Razer DeathAdder Elite Mouse Review

1. Introduction2. Unboxing and First Look3. Testing4. Closing Thoughts5. View All Pages

Razer have earned a well-deserved reputation for quality when it comes to their gaming mice, and today we are looking at the DeathAdder Elite. Billed as ‘THE' eSports gaming mouse, Razer say that the DeathAdder Elite sports the world's most advanced optical sensor – definitely a bold claim. We put the DeathAdder Elite through its paces to see if it is worth buying.

Razer are back with the DeathAdder Elite, a new high-end gaming mouse with a £69.95 price-tag. Whether it is worth that amount of cash is another thing, though, so read on for our full analysis of the build quality, features and performance.

Specification

• True 16,000 DPI optical sensor
• Up to 450 IPS / 50 g acceleration
• Razer Mechanical Mouse switches
• Ergonomic right-handed design with textured rubber side grips
• Gaming-grade tactile scroll wheel
• 7 independently programmable Hyperesponse buttons
• Razer Chroma™ lighting with 16.8 million customizable color options
• Razer Synapse enabled
• 1000 Hz ultrapolling
• On-the-fly sensitivity adjustment
• Gold-plated USB connector
• Seven-foot, lightweight, braided fiber cable
• Approximate size: 127 mm / 5 in (Length) x 70 mm / 2.76” (Width) x 44 mm / 1.73 in (Height)
• Approximate weight: 105 g / 0.23 lbs

The Razer DeathAdder Elite ships in a black box, though there is photo of the mouse visible from the front.

On the back of the box Razer have highlighted a few key features of the mouse, including the premium-grade sensor and mouse switches.

There were no accessories in my box, though this is likely due to the fact that I was sent a review sample. Retail models will include a quick-start guide and a ‘welcome to the Cult of Razer' greeting card.

Here we get our first look at the mouse itself. You would be forgiven for thinking it is ambidextrous, but if you look closely at the image above and on the right, you can see that it is subtly shaped to fit right-handers.

It is also worth mentioning the mouse makes use of a hard-plastic outershell – it does not have a rubberised finish.

Moving in to get a closer look, the left-hand side of the mouse sports two extra buttons (usually for in-browser navigation), while there is also a rubber pad below these buttons to help your thumb grip.

The right-hand side features the same rubber pad to allow your fourth-finger to grip, but that is it.

At the top of the mouse, we find the scroll wheel (yes, it does feature RGB lighting) and two DPI-adjustment buttons. It is also worth mentioning that the left-and-right-click buttons are contoured, so your fingers sit in small ‘grooves'.

At the bottom of the mouse is a relatively large Razer logo – this also features RGB lighting, something we look at on the next page.

Turning to the underside of the mouse, the DeathAdder Elite uses two large feet to help it glide smoothly.

Lastly, the braided cable is quite long, measuring in at 7ft (2.1m) in length.To test the DeathAdder Elite, I used it as my daily driver for a period of one week. During this time, I used it to play games, edit photos and for general office work.

To start things off, let's look at the Razer Synapse software.

Above you can see a gallery of all the different functions and options available within Synapse. If you have read any of our other Razer peripheral reviews lately (including my take on the Kraken 7.1 V2 headset) you will know that I am a big fan of the Synapse software.

In my opinion, it is really the complete package. For the DeathAdder Elite, it gives you control over button re-assignment, DPI stages and lighting as you would expect, but it also offers extra functionality many other software suites lack. For example, you can calibrate the mouse to the particular mousemat you are using – choosing from one of many pre-configured Razer mats, or calibrating the mouse manually.

Then, there is also the cool ‘stats' section. Here, the software tracks how many clicks you make each gaming session, while it can also create a heatmap of your clicking, as well as a schematic map of your movements.

All-in-all, Synapse is useful, polished and easy-to-use – I love it.

Moving on to the DeathAdder Elite's RGB lighting. As with most Razer peripherals, this is also very successful. Colours are vibrant and accurate, and I was particularly impressed with the level of brightness the LEDs are capable of.

My favourite feature of the lighting system is the Chroma-sync feature which lets you synchronise the lighting between other Chroma-compatible Razer peripherals. It is very satisfying to see a headset, mouse and keyboard cycle through the RGB spectrum completely in perfect harmony.

Moving on to the physical testing of the mouse, I loved using the DeathAdder Elite on a daily basis.

For one, it is supremely well-designed – it is almost as if it was designed to fit my right-hand perfectly, that's how comfortable I felt using it. This is thanks to the contoured mouse buttons, as well as the overall shape of the mouse. The rubber grip sections are also effective at making sure your thumb and fourth-finger stay on the mouse at all times.

Speaking of grip, I prefer a claw-style grip and that is very comfortable with the DeathAdder Elite. I also tried using a palm-grip and that is equally successful thanks to the high arch in the body of the mouse – so, whichever grip style you prefer, Razer has you covered.

If the DeathAdder Elite had a rubberised-finish the overall grip may have been stronger, but I think Razer prefer having hard-plastic outershells as it looks a bit more classy. That being said, I did not have any issues with grip anyway – even after a few sessions of Doom and Star Wars Battlefront – so it is definitely not a problem.

General gaming performance is also top-notch, with nothing to fault. The DPI-switch buttons are great if you need to adjust DPI on-the-fly, while I also tend to re-map the side navigation buttons to my secondary weapons or grenades. The sensor is also capable of up to 16,000 DPI which is massive – ridiculously so. I cannot imagine a situation where anyone would need such a high level of sensitivity, but I was perfectly comfortable at between 3200-4500 DPI and had no issues at all.

I must also mention the switches. Razer have co-designed and produced the switches with Omron, a big name in the mouse industry. These switches are rated at 50m clicks – most Omron switches, like those used in the Corsair M65 Pro RGB, are rated at a lesser 20m clicks, so that is definitely an improvement. They also have a lovely tactile bump, but they are still very fast, and I had a great time using them.

General tracking is also perfect, right down to the last pixel – I had no issues editing photos in Photoshop or while gaming. The two, large rubber feet on the underside of the DeathAdder Elite also mean the mouse glides very well, with no issues to report there either.

Razer also sent over their huge Gigantus mousemat for testing with the DeathAdder Elite.

It is a truly massive mousemat, measuring 455mm*455mm*5mm. I am particularly appreciative of the 5mm thickness, as it feels very secure and durable, while the stitched edge looks great.

The top of the mousemat uses what Razer calls a ‘textured cloth' finish, and I thought it felt great while it also allows fast movements. Lastly, the Gigantus also has a very effective anti-slip rubber base, and I did not encounter any unwanted slipping while using the mat.All-in-all, I am very impressed with the Razer DeathAdder Elite gaming mouse.

It is supremely well-designed and is thus beautifully comfortable to use, even during prolonged gaming sessions. I particularly like the contoured left-and-right buttons, as your fingers rest naturally in the slight groove.

Razer Synapse also offers a lot of functionality – you can view heatmaps and schematics of your mouse movement, while there is also control for the essential things like button re-assignment, RGB lighting and DPI settings.

The DeathAdder Elite is also a very effective gaming mouse. It is very fast, and you can even set the DPI as high as 16,000. Most people won't go near this, but the sensor is still highly-effective and top-quality.

It is on the pricey side, coming in at £69.95, but I have always taken the view that you have to be prepared to pay for the best – and I really cannot fault this mouse. For FPS and eSports gamers out there, the Razer DeathAdder Elite is the best mouse I've used.

You can buy one for £69.95 inc. VAT from Overclockers UK HERE.

Discuss on our Facebook page, over HERE.

Pros

• Beautiful design.
• Very comfortable.
• Synapse is an excellent piece of software.
• Fast and responsive for gaming.
• Great-feeling switches.
• DPI can go absurdly high.

Cons

• On the expensive side.

KitGuru says: Razer have done a brilliant job with the DeathAdder Elite. It is well-designed, comfortable and offers top performance.

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