Razer DeathAdder V4 Pro Review: Is It The Best Mouse Ever?

The Razer DeathAdder V4 Pro gaming mouse is the flagship of the Singaporean manufacturer’s lineup. It retains the exact shape of its predecessors, albeit a few grams lighter, and features a brand new optical sensor full of promise. Razer even claims it represents “the most significant technological advancement of the decade.” Quite a statement!

Beyond the sensor, the switches, scroll wheel, battery life, and wireless connectivity have also improved. Notably, it includes a new, larger dongle, offering an 8,000 Hz polling rate while providing useful visual feedback on the mouse’s status.

In short, apart from the shell, everything appears upgraded or revised, without significantly impacting the sales price, which still reaches a hefty 180 euros at launch. This price point, though high, targets the most demanding gamers and esports enthusiasts.

Technical Specifications

Refinements Toward Perfection

As evident from our images, the DeathAdder V4 Pro doesn’t aim to visually distinguish itself from the previous model. It actually retains the same ergonomic shape. This is pleasing as its design fits perfectly in the palm (of right-handers only). Our test unit, dressed all in black, features a very smooth plastic and still includes adhesive grips in the box.

Among the new features and improvements, it’s worth noting that this V4 Pro is significantly lighter, weighing just 56 g. This makes it one of the lightest on the market currently, allowing it to be virtually unnoticeable in hand. Overall, the ergonomics and comfort of this new DeathAdder are both successful, making it particularly pleasant to handle daily.

The two main clicks have increased in responsiveness, thanks to a revised travel and likely the new fourth-generation optical switches. The improvement here is particularly notable and simply corrects one of the rare flaws of the DeathAdder V3 Pro. The scroll wheel also evolves to an optical activation, supposedly enhancing the reliability of scrolling and its responsiveness.

Practically, this wheel offers unmarked notches but seems indeed more reliable in registering scrolling, eliminating reverse scrolls and unmarked notches. The middle click is well-defined and as audible as the main clicks.

The DAV4 is a generally noisy mouse, except for its two side buttons, which are more discreet. These have also been slightly reworked and are now separated to distinguish them better. This is yet another request from many owners of the V3 model.

Finally, a quick look under the mouse reveals the last physical difference with the DeathAdder V3 Pro. The optical sensor is still centrally positioned and is again accompanied by a power button allowing the switching between sensitivity profiles. However, the PTFE feet have been reworked and are now much larger, ensuring better glide for the mouse.

A Charming New Dongle

The DeathAdder V4 Pro is the first mouse from the brand to benefit from the new second-generation HyperSpeed adapter. Shaped like a stylish half-sphere, and although a bit larger, it ensures a wireless connection with a polling rate of 8,000 Hz. Moreover, it now incorporates three light indicators that provide a quick glance at the connection status, battery life, and polling rate.

This new dongle ensures a reliable connection, thanks especially to redesigned antennas. No latency or connectivity issues were noticed during our test, even though the adapter was positioned about 30 cm from the mouse. Some might still miss the now-common Bluetooth connection, though.

The battery life also improves, reaching up to 120 hours in wireless mode with a 1,000 Hz polling rate. During our test, we indeed observed an improvement in battery life compared to the DAV3 Pro. Practically, the mouse loses just under 10% of battery per day of use (approximately 12 hours), allowing it to easily last more than a week, even with intensive use. However, at 8,000 Hz, the battery life dramatically decreases.

Top-Notch Performance, Plain and Simple

It comes as no surprise that Razer has also upgraded the sensor of its flagship mouse. Enter the second-generation Focus Pro 45K. This offers up to 45,000 DPI, a speed of 900 IPS, and can handle accelerations of up to 85 G. Impressive specs for marketing that, in reality, won’t change much compared to the already excellent Focus Pro 30K.

Thus, the DeathAdder V4 Pro is ideally suited for competitive gaming, where it shines. Its sensor ensures flawless tracking of even the slightest movements, even in the most demanding titles like FPS games. With impeccable glide and now more responsive main clicks, we enjoy a simply excellent mouse.

It’s always worth repeating, but in today’s market, all high-end mice are roughly equal in terms of raw performance. Razer manages to raise the debate a notch by offering numerous advanced features related to this new sensor. We’ll discuss this in the following section.

A Wealth of Settings

Beyond its exemplary performance, the DeathAdder V4 Pro stands out for the extensive customization options offered by Synapse, the driver software common to all the brand’s peripherals. Unsurprisingly, all buttons, except for the main click, can be assigned to functions of our choice. The list is long, ranging from system-related functions to recently introduced AI tools and macros. Even the wireless adapter gets some options since it’s possible to change the indicator associated with each of the three LEDs. A few settings related to battery life are also available in a dedicated tab.

It’s particularly the sensor that benefits from the most interesting and comprehensive adjustments. Each profile can carry five different sensitivity levels, adjustable to the DPI, while allowing the decoupling of the X and Y axes. The polling rate is also adjustable, and Synapse even allows for a different polling rate when a game is launched. Another interesting feature is the ability to automatically adjust the sensor’s sensitivity by “copying” that of another mouse connected to the PC.

Finally, the DeathAdder V4 Pro also integrates some features that appeared on the V3 HyperSpeed model, which will delight the most demanding players. For instance, it’s possible to activate a customizable dynamic sensitivity curve that adjusts the sensor’s behavior in real-time based on the speed of movements. Another module allows for the correction of the sensor angle, thus ensuring that those with unusual grips enjoy more consistent cursor movements and aiming.

To date, among the models we’ve tested, the DeathAdder V4 Pro offers the most extensive customization related to the very functioning of its sensor. No other reference provides as many settings related to its operation. This clearly marks its high-end positioning and target audience in esports.

Price and Availability of the Razer DeathAdder V4 Pro Mouse

The Razer DeathAdder V4 Pro mouse is available at a recommended price of 180 euros.