When you hear the name Razer, you likely think of decent gaming accessories like keyboards and mice. TheRazer Basilisk Mobiletries to move the company into a new category, travel mice, but ends up failing miserably. The mouse just isn’t comfortable and is way too costly for most users.
Razer Basilisk Mobile
The Razer Basilisk Mobile is an ergonomic travel mouse designed for both gaming and getting work done. The mouse features 10 programmable buttons along with one-touch access to an AI prompt master to help work faster and better. There are three ways to connect the mouse to your PC or Mac. With Bluetooth, the mouse can go for up to 180 hours of use on a single charge.
Price and Availability
The Razer Basilisk Mobile retails for $89.99 and is available from Amazon, Best Buy, Razer, and other retailers.
Specifications
The design of the ergonomic Razer Basilisk Mobile is unique to say the least. Looking at the front of it, it looks a bit like a mini Transformer.
Both the right and left click buttons extend above the top of the mouse, leaving a small section of glossy plastic before the main body of the mouse. Those extended click buttons may look cool, but in practice, I had issues being able to place my fingers correctly without getting poked by the plastic. I also wonder how those will stand the test of time, especially in a travel bag or on the road.
On the front of the mouse is the USB-C charging port. With a single charge, you can go for up to 180 hours of use using Bluetooth. You can also get up to 7 hours of play on just 10 minutes of charge in a pinch.
For a more lag-free experience when gaming, you may also switch to the HyperSpeed Wireless mode, which can provide up to 105 hours of use. To do this, just use the USB dongle stored inside the bottom of the mouse. The Basilisk Mobile can also be used fully wired.
Between the click buttons is a scroll wheel that can go up and down or right and left. There are an additional three buttons on the left side of the mouse. Two are customizable, and the third one can activate the AI features of the mouse. Yes, AI has now even found its way into a mouse. While it sounds interesting, it’s not very helpful in daily use.
It basically gives you quick access to ChatGPT or Microsoft’s Copilot to accomplish a limited number of tasks. For example, you’re able to summarize text, rephrase it, or compose a quick email. I’d rather just open up the native Mac ChatGPT app with a quick keyboard shortcut.
All the customization is done through the Razer Synapse app, available for Windows and Mac. The Mac version was easy to use, which was something of a surprise.
Full of Bells and Whistles, but Still Not Very Comfortable
The overall size of the Razer Basilisk Mobile also confounded me a bit. It’s much larger than other “proper” travel mice like theHyper HyperSpace Bluetooth Mousethat I really enjoyed using. I expected a larger size would make it more comfortable to use, similar to a full-sized option. But I was wrong.
I used the mouse as my primary pointing device with my MacBook Air for a week, and even after short sessions, my hand would end up hurting. I have fairly large hands, so that was a surprise. I tried some different ways to hold the mouse, especially due to the odd click buttons, but could never find a comfortable grip. The thumb rest on the right side was also way too small. My thumb would end up touching the surface, or I would end up needing to push it against the side of the mouse.
The uncomfortable design is a shame, because the Basilisk Mobile sports a number of great features not usually found on a travel mouse. I enjoyed the three side buttons and customizing them for my different use cases. For example, I customized the top button to mute my microphone during a Teams call.
Since this is a Razer product, you can customize the light on the front of the mouse to whatever color you’d like, or a plethora of changing hues.
When it’s time to game, you can switch the scroll wheel to the tactile cycling mode. It provides notched scrolling to quickly cycle through weapons or other important quick-access items during a game. The mouse also uses an 18,000 DPI optical sensor for quick and precise gameplay.
I also enjoyed the mouse feet that made scrolling across any surface I tried easy.
Should You Buy the Razer Basilisk Mobile?
There’s no real reason I recommend buying theRazer Basilisk Mobile. It’s way too expensive for a travel mouse, and less capable than a full-sized Razer mouse.
While it boasts some impressive features like long battery life and programmable buttons, it just doesn’t beat a full-sized mouse for intense gaming sessions. And it isn’t as comfortable as other travel mice I’ve tried. Even with a top-notch name attached, you’ll likely find something better elsewhere to meet your needs.
