8.0 Score
Since last year, one of the mice that’s been travelling with me, and that I have also used for gaming, is the Razer Pro Click V2. It is an amazing mouse designed for productivity. It did skimp on gaming-centric features because it isn’t designed to be one. But if you want a fully decked-out gaming mouse that doubles as a productivity mouse and even does better than the Pro Click V2 Pro, this Razer Basilisk V4 Pro is their Swiss Army-knife equivalent gaming mouse.
Razer Basilisk V4 Pro Review
The White Edition is Gorgeous
When Razer asked us which colour we’d prefer, we chose white because Razer does a really good job in making products with the idea “if looks could kill”. For the most part, the mouse is white with some black glossy accents in between, which resembles a Stormtrooper helmet in some way.
On the side of the mouse, you do have grip textures which allow you to hold the mouse well. On the left side, the thumb rest is designed in such a way that you can rest part of your thumb comfortably. Because this entire mouse is white, get ready to have wipes on you all the time because it can get dirty very fast. Especially the areas where you have this grip texture. A price you pay when you get something in white colour.
In Love with the Ergonomics
This gaming mouse doesn’t share its shape with, like, the Viper or anything, but it has its own design elements to it. Ergonomic is definitely the keyword here because it does live up to that. Coming from the Razer Pro Click V2, which has nice ergonomics, I’d argue that the Razer Basilisk V4 Pro offers slightly better ergonomics with nicer grips, longer left and right buttons, and the overall comfort is slightly better.
I do use the palm grip when I use my mouse in general, but hey, if you are the kind of psycho who uses claw more, well, I do not know what to say.
Versatile Connectivity
Connectivity is something that’s very important for me in a mouse, especially because most of the time it’s one mouse for multiple devices. I am happy to share that this mouse connects with the included 2.4GHz receiver, which handles fast response, and you could connect it with Bluetooth to up to three devices. Totalling up to 4 devices. But if you add wired connectivity, then it’s five.
I do wish that the mouse had a better indicator to show which is Bluetooth and which is wireless. Something I have been addressing since the Pro Click V2. It uses RGB to indicate, but you need to look into the user manual to know which colour represents which mode and device.
Razer Mouse Dock V2 Pro Elevates the Connectivity*
What made the experience of this mouse far more impressive is the Razer Mouse Dock V2 Pro. We have seen these docks in the past, but it only paired the mouse. This time it’s better. For one, the dock can now be used to connect both the mouse and supported Keyboards. Secondly, it doubles as a Wireless Charger, making the entire charging experience of the Razer Basilisk V4 Pro cable-free. Thirdly, it is sold separately.
But if you are already spending on this mouse, I would highly recommend picking the dock up because it does make the experience a whole lot better. And better yet, you can leave the receiver in the mouse permanently, and say when you do need one, you will always have it in the mouse. Smart of Razer to actually store the receiver behind the wireless puck.
Infinite Scroll Wheel is Amazing
The Razer Basilisk V4 Pro features the HyperScroll Tilt Wheel Gen 2. The Pro Click V2 had the first generation where you could have a free scroll wheel and a tactile one with the help of a physical lock and unlock button on the mouse. The Gen 2 takes it to a whole another level by making the entire mechanics motorized and that can be configured via software. Personally, I prefer the Razer Basilisk V4 Pro’s approach as it can be fine-tuned.
In the software, you get to choose between three modes: Tactile, Free-spin and Precision Tactile. The button on the mouse can be toggled to any of these three too, and you can disable upto two based on your preference. For me, Tactile and Precision Tactile worked the best, as I could have normal scroll on one and the other switches between free spin and tactile based on how fast I spin the wheel.
I do love this approach compared to the Pro Click V2, which had a very basic, yet manual way of controlling, and you had no motorised elements to give that Precision Tactile control. So, this is much better in that sense.
On top of that, the scroll wheel can do side scrolling too, an underrated feature if you ask us.
A Weapon in the Right Gamer’s Hand
Under the hood, you will find the new Focus Pro 50k Sensor Gen-3, which now handles upto 50,000 maximum DPI and offers a maximum tracking speed of 930 IPS and hits a true 8,000Hz polling rate.
On top of that, you have five; if you include the two buttons below the scroll wheel, then it’s seven programmable buttons, which you can program according to your games or any application you use.
This is where I would step in and say that the Razer Basilisk V4 Pro is a powerful gaming mouse in the right hands. In my hands, it’s overkill for the games that I play, but if you do competitive gaming, I can see this mouse superseding expectations. Throughout my time, I used the mouse to play games like Doom Eternal, which is where I would need a mouse that is snappy and allows me to move quickly. What I am impressed with is how well it even handles on Bluetooth when I am on the move.
The programmable buttons: even though I didn’t use it primarily for gaming, I did, in fact, use it for other reasons: quick-launch applications, control music, certain functions in apps, and even use it as a screenshot shortcut. So, yes, while it is a gaming mouse, I would rate it as a great hybrid mouse that blends both work and play. Oh, and the good news is, the Focus Pro 50K Sensor Gen-3 works on all surfaces, including light surfaces, which the Pro Click V2 could never handle well.
Fun Fact: This Sensor is Faster than the Basilisk V4
The Basilisk V4 comes in two different flavours: the V4 Pro we reviewed here and the V4 HyperSpeed. Now, while the mouse is great in its own right, the hardware on the Pro is more premium than the HyperSpeed.
You do lose the additional button on the left click; the Sensor is the Focus X 33K Gen 3, the tracking speed is at 500 IPS, and it has a maximum acceleration of 50 G. Oh, and it weighs less at 94 grams, and only supports HyperSpeed Wireless with no Bluetooth connectivity support.
So, if you are planning to get a mouse that connects with multiple devices and gives you great versatility, then the Pro is the right one to go for. The HyperSpeed is suited for a single system support and you get the essentials of what the Basilisk name stands for, which, hey is not a bad thing at all.
Synapse Experience
The Razer Basilisk V4 Pro relies on Synapse for all the controls and customisation, and you get a fair bit, all parked under: Customise, Performance, Lighting, Power and Advanced. Most of the settings, I have sort of seen in mice like the Razer Pro Click V2, but the one feature I am impressed with is the Rotation.
I’m sure we all come from different mice, and one of the things we need to do is adapt to the newer mouse. So, with the rotation, you can adjust the mouse’s horizontal movement based on your grip style and your older mouse, and this is genius. In my case, it was just a -1-degree change, which wasn’t a huge deal, but if you do have a hard time adjusting from a much different mouse to this one, this tool will definitely help you out.
What Could Be Better?
Hard to Find Faults but…
Brands in general should stop designing USB ports deep into the peripherals because, in the event that you don’t have the official charging cable, you need to find a cable that fits into that specific hole before you can even charge the mouse. I really want this to change in the next generation.
Need Support for Synapse Web
Earlier this year, Razer announced the Synapse Web, which is a lightweight browser-based app you can use to adjust your peripherals without the need to install the Synapse app locally. I wish this mouse were supported on that because, again, when you have a product that gives you multiple device connectivity, expecting to install the application on all the devices is a little much.
So, I do hope this changes as well, and this is an improvement they can make right now.
Conclusion
Credit where it’s due, the Razer Basilisk V4 Pro is the only mouse I have reviewed from them this year, and it did pass with flying colours for how versatile, adaptable, and most importantly, comfortable it has been. I do recommend this mouse, but if you don’t want to deal with the grimy dirt collecting on the white version, go for the Black, because it exists for a reason.
Purchasing the charging dock is not mandatory, but it does elevate the experience for you to charge your mouse, connect to your desktop and not worry about unplugging/plugging the 2.4GHz receiver all the time. And hey, if you have a supported HyperSpeed keyboard, then the dock is a good pair for your Razer peripherals.
The Razer Basilisk V4 Pro is priced at RM 699. But if you purchase it with the Mouse Dock V2 Pro, which is an additional RM 171, it comes to RM 870 (which is apparently discounted, because if you purchase separately, it comes to about RM 998). So, pick the bundle while you are at it if you can, or even just getting the mouse is still a neat choice.
We recommend the Razer Basilisk V4 Pro.
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