After checking out a bunch of different new Logitech’s peripherals feel free to watch them later on my channel or click on the link in the right top corner, today I’m… Well, taking a look at another one, one of their also new additions to their gaming mice portfolio – the G604.
One of my favorite wireless gaming mouse all of the time, with, at least in my case, a tendency to lean toward the productivity side of things every so often, is definitely the G602 model and this is basically its new successor. I actually still have up and running, using it with my testing rig for. Weeeeelll, not right now as It’s in pieces currently because I’m sort of in process off… Revitalizing it? Yes, that’s the word!
Nevertheless, I got really excited when I saw that Logitech releases the new G604 as a successor to this model, which is why I wanted to check it out as soon as I could so I can see which in which direction they went for with this generation. Since I got a bit later than the official launch, I gave myself a few weeks of a testing period before I went on and did my review of it, so I can get all nitty and gritty about it and put another one in my mouse reviews portfolio.
Logitech G604 vs G602
Taking a closer look at it, there are a bunch of similarities which are translated to the G604 from G602, while also bringing in some of the design cues from the current generation models. The first and foremost is this front to back sloping shape, which is almost like a signature move on the G602. Although it looks to be really aggressive at first, it’s not that much different when you finally grab it, it’s more of a perceived visual thing.
Speaking of grabbing it, in terms of the ergonomics and how it feels in hand, everything is pretty much comparable to its predecessor. We have a big resting area for your thumb on the left side, which looks to be a bit smaller and steeper than before, while on the right side there’s a small intended portion for your ring. Overall, in terms of the ergonomics, everything is still to my personal preferences when it comes to fit and feel, I really didn’t have any complaints throughout my few weeks of using it. Obviously, it’s ambidextrous since it has this specific shape and form, so it’s only reserved for the right-handed users.
As for the overall aesthetics and its visual appeal, it still uses rubberized surface area, and with the Logitech G604 it wraps around from the left side across the middle of the top side of the mouse to its right side, so it basically covers those areas where you lean your hand the most. Although with the G602 those it could wear off after some time, it looks like this time Logitech used a bit more durable type, which hopefully won’t get that greasy shine and that thin slick worn-out look.
On the other hand, I must admit I do miss some of those contrasty details which the G602 had, as the G604 is now completely blacked out and sort of losses that design cues and distinct shapes and lines because of that color uniformity, so it does look a bit dull and unexciting, especially since Logitech decided not to put any RGB LED highlights on it, just this small LED for connection status. The glossy part around the dark silver scroll wheel, together with it, bring that up a bit, although by just a tad, plus, I’m not that big of a fan of glossy surface, especially here where you’ll most likely scratch it with your nails.
G604 comes with familiar switch layout
Taking a closer look at the switches, on the side, we still have a total of six fully programmable G switches, which now have a bit different shape and layout to it. With the G602 it was a bit difficult, and altogether I must admit the situation with the G604 isn’t improved by a lot, it is a bit better in terms of trying to differentiate them between each other thanks to these weirdly looking switches with protruding tips, but it’s still hard to say who actually wins in this G602 vs G604 button layout battle. You will probably notice that we’re missing out on that LED battery indicator as well as the DPI level indicator, which actually on my original G602 stopped working after few years. I assume Logitech ditched that since you can check up on that in their software utility, but nevertheless, it would be cool to still have it.
Getting to the top portion of the mouse, of course, we’re greeted by the main left and right-click, as well as the two switches on the left mouse click, integrated into the left edge of it, for changing the DPI levels on the fly. Here is where resemblances with its older brother sort of taper off. The switch between the performance and endurance mode is gone and is replaced by a switch with which you can toggle between the wireless and Bluetooth connectivity, which is a newly added feature for this mouse. In a way that’s also a switch between performance and endurance mode, since with the Bluetooth connection you can expect much much lower power consumption compared to the regular 2,4 GHz wireless connection. Just above it, you can see another switch, and this one is for enabling the hyper-fast scrolling feature of the metal scroll wheel, which also makes its first appearance in this generation. We also have the right and left scroll, which too is a new feature and always appreciated, especially in a more productivity-oriented mouse.
All switches are overall pretty firm and stable, with each of them having a bit different travel distance, while the main left and right click use Omron switches, they feel very direct and without that mushy feel to it The scroll wheel is unsurprisingly super rattly and loud, rough would be the best term to describe it, I’m hoping Logitech will soon use their MagSpeed Electromagnetic scrolling technology on their gaming mice also, which I’ve seen on their MX Master 3 model and which I’ve recently reviewed, feel free to check that video out at the link in the right top corner. Here’s how that all sounds.
New connectivity option for Logitech G604
Turning the mouse onto it’s back, I really like how they went with this sloping surface which sort of like overflows on each side, it looks kinda cool. In order to keep everything level, they did have to raise up the platforms which carry the Teflon pads, it sort of looks like it has heels in a way. Besides Logitech’s Hero 16.000 DPI optical sensor, seen in their latest update of G502 SE, which is their go-to component when it comes to gaming mice, you just can’t go wrong with it in terms of the performance it offers, we have an on and off switch, and you’ve probably noticed that there are no ports for charging the mouse up or any doors for the battery.
So where is it? I hope they didn’t put an integrated one, that would be ugh… Oh, here it is…
I apologize for my terrible acting, but yes, the G604 kept the possibility of putting an AA battery in it, and this time it’s located on the top, back portion of the mouse, where you just pull of this magnet cover off of it. Here you will also find a spot for tucking in that wireless USB dongle, in case you need it on the go. Unfortunately, you’ll be able to put only one, as opposed to two in G602. Not great, not terrible. As I mentioned, it does support two types of connection, Logitech’s 2,4 GHz wireless Lightspeed connection and Bluetooth connection. Since it doesn’t have any RGB LED lighting around, battery only powers up the core necessity for the mouse to work, so the single charge can last a pretty substantial 250 hours on the regular wireless connection, which I can confirm first hand, even longer than that since I’ve used a high capacity rechargeable AA battery, while on Bluetooth connections that are closer to six months.
When it comes to the performance, the sensor itself is maybe a bit too much if you consider where this mouse is intended to use, mostly for MOBA and MMO games, nevertheless it’s still great to have at your disposal as it provides high-end and multiple times proven tracking capabilities. You can, of course, feel that extra weight which mouse carries, especially when you try to compare it with ultra-light models out there, while I thought that it would be pretty awkward and top-heavy, being a bit raised up from the surface, but it wasn’t.
Once again, everything is controlled over Logitech’s G Hub software utility. We have total a total of 15 programmable buttons that can be individually addressed and remapped with different commands, actions macros and so on, you can basically do whatever you want in terms of how specific do you want to go with your control. You can also attach different actions to multiple profiles depending on the application or game you’re currently using. Besides that, in terms of the sensor control, you can set up different DPI levels and change the report rate, so all in all pretty much your standard feature offering when it comes to a gaming mouse from the Logitech G series.
When you sum it up, the new G604 sort of feels like an homage of its older brother, and it basically is, a very worthy might I add, since there is always a lot at stake when you try to do something which takes notes from a legend. Although there’s always room for improvement, in its core, it still has that recognizable look and feel of its older brother. I was actually pleasantly surprised with the 99$ price tag, which is now probably even lower as it’s been a while since it launched, and especially now around this time of year, which is really not that bad when you consider what you get in return. I might consider upgrading, especially if I don’t manage to put this up together.
That’s it for this time, I hope this Logitech G604 review makes your decision making the process a bit easier, if you have any question feel free to hit me in the comments section of my YouTube video listed above, you can contact me via my social media channels!
