When ZOWIE releases a new shape, heads in the gaming industry turn. Their mice have been featured on countless desks of (tactical) FPS professionals over the years, and the company is still a favorite in those scenes, so any new release from them is big news. We got a ZOWIE U2 review unit weeks ago, and our reviewer has been putting the brand’s newest effort through its paces. Read our full review to find out whether this is a worthy addition to ZOWIE’s lineup or if it’s one you should skip.
At A Glance
ZOWIE U2
Used by 12 players ()-
aspas
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hades
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Perfecto
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Kyedae
If the ZOWIE U2 is partially meant as a testing platform for ZOWIE to see how they should implement more modern features (lighter weight, 3395 sensor) in their mice, then I am convinced.
Pros
- Unique and well thought-out shape
- Fantastic build quality
- Great wireless/gaming performance
- Included charging dock
- Great side buttons
Cons
- Coating is a fingerprint and hand oil magnet
- Lack of optical switches might come as a disappointment to some
- Lacking higher polling rate options is a bit of a bummer in today’s market
- Very expensive in certain parts of the world (such as the EU)
Specs
| Sensor | PMW 3395 |
|---|---|
| DPI | 400, 800, 1000, 1200, 1600, 3200 |
| Polling Rate | 125 / 500 / 1000 Hz |
| Button Switches | Huano |
| Button Force | 79.5g |
| Connection | Wireless |
| Shape | Ambidextrous |
| Length | 12.16cm |
| Height | 3.81cm |
| Weight | 60g |
| Width | 5.81cm |
First Impressions
Packaging
In the box of the ZOWIE U2, you will find:
- The mouse
- Enhanced wireless receiver / charging dock
- Regular USB receiver
- Flexible USB-C charging cable
- USB-C cable for the wireless receiver
- Spare mouse skates
- User documentation
- Manual
As you can read, you get pretty much everything you. I particularly love it when brands include spare skates (doubly so if they’re strangely shaped like the ones on the U2) so the packaging is top notch as far as I’m concerned.
The box is the same box that you get with all of ZOWIE’s wireless mice, and this is a sturdy and spacious box. I’ve been using the box of my EC3-CW (read: ZOWIE EC3-CW Review) to transport various mice when I’m going to LAN events and the likes, and it has held up remarkably well. This obviously doesn’t have anything to do with the performance of the mouse itself, but it’s a nice bonus.
The Mouse
The U2 is a brand new shape that at first sight seems very similar to ZOWIE’s very own S2 (ZOWIE S2 review) but it feels very different once you actually get it in your hands. Another thing you immediately feel when you hold the U2 is its weight. ZOWIE has long opted to sit on the sidelines when it comes to the lightweight race that pretty much all mouse manufacturers seem to be involved in, and this U2 is their first foray into the world of ultralight mice. Coming in at 60 grams, it’s a lot lighter than other mice that the brand is currently offering.
On the outside, the U2 looks like any other ZOWIE mouse. It is a plain black mouse with the branding kept to a minimum.
Shape, Coating, and Mouse Feet
Shape
For reference: I have 18.5×10 cm hands and I use a regular claw grip.
The U2 is a completely unique shape. It is an ambidextrous mouse with a very obvious thumb curve towards the middle, which then expands into a rather broad back section. This thin grip section makes for a mouse that allows you to dig in your thumb in order to kind of get that ‘pen holding’ feeling, making the U2 a nimble and maneuverable mouse. This feeling gets somewhat countered by the wider back portion, which has a tendency to nestle itself between both sides of your palm.
The quite steep hump at the back combined with an overall length that’s not too long makes it pretty easy to make micro adjustments on the y axis, provided you don’t have your entire palm resting on the mouse.
All in all, the U2 has a very interesting shape. These days, I am someone who likes the dexterity that small mice can offer for micro adjustments and fine aiming mechanics, but I often find myself getting annoyed with the lack of stability and hand support that I get from really small mice. If I go towards larger ambi mice, however, they usually feel too present in my hand, meaning that I have to trade away too much of that finer dexterity for the stability that they offer. For me, the U2 is a really nice blend between those two mice, and I thoroughly enjoy this shape.
The U2 offers a unique experience when holding it, but it also has all of the little touches we’ve come to love ZOWIE for. There’s a minor overhang near the front which greatly helps when picking up the mouse, for example. There are also extremely subtle comfort grooves in the main buttons that gently guide you towards the optimal clicking spot without forcing your fingers in any way. These aspects of the shape of course aren’t unique to ZOWIE, but it just goes to show how this is yet another fantastically designed ZOWIE mouse.
Shape is of course subjective, but as far as I’m concerned this is a great one and a really interesting addition to the mouse market.
Coating
ZOWIE’s coating performs fantastically when it comes to grip, but it seems as if my hands and ZOWIE’s coatings just don’t get along. My hands tend to get a bit sweaty when gaming, and this coating doesn’t handle that very well. I saw oily spots appearing almost instantly, and it’s really difficult for me to keep the mouse looking and feeling clean.
There is of course an argument to be made that a mouse made for pure performance doesn’t have to look clean, and that performance trumps everything. I can follow that argument to some extent, but there are plenty of mice with coatings out there that both perform great and handle sweat a lot better.
When I compare the U2 to my EC3-CW (which has been my main for some time now) it seems like the U2 is a bit worse at handling sweat and oil, but that might have something to do with the fact that my review unit is a pre-production unit.
With all of this said; there are plenty of people who absolutely love ZOWIE’s coatings. If you’ve never had any problems with ZOWIE’s coatings then the U2 will be perfectly fine for you as well. And again: performance-wise it’s a great coating. I am just talking about the feeling and the looks here.
Mouse Feet
ZOWIE’s stock black feet aren’t exactly focused on speed, but I like that. These skates offer a medium type of glide that’s ideal for my control-focused preferences. The stock feet on my unit were smooth straigth out of the box and performed fine.
ZOWIE also sells speed-focused skates on their website, so if you absolutely want a speedier glide there are options. It would be nice if ZOWIE also sold a version of their mice with the speed skates attached by default so that consumers who want a faster glide don’t have to shell out an extra five bucks, but maybe that’s something that they can consider for the future.
Recommended Grip Types
In my eyes, the ZOWIE U2 is ideal for claw grip. It has a shape that seems tailor-made for claw, though I can also see it being used by fingertip grippers with larger hands. If you have smaller hands, it could also be used as a palm grip mouse.
In the end, the U2 has a rather safe shape, so depending on your preferences and hand size this could work for all types of grips. Do note that the buttons get quite a bit harder to press at the back. If you fingertip grip and you tend to press low on your buttons, it’s good to be aware of this.
Buttons and Scroll Wheel
Buttons
ZOWIE mice have, for me, always been synonymous with more rigid clicks. The ZOWIE U2 feels like a departure from that in a way. Initially I thought this was because ZOWIE was experimenting with optical switches but that’s not the case. They did use different HUANO switches, though, namely the Transparent Blue Shell Pink Dot switches. This results in clicks that feel easier to click than on recent ZOWIE mice. They’re also a lot more discrete in the volume department. Whether all of this is an improvement or a downgrade will of course depend on your personal preferences.
Important to know is that the clicks are implemented really nicely. There is a tiny bit of side travel on the left click on my unit but it’s not enough to bother me. There’s also no internal grinding, so it’s barely noticeable.
Something to note is that the click latency on the ‘normal response time’ setting is on the higher side. I would absolutely recommend the fast response time setting with the ZOWIE U2.
Overall, the clicks on the ZOWIE U2 feel absolutely great, albeit a little bit different from what previous ZOWIE mice were offering.
Scroll Wheel
The scroll wheel on the U2 is your typical ZOWIE wheel. There’s a lot of focus on rigidity here, and you really feel each step when scrolling. Something that I immediately noticed is that this wheel, while still being far from quiet, is a lot less loud than what I’m used to from ZOWIE. For me, that’s a plus.
The rubberized wheel has a ton of texture to it and the click tensioning on the wheel itself is pretty much perfect. I did not have any issues with accidental actuations when scrolling, nor did I experience any accidental scroll when trying to press the wheel.
ZOWIE have come a long way with their scroll wheels in recent years, and for me personally this is one of the better wheels out there at this point in time.
Side Buttons
On my unit, the side buttons are pretty much perfect. They are easy to distinguish, easy to reach, and they actuate with a reassuring click. There’s also no pre- or post travel to speak of, so these get top marks from me.
Build Quality
ZOWIE is a brand that has always been known for their exemplary build quality. Given the fact that this is their first foray into the world of truly lightweight gaming mice, I spent some extra time evaluating the structural integrity of the ZOWIE U2.
I’m happy to report that the build quality of the U2 follows the trend that was set by its many predecessors. This thing is extremely solid, and I have no doubt that this mouse will survive many rough LAN weekends and gaming tournaments. The only way I could get the sides to bend in any meaningful way is if I applied extremely unrealistic amounts of pressure, so unless you’ve got the grip strength of a gorilla it’s all good.
You can get the bottom plate to bend slightly if you apply enough pressure on certain points, but this is a complete non-issue to me. The bottom plate is never going to be exposed to pressure when using the mouse normally.
The ZOWIE U2 is also dead silent when shaking or tapping it. Nothing inside can be heard rattling or moving around.
Summarizing: I have absolutely no complaints about the build quality of the ZOWIE U2. This is an extremely successful first lightweight design from ZOWIE.
Sensor and Everyday Performance
Sensor
One of the most often mentioned drawbacks of ZOWIE’s first wireless mice was the fact that they came with an outdated sensor at premium prices. It seems like ZOWIE has listened to those complaints, as the U2 comes with the industry standard 3395 sensor, with a lower MSRP to boot. This means that the U2 is technically capable of higher polling rates (What is Polling Rate?) but as of right now, the U2 goes to a maximum of 1000Hz.
Is this a huge problem? Not for me personally. I use a 1000Hz mouse as my main and I can’t really say that I feel handicapped by its polling rate in any way. There is a difference between 1000Hz and 4000Hz, but for me personally, a high polling rate is pretty far down my ‘must haves’ list when it comes to gaming mice. Things like shape, click feeling, and shell rigidity are far, far more important to me.
That being said: it would be nice if ZOWIE offered a firmware update in the (near) future that allows users to go for higher polling rates so that customers have an option.
The sensor is implemented well and offers stable performances across the board. There were no indications of sensor malfunction in my testing.
Wireless Performance and Enhanced Receiver
ZOWIE wireless mice come with their rather comically sized enhanced receiver. This receiver is supposed to ensure that the wireless signal never gets interrupted. I’ve tested a ton of gaming mice over the years, and I can’t say that I ever had any issues with interference, but I suppose it’s always better to have an ‘overengineered’ solution than something that can cause issues down the line, so I don’t mind this.
Something odd is that, while I can’t really tell the difference between the enhanced receiver and the regular receiver on my EC3-CW, I did feel a difference on the U2. I don’t know if it has something to do with the fact that the U2 is using a different sensor than the EC3-CW (or maybe it’s even placebo) but I vastly prefer the enhanced receiver over the regular one. I doubt anyone is going to use the tiny USB receiver with this mouse, but I’d recommend using the enhanced receiver at all times.
Something that I don’t often see mentioned when people talk about wireless ZOWIE mice is the fact that the enhanced receiver also doubles as a charging dock. I absolutely love this feature. The convenience of just setting your mouse down on the charger when you’re done gaming effectively makes this a mouse with infinite battery life. You could say that it’s not a big deal to plug in a USB-C cable every couple of this to charge a wireless mouse, but I personally find this solution to be much more convenient and elegant. Ever since I started to main the EC3-CW, I have become a huge fan of ZOWIE’s enhanced receiver/charging dock and the convenience that it offers, and I hope that they never do away with the charging functionality.
ZOWIE Going Lightweight
This is ZOWIE’s first foray into the world of lightweight gaming mice, and I like their approach. Rather than going for an extremely lightweight mouse filled with holes (which would alienate a large portion of their loyal fans I think) they went for a sensible weight and remained focused on build quality and shell rigidity.
I am not someone who is convinced that the lightest possible mouse is automatically the best possible mouse for every single person out there. From what I’ve read online and from brands who work with pros, around 60 grams seems to be the sweet spot when it comes to weight right now. Of course individual preferences can vary: there are people who play better with extremely light mice, just as there are people who will always prefer heavier mice, so I’m not saying that there is one ‘perfect weight’. There isn’t. Lighter also isn’t automatically and objectively better, though.
With all of this said: I think ZOWIE has made the right call here with the weight of the U2. This brings their newest mouse in line with what’s currently considered to be the industry standard, without going overboard on the weight reduction. I hope that newer iterations of their other mice will get the same treatment. A wireless EC3 at around 60 grams would be an absolute dream, as 75+ grams is starting to be a lot in today’s market.
Configuring The Mouse
ZOWIE mice are plug and play. All configuration is done on the mouse itself and I personally appreciate this. I travel between three different locations with three different computers, and the convenience of knowing that my mouse will perform with the exact settings I want immediately after being plugged in is amazing.
There are dedicated buttons on the bottom, and the more intricate configurations require you to press a combination of buttons. There’s a printed manual in the box that clearly lays out what button combinations to press.
Having the possibility to download optional software for in-depth configuration or macro recording would be a bonus for people who desire those things, but unless you play at odd DPI levels, you’ll be able to use this mouse with no issues.
Battery Life
The ZOWIE U2 has a battery life of around 70 ingame hours. That’s more than enough to last for multiple intense gaming sessions. As I’ve mentioned before, though, the actual battery life is basically unlimited if you use the charging functionality of the enhanced receiver. Simply place the mouse on this receiver when you’re done for the day, and you’ll have a fully charged mouse the next day. I use an EC3-CW as my main right now, and the battery hasn’t even come close to being empty over the months that I’ve used it.
ZOWIE U2 Alternatives
The ZOWIE U2 is a unique shape, so if you ask me there aren’t currently any real alternatives to this mouse. There are mice that share a couple of similarities, but if you want this exact shape and gameplay experience then the ZOWIE U2 is your only option right now.
ZOWIE U2 Review – Conclusion
If the ZOWIE U2 is partially meant as a testing platform for ZOWIE to see how they should implement more modern features (lighter weight, 3395 sensor) in their mice then I am convinced. ZOWIE have managed to achieve a pleasant 60 grams without making any sacrifices to the build quality they are so well-known for. The implementation of the 3395 sensor is also done flawlessly.
Yes, the U2 doesn’t have optical switches, and the lack of 1000+Hz polling rate options will undoubtedly scare some people away but aside from that, this is very much a modern interpretation of the ZOWIE design style. As an added bonus, all of this comes in a completely unique and brand new shape. In true ZOWIE sense, this new shape is well thought out and extremely interesting. Claw grippers in particular should pay extra attention to this one.
A lot about this release indicates that ZOWIE is listening to their customers and reviewers. This is also evident in the price. In the USA, at least. Gone is the (very steep) MSRP of 150 dollars; the U2 comes in at a more reasonable 130 dollars. That’s still not cheap by any means, but it is a very fair price when looking at the mouse’s specs in today’s market if you ask me. Sadly, customers in the EU are still getting the short end of the stick here, as the U2 will cost around 171 euros in the EU at MSRP. That’s a lot more difficult to stomach.
Concluding: the ZOWIE U2 is a fantastic addition to the ZOWIE lineup and the world of gaming mice in general. I can only hope that this mouse does well and encourages ZOWIE to speed up their release schedule. I’d love to see their entire lineup get a 3395 sensor and a weight reduction.
You can learn more about the ZOWIE U2 on ZOWIE’s website.
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.
