You have decided to choose a wireless Gaming Mouse or just an ordinary Wireless Mouse. Maybe you are not sure should this mouse be Optical or Laser. Perhaps you do not even know what the difference is. In this article Optical vs Laser Mouse I am giving a short introduction to what are the positive and negative features of both and which one would be better.
Optical vs Laser Mouse – General differences
Optical and Laser mouse differ by the types of movement tracking they use. The main difference is that Optical Mouse uses a LED light to capture the mouse movements, Laser Mouse as the name says uses Laser. Both mice use a small sensor to sense the movement changes via sensing the surface change underneath the mouse.
Optical vs Laser Mouse Sensitivity
Optical Mice usually have a bit lower DPI ie dots per inch. This means the sensitivity of the movement tracking. The bigger the DPI the more sensitive it is. High DPI mice react to even slightest movements. For everyday user such feature may not be that important. For Gamers who want to have a good Wired vs Wireless Gaming Mouse, the choice usually is a higher DPI one.
Most of the higher quality mice no matter Optical vs Laser Mouse or Wired vs Wireless Mouse are sensitive enough for everyday user. Gamers and Graphic designers however require the maximum sensitivity from their mouse so the DPI is important. Optical Mice usually have DPI around 3000. Laser Mice have a usual DPI around 6000. Optical Gaming Mice however can also Have quite high DPI.
The highest DPI on a mouse is currently around 16000DPI and one mouse that has it for example is Razer DeathAdder Elite. As it happens DeathAdder is an Optical Mouse. Logitech G502 has a DPI of 12000 and this as well is Optical Mouse. So in case of Optical vs Laser Mouse Sensitivity, it seems both can have very High DPI so they are rather equal on that.
Optical vs Laser Mouse Working Surface
Optical Mouse works better on either a designated mouse pad or on any non glossy surface. It will not work well on glossy surfaces. Laser Mouse on the other hand works well on any surface glossy or not. If the surface is too uneven however, Laser Mouse may have slight movement jitters at slow speeds. The Laser sensor is so much more sensitive that it sees surface texture better than Optical Mouse.
So in case of Optical vs Laser Mouse working surface, if you want a mouse that works almost on every surface go for Laser Mouse.
Optical vs Laser Mouse Summary
I could summarise the Optical vs Laser Mouse topic as follows:
- If you want a working on all surfaces Mouse the Laser Mouse would be a better option. For example if you use a Wireless Mouse with your Laptop and therefor use it in random places on random surfaces Laser mouse will be a bit better option.
- If you want just a cheap everyday mouse to use mostly behind computer desk on a mouse pad, you will be perfectly fine with cheaper Optical Mouse. (Even the cheaper Laser Mice tend to be more expensive than cheap Optical Mice)
- If you are a Gamer and want a Good and Sensitive Gaming Mouse – My personal preference would be a Good Optical Mouse. Personally I love my Logitech G502 Proteus Spectrum Gaming Mouse. It works flawlessly behind my computer desk, it is convenient, accurate and sensitive more than I require for Gaming. There are also many good Laser Gaming Mice around, so it will be the most likely the looks, feel and brand that will eventually matter.
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19.03.2018 – EqEST