ASUS ROG Gladius III Wireless AimPoint review

Jan 22, 2024

ASUS already introduced the successors of the ROG Keris Wireless and ROG Gladius III Wireless gaming mice during Gamescom 2022. The ASUS ROG Gladius III Wireless AimPoint, which is available to us for review, is an ergonomically designed gaming mouse for right-handed users that offers six programmable buttons, replaceable switches and RGB lighting, among other features. The mouse can be used wired or wirelessly. While the ROG Gladius III Wireless used a sensor with 19,000 DPI, it now uses the new AimPoint sensor with 36,000 DPI. Furthermore, the mouse has become 10 g lighter and the battery life has increased from 85 to 143 hours (BT) and from 55 to 119 hours (RF).

Inhaltsverzeichnis / Table of contents

The ASUS ROG Gladius III Wireless AimPoint comes in a compact black and red cardboard box complete with the ROG logo. On the front, the gaming mouse, with red illuminated logo, is shown in a big way, furthermore one refers to design awards, the wireless connectivity options and the Aura Sync support. On the back, the most important features or technologies, such as the new AimPoint sensor or the replaceable switches, are mentioned once again and the technical specifications are listed.

After opening the box, we look at a black cloth bag containing the gaming mouse. The mouse itself also contains the USB receiver. Underneath the liner are the other accessories, which include a USB extension, a 2m ROG Paracord USB cable, two Omron D2F-01F micro switches, a switch remover, grip tape, ROG stickers, more ROG mouse gliders and a manual.

The scope of delivery is thus very extensive. It is also praiseworthy that ASUS not only enables the replacement of the switches, but also directly includes additional switches.

The shape and size of the ASUS ROG Gladius III Wireless AimPoint is the same as the original ASUS ROG Gladius III. The gaming mouse has an asymmetrical design, is designed for right-handed users and is suitable for all grip types. The rear part of the mouse is rather smooth, while the main buttons have a grippy and non-slip PBT surface. On the left and right sides, the mouse is rubberized and textured; there is no thumb rest, such as on the ROG Chakram X. Compared to the original ASUS ROG Gladius III, the RGB lighting has been reduced. While this one still had the ROG logo, left side and mouse wheel illuminated, now only the logo is illuminated.

On the top of the mouse, in addition to the left and right mouse buttons, which are slightly curved inward, and the scroll wheel, there is another button. This is placed below the scroll wheel, is shiny, and serves as a DPI switch with the default settings, allowing you to toggle through up to four DPI levels. The scroll wheel is rubberized and textured, and is pressable but not tiltable.

There are two other auxiliary buttons on the left side of the mouse. The front button is located on the side at the back end of the left mouse button, the second behind it. Like the main buttons, they have a PBT surface. Both sides of the mouse are slightly curved inwards, which should contribute to a good grip in addition to the rubber coating. On the right side, there is also a small ROG lettering behind this surface.

Underneath the mouse are four large almost triangular gliding feet made of white PTFE, which glides particularly well. Above the new AimPoint sensor is a button for Bluetooth pairing and a switch that lets you toggle between Bluetooth, wired and wireless. Below the sensor is another button that lets you switch between profiles as well as the slot for the USB receiver. The USB-C port, which is needed for wired operation or also for charging, is located in the center of the front.

The material quality and workmanship of the ASUS ROG Gladius III Wireless AimPoint can convince all around in the test. The keys and also the case are very well manufactured and give no reason for criticism.

A special feature of the ASUS ROG Gladius III Wireless AimPoint is the easy change of the switches. While more and more devices are difficult to open and also to repair, ASUS makes this very easy. To open the mouse, you have to remove two rubber plugs on the left and right of the profile button and loosen the screws underneath. The case can then be removed.

While the switches are soldered by many manufacturers and cannot or only with difficulty be replaced by laymen when problems occur, such as clicks not being executed or unintentional double clicks, ASUS relies on the Push-Fit Switch Socket II and pluggable switches. The socket is compatible with 5-pin optical micro switches and 3-pin mechanical switches. The ROG optical micro switches are already plugged in when shipped. As mentioned above, additional mechanical switches (Omron D2F-01F) and a switch remover are included.

ASUS relies on the Armoury Crate app, just like the ROG Falchion Ace keyboard we recently reviewed. This supports not only mice and keyboards, but also other ASUS components, such as motherboards, AiO coolers connected to them or fans. If you use other ASUS components, you have everything in one app, but it seems overloaded for the mouse only. The ROG Gladius III Wireless AimPoint can be selected via the Devices submenu.

The settings of the ROG Gladius III Wireless AimPoint are divided into the sub-items of buttons, performance, lighting, calibration, power and firmware update. Profiles can be created and synced, and the mouse itself offers onboard memory for up to five profiles. All buttons can be freely configured via the sub-item Buttons. This also applies to the left mouse button, but it has to be assigned to a key at all times. Besides the typical mouse functions, keyboard functions, macros and more can be assigned. The other sub-items offer, for example, options for adjusting the DPI levels, the query rate or also a surface calibration.

For the RGB lighting, you can choose between a static lighting and the four effects pulsating, color changing, reacting as well as the battery mode. Furthermore, you can also adjust the brightness of the illumination or disable it completely.

The shape, the size and also the grip of the ASUS ROG Gladius III Wireless AimPoint know how to please in the test. I myself place a lot of value on ergonomics and usually use a Logitech MX Master 3 in everyday life, which is significantly wider and has a thumb rest. Nevertheless, the ROG Gladius III Wireless AimPoint fits very well in my hand and I find it very comfortable to use with the Palm Grip, even over longer periods of time, while working or gaming. Especially when gaming, the very good gliding properties of the PTFE gliding feet and the low weight of only 79 g are positively noticeable.

The primary keys, the additional keys and the scroll wheel leave a good impression. Due to the slight curvature, the index and middle fingers rest very well, and the two keys placed on the left can be easily reached with the thumb. Due to the PBT used, the mentioned keys have a good grip and the fingers do not slip. Compared to a light rubber coating, PBT also has the advantage that it wears or rubs off more slowly. The rubberized and slightly inward curved sides also contribute to the fact that the mouse fits very well in the hand. If you want even more grip, you can use the included grip tape. This is already cut to fit and can be applied quickly and easily. Furthermore, the mouse's buttons are rather quiet and have a pleasant pressure point, this also applies to the scroll wheel.

The ASUS ROG Gladius III Wireless AimPoint is also convincing when it comes to technology. The new sensor works very precisely and offers up to 36,000 DPI. The well-placed DPI button makes it possible to quickly switch between several DPI levels, which is very beneficial for some applications and especially for gaming. DPI On-The-Scroll also allows you to adjust in 50 DPI increments with the mouse wheel.

Speaking of fast, this also applies to the response of the switches. The optical ROG Micro Switches respond very quickly and smoothly, and we also see the uncomplicated replacement and the additional included switches as very great added value. Especially gamers will know or at least have heard about the problem of defective switches, sometimes after just one or two years. While most of them then hope for a possible exchange or have to buy a new, often expensive gaming mouse, the switches can be exchanged very cheaply and easily. Furthermore, no delays were noticed during the wireless connection.

The battery life turns out pleasantly high with 143 hours (BT) and 119 hours (RF) without RGB lighting, with RGB lighting it drops to 98 hours (BT) and 86 hours (RF). We can roughly confirm the values stated by ASUS in the test. The mouse is thus very enduring regardless of the type of connection and illumination and rarely needs to be charged.

The ASUS ROG Gladius III Wireless AimPoint can convince in the test. The mouse has a pleasant shape and size and is very well manufactured throughout. The materials include high-quality PBT for the buttons and rubber on the sides, which provide sufficient grip. The gliding feet are made of PTFE. Technically, the mouse is up to date, offering a high-resolution and precise sensor with up to 36,000 DPI, socketed optical switches, RGB lighting, three different connection options and a long battery life.

The price of ~€110 (as of 05/21/2023) is in the usual range for high-end gaming mice, but is still good and justified in our opinion. The Push-Fit Switch Base II, which promises a long usability, and the very extensive scope of delivery, which includes additional switches, grip tape and mouse gliders, also contribute to this. A clear recommendation on our part!

Very good gaming mouse that convinces ergonomically and technically, offers exchangeable switches and a large scope of delivery.

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