Dell Alienware AW310M  Mouse Review

Reviewed Aug 24, 2021 at 10:23am
Tested using Methodology v1.0 
Dell Alienware AW310M
7.8
Office/Multimedia 
7.0
Video Games (FPS) 
7.0
Video Games (MMO) 
5.5
Ultra-Light Gaming 
7.6
Travel 
 0

The Dell Alienware AW310M is a decent wireless gaming mouse with a distinctively shaped wingtip palm rest. It has an ambidextrous shape with two side buttons on the left. It's well-suited for most hand sizes using a palm or claw grip, and it feels well-built. However, there's a slight wobble in the scroll wheel, and the mouse rattles if you shake it. It only connects wirelessly with its USB receiver, and although it has an included cable, you can't connect the mouse with it as it's only an extender for the receiver. Performance-wise, it has low click latency and a wide CPI range. Unfortunately, you can only adjust the CPI by increments of 100, and while the lift-off distance is low, it isn't as low as some other mice.

Our Verdict

7.8
Office/Multimedia 

The Dell Alienware AW310M is good for office and multimedia work. It feels well-built and has a comfortable ambidextrous shape suitable for nearly all hand sizes using a palm or claw grip. It connects wirelessly with a USB receiver, and you can program all of the buttons using the companion software. Unfortunately, it doesn't have Bluetooth support, and its scroll wheel lacks L/R tilt buttons and doesn't unlock for free scrolling.

Pros
  • Feels well-built.
  • Ambidextrous design suitable for nearly all hand sizes using a palm or claw grip.
  • All buttons are programmable.
Cons
  • No Bluetooth support.
  • Scroll wheel lacks L/R tilt buttons and doesn't unlock for free scrolling.
7.0
Video Games (FPS) 

The Dell Alienware AW310M is a decent FPS gaming mouse. It feels well-built and has an ambidextrous shape well-suited for nearly all hand sizes using a palm or claw grip. Performance-wise, it has low latency and a wide CPI range. Unfortunately, the mouse is heavy, and you can only adjust the CPI by increments of 100. Also, although the click latency and lift-off distance are low, they're not quite as low as those on some other gaming mice.

Pros
  • Feels well-built.
  • Good click latency.
  • Ambidextrous design suitable for nearly all hand sizes using a palm or claw grip.
Cons
  • Heavy.
  • You can only adjust the CPI by increments of 100.
  • Mouse feet have sharp edges and don't glide quite as smoothly as those on some other mice.
7.0
Video Games (MMO) 

The Dell Alienware AW310M is a decent mouse for MMO gaming, but it doesn't have nearly as many side buttons as a dedicated MMO gaming mouse. That said, you can program all the buttons it does have, and it feels well-built. It also has an ambidextrous shape suitable for nearly all hand sizes using either a palm or claw grip. Performance-wise, it has low click latency, a low lift-off distance, and a broad CPI range. Unfortunately, you can only adjust the CPI by increments of 100.

Pros
  • Ambidextrous design suitable for nearly all hand sizes using a palm or claw grip.
  • All buttons are programmable.
Cons
  • Not nearly as many side buttons as a dedicated MMO gaming mouse.
  • You can only adjust the CPI by increments of 100.
5.5
Ultra-Light Gaming 

The Dell Alienware AW310M is inadequate for ultra-light gaming as it's quite heavy and much heavier than what we'd consider a dedicated ultra-light gaming mouse. Nevertheless, it feels well-built and has an ambidextrous shape suitable for nearly all hand sizes using a palm or claw grip. It has a wide CPI range, low click latency, and a low lift-off distance. Unfortunately, you can only adjust the CPI by increments of 100, and while the click latency and minimum lift-off distance are low, they're not quite as low as those on some other gaming mice.

Pros
  • Good click latency.
Cons
  • Heavy.
  • You can only adjust the CPI by increments of 100.
7.6
Travel 

The Dell Alienware AW310M is a good mouse for travel. It connects wirelessly with its USB receiver and is suitable for almost all hand sizes using a palm or claw grip. It feels well-built and has an internal storage compartment for its USB receiver when it's not in use. It also has onboard memory, meaning that you can use custom settings on computers without the software installed. Unfortunately, it's bulkier than a dedicated travel mouse, and it doesn't support Bluetooth. There's also no way to lower the polling rate to save battery life.

Pros
  • Feels well-built.
  • Ambidextrous design suitable for nearly all hand sizes using a palm or claw grip.
  • Onboard memory.
Cons
  • No Bluetooth support.
  • Bulky; likely won't fit in most laptop cases.
  • 7.8
    Office/Multimedia
  • 7.0
    Video Games (FPS)
  • 7.0
    Video Games (MMO)
  • 5.5
    Ultra-Light Gaming
  • 7.6
    Travel
  • Changelog

    1.  Updated Aug 24, 2021: Review published.
    2.  Updated Aug 18, 2021: Early access published.
    3.  Updated Jun 15, 2021: Our testers have started testing this product.
    4.  Updated Jun 11, 2021: The product has arrived in our lab, and our testers will start evaluating it soon.

    Check Price

    Dark Side of the MoonAlienware AW310M
    SEE PRICE
    Amazon.com
    Dark Side of the MoonAlienware AW310M
    SEE PRICE
    BestBuy.com
    Dark Side of the MoonAlienware AW310M
    SEE PRICE
    Walmart.com
    Dark Side of the MoonAlienware AW310M
    B&H

    Differences Between Sizes And Variants

    The Dell Alienware AW310M we tested is black. Dell refers to this color scheme as 'Dark Side of the Moon'. There are no other color variants for this mouse. You can see the label for our unit here.

    Popular Mouse Comparisons

    The Dell Alienware AW310M is a decent wireless gaming mouse. It shares the same distinctive body shape as the Dell Alienware AW510M and Dell Alienware AW610M. It most closely resembles the AW610M with its wireless capabilities and two side buttons. Unlike the AW610M, however, it uses an AA battery rather than an internal, rechargeable battery. Unfortunately, like many similar wireless gaming mice, it has no Bluetooth support, and there's no option to adjust the polling rate to save battery life. It's also missing the feature to change the scroll wheel between a 12 and 24 incremented step mode, a rare feature that both the other Alienware mice have.

    For more options, see our recommendations for the best mouse, the best wireless mouse, and the best gaming mouse.

    Dell Alienware AW610M

    The Dell Alienware AW610M shares the same shape as the Dell Alienware AW310M, but the AW610M performs slightly better overall. The AW610M has a rechargeable internal battery and connects either with its charging cable or wirelessly with a USB receiver. Performance-wise, it has a higher maximum CPI and a lower lift-off distance. It also has a switch on the underside that changes the scroll wheel between a 12 and 24-step mode. On the other hand, the AW310M uses an AA battery and only connects wirelessly with its USB receiver. It includes a cable, but it's only a wireless receiver extender. It also has a slightly lower click latency.

    Razer Viper Mini

    The Razer Viper Mini is an excellent wired gaming mouse, while the Dell Alienware AW310M is a decent wireless gaming mouse. The Razer is a wired-only mouse that's significantly lighter and feels sturdier. It also has mouse feet that glide more smoothly and a much lower click latency. The Razer also allows you to set a HyperShift button to enable a secondary layer of controls. On the other hand, the Dell only connects wirelessly with a USB receiver and uses an AA battery. It also has a distinctive palm rest with both a thumb and pink rest. Performance-wise, it has a more consistent sensor and a wider CPI range.

    Corsair M55 RGB Pro

    The Dell Alienware AW310M is a decent wireless gaming mouse, while the Corsair M55 RGB Pro is a great wired gaming mouse. The Corsair is lighter and has mouse feet that glide more smoothly. It also has two additional side buttons on the right and a lower click latency. Its customization software is compatible with Windows and macOS, while the Dell only has software for Windows. On the other hand, the Dell connects wirelessly with its USB receiver and uses an AA battery. It has a more consistent sensor and a lower lift-off distance. It also has a thumb and pinky rest, which the Corsair lacks.

    Logitech M720 Triathlon

    The Logitech M720 Triathlon is an excellent wireless office mouse, while the Dell Alienware AW310M is a decent wireless gaming mouse. Both connect wirelessly with a USB receiver and use an AA battery, but Logitech has Bluetooth support and software compatible with Windows and macOS, two features that the Dell lacks. Both mice also have a thumb rest, but the Dell has a pinky rest as well. The Logitech feels sturdier and has four more programmable buttons. It also has a scroll wheel with L/R tilt inputs and free-scrolling. Comparatively, The Dell has a lower click latency and an adjustable polling rate and CPI.

    Show more 

    Test Results

    perceptual testing image
    Sort:
    RATINGS
    Category:
    All
    Design
    Style
    Type
    Standard
    Lighting ColorRGB
    Shape
    Length5.3" (134 mm)
    Height1.7" (43 mm)
    Width3.1" (78 mm)
    Grip Width
    60 mm
    7.3
    Portability
    Volume
    27.40 in³ (449 cm³)
    Cable/Receiver Storing
    Yes
    Weight
    Maximum Weight With Wire
    119 g
    Maximum Weight Without Wire
    119 g
    Minimum Weight Without Wire
    119 g
    Weight Distribution
    Centered
    Extra Weights
    No

    The Dell Alienware AW310M comes with an Energizer Max AA battery that weighs 23.42g. However, we perform our tests using our own generic batteries as per our methodology. The battery we used is an Amazon Basics rechargeable AA battery that weighs 27.51g.

    8.0
    Build Quality
    8.5
    Comfort Of Use
    Right-handed
    No
    Left-handed
    No
    Ambidextrous
    Yes
    Coating
    Matte
    Finger Rest
    Thumb and Pinky
    Palm Grip: Hand Size Recommendation
    Small Hand
    Yes
    Medium Hand
    Yes
    Large Hand
    Yes
    X.Large Hand
    Yes
    Claw Grip: Hand Size Recommendation
    Small Hand
    No
    Medium Hand
    Yes
    Large Hand
    Yes
    X.Large Hand
    Yes
    Fingertip Grip: Hand Size Recommendation
    Small Hand
    No
    Medium Hand
    No
    Large Hand
    No
    X.Large Hand
    Yes
    6.6
    Wireless Versatility
    Bluetooth
    No
    Receiver
    Yes
    Battery Type
    1x AA
    Use When Charging
    No ( Single use batteries)
    On/Off Activation
    Auto Off And On/Off Switch
    Receiver Extender
    Yes
    Battery IndicatorYes

    Dell advertises that the Dell Alienware AW310M has a battery life of 300 hours. However, this isn't something we test. The RGB light zone behind the scroll wheel flashes when the battery is low.

    0.0
    Cable
    ConnectivityWireless
    Cable LengthN/A
    Cable Type
    No Cable
    Permanent Kink
    No
    Port Type: Mouse End
    No Port
    Port Type: PC End
    No Port

    The Dell Alienware AW310M comes with a cable, but you can't connect the mouse with it. The cable is only used as an extender for the wireless USB receiver.

    7.0
    Mouse Feet
    Gliding Experience
    Ok
    Material
    PTFE
    Extra Included
    No
    In The Box

    • Dell Alienware AW310M
    • User documentation
    • Energizer Max AA battery
    • USB receiver
    • USB cable/receiver extender
    Control
    Sensor Specifications
    Sensor Technology
    Optical (LED)
    Sensor Model
    Not Specified
    Works On Glass
    No
    Minimum CPI (DPI)
    100 CPI
    Maximum CPI (DPI)
    12,000 CPI
    CPI (DPI) Adjustment Steps
    100 CPI
    CPI (DPI) Variation
    5%
    Minimum Lift Off Distance
    2.4 mm
    Maximum Polling Rate
    1000 Hz

    The polling rate on the Dell Alienware AW310M is locked at 1000Hz, and there's no option in the software to adjust it.

    6.7
    Buttons
    Buttons Activation
    Mechanical
    Total Number Of Buttons
    6
    Number Of Side Buttons
    2
    Number Of Programmable Inputs
    6
    Profile Switching Button
    No
    CPI (DPI) Switching Button
    Yes
    Gesture Support
    No

    You can reprogram all of the buttons on the Dell Alienware AW310M. However, you can't program the scroll wheel up/down inputs, and the left and right-click buttons are only swappable or programmable for custom game profiles. You can set three CPI profiles using the configuration software and cycle between them using the CPI button below the scroll wheel.

    Mouse Wheel
    Scroll Wheel
    Notched Wheel
    Scroll Wheel Steps
    24 Steps
    Scroll Wheel Tilt
    No
    Thumb Wheel
    No
    Thumb Wheel Steps
    No Thumb Wheel
    Noise
    Click Noise
    Quiet
    7.8
    Click Latency
    Click Latency: Receiver
    16 ms
    Click Latency: Bluetooth
    N/A
    Click Latency: Wired
    N/A
    Operating System And Software
    7.8
    Compatible Software Option
    Software NameAlienware Command Center
    Software Windows Compatibility
    Yes
    Software macOS Compatibility
    No
    Account Needed
    No
    On-Board Memory
    Yes
    CPI (DPI) Adjustment
    Yes
    Polling Rate Adjustment
    No
    Profile Configuration
    Yes
    RGB On/Off
    Yes
    10
    Mouse Compatibility
    Windows CompatibilityFully
    macOS CompatibilityFully