I tried ESR’s first-ever mouse and it’s almost magnetizing

The ESR MagMouse is a productivity mouse with a difference. It’s designed for people on the go, thanks to a magnetic base that can attach to, well, anything ferrous, pretty much anywhere.

As someone who changes their work environment from an office to a cramped commuter train frequently, I’m always looking for ways to save space and juggle everything a little easier. Finding the best mouse to take everywhere with me is half the battle.

That’s where the MagMouse comes in. It offers a virtually silent working experience and is incredibly comfortable with a four-way scroll to make working with spreadsheets so much easier. The built-in charging cable and dongle storage also means there’s less to carry around.

However, the mouse makes a beeping noise constantly. And while it’s not a loud beep, it’s enough to distract you when you’re trying to concentrate.

You can find out more about how I got on in my full ESR MagMouse review below.

ESR MagMouse review: Specs

ESR MagMouse review: Cheat sheet

• What is it? A wireless mouse with a magnetic base
• Who is it for? Anyone looking for a portable and compact mouse solution
• How much does it cost? The ESR MagMouse will retail for $38, but is currently listed on Kickstarter for $28
• What do we like? It is compact and comfortable to use, has quiet clicks and has good battery life
• What don’t we like? There is a really annoying faint beeping sound whenever you click or move the mouse, which can be very irritating

ESR MagMouse review: The ups

The ESR MagMouse has been a great addition to my hybrid working setup with its compact design and quiet clicks.

Quiet clicks

While the mouse does make a low-level beeping sound (more on that later), the clicks and scroll are virtually silent. The clicks sound very cushioned and aren’t “clacky” at all.

The dampened sound of the mouse meant I wasn’t disrupting anyone when I was using the mouse with constant clicking. It is perfect for working literally anywhere.

Compact and portable

The ESR MagMouse is small in size, measuring only 107.5 x 64 x 38.9 mm and weighing 75g/2.4 ounces. It takes up hardly any space in my bag and its light weight means it isn’t awkward to carry either.

To make it even easier to take on the go, the mouse is magnetic. It will attach to any magnetic surface (yes, I tried it on my fridge), which also makes it great for easy storage.

When moving around, it’s useful that the mouse can attach to the back of my laptop using a magnetic pad that sticks to the back. This meant I didn’t have to juggle the mouse separately and could just attach it and go.

It has a magnetic strength of 600g/1.3lbs, so there was no worry of the mouse coming loose, and the pad has two magnetic pins that lock it more securely into place.

To further save space, the 2.4GHz dongle that comes with the mouse slots into a bottom compartment. This also meant I wasn’t misplacing it when I wasn't using the dongle.

Four-way scrolling

The scroll wheel moves vertically but also offers the ability to scroll horizontally. It is very responsive, with just the right level of sensitivity. And — as with the clicks — it makes next to no sound during use.

I got a lot of use out of the four-way scroll feature as I’m constantly navigating spreadsheets and playing with image edits in Photoshop. It’s annoying to have to use the on-screen scroll bar to move across the columns, so I appreciate the ESR MagMouse saving me the trouble.

The contoured shape of the mouse and silicone on the sides also meant the mouse was comfortable to hold when using these functions.

Battery and charging

The ESR MagMouse had more than enough battery to get me through a week of work. At the end of a full eight-hour workday, I still had 100% battery. The mouse is rechargeable, which is welcome as it negates any need for disposable batteries, unlike the Razer Pro Click Mini ($79).

As well as housing its own dongle, the MagMouse features a built-in USB-C charging cable tucked underneath. It’s short, but pops out when you need to plug it into your PC’s USB port for a recharge. I wasn’t able to use the mouse while it was charging since the cable is so short, but only charging for a minute gives four hours of charge!

A full charge is rated to last 80 days, and that only takes 45 minutes to achieve. There are mice out there with a far longer battery life, if that is something that is important to you. The Logitech Signature AI Edition M750 ($49), for example, is a powerful mouse with a rated battery life of 24 months.

ESR MagMouse review: The downs

While the ESR MagMouse delivers everything it promises with ease, there are a few minor caveats that got under my skin.

The incessant beep

There is nothing worse than being sat in near silence getting work done and you notice a beep. And not just any beep — one with an irregular pattern and quiet enough that you can’t quite tell where it’s coming from.

So, after I spent an embarrassingly long time looking for the beep, I found it was in fact the mouse. And every time I scrolled, clicked or moved the mouse slightly, sure enough, it would beep at me.

As you can hear in the above audio clip, the sound is actually pretty quiet, it’s just that I was sitting in silence when I noticed it, so I put headphones on and it was all fine. But it’s one of those things that once you know it’s there, it will bug you all the time.

Need to stick magnet to laptop

While I like that the ESR MagMouse can stick to any magnetic surface, to get it to attach to my laptop, you need to stick the magnetic pad to the lid. The pad is reusable and residue-free, so it can be moved between devices, but it’s not an elegant solution.

Although the base is thin, I noticed when taking my laptop in and out of my bag that it would snag on the odd thing, which, like the beeping, is hard to ignore once you know it’s happening regularly. This does obviously depend on your bag and whatever else you choose to carry in there, though.

No left-handed model

Unfortunately, the ESR MagMouse doesn’t have a left-handed model. Lefties are left out a lot of the time when it comes to productivity mice, but there are some other great options.

You could pick up the Corsair M55 RGB Pro ($40) or the Logitech Signature M650 ($39), which is a similar shape to the MagMouse but made for lefties.

ESR MagMouse review: Verdict

The design of the ESR MagMouse is incredibly innovative and saves space and weight in my work bag with a compact and light design. It is also extremely easy to carry as it simply snaps onto the bag of my laptop with the magnetic attachment.

While the incessant beeping isn’t entirely a deal breaker since it is quiet enough to ignore, I found it annoying enough to mention here as a warning. If, unlike me, you’re able to get past it, you’ll find a lot to like about the ESR MagMouse.

It’s a comfortable and portable accessory with solid battery life and a unique way of carrying one less thing around with you. Just beware you’re not going to be able to slide your laptop in and out of any laptop sleeves with quite the same flourish once you’ve got that pad attached.