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 and the Finalmouse Starlight Pro - TenZ Medium are very similar mice in the same lineup. They share the same dimensions and weight but different visual designs. The Finalmouse Starlight Pro - TenZ is a more recent release and includes some minor manufacturing improvements related to build quality.
The Finalmouse Ultralight X and the Finalmouse Starlight-12 Medium are both lightweight, wireless gaming mice with the same shape and honeycomb body designs. Altogether, the UltralightX provides better raw gaming performance and is significantly lighter as it's made of a composite carbon fiber material, while the Starlight-12 is made of a somewhat heavier magnesium alloy. Additionally, the Ultralight X supports polling rates higher than 1000Hz, while the Starlight-12 has a maximum wireless polling rate of 1000Hz.
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.
The Logitech G PRO X SUPERLIGHT and the Finalmouse Starlight-12 Medium are comparable, wireless ultra-light gaming mice. The Finalmouse is lighter and feels sturdier, but it only has four default CPI settings. Comparatively, the Logitech has mouse feet that glide more smoothly, a much wider CPI range, and an adjustable CPI. It also has customization software, which the Finalmouse lacks.
Test Results
The medium Finalmouse Starlight-12 has an ambidextrous, low-profile shape and two side buttons on the left. Its honeycomb body is magnesium alloy, and our unit is painted in the Hades color scheme. Most of the mouse is painted black, and it has embossed gold filigree towards the front of the mouse and silver accents between the left and right-click buttons and on the scroll wheel. If you're interested in a different, all-blue colorway for this mouse, see the Finalmouse Starlight-12 Poseidon Small. Or, if you prefer a silver colorway, check out the Finalmouse Starlight Pro - TenZ Medium.
The medium Finalmouse Starlight build quality feels outstanding. The top shell is made of magnesium alloy and feels extremely sturdy. Finalmouse warns that the underside isn't nearly as strong as it's Ultem, a kind of plastic that lets the wireless signal escape. This bottom panel flexes when pressure is applied, but this is unlikely to present any problems during everyday use.
Note: The scroll wheel on our unit is very slightly off-centered to the right. This seems to be a fairly common issue that other users and online reviewers have experienced, but it doesn't affect the normal function of the scroll wheel. This issue is also present on the Finalmouse Starlight-12 Small unit that we tested. Some users have also reported that the scroll wheel will occasionally register a scroll-up input while you're trying to scroll down, but we haven't experienced this issue. Another frequently reported issue is that the right-click button can stick and stop working. While this issue isn't present on our Starlight-12 Medium, we've experienced this issue on our Starlight-12 Small unit and have detailed our experience in the Build Quality section of that review. We will continue to monitor and report on quality control issues as necessary.
According to Finalmouse, the medium Finalmouse Starlight-12 weighs 47 grams. The magnesium chassis may vary in thickness due to the manufacturing process, and they indicate the actual weight of each mouse may vary by up to 2 grams. We obtained an exact weight of 49.4g.
If you're interested in a wireless gaming mouse that's even more lightweight with an identical size and shape but with a body made of carbon fiber composite, check out our review of the Finalmouse UltralightX.
The medium Finalmouse Starlight has an ambidextrous shape that's likely slightly more comfortable for most people than its smaller counterpart due to its larger size. However, those with smaller hands may still prefer the Finalmouse Starlight-12 Small.
Extra-large hands may find their fingers extend past the front end of the mouse using a palm grip.
Extra-large hands may have to curl their fingers very sharply to comfortably use this mouse with a claw grip.
Small hands may not be able to comfortably reach the front side button using a fingertip grip.
Finalmouse claims the medium Finalmouse Starlight-12 has a battery life of 160 hours, an average use life estimated at three weeks, a below-average use life estimated at seven weeks, and an idle use estimate of 16 weeks. However, this isn't something we test. There's a light inside the mouse that flashes when the battery is low.
The cable on the medium Finalmouse Starlight-12 is excellent. It's flexible, doesn't retain kinks from packaging, and moves with minimal drag across desks.
The mouse feet glide very smoothly on all surfaces. However, they make a slight scratching sound directly on desks.
- Finalmouse Starlight-12 Medium
- Quick guide card
- User documentation
- Micro-USB to USB-A cable
- Wireless receiver
The buttons aren't reprogrammable as there isn't any configuration software. The two side buttons function as front and back buttons by default, and the button below the scroll wheel allows you to cycle through the four CPI presets.
The medium Finalmouse Starlight-12 has great click latency. It provides a responsive-feeling experience for both casual and competitive play.
The medium Finalmouse Starlight-12 has four preset CPI settings of 400, 800, 1600, and 3200. You can cycle between these presets with the button behind the scroll wheel.
The mouse wheel feels precise and has well-defined steps.
Note: The scroll wheel on our unit is slightly off-center towards the right. Other users and online reviewers have also reported this issue. We found it didn't affect the normal use of the mouse in any way.