Razer has made one of the most insane wireless gaming mice EVER — even if it won't be my next mouse

An ergonomic design? Countless buttons? RGB lighting? Wireless charging? Bluetooth connectivity? The Razer DeathAdder mice don't care about any of it.

These are the mice for the gamers that need the absolute best in performance — precision, responsiveness, and reliability. They're also Razer's best-selling mice and some of the most popular among competitive esports — and the new DeathAdder V4 Pro is the true champion among them.

Razer took its critically acclaimed DeathAdder V3 Pro we reviewed nearly three years ago and used that platform to introduce major upgrades to basically everything (apart from the design), resulting in a phenomenal high-performance gaming mouse.

I've been using the DeathAdder V4 Pro for a while now, and Razer really delivered on its promises. This won't be my next mouse, but only because performance isn't all I care about — and performance is what this mouse does.

A new generation for Razer's most premium mice

The Razer DeathAdder V3 Pro has been a fan favorite among esports professionals for years now, so Razer would have to pull all the stops to earn that "V4" moniker. At first glance, it doesn't seem like Razer changed much at all — until you look on the inside.

I already went hands-on with the Razer DeathAdder V4 Pro and detailed all the biggest changes Razer made, so I won't rehash the same points here. Just know that the DeathAdder V4 Pro debuts Razer's next-gen sensor, mouse switches, scroll wheel, and even wireless technology.

The result is a colossal leap forward in performance, reliability, and battery life — and Razer somehow made the DeathAdder V4 Pro weigh 7g less (down to 56-57g) than its predecessor, despite having nearly identical dimensions.

In one sense, the DeathAdder V4 Pro is basically a showcase for what we can expect from Razer's gaming mice moving forward, and it's exciting. This is genuinely the smoothest and most consistent mouse I have ever used, and I haven't even come close to pushing it to its limits.

I also haven't had to worry about battery life once, with up to 150 hours at a very comfortable 1,000Hz polling rate feeling more than achievable.

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Gaming or working, the DeathAdder V4 Pro feels marvelous, but Razer made some other improvements, too. Razer HyperSpeed Wireless Gen-2 is here with some bold promises of improved efficiency, stability, and range, but it also comes with a brand-new dongle.

Gone is the rectangular dongle of before, replaced with a half-sphere design. It stays in one place without sliding around or rolling over, it supports Razer's HyperPolling (up to 8,000Hz) without requiring an additional purchase, and it boasts three LED indicators that can be customized to show different at-a-glance information, including connection strength, battery life, and the current DPI level.

This may be my favorite single improvement Razer made with the DeathAdder V4 Pro, honestly, and I hope to see this dongle design come to all of Razer's most premium wireless accessories.

Razer also upgraded its Synapse software with some new features, too. You get the usual options, including Razer's handy "sensitivity matcher" to tune the DeathAdder V4 Pro's DPI settings to your previous mouse, but now there's a new dynamic sensitivity option for even more control.

My favorite new feature is probably the rotation tool, though, which lets you change what the DeathAdder V4 Pro sees as "straight." Tune this setting, and your horizontal movement can be synced to the angle at which you hold the mouse. I'm honestly shocked more mice don't do this, because it does make a difference.

Performance so good it boggles the mind, but little else

The Razer DeathAdder V4 Pro easily competes with the greatest gaming mice of all time, and is almost certainly going to be seen in the hands of a lot of hardcore competitive gamers.

It won't be my next mouse though, because... it's boring. The right-handed, soft-touch, matte plastic design is perfectly comfortable for a variety of grip types (and Razer includes its grip tape in the box), but it's all performance all the time.

Personally, I like a little RGB lighting on my mouse. I like weird features like wireless charging. I like Razer's HyperScroll wheel that can switch between tactile and smooth scrolling modes. I like a more ergonomic shape with a thumb rest. I can get all of this in the Razer Basilisk V3 Pro 35K — and performance will still be more than good enough for me.

Basically, the DeathAdder V4 Pro is all work and no play... Except the "work" is actually playing games? Whatever the case, Razer designed this mouse for those who put performance above everything.

DeathAdder V4 Pro review: My final thoughts

✅You should buy this if ...

• You need the best possible performance in a gaming mouse.
• You want a sub-60g weight without compromising battery life.
• You're a competitive gamer who will actually use this mouse's features.

❌You should not buy this if ...

• You want a mouse designed for more than just gaming.
• You're not playing the sweatiest, most competitive games.

When Razer sent me the DeathAdder V4 Pro, it took a few hours to wrap my mind around how advanced this wireless mouse is. Upgrading absolutely everything related to performance, durability, and efficiency while keeping the same design and lowering the weight is no small feat, and Razer accomplished it all here.

This mouse will undoubtedly set the bar for companies seeking to sway hardcore gamers with their high-performance peripherals, but why wait when you can have the standard for yourself? The Razer DeathAdder V4 Pro is awesome, and while it is expensive, it feels completely fair for what you're getting in the box.

Just make sure you actually need what you're getting in the box. There are plenty of incredible mice with nearly as good performance, but cost less or offer more features — and sometimes both. That's why this won't be my next mouse; I love some Counter-Strike 2 or Valorant, but I need my mouse for a lot more than just gaming.

The Razer DeathAdder V4 Pro is now available for $169.99 at Best Buy in either black or white, and it has more than earned the title for "best esports mouse" in my eyes.