Logitech Pro X3 Superstrike. (Image: Joshua Boyles)
Logitech launched its Pro X2 Superstrike back in February of this year, and since then, it’s been the mouse I keep coming back to for competitive gaming.
Its HITS system, which uses a combination of magnets and haptic feedback to deliver customisable actuation points, feels like the biggest leap forward in mice tech in a long while. Combine faster input times with that classic G Pro shape, it’s a lethal weapon among the Counter-Strike crowd.
So, imagine my surprise to hear that less than seven months on, Logitech is already bringing us another revision of the Superstrike – the X3. At first glance, this is appears to be almost exactly the same mouse that we saw earlier in the year, outside of a few new colourways, that is.
Take a look inside though, and there are a few upgrades worth noting for the added £10 on the asking price here in the UK.
The biggest improvement in the X3 is the battery life, which gets a 50% bump over the X2. This isn’t achieved by increasing the battery size, but instead by improving the chip inside to a more efficient one.
That bolsters the X3’s battery life to around 135 hours from the X2’s 90 – a significant jump.
Logitech also boasted a few other performance gains with this latest chipset, shaving even more milliseconds off the already lighting-fast response times. While professional players will likely sleep better knowing their gear is fractionally more responsive, I can’t say it’s something I noticed during actual play when comparing the X2 and X3 side-by-side.
The only other major difference between the X2 and the X3 is a slight weight rebalance. The X2 was noticeably heavier towards the front of the mouse, which upset the muscle memory of some players.
Meanwhile, the X3 shifts things back to the centre with it capable of balancing perfectly on a finger. This actually is something I noticed as a very average Counter-Strike player, and while I can’t speak to how it might actually improve my performance, I dare to say it does feel much more natural in the hand.
In terms of hardware, that is pretty much it for upgrades on the X3. They’re not insignificant, but if I’d already dropped £159.99 on an X2 Superstrike, there’s very little here to make me think about dropping £169.99 on the new model.
That upgrade price stings even more when you consider that some of the mouse’s software features are locked to the X3.
Logitech explained at its G Play event that it’s bringing new Pro presets to the X3 and some of its other peripherals, with gamers able to download settings presets from their favourite players to use for themselves. In the beta pre-release software, I had a great time swapping between the mouse settings of m0NESY and w0nderful, getting a taste for how these professional players use the same gear as us amateurs.
Logitech Pro X3 Superstrike. (Image: Joshua Boyles)
Given the X2 and X3 mice are so similar, I asked Logitech if these same settings would be downloadable on the X2 as well the new model. At the moment, the beta version of the software only shows these settings for the X3.
I couldn’t get a straight answer, which leads me to think those professional settings will require a purchase of the latest model to download them directly from within G Hub itself. That’s disappointing given you can essentially copy the settings yourself and get exactly the same mouse feel.
It also feels like an odd miss of goodwill to its customers, especially since at the same G Play event the peripheral maker announced that it’s releasing a firmware update that upgrades the sensor of its G502 X Plus mice. If a four-year-old mouse can get a sensor upgrade over the air, it feels harsh to not allow players to copy and paste settings between two mice that are, for all intents and purposes, basically the same.
As such, the Logitech X3 Superstrike is an odd duck. It’s still the absolute pinnacle of mouse technology, with all the praises sung about the X2 remaining intact. I won’t lie, it has replaced the X2 as my daily driver, and I won’t be looking back.
But the upgrade arriving so soon has to make you wonder why this version of the Superstrike wasn’t the one we got originally, and the locking of software features behind the upgrade feels punishing for early adopters.
Logitech Pro X3 Superstrike software. (Image: Logitech)
The Verdict
If you’ve not yet taken the plunge on Logitech’s HITS system, the Pro X3 is the mouse to get. It has the best battery life and balancing of the line-up, along with the best colours (matte black with white accents was the winner for me).
However, if you already own the X2, there’s simply not enough here to warrant an upgrade, especially given how fresh the mouse still feels after only seven months on the desk.
4.5/5
Unit provided by PR for review purposes only.
