a ‘sniper button’ that gets the lightweight treatment, so fans of mice like the Logitech G502 and the Razer Basilisk can rejoice at this 69 grams competitor that has just entered the market. Does the Glorious Model I do enough to convince fans of those mice to make the swap, however? And, more importantly, is it a mouse that’s good for gaming in general? Read our full Glorious Model I review to find out everything you want to know about the mouse.
At A Glance
Glorious Model I
With all that said: the Glorious Model I is definitely a fine gaming mouse in a vacuum. Due to its shape that’s more of a comfort over performance type of shape it’s not a mouse that I would immediately recommend for very competitive gamers, but if you’re looking for a comfortable and lightweight ergonomic mouse then this should definitely be on your list. If it should be placed near the top probably depends on your preferences when it comes to extra features, but it’s nice to see that there’s now a modern and viable option for people who prefer this type of mouse.
Pros
- Swappable back side button and ‘sniper button’ near the thumb
- Good build quality
- Extra input options when compared to most other lightweight gaming mice
- Comfortable shape
Cons
- Buttons are difficult to swap out
- Glorious’ software feels cheap
- Cable isn’t the best
- Subpar side buttons
- Not everyone will love the holes in the shell
Specs
| Sensor | BAMF |
|---|---|
| DPI | 19000-50, in steps of 50 |
| Polling Rate | 125 / 500 / 1000 Hz |
| Button Switches | Glorious Switches |
| Button Force | 76.3g |
| Connection | Wired |
| Shape | Ergonomic |
| Length | 12.56cm |
| Height | 4.15cm |
| Weight | 70g |
| Width | 6.11cm |
First Impressions
One of the first things that went through my head when I saw the reveal for the Model I was ‘where is the wireless version?’ I could obviously understand why Glorious released the wired version of the O and D first, seeing as their wireless tech wasn’t quite ready yet, but the release of the Model O wireless was a year ago, so I think it’s a bit of a missed opportunity to not release both the wired and the wireless version in one go. The wired version would be the cheaper option and for people who don’t need a wireless mouse, while the wireless version would be for those who have been waiting for an updated wireless mouse in this style. Of course I know that in the wake of the pandemic there’ve been shortages and supply issues everywhere so it might have something to do with that, but I personally would’ve preferred a dual release.
On to the actual mouse then. The Model I is without a doubt a bit of a departure from what Glorious have been doing before in the sense that this is more of a ‘do it all’ kind of mouse with its comfy shape and additional buttons whereas the Model O and D were very much focused on competitive gamers. That’s nice to see though, as I know a lot of gamers who have been crying out for a modern version of this type of mouse. It’s easy to forget when you’re in the bubble of stripped down ‘performance over everything’ types of mice, but there are tons and tons of gamers out there who just want a comfortable pointer with a thumb rest and a bunch of additional buttons. The Logitech G502 is still one of the most popular gaming mice on the planet, for example. Knowing this, I believe that Glorious have made a good decision here. I would love to see them tackle their own shape sometime in the future but this is a smart move if you ask me, even though it isn’t necessarily the mouse for me.
Packaging
Inside the box you’ll find a Glorious sticker (curiously, the branding on the Model I is still the old Glorious branding), the additional mouse buttons that allow you to customize the mouse to your liking (to a certain extent) and then of course the usual documentation. I always like to see additional replacement mouse feet included with gaming mice, but since this mouse probably isn’t aimed at hardcore competitive gamers I can kind of see why they didn’t include those.
Shape, Coating, and Mouse Feet
There’s no doubt at all that Glorious were inspired by the Logitech G502s and the Razer Basilisks of this world when they designed this mouse. It’s not a 1:1 copy of either of those shapes (to me, the Model I feels a bit more neutral, with less aggressive curves) but it’s definitely close. What you get here is an ergonomic mouse where comfort comes first. The thumb rest is of course the eyecatcher here but it doesn’t really limit my grip like I initially feared. It helps that you can also remove the ‘sniper button’ that’s located underneath the three side buttons (by replacing it with a flat piece that comes with the mouse) so really there’s plenty of real estate to place your thumb wherever you want to place it.
The ergonomic shape of the Model I has no sudden curves or possibly polarizing design elements, so if you like ergonomic mice and you can live with the thumb rest then you probably won’t have any complaints here. I will say that I would’ve personally made the side buttons protrude a little less or removed the LED strips on the side of the mouse so that the side buttons could’ve been moved up a millimeter or two, seeing as my thumb is now always resting against those buttons no matter how I grip the mouse and that’s a feeling that I don’t like, but that’s of course a subjective opinion. I can imagine that people who go for these sorts of mice like the side buttons to be within reach at all times, and the fact that they’re so pronounced of course helps with recognizing them on the fly.
The Model I has a matte coating that performs just fine for me. My hands get moderately sweaty when gaming and I never had any grip issues or any moments where the mouse started feeling gross because of sweat or oil buildup so for me personally the coating is great. It’s good to see that there are no holes present on the sides as a lot of people strongly dislike the feeling of having to grip those holes, and even though I personally don’t feel that way I have to say that I think they missed an opportunity here. I think this mouse would’ve looked a whole lot cleaner without holes on the top. Given the fact that this isn’t necessarily a competitive gaming-focused mouse I don’t think that the added one or two grams of weight would’ve pushed it into irrelevancy, but I realize that this is yet another subjective opinion of mine. Still, though. Imagine this mouse with a solid backplate with a white and black themed setup.
A bit less subjective are the feet. I’ve never had any complaints about Glorious’ mouse feet and that’s not changing with the Model I. These aren’t the fastest feet out there, nor are they the smoothest but I didn’t have any issues with these at all. A mouse like this is never going to be the most nimble and mobile pointer device out there, so I don’t think lightning fast skates would’ve been appropriate here.
Recommended Grip Styles
Looking at its shape, it’s hard to imagine the Glorious Model I being used as a fingertip grip mouse. If you ask me, it’s perfect for claw and palm grip users, though its size obviously means that your hands also need to be a certain size if you want to comfortably use it.
As always, a little disclaimer: everyone is different and has different preferences. You might love this type of shape for fingertip gripping, for example, and that’s fine. Always take these ‘size/shape guide’ sections of reviews with a grain of salt. Us reviewers add that to our reviews to give you a rough guideline, so use it as that: a guideline.
Buttons and Scroll Wheel
Glorious have been using their own branded components in their mice and keyboards, and the Model I has been outfitted with Glorious’ mouse switches. These actuate with a pleasing tactility and an audible click, and while the left button feels absolutely fine there is a bit too much post travel on the right button if you ask me. This isn’t very noticeable if you click it towards the middle, but if you palm the mouse and you’re clicking more towards the end of the button then you’ll notice it. It’s also there that a slight sideways travel becomes noticeable (which, again, isn’t noticeable when clicking the button around the middle of the clicking area). I wouldn’t say that this makes the mouse unusable, but it’s something to notice if you’re someone who fully palms their mice. It didn’t get annoyed by it with my main grip (claw) though.
The side buttons differ in quality. There is a lot of post- and pre travel on the middle side button on my copy, making it feel very much subpar. The back side button (the one that you can customize) feels extremely solid and the furthest side button (viewed from the back) also suffers from a bit of post travel but that one’s certainly passable. The side buttons also all feel a tiny bit mushy when they actuate. It’s a shame because this is a mouse that really focuses on these side buttons, so it would’ve been nice to see a bit more attention being dedicated to making them feel perfect. The sniper button feels extremely solid with little to no travel issues, though the mushiness problem is also present here.
The scroll wheel feels great. It’s almost completely silent, yet it still has distinctive tactile steps to it. These steps are noticeable at all times but they aren’t so tight that using the scroll wheel continuously becomes a chore, and the scroll wheel is also perfectly tensioned for clicking. All in all the scroll wheel feels amazing.
Quality and Cable
Shaking the mouse vertically reveals a little rattle near the scroll wheel, but when using the mouse properly (by which I mean ‘when it’s on your desk’) this cannot be heard, so for me that’s not an issue. When squeezing the Model I you can get the bottom plate to flex and creak a little bit if you apply enough pressure but given the fact that this will never happen in real life scenarios this is also not a problem if you ask me. Overall, the Glorious Model I feels solid and reliably built.
The cable is decently thin but it’s absolutely not the most flexible cable out there. It’s certainly usable, and if you’re not a super hardcore low sensitivity competitive gamer then it’s unlikely that you’ll encounter any issues with this cable. If you do make big and quick swipes when gaming it’s certainly a cable that you’ll notice is there. I wasn’t all too distracted by it so it’s not the worst, but I would’ve loved to see the wireless version released in tandem with this wired version for people who’ve made the step to cord-free playing and don’t want to go back on that move.
Sensor and Everyday Performance
I wasn’t expecting any sensor shenanigans with the Model I given the fact that I’ve already tested Glorious’ BAMF sensor and I didn’t notice any issues with the sensor itself, though it must be said that there’s quite a bit of DPI deviation on all ‘out of the box’ DPI steps. DPI deviation is normal so I usually don’t mention this, but I found that the actual DPI of the mouse was consistently between 7 and 8% lower than what was reported on the mouse. This was the case across all DPI steps. It’s not a big deal at all since you can configure the DPI in the software but it is important to note as that’s quite a large difference.
Speaking of the software: those of you who read my reviews regularly will know that I am not a fan of Glorious’ Core software and given the fact that the program hasn’t changed too much I can’t say that my opinion has changed. Everything that you need out of a driver program is there: you can change the lighting, program macros, rebind buttons, and even change the LOD and debounce time, but the software just seems a bit incomplete. Granted, this is something that’s more noticeable when you’re trying to configure keyboards, but there is definitely a lot of room for improvement on this front. That doesn’t have anything to do with the mouse though so I’ll leave it at that.
As I mentioned earlier on in the review, the Model I can be customized to some extent. The back side button as well as the sniper button can be exchanged for other buttons (that are included with the product) and it’s nice to see that they do provide a different feeling when switching between them.
Speaking of switching: Glorious advertises it as being a simple process, and while it definitely isn’t rocket science you will want to have a thin screw driver or a dull butter knife around so that you can pry the buttons out. They attach via a magnetic system and they’re in there tight. That’s nice, because that means that they’re not going to accidentally pop out, but just know that swapping them on the fly isn’t going to be a complete breeze. I vastly prefer this system (harder to remove and then having them on securely versus easier to remove and then having them on loosely) though so it’s not a problem at all.
I also wanted to touch on one last thing when it comes to the performance. I’ve always found the G502/Basilisk type of mice to bee too cumbersome to use for gaming, so I myself am not a G502/Basilisk aficionado, but if you are it’s important to think about what draws you to those mice because the Model I definitely doesn’t have all of those features. Yes, it has more side buttons than a regular gaming mouse and yes, it has that thumb rest, but the Model I doesn’t have the two additional buttons next to the main left click, for example, nor does it have the infinite scrolling wheel. There’s also no way to click the wheel sideways. These are all quite unique features that, I can imagine, can make or break this mouse for some people so just be aware of the fact that this doesn’t have all of the features that something like a G502 has.
Glorious Model I Review – Conclusion
I know for a fact that many gamers have been looking for a lightweight G502/Basilisk type of mouse, and now it’s here. Sort of. Despite not having many of the features that something like the G502 has (additional buttons next to the left click, infinite scrolling, …) it’s of course a fact that adding all of those features would mean that the mouse would weigh a lot more, so it’s really a matter of deciding whether or not those features matter to you. If they don’t and you just want a lightweight gaming mouse with a thumb rest and some (configurable) extra side buttons then this might be the answer to your prayers, provided you are fine with it being cabled. If you do want those features then you’ll have to pray some more I’m afraid.
With all that said: the Glorious Model I is definitely a fine gaming mouse in a vacuum. Due to its shape that’s more of a comfort over performance type of shape it’s not a mouse that I would immediately recommend for very competitive gamers, but if you’re looking for a comfortable and lightweight ergonomic mouse then this should definitely be on your list. If it should be placed near the top probably depends on your preferences when it comes to extra features, but it’s nice to see that there’s now a modern and viable option for people who prefer this type of mouse.
I only wish that Glorious had released the wireless version along with this wired version, but that doesn’t really have anything to do with the mouse itself.
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