Razer Naga Pro review: "A champion among mice"

The Razer Naga Pro can be intimidating. It offers three interchangeable panels with 20 buttons between them, and it couldn't be clearer that this is a high-performance gaming mouse.

But honestly, you shouldn't be scared off. It's quite possibly the best gaming mouse I've used recently and has quickly become my go-to for gaming and work. Deftly balancing functionality with price, the Razer Naga Pro is a winning combo that builds upon its predecessor while sanding off any rough edges.

Features

The headliners of the Razer Naga Pro are, of course, those swappable panels. There are three in total: a standard two-button affair like the Razer DeathAdder V2; a numbered MMO section that's similar to the Corsair Scimitar RGB Elite; and a smaller numbered section for MOBAs. This offers plenty of flexibility.

It's a sense of freedom heightened by the fact that the whole thing can be used wirelessly via Razer's own HyperSpeed technology, which claims to be 25% faster than any other wireless gaming tech. Crucially, you don't have to cut the cord either. If you'd rather stick to the cable, you can simply plug in the braided Speedflex USB wire.

Elsewhere, the Pro offers optical switches for faster clicks and an optical sensor with up to 20,000 DPI, not to mention 99.6% resolution accuracy. Much like the 100% PTFE feet, that makes it blindingly fast and reliable.

The Pro rounds out its offering with a scroll wheel that can be clicked from left to right, and what is supposed to be a battery life of up to 150 hours (through Bluetooth).

Design

This Pro version of the Naga isn't all that different to look at when compared to the older (but still excellent) Naga Trinity. They're broadly the same shape, have the same scroll wheel, and take a similar, less-is-more approach to RGB. Considering how gaudy some high-performance gaming mice can be, that's a mark in its favor.

However, it does stand apart in a few key ways. Most noticeably, the Pro shakes up the button positioning on its MOBA panel. Rather than being laid out in a circle as before, they're now in two horizontal rows of three above a rubber grip. The Pro also hosts a glossy strip down the middle of its shell that is home to two squat DPI buttons. 

The plastic is ever so slightly different in feel, too - it's the tiniest bit grainier. Meanwhile, the side grips have changed from long grooves to the small, intricate rubber hexes currently rolling out across Razer's range. This ups the 'premium' feeling.

Performance

Having used the Razer Naga Pro extensively for gaming and work, I can say without a doubt that it's a great piece of kit. Much like the Razer Naga Left-Handed Edition (the best left-handed gaming mouse going), it's a superb bit of tech that makes managing attacks in an RPG or blasting through spreadsheets much easier.

Naturally, it takes a while to get used to. When you initially pick up the Naga Pro, it feels odd underhand; it has an unusual shape that's a departure from the Razer Viper or the DeathAdder's sleek design. Namely, it has a bulbous extra section on the right flank that juts out. Despite what you might think, however, this is actually very comfortable. Besides giving you something to lean on, it offers greater precision and control, which is especially useful thanks to the Naga Pro's wealth of extra buttons.

These are the stars of the show, of course. No matter what you play, you won't find a mouse with more utility. Those three panels enhance everything from MMOs to first-person shooters, resulting in the perfect mouse for anyone who dabbles in a variety of genres. Because they're so easy to snap on and off thanks to magnets - and because the Pro recognises that change instantly - it's no trouble at all to switch gears and play something else on a whim.

For shooters, the two-button setup allows for the same whip-crack responsiveness as the Viper. For MOBAs or even battle royales such as Fortnite, the six-button alternative wins out by keeping every item you need close to hand. But it's the classic 12-button panel that shines brightest. Although it took a while to become familiar with (and I worried that it'd be tough to tell the difference between buttons by feel), it genuinely made playing the likes of World of Warcraft much easier. Even back when I played MMOs such as Guild Wars 2 each week, I still had to check which key I was hitting on the keyboard every now and then. Here, it's so much more straightforward. The Naga Pro's 12 buttons are easy to navigate, allowing me to fire shots with my dwarven musket before instantly pivoting to another attack or a healing boost. Plus, many of the games listed here come with pre-made profiles so you don't have to set anything up. 

Sure, all of this increases the price. But those interchangeable panels and the tech working alongside them makes the cost worthwhile. For starters, the 20,000 DPI ceiling makes for a lightning-fast gaming mouse that can really give you an edge in practically any game - you barely have to move your hand to twitch the pointer across the screen, allowing for much quicker responses in shooters like Call of Duty: Warzone. It's the same story with the left and right-click of the scroll wheel: it allows you to breeze through everything from in-game text to work spreadsheets, and I wouldn't go back. 

Finally, the wireless functionality offers no latency that I can detect. With the option to plug in via USB, it's the best of both worlds. Particularly because the battery life of the Naga Pro is so good - I went a good three or four days of constant use without having to charge it at all.

Overall - should you buy it?

If your budget can stretch to it, the Razer Naga Pro is the ultimate gaming mouse and the best wireless gaming mouse by quite a way - it offers utility, clever upgrades, and best-in-class tech. I started out sceptical, but am now a total convert.