Logitech G502 HERO Review

The Logitech G502 HERO is their refresh of the groundbreaking G502 – a mouse that shifted the way people looked at Logitech mice designs. While it’s a decent improvement over the previous version, it still leaves a little to be desired in certain scenarios. 

Logitech might be one of the biggest names in the peripheral industry. They’ve been providing superb mice, keyboards, headsets, speakers, and pretty much everything you can think of related to peripherals, for as long as I can remember. Today, we’ll be looking at a refresh of a classic Logitech mouse that first arrived on shelves over five years ago. This new FPS gamesversion comes to the table offering the exact same shape and design as the original, only with some renewed features and a sparkling new sensor. It’s the Logitech G502 HERO.

Like many of Logitech’s best mice, the G502 has now received a refresh. However, like the Logitech MX518 Legendary that didn’t include any design changes, neither does the G502 HERO. It’s a case of – why mess with a fully working blueprint if you don’t have to – type scenario.

While the shape of the original G502 is both classic and still relevant in today’s market, the gaming performance, sadly, was not. Luckily, and to the joy of many G502 fans, Logitech has implemented it’s latest HERO optical sensor in the G502 refresh. That makes it bang-up-to-speed with today’s standards.

We’ll be taking a look at the design, features, performance, and value for money in the following guide. So, let’s waste no further time, and jump straight into it.

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Pros

• Packed full of features
• Well placed buttons for gaming
• Exciting design
• Additional weights
• High-performance sensor

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Cons

• Very heavy out-the-box
• Pretty expensive

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Mouse Size & Weight

• Weight: 121g (includes addition 18g of optional weight)
• Size: Medium-large
• Length: 13 cm / 5.1 in
• Width Front: 7.5 cm / 3 in
• Height: 4.2 cm / 1.70 in
• Hand Orientation: Right-handed

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Mouse Tech

• Sensor: Logitech HERO
• Buttons: Omron Switches
• DPI: 50 – 16000, in steps of 50
• Polling Rate in HZ: 125 / 250 / 500 / 1000
• Connection: Wired
• Cable length: 2.1 m

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What’s In The Box

Logitech have kept their box fairly basic, showing a picture of the Logitech G502 HERO on the front, with some information regarding specifications and features on the back. The inside provides a couple of layers of protective plastic, making the G502 hard to damage – even when dropped in transit.

Inside you find:

• Logitech G502 HERO gaming mouse
• Optional 5 x 3.6g weights and case
• User Manual
• Warranty card

Design

Back when the original G502 first hit the scene, it was revolutionary for Logitech as it introduced a new period of innovative designs to their brand that hadn’t been seen before. The edgy, angular, button-packed G502 was an instant classic amongst the consuming public.

So, when we received the G502 HERO and noticed Logitech had made absolutely no design changes what so ever, we were a little bit disappointed, but not surprised.

Size And Weight

Let’s get the elephant in the room out of the way before we go any further, this thing is heavy! And I don’t mean heavy in the sense that it isn’t like the new wave of ultralight gaming mouse coming through. I mean, it’s 121 grams out of the box and has an additional 18g of weight that you can add to it. Even going from the Logitech MX518 (a mouse that weighs around 100g) this still feels like an absolute brick.

The size is also fairly unique as well. It’s a pretty large gaming mouse when comparing it to others out there currently. It certainly caters more to the larger-handed users, thanks to its long design and broad shell. One thing that did annoy me with this mouse, however, is how thin it felt during gaming sessions. I would have liked to have seen Logitech add a little bit of width to the body of the G502 HERO to make it more user-friendly for large-handed individuals – the G502 HERO’s target market.

Shape And Texture

As mentioned above, the Logitech G502 hasn’t changed much in terms of design since the original, still offering all the same gnarly, angular aesthetics which were a hit the first time around.

If you haven’t seen the Batman of mice before, as I like to call it, then where have you been the last five years? It’s famous for its edgy, gamer aesthetic. The shell of the mouse is designed with a plate-style aesthetic that looks pretty cool – separated by glossy pieces of plastic in between. Speaking of which, Logitech has combined a matte plastic for the main pieces of the shell, while using the aforementioned glossy plastic strips to separate each segment. The buttons have all been finished with the glossy plastic too which looks nice but can pick up oil and fingerprint marks very easily.

The main mouse switches have a gentle slope that accommodates your fingers nicely. They taper off towards the front of the mouse and finish at a point separated by the cable in the middle. The left switch has been equipped with two buttons which are pretty well placed for in-game usage. However, out-the-box they have been programmed for DPI controls – something we’ll touch upon shortly.

The side grips have a subtle micro-grip design that doesn’t really offer a great deal of grip if truth be told. The coating on the ROCCAT Kone Pure Ultra (for example’s sake) is much grippier and easier to handle. The scroll wheel is well manufactured using metal, with carefully calved out notches for ease-of-use.

Overall, the design of this mouse is pretty damn awesome! If you like the original, you’ll obviously love the new variant, as it’s exactly the same. Pointy, edgy, and packed full of features, what more could you want from the design?

Buttons

Next up, are the buttons. Even though this isn’t one of the biggest selling points the G502 HERO has to offer, maybe it should be. It comes equipped with 11 remappable buttons that can all be altered inside the Logitech G HUB software suite.

I have to say, these might be some of the nicest buttons I’ve had the pleasure of using in some time. They just feel so well made. Starting with the two main clickers, I could tell straight away I was going to have no issues with them. They have a nice tactile actuation and require very little pressure to actually use. I could activate the mouse buttons from the very base of the switch itself, always a good sign if you ask me.

The side buttons are well-positioned to promote their usage while gaming but don’t get in the way during general browsing or office tasks. They’re also easy to distinguish by touch which is another great feature when it comes to gaming. Again, these feel both tactile and responsive when in use.

The two DPI buttons that are found on the left clicker are towards the front of the mouse, meaning people with small hands may struggle to make full utilization of these. Also, because they have been positioned to hang over the edge of the clicker, they do feel a little on the flimsy side. I feel if I applied enough pressure to them, they might actually break off. So far though, no such incident has occurred.

The scroll wheel, which for me is one of the best features this mouse has to offer, feels superb. Its metallic design feels extremely robust, and it contrasts nicely with the overall design of this mouse. Underneath the scroll wheel, users will find a button that activates the infinity feature. For me, this is the best feature of the mouse. Basically, once the infinity feature is activated, you’ll be able to scroll to your heart’s content. It removes all resistance from the wheel and spins freely, very handy for browsing long PDFs or websites. Switch the resistance back on and you’ll be able to easily switch between weapons in an accurate manner. Very effective.

Cable And Build Quality

As far as build quality is concerned, Logitech has provided us with another extremely well-built gaming peripheral. It feels like it’s been built to stand the test of time, and then some.

Obviously, as we’ve mentioned before, this mouse feels extremely heavy when in use, and I think that’s part of the reason why it feels so well built. Weight aside though, you can just tell this thing isn’t going to break anytime soon. All the buttons feel nice and tactile, with very little “sponginess” – a characteristic of many of today’s mice.

When shaking the G502 HERO quite aggressively, there was a decent amount of rattle, if truth be told. I couldn’t really pinpoint where the rattle was coming from, but when holding all the buttons and the scroll wheel, the noise was still occurring. Apart from that though, a rock-solid mouse.

As far as the cable is concerned, the same amount of time and thought seems to have gone into this aspect as well. It is comprised of braided cable and feels very nice indeed. It’s 1.9 meters in length and offers very little in terms of abrasion or resistance. As I’ve mentioned in previous articles, I’m not a huge fan of the braided cable for a number of different reasons. However, this one feels pretty good for the most part.

Sensor And Performance

And with that, we come to the most important part of any gaming mouse review, the sensor and performance section. This is where we put the Logitech G502 HERO through its paces to see how it stacks up against some of the market leaders when it comes to gaming. So, let’s waste no further time and jump right into it.

Firstly though, let’s take a look at the sensor Logitech has equipped on this mouse.

Logitech has implemented its hugely successful HERO optical sensor at the center of this mouse, and for good reason. It’s arguably one of the best gaming sensors available right now, bringing pinpoint accuracy and rapid response to the table. Like most other mice these days, it offers 16,000 DPI, although, once again, we don’t know who that’s targeted at. I have no idea why that would be used. Anyway, it has it, alongside 1000Hz poling and adjustable LOD within the software suite.

I started off by playing CS:GO, as per usual, and as I expected, I was not happy at all. Going from the MX518 Legendary to the ROCCAT and then up to the G502 HERO was an absolute nightmare, to say the least. However, taking that out of the equation, I just felt the G502 HERO was far too heavy for fast-paced FPS shooters – yes, even with the reduced weight. For games like CS:GO and Call Of Duty, you need something that’s a little bit lighter and more agile, two words I would not use to describe this particular gaming mouse. Having said that, thanks to the abundance of buttons available on this mouse, it was handy having access to those for useful in-game binds. The sensor was, as expected, flawless when it came to accuracy, response, and tracking. It also offers 400 inches-per-second speeds and a max acceleration of up to 40Gs, which is certainly handy if you’re an aggressive swiper. Speaking of which, I experienced no spin out during the testing process.

First-person shooters aside, however, this mouse seems very much at home. We played a bunch of MMO titles and the 11 programmable buttons really came into their own. Having that amount of bindable buttons at your disposal certainly puts you at an advantage over the competition in certain game titles and scenarios.

Furthermore, unlike other mice that stack buttons like they’re going out of fashion, this mouse hasn’t lost its ergonomic design. A lot of the time, manufacturers will have to reshape the mouse in order to accommodate this number of buttons, however, the G502 HERO still feels extremely good in the hand.

Staying with the buttons briefly, I have to re-iterate how good they felt during play. They all had a very nice actuation and didn’t require a great deal of pressure to use. The side buttons are nicely positioned too; however, I did find I miss-clicked some of the buttons during FPS games. They too, however, offered a nice tactile feel and little to no sponginess.

Annoyingly, I did experience some issues with the grip Logitech had used on the G502 HERO. I felt it didn’t provide adequate grip during intense battle scenarios. Furthermore, if you’re hand produces any perspiration, it made the entire situation a great deal worse.

Overall, from a performance standpoint, the Logitech G502 HERO was a bit hit and miss if I’m being completely honest. In some areas this mouse excelled, however, in others, it fell rather short of the mark.

Software

Logitech might have one of the most complete software suites out of the bunch. It gives users the ability to fully customize their peripherals to their maximum potential. As far as the Logitech G502 HERO is concerned, users will be able to remap all buttons and create individual profiles that can be saved to the mouse and used on-the-fly. Furthermore, they have full control over the two RGB lighting zones, with the option to choose between several presets and 6.8million colors.

Thankfully, unlike other peripheral software packages available today (naming no names) the Logitech G HUB is a well functioning software suite that rarely encounters glitches. So, whether you’re looking to change sense, remap some buttons, or simply link your Logitech peripherals together, the G HUB will have you covered.

Our Verdict

So, at last, we reach the part of the review where we discuss our final thoughts on the Logitech G502 and reveal whether or not it’s worth your consideration.

Well, let’s keep this short and sweet. If you liked the original G502 and actually use it for gaming, then you’re going to love the refresh. It has the exact same design, allows you to customize the weight and how it’s distributed while offering a much more accurate sensor as well.

However, for those of you who haven’t used the G502 HERO before, you may not be as open-minded towards it. For the most part, it’s a pretty hefty piece of kit. It currently resides in the upper reaches of the weight spectrum, and comes to the table with a design that is very much like marmite – you either love it, or you hate it.

While it does have a good ability to track and respond to your hand’s movement, it still falls short in a couple of scenarios for me.

Ultimately, if you want an everyday mouse that is going to stand the test of time, this could be exactly what you’re looking for. Similarly, if you like heavy mice and enjoy playing MMOs and some less intensive FPS games, it might also suit your needs. However, for those looking to take their game to the next level in competitive esports titles, this certainly isn’t the mouse I’d be recommending anytime soon.