(Pocket-lint) – Like many products in the Asus TUF line-up, the Asus TUF Gaming M4 Air mouse isn’t a flashy looking peripheral. But that doesn’t stop it from packing some of the best specs you could want from a gaming mouse in a sleek and stealthy shell.
The TUF M4 Air seemingly has it all, including a high DPI count, ultra-lightweight shell, programmable buttons, slick feet, and more besides. But what’s it like compared to the competition?
Slick is the name of the game
- 400 IPS max speed, 40g acceleration, 1000Hz polling rate
- 16,000 max DPI (dots per inch) sensitivity
- Claimed 47g weight (we measure 51g)
- Low-friction pure 100% PTFE feet
- 60 million click guarantee
The TUF Gaming M4 Air was clearly built to mean business. Like many other lightweight gaming mice before it, it’s been designed with a multitude of triangular holes in its shell to shed weight. That allows Asus to claim an impressive 47g body – although we weighed it more like 51 grams, but still, that’s impressively lightweight.
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On the underside, there are several PTFE feet (‘Teflon’ if you prefer) that ensure it’s slick and easy to toss about your mouse mat with ease. The attached TUF Gaming Paracord cable is also nice and flexible and doesn’t seem to weigh the mouse down or cause any nagging or tugging issues while you’re gaming.
Specification-wise, the TUF Gaming M4 Air is no slouch. It has a max of 16,000 DPI that’s adjustable in four customisable levels within Asus Armoury Crate. You can flick through those levels with the button on top behind the mouse wheel and it’s easy to set these levels to what you want – whether super responsive for extra speedy targeting on screen or more meticulous for millimetre-perfect sniping when in game. There’s also a pop-up notification in Windows to let you know what DPI pre-set level you’re running on.
Texture-wise the TUF Gaming M4 Air is easy to hold on to thanks to that holey shell. Despite those holes, it’s solidly constructed and doesn’t feel at all flimsy. It has a reasonably large frame that fits comfortably in a larger hand and we generally found it to be pleasing to use.
Clean buttons
- ASUS Antibacterial Guard
- 3x onboard memory profiles
- 6x tactile programmable buttons
- IPX6 water repellent protective coating
This mouse has six programmable buttons, two of which are located on the left side. They’re not especially large, but they’re easy to access and satisfying to click.
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Asus has interestingly built the TUF Gaming M4 Air with an Antibacterial Guard that it says is able to prevent bacteria growth on the surface of the mouse and the buttons. This is certainly reassuring if you’re a messy gamer who likes to game and snack at the same time.
For extra peace of mind, the internal circuit board has an IPX6 water repellent protective coating. Which in theory means it’s resistant to even powerful jets of water, but not to full immersion. So you’ll be ok with spills and mishaps, but not giving the mouse a bath (that oh-so-regular problem, eh?). Though Asus does note that if any liquid does get on the mouse you should let it dry for 24 hours before trying to use it again.
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The combination of these – both the IP rating and the Antibacterial Guard – are nice additions for a mouse that some might fear could easily get dirty or damaged over time. Some compressed air and you’ll easily be able to keep it in a good shape no problems.
Simple software
Within Asus’ Armoury Crate software you can make a number of different tweaks to basic settings. You can adjust the buttons and programme them with keyboard functions, macros, multimedia playback, screenshot capabilities and more.
You can also adjust the polling rate and the DPI levels, as well as the lift-off distance and angle snapping, but for the most part it’s fairly basic. This is no bad thing though, as it’s perfectly user-friendly.
You can also set different profiles and switch between them at your leisure, so there are plenty of possibilities for multiple games or multiple gamers using the same PC.
Verdict
When we first got the Asus TUF Gaming M4 Air out of the box we weren’t initially impressed. Why? The lack of RGB lighting on a honeycomb mouse is a rarity and made this gaming mouse look too understated for our wants.
But how the M4 Air has grown on us since then. With eyes fixed on the screen instead, we’ve found it to be a perfectly capable gaming mouse. It’s got decent switches, offers great accuracy, all wrapped into a comfortable and lightweight frame.
No RGB also means it’s surprisingly good for the money for something this light and agile. Which, all in all, makes for a great gaming mouse that doesn’t break the bank. What more could you want?
Writing by Adrian Willings. Editing by Mike Lowe.