Introduction
The ZOWIE EC2-DW is a fantastic ergonomic gaming mouse, and ZOWIE mice are well-liked in both the pro scene as well as with more casual players. With that said, there’s been one pretty noticeable omission from the brand’s lineup in the past couple of years: glossy mice. They’re not as popular as matte coatings (and ZOWIE is far from the only brand to phase out glossy coatings over the years) but the brand has chosen to bring them back anyway, a move which will no doubt be celebrated by many. In our full ZOWIE EC2-DW White review, we will evaluate how the mouse feels and performs for gaming.
At A Glance
ZOWIE EC2-DW Glossy
Staff’s Choice
Pro’s Choice
If you’re looking for an ergonomic mouse with one of the gaming world’s most respected shapes, this has to be on your list. It’s got very little objective flaws, and its proven design has been used by top gamers for many, many years now.
Pros
- Great build quality
- Amazing shape
- Enhanced receiver that doubles as a charging dock is a great feature to have
- Great set of clicks
Cons
- Some people might not like the fact that it uses mechanical switches instead of opticals
- Coating can look dirty quite easily (but performs well)
Specs
| Sensor | PAW3950 |
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| DPI | 400, 800, 1000, 1200, 1600, 3200 |
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| Polling Rate | 125 / 250 / 500 / 1000 / 2000 / 4000 Hz |
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| Button Switches | Huano |
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| Connection | Wireless |
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| Shape | Ergonomic |
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| Length | 12.3cm |
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| Height | 4.2cm |
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| Weight | 60g |
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| Width | 6.5cm |
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First Impressions
Packaging
The ZOWIE EC2-DW comes in a white box that says ‘special edition’ on it. Inside this box, you will find:
- The mouse itself
- A USB-C-to-USB-A cable
- A quickstart guide
- User documentation
- The enhanced receiver
- A regular dongle
- A pair of replacement speed mouse skates
- A pair of control mouse skates
That is everything you need (and then some) in a gaming mouse box, if you ask me. I also love the fact that ZOWIE is still including a regular USB receiver. It’s limited to 1000Hz, but that doesn’t matter if you’re using it for more casual gaming or work. You can simply leave that small receiver in your other PC and use the enhanced receiver on your gaming PC. There’s a switch at the bottom to change between receivers.
The Mouse
Obviously, the coating is the eyecatcher here. It’s been a long time since ZOWIE released any special models, so seeing a ZOWIE mouse that’s not matte black is already quite surprising. The white itself does not seem like full bright white to me, but rather a very subtle offset white. I like this color, and I love the fact that the enhanced receiver is also white so that it matches perfectly.
Shape, Coating, and Mouse Feet
Shape
The ZOWIE EC shape has been unchanged for many years now, and for good reason. It’s still widely lauded as one of the best ergonomic shapes on the market.
It’s an incredibly natural-feeling mouse, where every curve and bump feels as if it was meant to be there, no matter how you’re holding it. There’s a tilt in the overall shell, which makes it feel very comfortable for long periods of time. The centralized hump then further accentuates the safety of this design, making it so that you can hold the mouse in a variety of ways without it feeling forced.
A lot has been said and written about the EC shape over the years, so there’s not a ton for me to add. It’s one of the most copied shapes in the world of gaming mice, and it’s easy to see why. It’s a classic, and it’s a comfort pick for many (tactical) shooter players.
Coating
The coating is the star of the show here. This EC2-DW White Glossy Version not only introduces a new look, but also a new feeling with its glossy coating.
Whether you like gloss or not is purely down to personal preference. In general, though, glossy coatings are better for people with dry hands, and/or for people who have grip issues with matte coatings. It’s also a dream for people who like their coating to be extremely sticky.
Once you’ve used the EC2-DW White for a minute or two, the coating almost blends into your hand. Lifting the mouse requires pretty much no extra grip tightening from your mouse hand, as it’s so sticky.
All of that is great for performance, but it does feel very different from a traditional matte mouse. I do not have dry hands when gaming, for example. So for me, the mouse feels almost too tacky and, after a while, oily, which reduces grip somewhat. Glossy coatings also tend to show hand oils and other ‘gunk’ more easily, which is another thing that I personally dislike.
That’s not to say that the coating is bad. If you like glossy coatings, you’ll love this one. It’s well-executed and feels consistent. I’m just illustrating that there’s a pretty big ‘preference’ factor at play here.
Glossy coatings have fallen out of favor with many brands in recent years, but top-tier players like siuhy have been using the mouse for a while, even before it officially released, so it’s quite obvious that there’s a market for this type of coating. It’ll be interesting to see if other brands bring back glossy coatings as well.
Mouse Feet
Recent ZOWIE mice come with the brand’s speedier white skates out of the box. That’s no different here. The speed skates are a little bit faster than ZOWIE’s traditional black skates, but the difference isn’t all that staggering to me. If you lean more towards slickness, leave these skates installed. If you prefer a touch more control, I recommend going for the black skates.
Both sets glide smoothly right out of the box and require little to no break-in time.
Recommended Grip types
The EC2-DW has such a great shape that it can comfortably be used by a wide variety of palm- and claw grippers. It should be noted that the hump is located towards the middle though, meaning that there isn’t a massive amount of palm contact. If you want your palm to be filled completely, you can always look towards the larger EC1-DW, or perhaps at other (ZOWIE) mice.
Due to the ergonomic and asymmetric shape, I would not necessarily recommend the mouse for fingertip grippers.
Buttons and Scroll Wheel
Buttons
For their buttons, ZOWIE is still using their trusty HUANO switches. These are quite a bit heavier to press than most common contemporary switches, but given how ZOWIE focuses mostly on tac shooter players, I would say that these fit the bill perfectly. You don’t need to spam your clicks in those types of games, so having a more robust clicking sensation is (to me) preferable.
In terms of the overall implementation, I can only say good things. If you press your buttons at the very front, you might find the post travel to be a little bit exaggerated, but other than that I can’t find fault here. There’s no switch grinding, nor is there any wobble, and every click feels tactile and responsive.
Personally, I would like to see optical switches in flagship mice in this day and age, but I also know that a lot of gamers prefer mechanical switches, so you can use your own judgement on that.
Scroll Wheel
Like the regular EC2-DW, the White version has a heavily textured rubberized wheel that’s on the louder side, with decently defined steps. This won’t be the perfect wheel for productivity users (it’s too loud and rigid for that) but it feels great for gaming. Every scroll step feels reassuring when you want it to, and ‘spamming’ the wheel for bunny hopping and the likes is also easy enough to do.
The click tensioning is done nicely, too. I never did any accidental scrolls while trying to click or vice versa.
Side Buttons
I can be short about the side buttons: they’re great. They don’t pivot if you press them near the edges, there’s no exaggerated pre- or post travel, and they both actuate with a pleasing click. They really nailed it with these.
Build Quality
The EC2-DW is built like a tank. Shaking, squeezing, or tapping the mouse does not reveal any imperfections. Even when I hold it up next to my ear and shake it violently, there’s no noise coming from the inside whatsoever.
The ‘true’ build quality of a product can only be tested after many months of heavy usage (something us reviewers can’t submit products to) but from what I can tell, this is a fantastically well-built mouse.
Sensor and Everyday Performance
Sensor
Gaming mouse sensors have long been flawless. As such, a brand only needs to implement one of these sensors properly in order to have a flawless tracking mouse. For the EC2-DW (and the rest of their DW line), ZOWIE has chosen the 3950. In my testing, I found no evidence of any significant sensor issues.
In terms of polling rate, the EC2-DW White can go up to 4000Hz. That’s pretty much today’s standard for top-tier gaming mice, so it’s good to see that ZOWIE is not lagging behind as far as polling rates go. Polling rates are consistent and stable across the board.
It could be argued that any flagship gaming mouse should go all the way to 8000Hz, but there are diminishing returns to higher polling rates and it’s extremely difficult to fully utilize those 8000Hz at all times anyway. As such, I would say that 4000Hz is plenty, though I do understand why some would say that 8000Hz should be included as an option.
Aside from this minor note about the lack of an 8000Hz option, the EC2-DW’s ingame performance is very much on par with what you’d expect out of a modern gaming mouse.
Configuring the mouse
Changing the DPI, LOD, polling rate, and other features is done by using switches and button combos on the mouse itself, as ZOWIE mice famously don’t come with any driver programs. That’s good news for people who dislike driver programs, but bad news for people who like to create macros and rebind their buttons.
These days, many brands offer web-based customization programs for their products. That way, users can finely tune their mice right there in the browser if they want to, with no downloads required. To me, this is an ideal solution. I’d love it if ZOWIE also offered a simple and basic web-based driver for their products in the future. Not because I would use it that much (I use 1600 DPI and don’t use macros or alternate binds on my mice) but because it’s quite simply awfully convenient for people who do like to tinker with their settings.
Battery Life
At 4000Hz, you get around 24 hours of in-game time on a single charge. That won’t break any records, but that doesn’t really matter due to the charging dock.
I’ve said it before, but now that high polling rates are the norm and mice (as a consequence) have shorter battery lives, quick and convenient charging solutions are a major plus for me. Sure, attaching a cable to your mouse isn’t exactly the most time-consuming task there is, but the convenience of simply placing your mouse on a dock and having it be charged by the time you come back to it is unbeatable.
If you’re using this mouse at 1000Hz, you can expect up to 80 hours of battery life.
Alternatives
If you want to consider alternatives, there’s a ton to add to your list. The ZOWIE EC is the most copied shape in the world of gaming mice, after all.
Recent and well-known alternatives include the Razer DeathAdder V4 Pro (for a larger mouse), the VAXEE E1 Wireless (a slightly different take on the EC design), and the Pulsar Xlite V4 (an almost carbon copy).
If you’re wondering about the differences between the EC2-DW White and the regular EC2-DW: the only difference is the coating. Aside from that, both of these mice feel and perform pretty much exactly the same.
Conclusion
The ZOWIE EC2-DW brings one of gaming’s most iconic shapes into the modern world of gaming mice. It’s a classic that’s been a staple in top-tier tactical shooters for years, now upgraded with wireless connectivity and a 4000Hz sensor.
Based on the regular EC2-DW, this White version is the exact same mouse, with the only difference being the glossy coating. If you’re someone who has bone dry hands or you prefer glossy coatings for other reasons, this will absolutely not disappoint. Glossy coatings might be somewhat niche, but they definitely have a place, as is evident by the fact that a (small) number of pros have been using these glossy ZOWIE mice for many weeks now, even before the official release.
Despite the fact that glossy coatings aren’t for me, I respect ZOWIE for bringing them back. There’s been a notable lack of options for people who prefer these types of coatings, and that hole has now been filled.
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.
Former semi-pro gamer turned writer, product reviewer, and community manager.
