The Finalmouse Starlight-12 Medium is an exceptional ultra-lightweight, wireless gaming mouse. Its honeycomb top shell body is magnesium alloy, making it remarkably lightweight but also very sturdy-feeling. It has a comfortable ambidextrous shape well-suited for a palm or a claw grip for all but extra-large hands or a fingertip grip for all except for small hands. Performance-wise, it has a high polling rate, a very low minimum lift-off distance, and very low click latency. It doesn't have a CPI range nearly as broad as most other gaming mice, but most gamers likely won't find this a major issue. Unfortunately, you can only cycle between four preset CPI settings. Also, there isn't any customization software for re-programming buttons or adjusting other sensor settings.
Note: Finalmouse releases its mice in drops, so they're only available while supplies last. At the time of publishing, the Finalmouse Starlight-12 drop is over, and all units were sold. Although Finalmouse has pledged to produce more, it's unclear when this will be, and right now, you can only purchase them from third-party resellers, which is how we had to buy our unit.
Our Verdict
The medium Finalmouse Starlight-12 is decent for office and multimedia work. It feels very well-built, and it has an ambidextrous shape suitable for all grip types and most hand sizes. You can use it with its charging cable or connect it wirelessly with its USB receiver. Unfortunately, it doesn't support Bluetooth. Also, there isn't companion software for adjusting sensor settings or remapping buttons, and the scroll wheel lacks L/R tilt buttons and doesn't unlock for free scrolling.
- Feels very sturdy.
- All default controls work on Windows and macOS.
- Connects either wired or wirelessly with its USB receiver.
- No Bluetooth support.
- Can't reprogram any of the default buttons as there's no customization software.
- Scroll wheel lacks L/R tilt buttons and doesn't unlock for free scrolling.
The medium Finalmouse Starlight-12 is great for FPS gaming. It feels very well-built, and it's extremely lightweight. It has an ambidextrous shape well-suited for most hand sizes. It connects either wired or wirelessly with its USB receiver, and its mouse feet glide very smoothly on mousepads and desks. Performance-wise, it has a high polling rate, a very low lift-off distance, and great, low click latency. Unfortunately, you can only choose between four CPI settings, and there isn't any software for making other adjustments to the sensor or button mapping.
- Feels very sturdy.
- Extremely lightweight.
- Oustanding click latency.
- Mouse feet glide very smoothly on mousepads and desks.
- Only four CPI presets.
The medium Finalmouse Starlight-12 is mediocre for MMO gaming since it doesn't have nearly as many side buttons as most dedicated MMO gaming mice, and you can't reprogram any of them as there isn't any customization software. Nevertheless, it feels very well-built and has an ambidextrous shape suitable for all grip types and most hand sizes. It also has a very low lift-off distance and low click latency, and though it doesn't have a very wide CPI range, it should be sufficient for most gamers. Unfortunately, it only has four default CPI settings.
- Feels very sturdy.
- Oustanding click latency.
- Mouse feet glide very smoothly on mousepads and desks.
- Not nearly as many side buttons as most dedicated MMO mice.
- No customization software for programming buttons or adjusting sensor settings.
- Only four CPI presets.
The medium Finalmouse Starlight-12 is an outstanding ultra-light gaming mouse that's remarkably lightweight, and it feels very well-built. Its ambidextrous shape is well-suited for all grip types and most hand sizes. You can connect it wirelessly with a USB receiver, and it has mouse feet that glide very smoothly on desks and mousepads. It also has impressively low click latency, a very low lift-off distance, and a high polling rate. Unfortunately, its CPI range isn't as wide as most other gaming mice, and there are only four preset CPI settings.
- Feels very sturdy.
- Extremely lightweight.
- Oustanding click latency.
- Mouse feet glide very smoothly on mousepads and desks.
- Only four CPI presets.
The medium Finalmouse Starlight-12 is adequate for travel use, but it's somewhat bulky and may not fit in all laptop cases. Also, it doesn't support Bluetooth and only connects wirelessly with its USB receiver. That said, it does feel very well-built and is suitable for all grip types and most hand sizes.
- Feels very sturdy.
- All default controls work on Windows and macOS.
- No Bluetooth support.
- Lacks an internal storage compartment for its USB receiver.
Changelog
- Updated Jan 05, 2024: We've added a link to the newly-reviewed Finalmouse UltralightX in the Weight section of this review.
- Updated Aug 29, 2023: We've corrected a segment of text in the Weight section of this review that was left over from an earlier test bench version and contained a misleading rounding error for this mouse's Lowest Weight score.
- Updated Feb 28, 2023: This mouse was retested with the latest firmware version, and our retest yielded lower click latency figures. We've updated the results in our Click Latency section and made minor changes to our text in the review about the latency.
- Updated Dec 01, 2022: We've converted this review to Test Bench 1.2. This update simplifies our Weight test and expands on our CPI test from Test Bench 1.1, resulting in changes to test results in both sections. For more details, you can see our complete changelog here.
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Differences Between Sizes And Variants
The medium-sized Finalmouse Starlight-12 we tested is the Black/Gold Hades color variant. It's also available in a Red/Silver Ares variant, a Silver/Gold Zeus variant, and a Gold/Silver Achilles variant. There is also a smaller version of this mouse, the Finalmouse Starlight-12 Small, which is available in the same colorways. Our unit number is 1552/2500, and you can see the label here.
Popular Mouse Comparisons
The medium-sized Finalmouse Starlight is a remarkable ultra-light gaming mouse. In many ways, along with its smaller version, it improves on the formula of Finalmouse's last release, the Finalmouse Ultralight 2 - Cape Town. The magnesium alloy shell feels much studier, and the Medium version weighs essentially the same as its predecessor, even with the addition of a rechargeable battery and wireless capability. That said, the Medium is likely the better choice for a broader range of people as its larger size makes it much more accomodating for more hand sizes.
For other recommendations, check out our picks for the best lightweight mice, the best gaming mice, and the best wireless mice.
The Finalmouse Starlight-12 Medium is a better ultra-light gaming mouse than the Finalmouse Ultralight 2 - Cape Town. The Starlight-12 Medium has a magnesium alloy body that feels sturdier, and It connects either wired or wirelessly with its USB receiver. It also has a higher polling rate and lower click latency. Comparatively, the Cape Town is best-suited for smaller hands using any grip type, while the Starlight-12 Medium is suitable for all grip types and a slightly wider range of hand sizes.
The Finalmouse Starlight-12 Medium and the Finalmouse Starlight-12 Phantom Small are wireless, ultra-light gaming mice that perform very similarly, but they have some minor differences. The Starlight-12 Medium is larger and better suited for small to large hands. Meanwhile, the Phantom Small is better suited for small or medium hands, and it's 5g lighter. It also has marginally better click latency.
The Finalmouse Starlight-12 Medium is an exceptional, wireless ultra-light gaming mouse, while the HyperX Pulsefire Haste is an excellent, wired ultra-light gaming mouse. The Finalmouse is lighter and feels sturdier. It connects either wired or wirelessly with its USB receiver. Comparatively, the HyperX has a wider CPI range, customization software, and RGB lighting, which the Finalmouse lacks. Both mice are well-suited for all grip types and most hand sizes.
The Razer Viper Mini and the Finalmouse Starlight-12 Medium are outstanding wireless gaming mice. The Finalmouse has a honeycomb body made of magnesium alloy that's lighter and feels sturdier. It connects wirelessly with its USB receiver, and it has a lower lift-off distance. Unfortunately, it has no RGB, no customization software, and no internal storage compartment for its USB receiver. On the other hand, the Razer is a wired-only mouse with a solid plastic body. It has a wider CPI range, an adjustable CPI, and lower click latency. It also has customization software, though it's only compatible with Windows.
Test Results
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