SteelSeries Sensei Pro Review

Design

• Neutral, symmetrical shape
• Lightweight and sturdy with dense plastics
• Minimal button arrangement

If you remember the original Sensei, SteelSeries has redesigned the chassis against the older models to suit more modern gaming mouse design, with a minimalistic look and super light feel that has been developed in conjunction with pro players and key influencers to get the right feel.

At just 53g, it’s especially light, although the plastics used in its construction feel dense, so the Sensei Pro doesn’t feel like a cheap mouse. It’s also competitive against the 50g the Viper V4 Pro is, and is some eight grams lighter than the G Pro X2 Superstrike. The weight savings have even gone so far that you won’t find a USB-C port at the front, but there’s a good reason for that.

This SteelSeries mouse features a symmetrical shape that’s more neutral and akin to a lot of other gaming mice you’ll find, but that just means the Sensei Pro is especially comfortable. I had no issues using it with my traditional palm grip during hours of testing. It’s available in both black and white, although the black can tend to get quite shiny after even a few hours of use.

The button arrangement here makes sense, with the two main ones and a scroll wheel on top, plus two side buttons on the left, and one for DPI switching and power on the underside. You’ll also find this rodent’s innovative swappable battery system on the underside, but I’ll get into that a little later on.

SteelSeries has been through a lot of trouble to save weight with this mouse to accommodate all of its clever internal trickery with UWB and the swappable battery system, such as using mechanical means to attach the battery, rather than magnets and going through multiple revisions of the internals to get the weight distribution right while keeping the mass down as low as it can be without compromising on the Sensei Pro’s internal structure.

Performance

• Fast 42,000 DPI sensor
• True 8000Hz polling
• Clever UWB connectivity and swappable batteries

SteelSeries has gone all-out on the internals of the Sensei Pro in an attempt to go toe-to-toe with some fierce competition, packing everything and the kitchen sink into this rodent.

For instance, we’ve got a brand new TrueMove 42K Pro sensor with up to 42,000 DPI’s worth of sensitivity that’s remarkably accurate and zippy in my testing, and feels like one of the best sensors I’ve ever used in my testing in Counter-Strike 2. 

The sensor is a custom PixArt 3955 sensor, which is capable of 20,000 FPS capture, and SteelSeries specifically asked PixArt for the sensor to run at its fastest rate for the highest degree of accuracy, which is where the rodent’s Max Performance mode in settings comes in.

Granted, 42,000 DPI feels especially jittery in most scenarios, but for very quick wrist flicks and rotations, I can see why it’s useful. I tended to stick more in the 1600 to 3200 DPI range for typical CS2 play and office use, respectively, and the Sensei Pro still felt zippy.

This comes in conjunction with what the brand calls ‘true’ 8000Hz polling, with it oversampling a 9000Hz readout, even if the PC can only take 8000Hz in the first instance. It can also offer this for both the sensor tracking and the clicks from the optical switches on-board to allow for some very reliable and speedy connectivity.

The big update SteelSeries has made with this mouse is the addition of Ultra Wide Band wireless connectivity, which requires a larger and more complicated antenna than a traditional 2.4GHz wireless connection.

The problem with 2.4GHz these days is that there’s potential for interference, given the number of devices operating on this band folks will have in their homes. To solve this, SteelSeries has given the Sensei Pro an Ultra Wide Band connection that operates between 6 and 9GHz and can use multiple channels for more data throughput to ensure an optimal connection – in a general sense, UWB offers 20 times more bandwidth than 2.4GHz.

All of this combines to make the Sensei Pro an incredible gaming mouse. Granted, a lot of things here are difficult for us mere mortals to experience, but I can testify that it’s one of the best gaming mice I’ve used. It’s light, brisk and immensely responsive.

The problem with having all of this power is that it usually comes with quite a penalty when it comes to endurance. To this end, SteelSeries has employed a clever swappable battery system to ensure you won’t run out of charge. At full chat, you’ll get up to 16 hours per battery – with two included, that’s up to 32 hours of charge. Drop down to 1000Hz polling, and you’ll get up to 60 hours per battery for 120 hours of total charge.

Software and Lighting

• Extensive software customisation with GG suite
• No RGB lighting to speak of

SteelSeries has employed its tried-and-tested GG suite for the Sensei Pro, offering a range of customisation on everything from DPI to polling rate and button remapping to lots more besides. 

You can choose DPI on separate X and Y axes, alongside the polling rate for both clicks and sensor and enable the Max Performance mode mentioned above. Alongside this, GG provides you with the option to match your sensitivity to a previous mouse you’ve used for a seamless transition to your new one. There is a new version of the brand’s 3D Aim Trainer coming in the future called Performance Coach, which can keep you warmed up in between downtime in certain games and tell you where you’re going wrong, which is very clever.

There is also the option of GG Web, which provides a web-based UI that runs in a browser and pares back some features, but is another choice if you can’t install software on a PC but still want some customisation – handy for eSports tournaments that are traditionally played on locked-down PCs. It’s the first time SteelSeries has offered this, which is nice. To get the full functionality, though, you’ll want to use the proper GG suite.

As is common for ultralight gaming mice, you won’t find any flashy RGB lighting with this Sensei Pro either, in the name of conserving battery and looking mean.

Should you buy it?