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The Logitech G305 Lightspeed is a weird egg-shaped mouse that became a favourite with modders thanks to its budget price, AA battery power and reliable 2.4GHz wireless. Now, eight years on from its 2018 debut, Logitech has upgraded the egg mouse by essentially incorporating some of the most popular hacks, including a more lightweight design, better battery life and upgraded internals. The £70/$80 G305 X Superlight looks like a strong contender, but can it become just as beloved as its progenitor?
Looking at the G305 X Superlight, it's clear that this mouse takes greater design inspiration from the G502 X lineup (and recent Logitech keyboards), with its semi-transparent plastic under the DPI switch, than the Superlight family of straitlaced esports mice. The shape is nigh-identical to the original G305 Lightspeed, with side buttons that are minutely further forward, but the sensor position, scroll wheel and back hump are all exactly as they were. The plastic body feels a little rough and textured, with plenty of grip available from the rounded sides for rapid repositioning but no particular coating as such. The G305 X also extends the usability of the original, with new Bluetooth support adding on to the existing USB wired and 2.4GHz Lightspeed wireless options.
Internally, there have been even more significant changes. The total weight drops by 40 percent to just 59 grams, a consequence of thinner but stronger side walls, miniaturised circuit boards and lighter rechargeable batteries, while the original Hero 12K sensor is dropped for the new Hero 44K option - several generations newer. That unlocks much better tracking at speed, while the maximum polling rate climbs to 8000Hz (via the Pro receiver, sold separately). Newer Omron mechanical switches rated for double the endurance under the left/right buttons and a swap from a TTC Silver to Kailh GE 5.0 scroll encoder complete the upgrades. On the whole, you'd expect a significant jump from 2018 to 2026, but these are some impressive specs for a sub-$100 mouse.
I also appreciate the fact that the screws needed to take apart the mouse are simple Phillips cross-heads that are fully visible on the underside, with no need to mess up your mouse skates trying to find them. Given the G305's adoration from modders who did everything from replacing the AA batteries with lighter AAA alternatives to 3D printing complete replacement shells, the G305 X has clearly been designed with that legacy in mind. It's also a bonus for repairability, especially as we're losing the AA batteries found in the original mouse. There's also a convenient slot for the 2.4GHz dongle down here, just like the original.
Where the G305 X falls down slightly is in its software, which is only available via a downloadable app called G Hub. This works absolutely fine, but I prefer the more modern paradigm of a web app, as this eliminates the need for downloads, installs and updates. Still, G Hub is reliable and well laid out, with a nice tutorial that introduces rare features (like "bhop mode" to prevent accidental jumps in Counter-Strike 2) before giving you full access to the controls.
Playing with the G305 X Superlight took a bit of getting used to, just because this egg-shaped ambidextrous shape is a rarity amongst the gaming mice I tend to test. I found that the weirdly pointy PTFE skates had a tendency of digging into cloth mats that I tried, but these worked better on a lower-friction glass pad (Razer's Atlas Pro).
Otherwise though, the low weight and modern sensor offered good performance in games that require tracking, like MechWarrior 5: Mercenaries, and those that require flicks, like Counter-Strike 2. I wouldn't say that this is the best choice for esports, but the Superlight version certainly feels a lot more competitive than the original G305 from 2018. Replace those awkwardly-shaped skates with some aftermarket dots, and I think you're onto a winner.
Finally, the mouse is exceptionally long-lasting: 130 hours via 2.4GHz Lightspeed wireless is superb. Fast charging is also effective, with two minutes of charging reportedly giving up to 3.5 hours of extra juice. Given that the original had effectively infinite battery life once you bought two sets of rechargeable batteries and a AA charger, it's great to see the G305 X Superlight also manage to push longevity standards.
Given that the G305 really hit its stride when sales pushed it into the $20 to $30 region, it's not a surprise that the G305 X feels like a harder sell at £70/$80. The Superlight is far from bad value, but the G305 was one of the best cheap gaming mice ever. I'm sure the new model too will be discounted in time though, and for anything around the £40/$50 mark this becomes an automatic essential upgrade thanks to its more modern specs, useful Bluetooth and lighter weight. Hopefully for eggy mouse fans, that discount day isn't too far away.