Razer Basilisk V3 Pro 35K review: "hampered by its predecessor"

Released two years after the original Razer Basilisk V3 Pro (which we gave full marks in our 2022 review), the new 35K model promises a faster sensor, boosted battery life, and a wider range of sensor customization options. The jump from 30K to 35K may be negligible for most players, though, and the original model's battery life was already pretty solid. This is a mid-life refresh for the chunkier Razer rodent, but whether it will be worth buying over the older (and therefore cheaper) previous generation isn't quite so clear cut.

Both mice launched at a hefty $159.99 MSRP - about as expensive as the best gaming mouse models get. However, in its extra two years on the shelves, the Basilisk V3 Pro has dropped as low as $95 and is generally found for around $110 day to day. Considering there's a $50 premium on the Razer Basilisk V3 Pro 35K model, you'll need to really want that extra speed to proceed.

Design

This isn't Razer's light and zippy FPS-first pointer. The chunkier frame, wider base, and heavier profile firmly cement the Basilisk as a slower, more tactile device. It still feels fantastic under the hand, though, even coming straight from the flyweight Logitech G Pro X Superlight 2 DEX. At 112g it's not as easy to flick into wilder shots or quickly pivot to an approaching enemy, and I did struggle with the extra heft at first. However, the curvature of the main hump and the severe gradient to the front angle (tilting right) meant I was still able to maneuver this rodent with impressive speed. Yes, the weight drags more than you'll find in the Razer Viper V3 Pro, but the excellent PTFE feet underneath mean each glide is still buttery smooth, making for a zippy experience overall.

It's not quite fast enough for competitive FPS gameplay, but it still packs the speed necessary to keep up with my amateur CS:2 sessions. Instead, the real benefit of that larger chassis is the blend of speed and comfort. Not only does the larger form factor lend itself to a more comfortable claw or palm grip, especially with that slanted front, but the generous thumb rest on the left provides plenty of landing space for a strong hold as well. This surface is slightly rubberized with a dotted texture for extra textural support (repeated on the opposite flank as well), which means I can easily keep the tip of my thumb in place while letting the rest of my fingers do the rest of the work. I'm normally relying on my wrist a lot more in a relaxed palm grip, which can strain over time.

The main chassis still features a nice amount of texture to its plastic cover, with a slightly bumpy design that promotes easy control within the palm and across the main clicks. I received the white version, and I'm in love with the aesthetic.

There's something much cleaner about white tech these days. I don't know if it's the fact that everything was limited to black or gray for most of gaming hardware's history, but the crisp, clean design of the Razer Basilisk V3 Pro 35K feels particularly swish. That white chassis is cut up with angular black diagonals and curves across the top of the main hump, featuring a glossy finish that manages to catch any extra RGB lighting you have in your setup particularly well. It looks like a serious piece of kit, both in hand and on the desktop.

The brighter plastic also allows the abundant RGB lighting to shine at its brightest as well. While you can't configure them individually, there are three areas of LEDs stamped in here. The scroll wheel and Razer logo are the two areas you'll see the most of, but there's also a strip of underglow lighting around the base as well. This is one of my favorite aspects of the Basilisk design as a whole. I loved it on the cheaper Razer Basilisk V3 base model, and its inclusion in the latest wireless iteration is a particularly slick benefit.

Everything feels solidly built, there's no creaking under pressure from either the sides or the top and bottom of the device. Main clicks exhibit no wobble or extra travel, and the scroll wheel is secured in the center with no flexing either. There's only one niggling concern in the Razer Basilisk V3 Pro 35K's construction, and it's more of an annoyance. This will only affect the white version, but the joinery on the underside of the device does allow smaller fibers from a mouse pad to cling. There's a fairly deep groove around the main control area, which picks up, and holds onto, these fibers with particular stubbornness.

Features

The sensor, scroll wheel, and battery are the main drivers behind this refresh, promising faster top speeds with more functionality and for longer between charges. While it may have made its way into the name of the device, though, the sensor upgrades are likely going to be the least important changes to the feature list.

Very few players will need to get near even the 30,000 DPI offered on the original Razer Basilisk V3 Pro, let alone move past it and into 35,000 DPI territory. At most, the majority of users will tap out at around 5,000 DPI - I rarely move beyond 3,500 even in faster first person shooters. What's perhaps more impressive is that 750 IPS. In real world use, this jump means that the 35K Basilisk can track faster movements with far more accuracy than the 650 IPS tracker of similarly large mice like the Turtle Beach Kone II Air and the 400 IPS Logitech G502 X Plus.

Up top, each main click features the same third generation optical switches as the previous model, offering a clean and snappy response with a speedy response and energetic debounce. You'll also find similarly clacky switches underneath each other two main side buttons and the additional sniper button positioned towards the front of the device.

The scroll wheel is largely the same as in the previous release. Nicely notched when you need precision and free-spinning when time's of the essence, this is a hybrid design that carries over from the previous release. That means Smart-Reel is still in play, a more dynamic scrolling mode that automatically swaps from a Tactile (notched) to a freewheeling spin when moved fast enough.

It's a neat addition that I wouldn't necessarily rely on during gameplay (it's a little too sensitive, often moving into free-spin when I simply want a faster, but still controlled, mode) but comes in handy when browsing the web. The latter use-case also benefits from Virtual Acceleration, dynamically speeding up that scroll even more when faster movements are detected. The only difference here is there's now an adjustable slider that can be used to personalize these acceleration levels.

Of course, all that's configured in good old Razer Synapse. While it's not the most reliable of programs, the latest Synapse 4 release does let up on your CPU a little compared to previous iterations and holds a wealth of customization options that often span beyond those offered by competitors. The Razer Basilisk V3 Pro 35K benefits from an abundance of different dials and sliders, all working to fine-tune your experience across sensor, scroll wheel, keybinding, RGB, and battery settings.

These are nicely laid out across five tabs, with an easy keybinding process to start off. Personalized inputs can be set across 12 buttons - your usual side buttons but also an extra two side inputs on the scroll wheel, two buttons just underneath that, and a 'Sensitivity Clutch' (a DPI slower for moments that require finer control). Five DPI settings can be saved to the mouse itself, with a button underneath the scroll wheel toggling between different speeds.

The Basilisk V3 Pro 35K also features a DPI Sensitivity Matcher. Sliding your old mouse and the Basilisk side by side along a surface while running the feature will essentially transfer your DPI sensitivity from one to the other. I've used this with the Razer Viper V3 Pro in the past, and it's a bit of a gimmick. I'd expect it to only be used once, and it's not even particularly necessary for that initial setup either.

There are 13 zones of RGB Chroma lighting to play with here, and a range of different effects to choose within Synapse itself. Overall, the lighting is bold and vibrant, though you'll need to bump up the brightness to 100% to get the full benefit of that underglow effect.

That's going to have a noticeable impact on battery life. Sure, RGB lighting does generally run down a charge quicker, but I noticed a particularly speedy depletion on the Razer Basilisk V3 Pro 35K with these LEDs at full whack. Razer estimates a 140 hour battery life on the new model. With my day to day use that would normally last me around two weeks but with all guns blaring I only made it to around ten days from a full charge - around 80 hours. With those lights off, Razer's 140 hour suggestion rang true.

Performance

It took me a little while to get used to the larger form factor of the Razer Basilisk V3 Pro 35K, having come to the mouse fresh from a series of ultra-light FPS-first pointers. I was a firm believer in the Logitech G502 Hero back in the day, though, and once that muscle memory kicked in I was away. This is a particularly smooth mouse to navigate both fast and slow gameplay moments with. The glide feels incredibly soft under-hand, which impressed me considering the feet themselves aren't particularly generous in size. Despite only taking up, maybe, 20% of the base they provide a nicely textured swipe on a mouse pad.

I did struggle on harder surfaces, though. If you use a more rigid mouse pad or you play directly on a desk top, I'd recommend something with larger, deeper skates. The Basilisk sometimes crunches across the desk top as it is and feels significantly more cumbersome without a dedicated surface underneath it.

Everything runs beautifully under the hood, though, with a slick sensor keeping up with every twitch of my CS2 gameplay and holding up against more frantic Avowed melee moments as well. The larger shape means I can't get into a more nimble fingertip grip for faster flicks and tweaks, but I still felt nimble in a claw grip. Surprisingly, I was never fatigued in this posture either. I would have expected to feel the strain on my pinky and ring finger due to the extra weight of the Basilisk, but the contoured shape of the device lends itself well to both comfort and control for longer sessions.

The main clicks are super fast for simple shots, and repeat presses actuate nice and speedy with very little unnecessary travel in between them. That makes for comfortable spamming (provided you're in the right grip) and precise, well-placed headshots alike.

Should you buy the Razer Basilisk V3 Pro 35K?

There's one problem with the Razer Basilisk V3 Pro 35K, and that's that you can essentially pick up the exact same mouse for $50 less these days. The new release simply doesn't do enough to separate itself from the original, offering an extra 5,000 DPI that practically nobody will use and a niche scroll wheel adjustment feature that adds on to an already existing function. Sure, you're getting an extra wad of battery life, but considering the original already had plenty of other flagships beat there's little point to stretching a little further for so much more cash.

If it was the first in its line, with no ancestor to worry about, the V3 Pro 35K may well be one of my favorite gaming mice on the market. It's certainly got the competition beat in its sensor specs, comfort, and additional features. Without its own benefits, though, the V3 Pro 35K feels a little lost. If the features and design laid out above are exciting, I'd recommend sticking to the original for a better value proposition overall.

How I tested the Razer Basilisk V3 Pro 35K

I used the Razer Basilisk V3 Pro 35K for a period of two weeks, running the rodent for all my daily work and play during that time. I primarily used the device in Avowed, Oxenfree 2, and Fallout 4, while also specifically testing across CS2 as well. I ran the battery down from a full charge twice, once with full RGB and again with no LEDs at all, while also experimenting with different sensor and scroll wheel functions during both play and daily work. For more information on how we test gaming mice, check out the full GamesRadar+ Hardware Policy.

I'm also hunting for all the best wireless gaming mouse models as well as the best Logitech gaming mice around. Of course, there are plenty more of the best Razer mice to contend with as well.