Asus ProArt Mouse MD300 Review: Get the most out of every click

RihanJune 28, 2023

0 211 4 minutes read

Asus ProArt Mouse MD300 Review: Get the most out of every click

Launched in March 2023, the Asus ProArt Mouse MD300 carries a hefty price tag of Rs 8,499 but offers some unique features that may make it a bargain. The Asus Dial, which can also be found on other Asus ProArt devices, makes its way to the MD300. Asus has tried to incorporate clever software tricks to get the most out of this dial. We’ve been using this productivity mouse for the last week, testing it in different scenarios. If you’re thinking of upgrading your mouse, make sure you read our Asus ProArt Mouse MD300 review first.

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Asus ProArt Mouse MD300 review: Design

Inside the box, you get the MD300 mouse, a 2.4GHz USB receiver (inside the mouse), a USB Type-C to Type-A cable, a USB Type-C adapter, a Quick Start Guide, and a Warranty Card. The mouse weighs 109g without the USB dongle. Dimensionally, the mouse is 118mm long, 73mm wide, and 43mm tall.

We really like the build of the ProArt MD300. Even though its shell is made out of plastic, the matte black finish on the body gives it the premium feel you expect from a mouse in this price category. While the mouse may be slightly on the heavier side, its weight does not hinder any routine tasks.

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Asus ProArt Mouse MD300 review: Design

The Asus ProArt Mouse MD300 has an ergonomic design without being too bulky or flashy. The thumb rest on the left side of the device is of the appropriate width. The size of the mouse caters to all hand sizes. Apart from the standard vertically aligned scroll wheel at the centre of the mouse, you also get a horizontal scroll wheel along the side. Also present is the unique Asus Dial right alongside the horizontal scroll wheel. The Asus Dial offers more resistance than the other two wheels to reduce any accidental touches.

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There are a total of six programmable buttons on this mouse. The horizontal and vertical scroll wheels have integrated clicks, and there’s an additional button in the Asus Dial as well. The right-click and left-click have satisfying feedback. There’s another button right below the main scroll wheel, too. Interestingly, there are no dedicated back and forward buttons on this mouse, which a mouse of this stature should have had.

There are three big feet on the bottom panel that keep the mouse in place. The pairing button and power button are placed on either side of the optical sensor. The USB receiver is housed inside a small cavity on the lower side of the panel that does not hinder its movement.

Asus ProArt Mouse MD300 review: Performance

Pairing the Asus ProArt Mouse MD300 to your PC is super easy via Quick Pairing. As soon as you turn on the mouse, its pairing notification pops up on your PC. To connect the mouse to another device, all you have to do is press the pairing button at the bottom. The ProArt MD300 can connect to a maximum of 3 devices at one time.

Asus ProArt Mouse MD300 review: Performance

The 4,200 DPI sensor on this mouse is bang on the money. You can easily use this mouse on any surface. We even tried using it on a glass table, where the mouse performed admirably well. While tracking was not an issue, the scrolling experience could have been better. For starters, there is no option to put the mail scrolling wheel in a free scroll mode. If you want to quickly scroll to the bottom of a spreadsheet or a long web page, you will have to put up with the resistance of the wheel.

Asus ProArt Mouse MD300 review: Performance

The side scroll wheel is not programmed to work on Excel and Google Docs by default. Horizontal scrolling is something you have to enable using Asus’ customisation software. Ideally, a mouse should be optimised in a way that doesn’t require you to install additional software to map the basic actions.

The Asus Dial is programmed to control the volume by default. You can program it to carry out actions like zooming in/out, altering the exposure, managing brightness and more, using Asus’ Armoury Crate software. This dial is a great tool for users that spend a lot of time editing photos and videos. While it is prone to accidental touches, its high resistance makes sure that it only pursues an action when the proper pressure is applied.

You can also map other keys using Armoury Crate. Even if you’re not a power user, assigning multimedia controls to the scroll wheels and the Asus Dial will come in very clutch. Once you get a hang of the mouse, you can set it up to carry out routine tasks seamlessly. You can also download firmware updates for the mouse from Armoury Crate.

Equipped with an 800mAh battery, Asus claims the MD300 can last for 150 days on a single charge. We did not use the mouse long enough to test this claim, but in our one week of use the battery drop-off was very minimal. Charging the mouse is also super easy, with a Type-C port provided at the front. One minute of quick charge powers this mouse for 8 hours of light use or 3 hours of heavy use.

Verdict

When it comes to hardware and design, the Asus ProArt Mouse MD300 does not disappoint. The mouse has a very premium in-hand feel and the ergonomic design ensures you do not feel any fatigue even after using it for several continuous hours. The Asus Dial is a nice addition, and we’d like to see it get more functions in future updates. The lack of a free scroll mode does dampen the experience a bit, but if you don’t mind that, the ProArt MD300 is a solid buy for Rs 8,499.