Glorious Model O Eternal review - an ultralight gaming mouse on a budget

The Glorious Model O was one of the first gaming mice to embrace the trend for hole-filled, ultralight designs. It didn't outright lead the charge, but it arrived as one of the more readily available and affordable options, making it an immediate hit. Six years later - somehow it feels like longer since I reviewed it - and the Model O is back. The Glorious Model O Eternal is a fresh budget variant of that design that costs just $35, and while its impact might not be as mighty, it still makes for a great low-cost option.

It's been a while since we've had a brand new and genuinely exciting contender for the budget crown on our best gaming mouse guide. With us nearly voting the original Glorious Model O as one of the best PC gaming components ever - it was pipped to the post by the Finalmouse Ultralight Pro, the new budget version has a lot to live up, and thankfully Glorious has managed it.

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Specs

Features

It should hopefully come as no surprise to find that the Glorious Model O Eternal isn't the most feature-rich gaming mouse ever made, given its budget aspirations. However, while this is no rival to the Logitech G502 X or Razer Basilisk V3 Pro 35K, it has all the essentials, while actually packing more features than some premium ultralightweight alternatives

What you do get is a six-button mouse, with a DPI switching button on the top being the only addition to the standard left, right, and middle buttons on the front, and back and forward buttons on the side. That button configuration mirrors the original Model O.

Below the left and right buttons are switches that Glorious rates to a massive lifespan of 80 million clicks, which is 4x the life of the original model's switches. Glorious also points out that these switches have a far longer rating than some rival budget mice, such as the Logitech G203, SteelSeries Rival 3 (our current best budget choice), and Razer Deathadder Essential. It doesn't actually name the switches - they're simply labeled as "mechanical" ones (as opposed to optical) - but Glorious told us they're made by Huano.

The same is true of the sensor in this mouse, with Glorious simply stating on its website that it's an optical sensor with a maximum DPI rating of 12,000. However, Glorious told us that it's a custom model made by Pixart (the maker of essentially all mouse sensors). Interestingly, the minimum DPI rating is 50, which is half the typical 100 rating of most gaming mice.

The Model O Eternal uses a fixed cable, rather than having a USB-C socket in its front, which limits its repairability if the cable breaks, but this arrangement is typical of budget gaming mice, as well as many other wired gaming mice that are more expensive.

The cable here is also notably not as premium-feeling as some options. We're used to seeing very lightweight cables on wired mice, in order to minimize cable pushback, and these can feel quite light and flimsy, but they tend to be braided to reduce the friction of the cable. This one has a rubberized finish that is just a touch more prone to catching or snagging on other items on your desk, and, while it's relatively lightweight, it's not quite as free-moving as some options.

Otherwise, the only other feature of note, other than all the holes, is the RGB lighting. This is now featured in two strips that run down either side of the rear of the mouse, where they illuminate the inside as well as glowing outwardly. The RGB-lit scroll wheel of the original Model O is gone.

Design and comfort

The design of the Model O Eternal is very similar to the original Model O, but with just a few minor tweaks. That means you get the same basic symmetrical shape that's broadly similar to the likes of the Logitech G Pro Superlight 2 and Razer Viper V3 Hyperspeed, but with more in common with the latter. It has the slightly longer, shallower back end of that mouse with similarly angled sides that tuck slightly under the mouse, compared to the quite straight up and down sides of the G Pro Superlight 2.

The net effect is a mouse that feels as impressively comfortable as most other top symmetrical mice. It's mostly suited to fingertip grip users, but is large enough to suit a more relaxed palm grip for those with medium-sized and smaller hands, though it's a touch shallower than I would prefer for this grip style. It works reasonably well for claw grip, but I found the back wasn't grippy enough and a little shallow, so it's not the best choice for that style.

Going back to the differences when compared to the Model O, the new version has a slightly less flared out front, giving it a softer, less aggressive look. The finish of the mouse also feels a little less premium. The original model feels like it has another coating that provides an even finer, smoother surface. Glorious confirmed the two are different but didn't go into detail. So, it's clear there have been some tweaks to enable the cost saving, but the overall result is still a mouse that feels great to use.

Another change is the area behind the DPI button, which now houses a tiny Glorious logo - previously, this was on the side of the mouse. The location of the RGB lighting is also slightly different, with the older mouse having the lighting run all the way down the sides, and again, the scroll wheel lighting is gone. The coloring of the extra buttons on the white version is also now gray instead of black, and there are no longer any holes on the left and right buttons. These tweaks result in a look that I feel is slightly less interesting but still looks smart enough.

Perhaps the biggest and most important difference is that the Model O Eternal is 12g lighter than the original, dropping from 67g to just 55g. That's not among the absolutely very lightest mice, but it's still lighter than many mainstream and popular contenders, such as the Superlight 2 (62g), and it's a gram heavier than the Razer Viper V3 Pro, which is a $160 mouse with fewer buttons (though it is wireless).

Software

Glorious' Core software offers a basic set of options to tweak the main features of the Model O Eternal. Across five menu sections, it includes the option to setup three profiles, adjust the polling rate (1,000Hz, 500Hz, 250Hz, 125Hz) and debounce time (0-16ms), choose from one of eight lighting modes (with brightness and speed adjust), select up to six DPI settings, and alter the button mapping.

The latter offers the usual selection of mapping a keystroke, a mouse function, a macro, a shortcut, or a multimedia function to any of the mouse's buttons. You can also disable any of the buttons, but with so few buttons available, the only viable option - other than switching the left and right buttons for left-handed use - is to reassign the top DPI button.

The software is simple but entirely sufficient for setting up the mouse, and I'm a particular fan of the way each menu section has a clear "save to mouse" button (styled as a tickbox in some sections) for you to transfer the changes you've just made to the mouse.

Performance

The most obvious area to start when it comes to assessing the performance of this mouse is its sensor, which, with a 12K maximum DPI rating, is well behind the 32K+ sensor ratings of some high-end mice. However, it's a simple fact that mouse sensors have been effectively flawless for many years now. Equip yourself with one of the best gaming mousepads, and there's almost no discernible difference between this mouse, the old Model O, and many other more expensive mice.

Specifically, it tracks flawlessly, providing smooth, precise movement with no unwanted software interference, acceleration, or hiccups in tracking the mouse mat surface.

One area where this mouse does fall a little behind the very best is in its polling rate. Some mice can hit 4kHz or even 8kHz polling, compared to the 1kHz of this mouse, and if you have a very fast refresh rate panel (240Hz or higher), you can notice the slightly less frequent mouse position updates when using this mouse. This should only be a concern if you're playing competitive FPS games at a genuinely competitive level and on a very fast screen, though.

As for the buttons on this mouse, they feel great, with a precise, tight response and a sound that's prominent but not unpleasantly hollow like some switches. There's also no discernible latency - this feels every bit the fast gaming mouse.

Price

The Glorious Model O Eternal price is just $34.99 / £29.99, which makes it one of the cheapest big-brand gaming mice available that isn't a really small option, such as the Logitech G203. There is the Razer Deathadder Essential, which costs under $25, but it's a much heavier option at 96g, and its sensor represents another step down in capability, topping out at 6,400DPI. Meanwhile, the $30 SteelSeries Rival 3 is again a very small mouse, with the Model O being generally more comfortable to use. The same goes for the $30 Corsair M55. Note, though, that while the Model O Eternal launches globally today, it isn't being shipped to the US until September due to supply chain issues.

Alternatives

Corsair M55

Even cheaper than the Model O Eternal, the Corsair M55 offers a slightly higher DPI sensor and identical 55g weight, but its shape is not particularly comfortable in your hand, it has fewer buttons than the Model O Eternal, and it lacks RGB lighting.

Logitech G203

Cheaper than the Model O Eternal, the G203 is Logitech's main budget gaming mouse option. Like the Corsair M55, though, it is a very small, cramped-feeling mouse (variation in hand-size notwithstanding) that's also quite a bit heavier than the Model O Eternal. It does have neat-looking RGB lighting, though.

Razer Deathadder Essential

The Deathadder Essential is arguably the most comfortable budget gaming mouse around, with it taking on the timeless and ergonomic Deathadder shape. It's also incredibly cheap. However, it's quite big and bulky, with fewer buttons and a more basic sensor than the Model O Eternal.

Verdict

The Glorious Model O Eternal sails into the top spot as our new best budget gaming mouse thanks to it not compromising on its core design, features, and performance while coming in at an incredibly low price. So many budget mice either use really small designs or cut back so heavily on one or more features that they feel like a really big compromise. Not so here.

Where the Razer Deadadder Essential is too heavy and the SteelSeries Rival 3 and Corsair M55 are too small and awkwardly shaped, the Model O Eternal has just the same winning shape as the original Model O. It obviously won't suit you if you prefer an overall different style of mouse - such as a more ergonomic shape - but given the broad appeal of the general symmetrical shape of this style of mouse, we wouldn't hesitate to recommend it to most buyers over any other budget option.

Its styling is a little dull, and the hole-filled look might not be your thing, but for a practical gaming tool, the Glorious Model O Eternal is easy to recommend.

For more gaming mouse recommendations, check out our best wireless gaming mouse guide.