Steelseries Aerox 5 and Aerox 9 Wireless: New gaming mice

With the SteelSeries Aerox 3, the manufacturer has an excellent gaming mouse in its portfolio in the 2022 re-release, which cleared a dream score in our test. Now, the Steelseries Aerox 5 (wired and wireless), as well as the Aerox 9 Wireless, join the lineup of two more models that, however, tear a deep hole in the wallet.

Steelseries Aerox 5 and Aerox 9 Wireless unveiled

In purely visual terms, the new Steelseries Aerox 5 and Aerox 9 Wireless gaming mice hardly differ from their already familiar little brother, the Aerox 3 Wireless. This time, too, the Danish manufacturer relies on an airy case dotted with holes that keeps the weight down. However, thanks to the patented AquaBarrier technology, the inner workings of the three rodents are protected against water, dust and dirt according to IP54 certification.

All three mice stay below the 100-gram mark in the process. The Steelseries Aerox 5 is available either wired or wireless and weighs 66 grams or 74 grams in the case of the wireless model, while the Steelseries Aerox 9 Wireless is only available wirelessly with a weight of 89 grams.

As “multi-genre mice,” the three rodents are aimed at gamers who are at home across the gaming spectrum. The two wireless models are said to last around 180 hours, while the batteries can be quickly recharged using the detachable USB-C cable.

Wireless via Bluetooth or wireless

Wirelessly, the Steelseries Aerox 5 Wireless and Aerox 9 Wireless communicate either via Bluetooth (version 5.0) or the 2.4 GHz wireless network. However, the battery life drops to around 80 hours in the only interesting wireless mode for gamers, namely in the 2.4 GHz network with significantly lower latency.

The 180 hours are only available in Bluetooth mode and also only with deactivated RGB lighting, which lets all three rodents shine in three zones in bright colors. Of course, the PrismSync lighting can be extensively customized using the SteelSeries Engine 3 software.

Common to all mice is the ergonomic shape, with the button layout aimed exclusively at right-handed users. The Aerox 5 models are suitable for the Palm or Claw grip, while the Aerox 9 Wireless is designed exclusively on the Palm grip.

Offered will be all new gaming mice exclusively in matte black color scheme along with a case made of ABS plastic. Traditionally, however, white models should also follow shortly.

The inner values

From a technical perspective, the Steelseries Aerox 5, Aerox 5 Wireless and Aerox 9 Wireless are largely similar. All three gaming mice rely on the SteelSeries TrueMove Air sensor based on the PixArt PAW-3335, which performs at a maximum of 18,000 CPI.

The three Aerox models also share the maximum speed of 400 IPS, the acceleration of 40G and a polling rate of 1,000 Hz or one millisecond. However, there are differences in terms of size and additional keys.

The Steelseries Aerox 5 and wireless model are 128.8 mm long, 62.8 mm wide and 26.7 mm high. They feature a total of 9 freely programmable buttons (two main switches, a clickable mouse wheel, a button on the top, and a full five buttons on the left side).

The Steelseries Aerox 9 Wireless, on the other hand, has room for a full 18 buttons on exactly the same size, including a four-way mouse wheel and 12 buttons on the left side. This makes it ideal for MMO gamers.

Prices and availability

The three new gaming mice Steelseries Aerox 5, Wireless and Aerox 9 Wireless are now available in stores. However, the nagers do not turn out to be really cheap due to the technology offered. The Aerox 5 starts at an MSRP of 89.99 euros, while the wireless model Aerox 5 Wireless costs 149.99 euros. The Aerox 9 Wireless is slightly more expensive and costs 159.99 Euros.