The Neon 3K is an ambidextrous optical mouse powered by the Pixart 3320 sensor; with a maximum of 3500DPI, it promises the perfect balance of speed, precision and control.
Product on Review: Ozone Neon 3K
Manufacturer and Sponsor: Ozone Gaming
Street Price: UK: £34.99, EU: €34.99
We had a look at the Ozone Neon a couple of years ago and we felt that its classic design and shape coupled with its strong performance made it rather commendable. Now in 2016, Ozone have remixed the Neon with the Pixart 3320 optical sensor to give gamers that zero acceleration, responsive performance many crave for competitive gaming.
Aside from the 3500DPI optical sensor and the ambidextrous shape, the Neon 3K sports 128kb of on-board memory which can save up to 5 profiles, up to 1000Hz polling, uses OMRON switches, 8 programmable buttons, and you can choose between 6 colours for the LED lighting. It also has a textured rubberised surface for extra grip.
Overview by Ozone
Accuracy’s back again: Optical technology, although considered an older technology, provides a more reliable and precise experience for the users which might need that in their gaming sessions. That’s why Ozone’s lab has designed an optical mouse, to bring back a technology that offers superior performance and perfect control speeds.
Technical Specifications
Sensor: Optical
DPI (max.): 3500
Design: Ambidextrous
Internal Memory: 128kb
Weight: 110g-130g
Buttons powered by: Omron
Programmable buttons: 8 buttons
Dpi Adjustable on the fly: 750/1500 (default)
Adjustable response rate: 2/65/125/190/255ms
Compatible with: Windows® (driver)
Surface: Rubber coating for Max. grip
Size: 125 x 65 x 36.8 mm
Plug: Golden coated USB connector
LED: 6 color options
DPI (max.): 3500
Design: Ambidextrous
Internal Memory: 128kb
Weight: 110g-130g
Buttons powered by: Omron
Programmable buttons: 8 buttons
Dpi Adjustable on the fly: 750/1500 (default)
Adjustable response rate: 2/65/125/190/255ms
Compatible with: Windows® (driver)
Surface: Rubber coating for Max. grip
Size: 125 x 65 x 36.8 mm
Plug: Golden coated USB connector
LED: 6 color options
Packaging & First Look
The packaging is a high quality chest like box with a large image of the product set in the Ozone colours of black and red. There are several thumbnails at the bottom giving details about the product.
At the back there is more information about the features in various languages.
The box is held closed magnetically and opens up to give a view of the product inside.
The mouse is accompanied by a quick start guide and an Ozone sticker.
The mouse itself is a sleek with a rubberised surface in a classic ambidextrous shape, it has a braided cable with a gold plated USB connector.
Closer Look
From the top we can see the symmetry of the Neon 3K mouse with its slim, almost hourglass shape.
At the front we see the low set rubberised mouse wheel with the DPI switch sitting behind it.
At the rear we see the stylised Ozone logo that is LED backlit, giving an interesting focal point.
The sides are symmetrical and features a forward/back button on both sides so is truly ambidextrous.
On the underside there are large slip-pads at the front and back with the sensor mounted slightly more towards the rear.
Software & Lighting
The Neon 3K software can be downloaded from its product page and is comprised of a fairly simple UI. You can adjust the polling rate, lighting, 2 DPI settings, as well as reprogram each of the 8 buttons to which you can save up to 5 different profiles. The macro recorder is easy to use though doesn’t seem too advanced as it does not record mouse actions.
You can choose from 6 colours and various effects including constant, heartbeat, blink and breathing as well as being able to adjust the effect speeds. Alternatively you can turn the lighting off.
Performance Testing
Setup, Design & Observations
The Neon 3K will work at default settings without the drivers, though for full functionality it is recommended that you install the software driver. Once setup and you have the mouse in your hands you will notice that the textured surface feels impressively good, not like the rubberised coating of days past. I found that the Neon 3K is comfortable using any grip style and it isn’t too heavy for those that like to fingertip. Some may prefer a larger mouse, or an ergonomically shaped mouse for a palm grip, but as an ambidextrous mouse you would never find that here anyway. The main clicks are very satisfying and responsive, while the mouse wheel feels sturdy and reliable. This quality extends to the side buttons also.
Overall there is little else to note, it weights 110g (without cable) has a smooth flat base making navigation seamless and precise.
Performance
One of the strong points of the 3320 sensor is that it has good tracking across various surfaces so we put it to the test. Like with our previous outing using the 3320 sensor with the DX-20, the tracking was flawless across black fabric mouse mat, white paper, plain card, glossy desktop veneer, though struggled a little on coloured glossy magazine. At the maximum 3500DPI there was a small amount of jitter, though its a shame that the software doesn’t offer any angle snapping or lift-off-distance controls as this could be introduced by default values.
In game, we found it to be a pleasure in both high speed games like CS:GO and DOTA2, or in more slow paced games like… Lethal League (ikr) or FFXIV: A Realm Reborn. Having an optical sensor makes the the movement responsive and reliable without any acceleration.
Conclusion
There are various parallels we can draw between the Neon 3K and the QPad DX-20, both are an ambidextrous mouse featuring the Pixart 3320 sensor. OMRON switches and has 128kb of on-board memory. Though they are certainly differ too. The QPad mouse features an on-board ARM MCU, and customisable lighting effects while the Ozone Neon 3K, arguably, is truly ambidextrous as it features buttons on both sides, and costs a little less. What really shines in the Ozone Neon 3K is its fantastic build quality, with an extra note about the awesome textured surface, deviating away from the velvety, cringe worthy rubber coated plastic, towards a more attractive texturised surface that is a breath of fresh air.
The pricing of the Neon 3K (£30-35) is very competitive and considering the competition it holds its own in its build quality and top quality sensor, it may find its place amongst some of our favourite ambidextrous mice (such as the SteelSeries Rival 100 and the ROCCAT Kiro). The most significant thing worth noting is the lack of controls with the the software UI, there is no adjustable settings for angle snapping, or for lift-off-distance. Though this could be amended later, or maybe we are just nitpicking. As it stands, the Neon 3K is an awesome optical mouse that is responsive and precise.
A top quality ambidextrous mouse featuring a modern and reliable optical sensor, what more could you want for this price?
Pros.
+ Solid construction
+ Responsive and precise tracking
+ Works well on various surfaces
+ On board memory, saves 5 profiles
+ Comfortable for any grip type
+ Ambidextrous
+ Price
Cons.
– Only basic adjustments in the software
+ Solid construction
+ Responsive and precise tracking
+ Works well on various surfaces
+ On board memory, saves 5 profiles
+ Comfortable for any grip type
+ Ambidextrous
+ Price
Cons.
– Only basic adjustments in the software
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