Introduction
These are exciting times for gaming mouse enthusiasts. With flawless sensors available to pretty much every manufacturer out there, companies are looking at other ways to set their products apart from the crowd. As you may or may not know, going lightweight is the newest trend in gaming mouse land, but with so many lightweight products coming out it’s not enough to drill a couple of holes in a shell and call it a day anymore. You’ll need the whole package (great clicks, flexible cable, good shape, …) if you want to be noticed these days.
Xtrfy are taking a stab at this with the M4. It’s a medium sized ergonomic mouse that houses all the top components you could dream up and weighs in at only 71 grams. Is it worth taking a look at or is this one a fluke in a sea of new releases? Our reviewer has all the answers.
At a Glance
Xtrfy M4 Black
Used by 1 player ()Xtrfy have really been working on this product and that is evidenced by the finish and care that they put into this mouse and the fact that they came up with an entirely new shape. It’s a real battle royale out there for gaming mice these days with so many new ones coming out, but the M4 does enough to stand out from the pack. Thoroughly recommended.
Pros
- Fantastic feet
- Unique, new shape
- Lightweight
Cons
- Main buttons feel a bit loose (they do feel good when actuating them though)
- Cable is a bit too rigid
Specs
| Sensor | PMW 3389 |
|---|---|
| DPI | 400, 800, 1200, 1600, 3200, 4000, 7200, 16000 |
| Polling Rate | 125 / 500 / 1000 Hz |
| Button Switches | Omron |
| Connection | Wired |
| Shape | Ergonomic |
| Length | 12.07cm |
| Height | 3.94cm |
| Weight | 67g |
| Width | 5.76cm |
First Impressions
The finishing and overall look of the M4 are really pleasing to me. I’m testing the White version, but you can also get this mouse in Black, Pink, Miami Blue and Retro colorways so there’s plenty to choose from here. Yes, there are holes in the mouse and that immediately sets it apart from regular ‘casual’ mice but aside from that’s it’s pretty subtle. There’s no branding on the mouse itself at all (the Xtrfy logo can be found inside the shell itself) and the whole thing looks sleek and consistent. The fact that the color of the cable matches whatever colorway you’ve chosen for the mouse definitely helps on that front too.
The RGB is nicely done as well, with a generously applied lighting zone all throughout the front of the mouse along with a thin strip in the middle of the scroll wheel. So all in all the M4 looks really nice. Obviously you have to be a fan of this kind of holey design in order to like it in the first place but if you are or you don’t mind the holes then this is definitely a nice looking product, both when it comes to the overall finish as well as the colors and materials that they’ve chosen.
Small note here: all colorways have the same matte coating (more on the coating later) and currently there are no glossy versions available. I obviously don’t know what will happen in the future but I thought I’d mention this up front as I know people will be wondering about glossy versions.
Xtrfy have come up with an entirely new shape for the M4. It’s a medium sized ergonomic mouse with a pretty wide back side but a much smaller grip portion than you would initially give it credit for. This to say: it looks a bit bigger than what it feels like once you’re actually using it, so don’t be scared if it looks a bit big in comparison images or in store displays. The whole thing weighs 67 grams on my scale, which is very impressive and actually less than what Xtrfy are advertising. Nice surprise there.
As far as functionality goes it looks like you basic gaming mouse at first sight but you’d be surprised. The button on top of the shell is not a DPI button, that one controls the RGB lights. The actual DPI button can be found on the bottom (along with a polling rate selector) where you’ll also find four mouse feet.
Packaging
The box of the Xtrfy M4 is pretty standard: you’ll see some images of the mouse itself along with some highlighted features and details on the exact sizing of the product, but obviously we’re all more interested in what’s inside of said box.
There you will find the mouse (luckily) along with two keycaps: one with the Xtrfy logo on it and another one with ‘GG’ on it. That’s pretty cool and while these keycaps are by no means a necessary or indeed useful addition to a gaming mouse I do like this as a fun little extra. In that same vein you also get an Xtrfy sticker. What is useful is the set of extra mouse feet that you get in the box. I always love it when companies include this, so kudos to Xtrfy for thinking of this too. Obviously you also get the usual documentation in the box, but that’s to be expected.
Shape, Coating, and Mouse Feet
As previously established, Xtrfy have built this mouse from the ground up. As such it’s not a direct clone of any OEM shell, but it is an ergonomic mouse so obviously comparisons will be drawn to the usual suspects such as the Zowie EC, Razer DeathAdder, MS Intellimouse, and so on. It’s fair to make comparisons like these (click here to see a rudimentary comparison image with the EC2-B and two other popular ‘ultralight mice’ that I made for Reddit) but the shape really stands on its own if you’re asking me.
At first glance it looks pretty angular and perhaps a bit uncomfortable but once I held it in my hand these concerns drifted away fairly easily and the curves honestly don’t feel unnatural at any point. The most obvious feature here is the fact that it gets pretty wide at the back. Whether you like that or not completely depends on your preferences, but for me (18 x 10.2 cm hands with a relaxed claw grip) this feels nice and natural. There’s also no awkward hump anywhere so in conclusion I’d say that this is a pretty safe shape if you can deal with the back left curve. The combination of the ergo shape along with the pronounced flare out at the back do make it pretty crucial that the mouse ‘fits’ you though, so I would be wary if you’ve got small or very large hands.
For me personally the coating isn’t as important on a mouse that’s almost completely made out of holes but that shouldn’t mean that companies can neglect it altogether. Luckily this isn’t the case here: the matte coating performs perfectly fine and I had no grip issues at any point, nor did I have any problems with sweat/oil buildup after intense gaming sessions. No worries here.
On top of the mouse you will find a button that, despite being in the ‘DPI button position’, is not a DPI button. I can only assume that they’ve moved the DPI button to the bottom of the mouse because of feedback from professional players, and while this doesn’t bother me personally I do know that some people love to have a DPI switch on top of the shell so this is a pretty important thing to note, doubly so because you’d be forgiven for assuming that the M4 does have that functionality since there’s a button in the usual spot. In any case: the button on top controls the RGB, and on the side you will encounter the standard two side buttons. These buttons are rather small, so if you place your thumb at a lower position this might cause some issues, depending on if you prefer to ‘roll’ your thumb on those buttons or not.
The bottom of the M4 has a polling rate selector along with a DPI (it’s labeled ‘CPI,’ but that’s the same thing) selector that has an indicator LED above it. Four mouse feet provide the glide here and I have to say that these are amazing. As far as stock mouse feet go these are among the best I’ve tried in recent times, and they’re quite a bit faster straight out of the box than what you’ll find on most other mice so you might have to take some time to adjust (or play with your sensitivity) to get your aim back to normal if you don’t normally use hyperglides or anything of the sort.
Recommended Grip Types
What we have here is a medium sized ergonomic mouse with a rather safe shape (if you don’t mind that curve at the left back) for medium sized hands. The flare out at the back means that it’s gonna be awkward for people with small or really large hands but if you’re not one of those this should be fine for most grip styles. Fingertip grippers who like to hold the mouse close to the back may want to look out here, as the uneven and pretty wide back may cause issues with your grip/aim. Palm grippers who like a pronounced hump towards the back may also want to look elsewhere, but for everyone else this will be a great fit, provided you like this sort of shape.
Buttons and Scroll Wheel
The buttons on the M4 have Omrons under the hood and these result in a clicking experience that’s sort of in between when it comes to the force required to actuate them. That’s neither good news nor is it bad news, as the weight of clicks comes down to personal preference. What’s more important is how the clicks feel, and Xtrfy do deliver here. You get a crispy and nice feeling click and there’s basically no pre or post travel, so I have absolutely no complaints about this.
I do need to mention that there’s a bit of side to side movement on the left click. It’s not really noticeable for me as my finger is placed rather low on the button itself when I’m using it and the travel on my copy isn’t outrageous or anything, but if you place your fingers higher on the buttons this might be more perceivable and thus annoying. I don’t know if this will be present on every unit because the right click is solid as can be when it comes to side travel, but obviously this deserves mentioning. I only noticed this when I started doing my detailed testing though, so I don’t think there’s any need to panic if you were thinking of getting this mouse, unless you’re very sensitive to this kind of thing.
The side buttons feel fine once they’ve been clicked but there’s quite some pre travel. This isn’t as annoying as post travel in my opinion and they don’t go into the shell after clicking (I do hate it when side buttons do that) so it’s not a deal breaker but it is something that can be improved upon in future batches or iterations.
Moving on to the scroll wheel I can be pretty brief here: it’s really, really good. It’s a very quiet wheel that feels smooth to operate (be aware of this if you prefer rigid feeling steps) and performs flawlessly without any skipping. While it’s not the lightest scroll wheel to press it’s still light enough to use for important ingame functions and it offers a nice click once used. The rubber texturing makes it easy and consistent to use, so this is simply a great scroll wheel.
All in all the clicking and scrolling experience is pretty good. The side buttons can do with some improvement and they might want to tighten up the left click (or tighten up their QC) but as a whole I’m quite satisfied here.
Build Quality and Cable
Making something lighter usually means that you have to make some compromises to reach a certain weight. Some companies sacrifice a bit of structural integrity to achieve the lowest weight possible, but Xtrfy clearly claim that this wasn’t the case here. Indeed I must say that the M4 feels really solid.
There’s a tiny bit of creaking here and there if you press down really hard on the shell but unless you’ve got the grip strength of a vice you won’t ever encounter any problems with this in an actual gaming or productivity scenario. More important is that the shell is very sturdy; there’s almost no flex anywhere on the mouse so this one can take a bit of a beating and I did not manage to actuate any (side) buttons by pressing down hard on the shell.
Had I reviewed this mouse a year ago I’d have said it has the best stock cable out there, but cables have come so far in such a short time that this one is ‘just good.’ That’s not a knock, by the way: it’s one of the better cables out there at this point in time, it’s just that there are lighter and more flexible stock cables out there. That said: this one performs awesomely even without a bungee, and if you do have a mouse bungee lying around it’s unlikely that you’ll ever have to worry about this cable.
Cables have really been evolving across the board to the point where the standards for what can be called ‘good’ are a lot higher today than what they were just a couple of months ago, and the M4 does reach those standards, so no worries here.
Sensor and Everyday Performance
Part of this section almost seems unnecessary since every self-respecting company out there uses a flawless sensor in their gaming mice these days, but we obviously want to paint a full picture so I’m happy to report that the 3389 inside of the M4 performs as you’d expect: it’s flawless. No noticeable smoothing, snapping, or other nonsense will interfere with your aim and the sensor feels responsive and consistent.
Everything about this mouse is plug and play so there’s no way to finely tune the DPI or RGB lights. That’s not really a problem for me and they’ve got all the ‘standard DPIs’ on there (and then some) so I doubt that this will be a problem for anyone but if you’re someone who loves macros or uses a non-common DPI this isn’t going to be it for you, doubly so because software isn’t really something that’s on the horizon if I go by what I’ve been told by Xtrfy representatives. It’s fine with me though, as I use 1600 DPI and I honestly prefer mice that are plug and play or have built in memory so that they can be used as a plug and play peripheral.
The holes are nicely implemented. The edges are nicely rounded so they really kind of disappear once you’ve grabbed a hold of this mouse. As this kind of design becomes more and more common this question gets asked less and less, but the answer to ‘will an ultra light mouse make me a better gamer’ is ‘no’. No mouse will make you a better gamer in an instant. If this mouse suits your grip and you prefer your mouse to be as light as possible you’ll undoubtedly perform better overall once you’ve gotten used to it but there’s no quick and easy fix to become a better aimer/gamer.
Conclusion
The Xtrfy M4 is a really nice product. There are a few tiny little flaws here and there (such as the pre travel on the side buttons and the side travel on the left mouse button) and the cable isn’t the best in the world but aside from that it’s absolutely great.
It’s a medium sized ergonomic ultra light gaming mouse which puts it in a market segment that hasn’t really been serviced so it’s gonna make some heads turn by default. If you’re one of those people you can rest assured that this is a great buy. With just about the best stock feet I’ve seen in recent memory, satisfying clicks, flawless sensor and a great (pretty safe, if you can stomach the curve at the back) shape this is an amazing gaming mouse and it deserves your attention if you’re in the market for an ergonomic (lightweight) gaming mouse.
Xtrfy have really been working on this product and that is evidenced by the finish and care that they put into this mouse and the fact that they came up with an entirely new shape. It’s a real battle royale out there for gaming mice these days with so many new ones coming out, but the M4 does enough to stand out from the pack. Thoroughly recommended.
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.
Hey! I have been using Steelseries Rival 300 with a weight of 130g for over 6 years: D. I want to change to XTRF M4, what do you think?
It’s definitely a really good mouse and up to date to modern standards, so if you like the features and what you’re reading about it I would say go for it! You’ll definitely need some time to adjust to the new weight and shape etc. but you probably already know that, haha. The Rival 300 is a bit of a different shape but it shouldn’t feel like a different world so to speak, so on that front you should be good.
Thanks. How can I know revision of xtrfy m4 before buying? Because I know that the latest revision is good.
What kind of mouse pad is suitable for this mouse？
All gaming mousepads work with this mouse. Just make sure you’re using a gaming mousepad (for consistency’s sake) rather than a typical office pad or whatever. We’ve got plenty of mousepad guides and reviews but if you have a question about them I’d be happy to answer!
I have the m4 pink mouse. Occasionally it switches off and locks up the computer. Is there a firmware update to fix the issue or could the mouse be faulty?
I don’t really know; I am not using it as my main so I don’t keep up with it. That said: that definitely shouldn’t happen to a gaming mouse so I would contact support if I were you. They’ll be able to help you out.
Does your mouse feel weird when gliding across your mousepad?? I’m using a Zowie GSR and I feel like i could feel the holes in the bottom is that how all honey comb mice are?
I don’t notice that but of course all of that depends on how hard you press on your mouse, what your personal tolerance is, and so on. Of course every mouse required a ‘break in period’ wherein you get used to it so you might want to stick with it a bit and see if the weird feelings persists.
I have the Xtrfy M4 and I’ve been having a problem with the CPI aka DPI it automatically changes it and sometimes I cant even change the cpi Its annoying, there is even no software for it. You have any fix for this problem?
Sadly I don’t. I can’t say that I encountered this problem during testing so perhaps it’s best to contact support in this case.
Great mouse but don’t buy the keyboard
xtrfy K3 keyboard button broke. xtrfy advised “yes it was a problem with the first batches of that keyboard”… but sorry no stock to replace. “there’s nothing we can do…”
That’s unfortunate to hear. Thank you for your input though! Always good to have a full picture.
Which mouse would you recommend, the xtrfy m4 or the glorious model D. Just out of curiosity.
That’s an interesting question to me because I find myself switching between both all the time. Ever since I switched back to ergonomic mice (come on, manufacturers, put out a VPU/GPW quality ergonomic wireless mouse please!) I have been kind of going back and forth.
I personally like the shape of the M4 better (I don’t mind the sudden curve at the back: in fact I like it) but it’s a bit too small for me. The Model D, on the other hand, feels just a bit too bulky and large for me. The cable on the Model D is better than on the M4 though, and I also prefer the clicks on the Model D.
To answer your question then: it honestly depends. Both are fantastic mice. If you’re looking for a rather safe ergonomic shape (the Model D is pretty much a copy of the lauded EC shape) I’d say go for the Model D but if you’re looking for a slightly smaller and faster feeling ergo mouse the M4 is a great bet.
Apologies for the long answer but it’s a difficult one for me, haha.
If i have a fingertip grip where i have my thumb underneath the mouse 4 button, is it already a good fit for this mouse?
There’s enough room to put your thumb I think but mice such as the M4 aren’t often recommended as fingertip mice because of the shape. But that said: if you’d like to try it it’s definitely a good one!
what kind of mousepad can you recommend for this mouse. i would prefer a big one.
That really depends on what your preferences are. The SteelSeries QcK line is a good pad to start with if you’re not sure whether your prefer speed or control though!
My hands are 19-19.5×9-9.5cm, I use a relaxed palm/claw. Would this mouse be good for me? To be exact, my hands are 19cm (maybe a cm or 2 longer, definitely not as long as 19.5, my bad) and is around 9 cm wide, give or take. Relaxed palm/claw grip, you think the xtrfy m4 would be for me?
As long as you don’t want a super filled out palm (I’d go for something like a Glorious Model D in that case) it should be fine. Though obviously I can’t say for sure since everyone is different so take what I say with a grain of salt.
Will xtrfy m4 be too small for my 19.5cm hand? thanks. (The rival 310 I’m curretly using is just suitable for me in length to palm)
The M4 is shorter as far as I can tell (don’t have a Rival sitting around to compare it to, so I’m going by online measurements for that one) so that might rule it out. I’m not a fan of putting out strict ‘this mouse will fit you’ statements since these things vary incredibly from person to person but since you’re indicating that the 310 is only just suitable I would say that the M4 isn’t for you. A similar mouse to the M4 that’s larger and might suit you is the Glorious Model D in case you’d like to check out similar products.
ive used S2 divina but this interesting, can u give me reccomendation, xtrfy m4, s2 divina or fk2-b divina?
That’s completely down to personal preferences. These mice have pretty different shapes all things considered, so it’s kind of hard to give you something to go by here.
I just ordered the Xtrfy M4 black on sale, i wonder what mousepad would be good for it when it already have the fast glide feets?
Looking more towards control/precision or maybe a hybrid mat? Coming from Razer Deathadder elite with SS Qck.
Perhaps a Zowie G-SR-SE could be up your alley. It’s got that bit of control to it to counter the fast feet but it’s not overly restrictive. A good line of hybrid pad is the Zowie TFX line, but those are much faster than most cloth pads so that’s not something I would necessarily recommend.
you think the mouse buttons being able to go side to side is on purpose or is this a manifacture flaw? My left click is as steady as a rock but my right one jiggles, should i be returning it for a new one?
I definitely don’t think that that’s on purpose. Some sideways movement is usually present on main clicks, so I wouldn’t worry about it too much if it doesn’t bother you ingame, but if it’s actually noticeable while you’re gaming I would contact Xtrfy about it. I’m sure they can help you out here. For what it’s worth: there’s a bit of travel on my copy (as I’m sure you’ve read in the review) but it’s not annoying when gaming at all. Though as I said: this stuff can vary between copies, so yours might be different.
I had the g pro wireless and now i moved to the g wolves skoll,i really like the shape of the skoll but i have a very serious problem with it,the right mouse click feels extremely light and i have accidental clicks all the time.so i moved back to the g pro wireless but i want an ergo mouse and i am thinking about getting the xtrfy m4.So i want to know if the xtrfy m4 left and right clicks are heavier or lighter than the skoll and if you had any accidental clicks with it.Thanks in advance!
I don’t have any real scientific way of testing this but I just grabbed both mice to compare and on my models the M4’s clicks feel a bit more rigid, so you should be good. It’s worth noting that the G Pro Wireless has pretty light clicks on its own, so if you got used to those it’s a bit strange to have a lot of accidental clicks on the Skoll, which leads me to think that it might be a manufacturing issue on the Skoll or something.
Nevertheless: I would say that the clicks on the M4 are a bit heavier/more substantial, but I’m just going by what I am feeling on both copies that I have.
Coming from the GPW, did you feel a big difference between the two?
Yes, the shape for one is very different. The M4 is also feels a lot lighter thanks to a combination of the lighter weight and the fast feeling glides. In truth there aren’t a lot of similarities between both mice if you’re asking me, aside from the fact that I really like both of them.
the feet on my m4 feel a bit “scratchy” is that normal and they just need to be “worn in”? Also it looks like my feet are white while yours look grey. I wonder if they swapped the feet out at some point.
Mine weren’t scratchy at all; they were in fact among the smoothest and fastest gliding stock feet I’ve used in recent times. That being said; they are definitely more on the white side, the fact that they look a bit greyish in the photo has to do with the lighting and angle I think.
Just barely received my pre-order and gotta say I really love it. If you like the zowie ec2 or rival 300/310 shape, you will love the m4. Probably the most aesthetic mouse I own now
Yeah it’s a really great mouse indeed. Xtrfy is doing really well lately with their releases.
Great review as always, may i know what is your daily driver mouse and pad for gaming cause we have the same size hand. 18×10.
Hi! Thanks for the kind words! My regular main mouse is the G Pro Wireless. I switched to the G-Wolves Skoll and Xtrfy M4 for a while after I got done with their respective reviews but I did find myself gravitating towards the GPW again. I love the wireless aspect (though I don’t mind the cables on the aforementioned mice) and the shape really sits well with me as well. My main pad at home is the Logitech G840 and the Logitech G640 at the LAN house where I play a lot.
Do you know which manufacturer of the encoder is used by this mouse?
I unfortunately do not, sorry.