Though not a gaming mouse, the new Asus squeaker enjoys gaming-grade features and a 'ceraluminium' top coat that makes it look like a crunchy little snack
Have you ever looked at a piece of tech and had to fight the urge to crunch it like rock candy? Well, take a look at the recently announced wireless ZenMouse MD202 from Asus and get back to me.
Personally, I blame the mouse's 'Ceraluminum' top cover for making it look like a tasty snack in every sense. Thankfully, the ZenMouse MD202 is designed to survive much more than any ill-advised snacking, with the Ceraluminum finish offering neutral office aesthetics alongside "exceptional wear-, scratch-, and shock-resistance" as per the press release.
This isn't Asus' first bit of kit to enjoy a ceramized aluminium finish, with the company unveiling the same hard-wearing top coat on a number of its Zenbooks back in 2024. However, the ZenMouse MD202 hasn't really been built with a gamer audience top of mind, though it does still offer a number of features gamers will find especially tasty.
For a start, you have the option of either a Bluetooth (yuck) or a 2.4 GHz wireless connection (yay). The mouse's tactile micro-switches are also described as "gaming-grade" on account of being able to withstand up to 50 million clicks.
"Full-perimeter PTFE mouse feet" are also meant to ensure smooth moves from this mouse, though that's framed around 'enhancing workflows' rather than rebalancing your KDA. At 85 g, it's also not really the most lightweight mouse for gaming.
The ZenMouse MD202 offers adjustable sensitivity levels ranging from 800 to 4200 DPI, though I'm sure I don't need to highlight how that's actually pretty low compared to what's offered by the best gaming mice out there.
The actual big win in my book as a wireless mouse is its battery life. For one thing, the ZenMouse MD202 enjoys fast charging via USB-C, slurping up 16 hours' worth of runtime juice from just one minute of charging.
Asus otherwise resists attributing a straightforward hour count to a full charge, instead saying that the rechargeable battery will give you up to seven months of on-time, once fully powered. Asus has yet to announce a release date or MSRP for the ZenMouse MD202, though with a battery and surface material like that, you can bet this won't be a budget option for anyone.