Expert Rating
Pros
- Adaptive tracking speed beyond what macOS offers
- Good price
- cozy
- Option to use 2.4GHz wireless connection
Cons
- The software utility will not be available until June
Our Judgment
The M3 Wireless Mouse isn’t as stylish as the Magic Mouse, but it’s more useful. You can find other mice that offer more features for less money, but the M3 is overall a great deal.
Price When Checked
$49
Best Price Today: M3 Wireless Mouse
Keychron has made a name for itself by making high-quality mechanical keyboards, but has recently branched out into other accessories, including the wired M1 mouse. Now Keychron has a new wireless mouse, the M3, a great addition to the company’s lineup and a high-performing alternative to Apple’s Magic Mouse.
The M3 was made with PC gaming in mind, but it can be used on a Mac without any major operational issues. Compared to the Magic Mouse, the M3 has a utilitarian design in white or black like many other third-party computer mice. I found the taller profile of the M3 to be more comfortable in my hand than the Magic Mouse, but if you favor the design of the Magic Mouse, you probably won’t like the M3.
Since this is a gaming mouse, an optional RGB light adds some flair by illuminating the cutouts along the M3 and the scroll wheel. Like other gaming mice from Razer and Logitech, it can change colors while in use, or toggle between different lighting modes via a button under the scroll wheel. It’s an aesthetic that lends itself to the PC gaming community, but if you have an M1 iMac in red, green, or blue, the M3’s lighting effect makes for a nice compliment.
But don’t judge a rat by its looks alone. The key feature of the M3 is the PAW3395DM optical sensor, which supports a whopping 26,000 dpi resolution, which is a big improvement over the Magic Mouse, which has a reported 1,300 dpi resolution.
The M3 Wireless Mouse
Foundry
For a mouse, the optic resolution is about the number of pixels that move on the screen, and the higher the resolution, the more sensitive the mouse is to hand movements. True, not everyone wants a mouse that is too sensitive. But there are times where a very sensitive mouse comes in handy, namely face games. On a more practical level, it can help users who have physical issues managing a mouse, or if you’re doing better image, video, or audio editing.
The M3 also has super fast tracking, rated at 650 inches per second. To illustrate how fast tracking is, I needed about 4 inches / 2.5 centimeters to move the macOS pointer from one edge of a 15-inch MacBook Pro screen to the opposite edge with the Magic Mouse. and its tracking is set to the fastest level. in Mouse system settings. With the same system settings and the M3 mouse set to fastest tracking, the same movement required only 0.25 inches / 0.64 centimeters.
If that’s too fast for you, the M3’s tracking speed is adjustable via a button on the bottom of the mouse. You can set it as fast as—or slower than—the Magic Mouse.
The M3 also has an adjustable polling rate, a feature that will appeal to gamers and something that will ignore non-gamers. The polling rate describes the frequency with which the mouse tells the computer its location, and gamers demand a high polling rate. The M3 can be set to 125Hz, 500Hz, and 1,000Hz just by pressing the button on the bottom of the mouse. (For reference, the Magic Mouse reportedly has a fixed 90Hz polling rate.) However, when the mouse is connected via Bluetooth, it only works at a 125Hz rate.
If you really want a faster voting rate, the M3 also supports the 2.4GHz wireless frequency that allows for faster voting. The Keychron includes USB-C and USB-A 2.4GHz receivers that you can plug into a Mac.
The M3 has a built-in battery rated for 70 hours. It charges via the USB-C slot on the top of the mouse, and Keychron includes a USB-C cable, USB-C to USB-A Adapter, and USB-C to USB-A female adapter. You can use the M3 as a wired mouse while it’s charging, and you can use the higher polling rate.
The mouse has left and right buttons and the scroll wheel/button has a notched rotation wheel, but no option to switch to an unnotched one. The mouse also has forward and backward buttons on the left side that work when using a browser.
Keychron currently has a Windows utility that can be used for configuring the M3’s buttons, adjusting lighting effects, executing macros, and tweaking the M3’s tracking and voting. The company says a Mac version will be available in June.
Unlike the Magic Mouse, you can still use the M3 when it’s charging.
Foundry
Bottom line
The M3 Wireless Mouse is cheaper than Apple’s Magic Mouse and it has a lot more to offer: wider tracking speeds; Bluetooth or 2.4GHz wireless connection; wired connectivity where you can still use the mouse; and comfortable fit. It’s not as stylish as the Magic Mouse, but it’s more useful. You can find other mice that offer more features for less money, but the M3 is overall a great deal.