REVIEW : XPG ALPHA Wireless Gaming Mouse
Today we’re looking at the ALPHA Wireless Gaming Mouse “Untethered Extreme,” a newly released wireless mouse from ADATA XPG. The XPG ALPHA comes from ADATA’s XPG gaming brand and joins several other mice and gaming peripherals alongside ADATA XPG’s more traditional memory, storage devices, and cases.
The XPG ALPHA is a mid-sized ergonomic mouse that adheres to XPG’s Exoskeleton Design Language and is available in both wired and wireless variants. The wireless version under consideration has a conventional right-handed layout, with left and right triggers, a mouse wheel, forward and back thumb buttons, and a DPI selection button hidden under the mouse wheel.
The XPG Gaming Mouse Family
The XPG ALPHA joins the XPG PRIMER and INFAREX M20 mice as the XPG mouse lineup’s premier wired and wireless offering, which was previously limited to wired mice alone.
It’s worth noting that XPG isn’t new to incorporating OMRON switches or PixArt sensors, which bodes well for the XPG ALPHA.
The Package
The XPG ALPHA is packaged simply and neatly, with only the mouse and a USB-A to USB-C cable for charging and wired operation provided – and that’s all that’s required. The USB-A 2.4GHz dongle is sent in its stowed position under the mouse, making it relatively straightforward to track throughout transportation.
The Build
Except for the glossy thumb buttons and DPI toggle, the ALPHA under review sports a solid matte black surface from XPG. To add traction, the left and right walls feature triangle texturing, and the mouse wheel has a rubber grip surface.
The triggers are distinct buttons from the main body and have some play and wiggle, but they are snappy in usage and provide a moderate degree of feedback. There are three bigger PTFE mouse feet beneath, as well as a PTFE ring encircling the sensor.
Lighting
The XPG ALPHA includes three distinct lighting zones, each of which can be controlled separately in the XPG Prime programme.
The DPI advance button behind the mouse wheel has a single RGB light that is tied to the six separate steps of DPI levels – and the colour assigned to specific DPI levels is not adjustable – as well as the low battery warning being locked to a red breathing effect and the XPG ALPHA not appearing to be able to display a shade of white that approaches any technical definition of white. On our review model, 255 / 255 / 255 or #FFFFFF produces a pinkish tone that borders on a peach-like tone.
The Sensor and Battery
XPG has obtained PixArt’s high-performance PAW-3335 sensor for the XPG ALPHA, which is said to focus on low power consumption while offering a sensitivity of up to 16000 DPI and a tracking capacity of up to 400 inches per second. When in wireless mode, the ALPHA is powered by a 900mAh battery with a rated life of up to 60 hours.
The Switches
OMRON switches with an MTBF of 60 million clicks are used throughout XPG. The switches are well-integrated, with little play, pre-travel, and post-travel.
Size and Weight
The XPG ALPHA is a firmly mid-sized, mid-weight mouse, measuring 128mm x 78mm x 40g and weighing slightly under 100g. The ALPHA isn’t riddled with holes and won’t appeal to lightweight mouse fanatics, and the lack of weight upgrades won’t appeal to followers of Logitech’s G502 series – putting XPG’s latest mouse squarely in the sights of those looking for their own ‘just right.’
