Razer Basilisk V3 Pro review: For those who want it all and are willing to pay [Video]

razer basilisk v3 pro

While its other recent mice have been esports-focused, lightweight, and stripped of any non-essential features, the brand-new Razer Basilisk V3 Pro gets some extra love in a multi-purpose genre-bending mouse. With an adjustable smooth or tactile scroll wheel, full RGB, Hyperspeed wireless connection, and optional wireless charging, the Basilisk V3 Pro has a lot to talk about. And just like the other Pro mice from Razer, it comes at a steep price. Be sure to hit the video below to see all of the details. 

Overview

The Razer Basilisk has always been more of a multi-genre mouse with a few more buttons than those aimed at FPS players. It still works for FPS games, but hardcore players might opt for a lighter mouse that cuts unnecessary features.

One other notable feature has always been the adjustable scroll wheel, which, on the V3 Pro, can swap between stepped and smooth free-wheel mode at the press of a button just below the scroll wheel.

As the V3 Pro name would infer, this Basilisk also takes full advantage of Razer’s latest tech with Hyperspeed wireless, a Focus Pro 30K sensor, and Gen-3 optical switches. Combine that full underglow RGB and it’s aimed directly at those who want it all in a gaming mouse but don’t mind moving around a few extra grams of weight. 

Additionally, the Basilisk V3 Pro supports wireless charging with some optional accessories. A wireless charging puck will work with any Qi charger while the Razer Mouse Dock Pro includes the puck, will wirelessly charge a Basilisk V3 Pro and replaces the wireless dongle for Razer’s Hyperspeed wireless connection.

Pricing

With all of this in mind, the Razer Basilisk V3 Pro comes in at $159.99. The wireless charging puck costs $19.99 by itself and the Razer Mouse Dock Pro comes in at $69.99. Like the other Pro mice, there is a bundle available that includes the Basilisk V3 Pro, the Mouse Dock Pro, and the charging puck for $199.99. 

Design

For the most part, the overall design of the Basilisk V3 Pro is unchanged from the older V3. Even down to the RGB underglow – it looks pretty similar apart from the obvious Hyperspeed wireless connection. It’s a right-handed ergonomic shape that has a medium size. 

On the bottom of the mouse are large PTFE feet that have been slightly redesigned from the wired Basilisk V3 to make room for a removable circular cover that by default hides a place to store the wireless dongle when not in use but can also be replaced with the Wireless Charging Puck – more on that later. 

Razer Basilisk V3 Pro: Video

RGB

Razer cut the RGB from the DeathAdder V3 Pro and Viper V2 Pro, but it’s still large and in charge on the Basilisk V3 Pro. It looks unchanged from the wired V3 with the illuminated scroll wheel, triple-headed snake, and underglow lighting that wraps around about 75% of the mouse. For RGB lovers, it’s a clean setup that shines brightly. 

Shape + feel

The dimensions are unchanged measuring 130mm long and 75mm wide overall with the grip width more like 64mm. Height comes in at 43mm. 

All of that comes together in a comfortable mouse with a nice wide thumb rest on the left side. With my 1-3-1 grip that is kind of a mix between palm and claw, the weight feels a bit toward the back, but it was even enough that it didn’t affect liftoff movement much for when gaming. At 112g, it’s also just a lot heavier than the 64g DeathAdder V3 Pro that I’ve been used to recently. 

And while it’s obviously much heavier than Razer’s other recent pro mice, the Basilisk V3 Pro really does feel good to use. It’s a comfortable shape for my grip and the thumb rest feels like it’s in the perfect position for my medium-size hands. 

Buttons

For buttons, the Basilisk V3 Pro has the standard Mouse 1 and 2, three left-side thumb buttons, a scroll wheel that can also tilt, and two buttons under the scroll wheel. On the bottom is an additional profile button. 

One thing that makes the Basilisk lineup unique is that third thumb button toward the front of the mouse. Razer often markets this as a DPI switch that can boost or slow down aiming speed in FPS games, but it can also be mapped to any other input. 

Another example is Razer’s Hypershift. Much like the Easy-Shift feature from the Roccat Kone XP Air we just reviewed, Hypershift unlocks an additional layer of customizable inputs by holding down the modifier. It’s like holding the function key on a keyboard to access an additional layer of control. 

Scroll wheel

Even though it’s not brand new, the scroll wheel deserves a bit of attention. Just like on the wired Basilisk V3, the V3 Pro has the electronic adjustment that takes the wheel between a standard stepped feel and a free spinning scroll wheel that just keeps going. And from within Synapse, there are controls for acceleration that increases the scroll speed as well as a Smart-Reel mode that automatically activates the free-spin scrolling mode when the wheel is moved quickly. 

In practice, I loved both the stepped feel for gaming and the free-spinning mode for work and web browsing, but I couldn’t get used to the Smart-Reel. It seemed like it never stopped when I wanted it to after activating the free-spin mode with a quick movement. 

It is pretty incredible how smooth the wheel is in free spin mode and how good the tactile mode feels as well. And while there isn’t an adjustment for the tactile resistance like is possible on the Basilisk Ultimate, the resistance felt right in line with Razer’s other recent mice like the DeathAdder V3 Pro. 

Razer V3 Pro: Hardware

As a pro mouse, Razer is also packing the same Focus+ 30k sensor into the Basilisk V3 Pro that is in the Viper V2 Pro and DeathAdder V3 Pro. This sensor takes the max sensitivity up to a ridiculous 30K DPI with a max speed of 750 IPS and 70G Max acceleration. Another benefit is a wide variety of surfaces that track smoothly including glass that is at least 2mm thick. Just like the Viper V2 Pro and DeathAdder V3 Pro, I’ve never had any tracking issues. 

Also like Razer’s other recent “Pro” mice, the Basilisk V3 Pro uses the Gen-3 optical switches. Though all three mice sound a bit different, they’re all rated up to 90 million clicks. The sound of the Basilisk V3 Pro is a bit sharper and higher pitched than the other mice. 

While directly out of the box with the included dongle the polling rate is limited to the standard 1000Hz, it can be increased up to 4,000Hz by pairing the Basilisk V3 Pro with the brand-new Razer Mouse Dock Pro or the HyperPolling Wireless Dongle. Both are sold separately. 

Optional charging dock

We touched on the HyperPolling Wireless Dongle with the DeathAdder V3 Pro review but the Mouse Dock Pro is a brand-new accessory for the Basilisk V3 Pro. 

The Mouse Dock Pro has a special trick up its sleeve with the included puck that enables wireless charging on the Mouse Dock Pro. 

One note here – the wireless charging puck can also be purchased separately and supports wireless charging on any Qi chargers. It seems unlikely that Razer would develop this for solely the Basilisk V3 Pro, so it will be interesting to see what mouse gets the wireless charging upgrade next.

But the Mouse Dock Pro really is the perfect partner for the Basilisk V3 Pro. The RGB underglow is a stylish match and the magnetic charging is convenient and aesthetically pleasing as there is only a flat surface on the top of the dock. 

The magnetic connection is solid enough to hold the mouse on at all angles, but it will fall off from any amount of shaking. I also found that the dock kind of stuck to the bare surface of my desk, and it was easy to pull off the mouse upward but when the dock was placed on the Gigantus V2, pulling the mouse straight up pulled the dock and I had to kind of push it off to the side to get it to release from the dock. Not a huge deal, but it wasn’t quite as seamless on my mouse mat as compared to sitting directly on my desk.

The other main feature of the Mouse Dock Pro is that it can connect to the mouse and replace the wireless dongle and unlocks up to a 4,000Hz polling rate. While probably not necessary for most people and it will affect the mouse’s overall battery life, a faster polling rate should, in theory, help input latency for the most competitive of players. 

Razer Basilisk V3 Pro: Battery life

Battery life is rated up to 90 hours on wireless, but from Razer’s testing that’s without any lighting turned on and the mouse set to 1000Hz. That’s another place where the wireless charging dock comes in handy. It’s easy to just place it back on the dock when I’m done for the day and make sure it’s topped off and ready to go for the next. 

Razer Basilisk V3 Pro: Is it a must-have?

If you’re a Basilisk lover, is it necessary to upgrade to the V3 Pro? Well, you really need to figure out if the cost is worth the new features. All things considered, wireless mice are generally more convenient in use, but you will pay quite a premium for it with the Basilisk V3 Pro. 

Also, just like with Razer’s other recent pro mice, this is a great time to try out the previous generation if you don’t need the latest. The wired Basilisk V3, which lacks the wireless connection and Razer’s latest sensor and switches, is available for $56 and the Basilisk Ultimate with dock can be had for just $80 – down from the usual $170 price point. 

Electronicsforward’ Take

For those who want it all and aren’t concerned about price or weight, the Basilisk V3 Pro really is a great multi-purpose mouse. If you need more functionality, you may want to check out the Roccat Kone XP Air, which has a few more buttons, but the free-scroll of the Basilisk and Razer’s latest technology are some pretty big pulls toward the Basilisk V3 Pro. Razer has also knocked it out of the park with the design of the dock and how that magnetic connection works for a very visually pleasing charging experience. 

Personally, I prefer a lighter mouse for gaming, but I found the Basilisk V3 Pro to be comfortable for gaming and great for all-day productivity as well.

Buy Razer Basilisk V3 Pro

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