Thoughts on Glorious Model O 2 Mini

I recently found the Model O 2 Mini on discount and decided to pick one up to try it out. I’ve been using the Razer Cobra Pro for about 18 months and still love the feel of it but have been curious how newer mice are as there are always new developments in the technology and design features of peripherals. It’s also one of the options available for smaller hands, like mine, a niche that is still underrepresented.

As I’ve mentioned in previous articles, I have some specific ideas for how I want my mice to feel and behave. I like more classic shapes, with narrowed centre sections, and a larger end for the palm and the front of the mouse. Two side buttons for forward/back are a must, and the scroll wheel must be smooth with tactile feedback but not noisy or distracting. The crux of it is that I am particularly picky when it comes to my peripherals.

Which brings us to the Glorious Model O 2 Mini, with its verbose, if abstract, name. I’ve been using Glorious devices for years now, with their GMMK being the first hot-swap mechanical keyboard that I bought in 2019. Importantly, they’re a gaming-focused brand that tends to design towards that end. That is to say, more trendy and less subtle. That design language is present with their mouse line. It has two RGB strips down the ventral sides of the mouse. That is similar to how it looked on the original Model O as well and can be programmed much the same way.

The finish has changed between generations. The texture is more defined, but still smooth to the touch. It’s more present in hand but isn’t rough feeling. It’s not my favourite texture but I do like it more than a rougher feel or a completely smooth, glossy finish like I had on one of my original Model O mice. It feels grippy but pleasant. The mouse is still focused on weight saving and it shows once more in the use of holes throughout the body of the mouse and the bottom of it. They have changed fairly dramatically compared to the older mice. They’re no longer hexagonal, but instead circular. The edges are also rounded rather than angular and flush. Those combine to give it a much smoother feel in hand, more subtle. I imagine that might set off trypophobia in some people so be aware of that and choose wisely whether it would be irksome for you.

Going further into ergonomics, the basic shape of the mouse has been tweaked. The side buttons stand slightly prouder, perhaps 0.5mm or so. Enough to be noticeable, and to be felt from below and above. Their edges are now bevelled, making them smoother to touch. The primary buttons have been completely reworked. Rather than taking the entire head as being buttons, they now swoop in from the front, leaving the body down the sides. And if you’re coming from a wired Model O, they’re like the wireless models in having completely solid buttons rather than having a section with holes.

The centre now has a solid plate between the buttons rather than them meeting in the middle. The same on-the-fly sensitivity adjustment button is there, slightly wider and shorter but the same rounded pill shape. The build quality has improved as well, with tighter tolerances for where the various panels meet. Interestingly, the portion where the RGB strips are located is made up of two panels that are fused. Meaning the body of the mouse has grown by virtue of that plastic welding. The seam is cleverly hidden by being right in line with the RGB which would have been tactile through the change in materials already, leaving it all cohesively planned out so there aren’t any sharp or harsh edges.

The bottom of the mouse is still a separate panel. Those gaps are also tighter, with it only particularly noticeable when I hold the mouse in hand and feel for it. During usage the layer is so far down that I don’t notice it. The whole mouse is sturdier, with me unable to make it creak like the older models. They seem to have made some good strides, and they don’t feel like they’re coming from a made-to-a-price that they looked from just a few years ago. On a minor note, the panel under the safety and warranty sticker on the bottom also has holes through it shaving those tiny bits of weight there too.

The mouse buttons feel slightly different as well. The mouse wheel feels smoother when ratcheting and feels slightly heavier to click. The mouse wheel has also lost the RGB on its sides, leaving it hollow instead as part of the weight and power saving. It has the same, grippy rubberised band across it. It’s also a silent scroll wheel design, contrary to the audible ratcheting mechanism that is found in my Razer Cobra Pro. Two different schools of thought there and you’ll have to consider that yourself as well. The primary triggers have a higher pitched tone than the Model O- Wireless which was already higher than the Cobra Pro. The same can be said for the side buttons where all three fall into the same grouping, with the Cobra Pro being notably quieter than either of the Glorious mice.

First image, top to bottom: Model O 2 Mini, Cobra Pro, Model O- Wireless. Second image, left to right: Model O 2 Mini, Cobra Pro, Model O- Wireless

The O 2 Mini is also the lightest of the three at 57g versus 65g for the Model O- Wireless and 77g for the Cobra Pro. That they’ve managed to trim more weight whilst improving rigidity and strength is to be commended. They’ve done well with improving their designs and manufacturing.

Switching to internals, the O 2 Mini uses the newer BAMF 2.0 sensor bringing maximum sensitivity from 19,000 DPI with the BAMF 1 to 26,000 DPI. That compares favourably to the Cobra Pro’s Focus Pro sensor rated for 30,000 DPI. The two Glorious mice are limited to 1000Hz polling whilst the Razer can be used with their 8000Hz adapter for $30 for the dongle or $70 for the wireless charging stand with built in dongle. Doing so also costs battery life as well as increased system overhead but may be important if you focus on the high-end competitive side. The O 2 Mini also has upgraded switches, rated for 80M clicks like previous generation O- Wireless compared to the 90M claimed by Razer. Interestingly, the Model O wireless used different Omron switches rated for 20M actuations. The Glorious mice use mechanical switches versus optical switches for the Cobra Pro.

When it comes to software the O 2 Mini uses the current Glorious Core suite which manages all but their oldest peripherals like the original mice and GMMK keyboards. It’s much more cohesive than that original software from 2019. It is more responsive than Razer’s Synapse 4 software, though does have fewer features as well. You can choose to not sign into the software and all functions work outside of cloud saving hardware profiles. You can save three profiles locally which includes settings for bindings, lighting, performance, and battery. It’s through that software that you also update the mouse firmware, which I did when I first installed the mouse.

I’ve kept the defaults on so far for the most part. I am used to using 1600 DPI for my mice which is where it was set from the factory. The lighting is set to 5% over wireless and 100% when in wired mode. I upped it to 10% for wireless but kept the rest the same. The default DPI stages are 400, 800, 1600, and 3200 with 6400 the default fifth preset but which isn’t enabled by default. The DPI indicator is on the bottom, a trait shared by all three mice. Admittedly, I do miss the Fire animation that Razer has for their RGB devices but the slowly scrolling unicorn puke is a nice runner up.

A clear win, however, for Glorious is that their software is available for MacOS. Being able to manage peripherals under MacOS is nice to see, though I’d prefer if they would both support Linux but that’s still slow to gain traction with peripheral manufacturers. Perhaps the release of SteamOS and more devices running it will change that paradigm but that’s yet unseen.

That pairs nicely with it working in three modes compared to two on previous models. It still works with the 2.4GHz wireless dongle, and wired using the same braded USB-C cable. But it also works via Bluetooth 5.2 for low latency wireless without a dongle. It’s toggled via the power switch on the bottom where you choose between 2.4GHz and Bluetooth when turning the mouse on. If you’re switching between devices, or using it when travelling, that might make it more attractive like the Cobra Pro.

When it comes to actually using the mouse, it’s largely what I expected. The mouse tracks well in games and feels nice by virtue of the familiar shape and lightness. I don’t notice the texture from the holes when gaming as much as I did with the honeycomb design of older Glorious mice. I’m hardly a twitchy gamer anymore, partially because I’m now on the higher side of my 30s but also because the last really competitive game I played with any regularity was Team Fortress 2 from before it became free to play. Which, I guess puts that around 2010 that I last played games like that. In that regard, I can’t say how it does for those types of games but from slower, more methodical shooters I’ve found my accuracy is still where I would expect it to be. I try to do headshots and am consistent with that in Fallout 4, Stalker 2, and even when playing Railgunner in Risk of Rain 2, which is what I would consider my twitchiest game I tend to play.

When I’m not playing shooters it works as I’d expect a lightweight mouse would fare. It does well in strategy games and in productivity tasks. It’s comfortable, and pleasant to feel regardless of what I’m doing. I’m curious to see how it ages. I know the angled shapes of the older mice’s holes were prone to catching gunk and having round ones that are bevelled should alleviate that issue to an extent. As far as how much the body will lose texture and begin to shine, I expect it will do that just like the Razer and Model O- Wireless before it as it is still made from ABS plastic.

Really, I’m happy to see another mouse without compromises designed for smaller hands. As a reminder, I have small hands, just under 17cm from tip of middle finger to base of palm. It’s also a clear improvement upon the Model O- Wireless with more features, better battery life, improved build quality, and lighter to round it out.

Finally, to price. The retail pricing for the Model O 2 Mini is $99.99, with the Model O- Wireless at $79.99, and Razer Cobra Pro at $129.99. The O- can be regularly found for $50-60 now and the Cobra Pro about $100. I picked up the O 2 Mini for $70. I think finding them on sale is always the way to go. The Razer is great, and I still love the shape and feel in my hand and I came to love the rubber side grips. The O- Wireless feels older and cheaper now. It doesn’t feel as nice in hand to either of the other mice and the large bearded logo on the side certainly looks less tasteful as time has gone on and peripherals have become better. Is there a 30% gulf in quality between the Cobra Pro and O 2 Mini? I really don’t think so. They have similar build quality, software is equally uninspiring but functional, and their feel in hand does favour the Cobra Pro but that’s largely because it’s completely solid rather than weight-saving holes.

And that really shows how they are pushing for different audiences with these. The Cobra Pro is noticeably heavier, and less hyper-focused on gaming instead opting for a more ‘premium’ position in no small part to the Razer name. Razer has been pushing into being thought of as blurring the lines between gaming and luxury and I think that mouse in particular is a microcosm of that mindset. Whilst Glorious is pushing as a gaming-focused brand that started out as undercutting the ‘big brands’ to bring higher end features at a reduced price. They’ve now become large enough that they are now pushing for becoming known for higher-quality products like the evolution the GMMK line has gone through and with how the Model O 2 has matured. I’m interested in seeing where they take their designs in the future because I can see they’ve been putting in work to improve their products and image and move beyond that quirky ‘PC gaming race’ nonsense they were marketing half a decade ago. Which, good on them. It was weird then and didn’t age well so to instead focus on making good products without noisy marketing is a good move.