Should I Upgrade from a Budget Logitech Mouse to a Premium Logitech Mouse? (Spoiler: Yes!)

A computer mouse is an essential complementary tool almost everyone that works with a computer or laptop can have. Because of this, having one that’s reliable is definitely a must. But with a wide range of mice on the market that varies in size, color, and price, how should one go about hunting for that one trustworthy mouse? Should you just go for the cheapest out there or should you invest more for a premium one?

The budget Logitech M221 vs the premium Logitech MX Anywhere 2S.

I’ve just made a decision to update my mouse to one of the best rated mouse out that exists today after about a year or so using a quite reliable budget mouse. In this post, I’ll be sharing my thoughts on why I left my old Logitech M221 for a more premium Logitech MX Anywhere 2S, even though my heart still hasn’t moved on from the former. (Apologies for being overly dramatic!)

Before we get started, a disclaimer: this post is mainly written from a MacBook Air user’s perspective, but I do hope non-MacBook users can also learn a thing or two from this post!

The case for a budget mouse

The mouse that I’ve reliably used for the past year is the Logitech M221 Silent Mouse. It cost Rp160k when I bought it in mid-2017 and it’s been very reliable. It does everything that I require it to do, even at the bare minimum.

The everyday electric car that is the Logitech M221.

The M221 curvy design looks very good and rather cute; it almost looks like an everyday electric car! It also fits quite well in my small hands and I have almost no complaints navigating my cursor with it.

There is one built-in feature on all budget mouse that can be easily overlooked: the middle click. It can open links in a new tab, saving me from having to right-click and then left-clicking on the “Open in a new tab” contextual option. Once I’m done with the tab, I can then middle-click on the tab to quickly close it. All of this can be done without any kind configuration; it works out of the box. For me as someone who scours the social media for content, this feature is a priceless time-saver. (Whoever came up with this idea is a genius!)

Using the middle-click button to quickly open and close tabs in Safari.

The M221 and its Silent Mouse brethren, as the name suggests, sports a unique quiet feature that dampens the sound of the clicks and the scroll wheel. The name is a little misleading, though, because the clicking and scrolling sounds are still audible, albeit in a less annoying, high-pitched “click-clack” sound the way that most budget mouse have.

Why I decide to upgrade: the case against budget mouse

So if the M221 is enough, then why did I decide to switch?

One of my biggest annoyances about using the M221 is the need for a USB dongle. Having a dongle for someone who works with a laptop is troublesome because 1) it adds extra bulk to what should be a portable device, and 2) you can’t help but think that you will at one unfortunate point in time lose it.

Secondly, the M221 inconveniently runs on 2 AAA batteries. I’ve only changed the batteries on my M221 approximately 3 times during the past year but it doesn’t notify me when its running low on battery. My second battery died on me when I was out of town and I had to go for a battery run.

Thirdly, the more I’m using the M221 the more I realize its limitations. On my Mac, I work with multiple web browsers, sometimes even as many as four at the same time. I like to have all of them on full screen and I switch between them very often. To do this, I have to either use four-finger swipe on the trackpad or take advantage of the Hot Corners feature. (Hot Corners can be immensely useful when paired with a budget mouse, but lets save it for another post!) While useful, this method is far from practical and it can get very tedious over time.

I understand that these reasons are by no means conclusive and therefore force me to get another mouse. In fact, if I wanted to I can still use M221 for another year or so. But against my better judgment I decide to go ahead and give the MX Anywhere 2S a shot, which I got for almost six times the price (Rp810k).

Since then, the MX Anywhere 2S has become one of the best investments on a computer mouse Ive ever made.

Logitech MX Anywhere 2S: The best upgrade for a practical wireless mouse

If I say that the M221 is an everyday electric car, the MX Anywhere 2S is a classy, sleek sports car. When you hold it in your hand, you can really feel the difference: it looks, feels, and works like a premium mouse.

Whoever designed the MX Anywhere 2S is probably a part-time sports car designer.

In a nutshell, MX Anywhere 2S is an overpowered M221: it has everything that the budget mouse has to offer but better and more. The MX Anywhere 2S sports a total of seven buttons compared to the minimalistic three that the M221 offers. All seven of these, including the left-right "buttons" on the scroll wheel and the back-forward buttons on the left side, can be fully customized with an app called Logitech Options. I have no complaints about the app other than the fact that it's a third-party app that I have to manually install on my computer.

Logitech Options customization window. Works with budget mice, too!

Working with multiple windows open suddenly becomes a cinch. Whenever I have four full screen windows open, I can configure the two scroll wheel buttons via Logitech Options so when I move it to the right or the left, it switches windows quickly without me having to move my hand back and forth between the mouse and the trackpad or tediously put my cursor into Hot Corners.

The oh-so-very-useful middle-click button can now be assigned to any of the seven buttons, but I like to have it in the small button under the scroll wheel ("middle-ish click"?). It's worth noting that the scroll wheel in the MX Anywhere 2S doesn't register as a button; what it does is it mechanically switches between two scrolling modes: fast scrolling and precision scrolling. Peculiar, indeed!

The MX Anywhere 2S sports a solution for my biggest problem with the M221: the dongle. While it does provide me with a dongle as an option, it’s first and foremost a wireless mouse that connects via Bluetooth, therefore saving my MacBook Air its precious USB slot. The Bluetooth connects in a snap, too, with only a negligible lag when my MacBook Air wakes up from sleep. The only moment the MX Anywhere 2S requires a USB slot is when it’s running out of battery and I have to charge it with a micro-USB cable.

Speaking of batteries, Logitech claims the MX Anywhere 2S can last up to 70 days on a single charge. Ive only charged it once for approximately 4 hours, and the battery level—which, by the way, can be monitored via the aforementioned Logitech Options app—hasn’t gone down even a touch. It’s worth mentioning that this device has a non-removable battery built-in, which I personally think adds to the plus side of this badass excuse for a rodent.

What about the trackpad?

Despite being universally acclaimed as the best. Trackpad. Ever, relying fully on the MacBook Air trackpad is not really the best option for me, especially when I need to be using my laptop for a whole day. My fingers and wrists get uncomfortable after only an hour.

After using the MX Anywhere 2S for about two weeks, I can say that I do not at all regret investing such a premium price for a robust, extremely useful mouse that immensely improves my daily workflow. Will I go back to the M221? My answer is definitely not! The one time I will switch mice again is when I—God forbid—lose it or when I finally decide to upgrade to the ultimate god of a wireless mouse that is the Logitech MX Master 2S. But for now, Im pretty happy with the MX Anywhere 2S and I can see myself using it for a year or two ahead.

To mouse or to trackpad, that is the question.

So after such a long post, what’s the takeaway? If you think that your budget mouse is still reliable and can still do whatever task you require it to do, by all means, stick with it! It’s probably the right mouse for you. However, 1) if you work intensely with your laptop as your main arsenal, or 2) if you think that your existing mouse just doesn’t cut it, or 3) all of the above, budget allowing, do not hesitate to upgrade to a more premium mouse to greatly improve your workflow. It will be worth it in the long run!

And there you have it: my thoughts on how I feel after switching from a budget Logitech M221 Silent Mouse to the premium MX Anywhere 2S. I’m very interested to see how other people achieve productivity with their mice: do you feel the need to upgrade to a premium mouse? Or are you on the opposite side that doesn’t even need a mouse to do your work? Be sure to share your thoughts in the comments!