Swiftpoint Z2 Productivity And Gaming Mouse Review – Advanced Ergonomics And Tilt
Swiftpoint Z2 is a $199 USD gaming mouse with a large number of special features, including an OLED display, Gyroscope and Tilt Functions, and a more affordable price point than any other mouse offering a similar set of features. Today we will review Z2 and compare it with other gaming mice we tested including LoFree Hypace (199 USD) and Razer Naga V2 PRO (179 USD).
Introduction
SwiftPoint is a new company in the gaming mouse landscape, but after successfully funding and delivering on multiple kickstarter campaigns, I became interested in reviewing their gaming mice, to see how they fit in with my gaming, game development as well as productivity needs. While it is possible to purchase Z2 directly from the Swift Point Website, they are created in limited batches. All kickstarter and crowdfunding campaigns created by the company have been successful so right now they are a trusted company to purchase from.
As an Amazon Influencer, I earn from qualifying purchases, and using the purchase links in my reviews helps me maintain this website and Youtube Channel. Audiophile-Heaven has no Ads and our Youtube Channel has no midroll ads, and our work is supported by Affiliate Links and Donations. Huge thanks to SwiftPoint for providing the sample for this review, in exchange for my honest opinion.
Product Link
Amazon – https://amzn.to/3L6w6u7
Official Link – https://www.swiftpoint.eu/products/gaming-mice-swiftpoint-z2
Build Quality – Design
Swiftpoint Z2 is a unique mouse, and we tested most oddballs out there, from the mighty Azeron Cyborg Gamepad, which is a combo of mouse and keyboard that holds you by the hand, then we’ve reviewed mechanical keyboards from Keychron including their latest KeyChron Q6 MAX, and even other mice including the LoFree Hypace. Everything so far has been interesting and unique, but Z2 takes on a basic, mouse shape, and puts it all into overdrive with unique features, up to the most unique ones, a tilt function and the ability to use it as a controller / gamepad.
Sadly, without reviews and promotional materials, it is actually a bit hard to understand what Z2 does, but it is basically a complex computer mouse with Gyroscope and Tilt gestures that can be mapped to absolutely anything you may desire. Those work in normal mouse mode, so basically, you can browse your internets as usual, but when you slightly tilt the mouse right you can map that to go to the next tab in chrome, or tilting it left to go to the previous, left tab in your google chrome. This makes complex browsing, documentation and gaming so much better. I usually rely on a scroll wheel tilt on the Razer Naga V2 PRO for the same thing, but once you get the hang of Z2, it is far more natural, faster, and less straining for long hours of research.
Z2 has uniquely analogue buttons that allow you to assign multiple actions per button, based on how hard you press on it. Basically, you can configure buttons to react differently if you press them lighter or harder, and actually vibrate once you reach the deep click point. You can configure extremely complex actions for each button, record your own macros, and this is available on the left / right / fingertip and wheel buttons.
Vibration feedback is configurable for all clicks and inputs, in multiple levels. All 13 buttons are easy to reach without moving your hand around the mouse, which is actually a bit more comfortable than what I’m used to with my Razer naga V2 Pro, which is far less ergonomic. Z2 looks really good, the plastic is of an excellent quality and does not degrade with usage as I’ve experienced with Naga V2 PRO, but you have to take into account that Z2 is currently available only wired, it is not a wireless mouse.
While having an OLED display on your mouse might seem wasteful, with SwiftPoint Z2 you can configure that display to show you the current X, Y, Z coordinates, and as it has tilt functions, it can help you learn and use it with better efficiency and get more out of it. You can check multiple things on that display, and you can adjust DPI on the fly. Z2 has a large onboard memory, being able to store up to 20 profiles directly onto the mouse. You can access everything without re-downloading the software on each new device. I find this brilliant. Software is free, free of bugs, and works really well for recording macros and updating the mouse, configuring it.
The two buttons you see at the base of the right and left click, you can press or pull on the button for different actions. So you have three buttons, the usual left click, a middle button, then a button at the very base of that, the last one at the base can be pushed or pulled. Z2 also comes with a detachable extender and gyroscope for being used as a joystick, really fun for flight simulators. Naturally, Z2 comes with a high-end sensor, the Pixart PAW3395, which offers a DPI range between 50 and 26000, and you can assign custom actions for every profile and button using the X1 control software.
Subjective Usage
Onto the quality and subjective usage of the Z2, this is a fairly ergonomic mouse, made for larger hands, it is quite large, and at 117 grams it is also quite heavy. As it is wired, I want to mention that the wire is long enough that I can have the mouse on my desk, connected to my computer that is on the floor, almost 1 meter away from me, so it is long enough for most people and usages. All buttons feel very tight, except for the left and right click buttons which feel a bit lighter and can be pressed a bit deeper – but this is by design to allow for the depth function of each button.
I found the OLED display to be super useful to better understand and better work with the mouse, and to give you some examples of functions that I have mapped onto the Z2, I can tilt it left or right to quickly browse through my open tabs in my browser. I also have mapped buttons for returning the zoom on the page to 100%, to open a tab, CTRL+W, to re-Open a TAB which is CTRL+Shift+T. I also have an ALT+F4 function on the mouse to quickly close the program that I am currently using, but I also have a button dedicated to replacing the current scroll wheel button, as I like to avoid pressing on it. I found that mapping the two buttons on the left for forward and backwards also gives me outstanding control for Z2 and make it super ergonomic and viable for power usage and work.
For gaming, the tilt function can give you an incredible advantage in MMORPGs, if you map certain combos or actions on it, and so you can map potions or the keys 1-5 for items in games like Dota 2 on the buttons available at the touch of your fingers. Or, for example, when preparing to shoot an arrow, you can use the pull function on the mouse’s special knuckle button, and this makes gaming super immersive compared to mostly keyboard + light mouse control for a game. Light and the display can both be configured, and I was able to record incredibly complex macros which I love about Swiftpoint Z2.
On the downside, it is wired, and I am used to wireless mice, but the response of Swiftpoint Z2 is much smoother and more natural compared to my wireless mouse. And another small downside is that it has a rather steep learning curve. Not quite as hard to learn and get used to like an Azeron Cyborg gamepad, which can take weeks, but you need a day or two to really get the hang of Z2. Z2 is likely the most versatile, most powerful gaming mouse I have ever seen and experienced, but it is also one of the priciest ones available on the market, so I want to also explore how it compares to the two mice I used the most recently.
If you’re looking for a quick summary, Swiftpoint Z2 is outstanding for both productivity and gaming, it gives you an immediate and huge advantage for all types of usage and it is what I consider to be a brilliant product with outstanding quality for each part, and smart engineering applied by people who understand the needs and wants of their customers.
To mention something that feels important to me, the software of some companies is absolutely horrendous, and the Razer software in particular almost feels like spyware or straight-up virus on my computer, slows down certain processes, eats away resources, and sometimes does not uninstall completely and needs a full windows fresh install to work again. I consider that the software of Z2 is in a whole new universe of quality, it is very light, can be uninstalled, everything works with the mouse onboard memory, and I can record far more complex functions and can configure more about the mouse with zero hassle than any other mouse software I’ve ever used before.
Comparisons
SwiftPoint Z2 vs Razer Naga V2 Pro (199 USD vs 179 USD) – For me, Naga V2 pro has been a daily mouse for almost 2 years now, thanks to the replaceable left thumb button pad, and scroll volume tilt function. This is it, those two functions are what it has to offer that are interesting, they are also what is missing from Z2, I wish Z2 would’ve had a thumb pad with 6 buttons and scroll wheel tilt, but otherwise Swiftpoint Z2 is a far superior mouse and makes up for those with other functions, and you can map everything on other buttons really easily. Software on Z2 is much better, you can configure far more complex macros. Z2 is far more stable on my desk, and more ergonomic too. All in all, Z2 is a superior purchase for both MMO games, productivity and for gaming, but has a longer learning curve and does not have a scroll wheel tilt click function. Also, a function that I use a lot on Naga V2 pro is how you can configure the sensitivity and stepping of the scroll wheel, but you can get around that by using a button to act as the scroll wheel click on Z2 and using it to browse.
SwiftPoint Z2 vs LoFree Hypace (199 USD vs 199 USD) – Hypace is a unique product, because it is pretty, but it is also far more ergonomic than everything else on the market. This being said, where Hypace is more ergonomic, so much lighter and while it feels lighter in my hand, it has no extra functionality and for me, as a power user, Z2 feels so much better to use long-term. Basically, with Hypace, I get a wow effect, use it for half an hour then get really bored of having to do everything using the keyboard, Z2 allows me to get so much usage of the mouse, to quickly open and browse tabs, zoom, do complex macros in games, it is a power tool, while hypace is super ergonomic, but super simple as well, being a classic mouse that just happens to be the ultimate comfort tool. Z2 is heavier, larger and requires a larger hand to use, but gets so much more done with a bit of learning.
Value and Conclusion
Considering that I never really used a cheaper mouse than Z2, for me the price is just right, it offers far more functions and better quality than the competition. I think that if you’re coming from an actually cheap mouse like Logitech G502, you will appreciate the far better quality of plastics and more buttons available on Z2. I used a G502, and the plastic disintegrates, along with the scroll wheel, in around 6 to 12 months, while Swiftpoint Z2 has been a daily mouse for almost 8 months now and looks absolutely new. This speaks volumes about the build quality and resilience of Z2.
At the end of the day, if you’re looking for a combo of mouse, gamepad, if you like complex functions, and if you want your mouse to do so much more than your current one, if you’re a gamer or a power user and don’t mind manually creating macros and being creative, SwiftPoint Z2 delivers a performance that far outlives its popularity, it is popular in niche groups, but is what almost all users dream of, a mouse that actually is useful with complex features which you can configure, and you can even uninstall the software completely once it is set up.
PROs
- Practical and ultra useful for a power user
- Beautiful and with a utility display on the left side of the mouse
- Tilt function, unique to Z2
- Push and pull function on the buttons, unique to Z2
- Very ergonomic for my large hands
- Complex set of buttons
- Allows recording of incredibly complex macros and features
- Software is slight and light, can be uninstalled and everything is stored on-board on the Z2
- Not expensive considering how much extra usability it has compared to other mice
- Long cable that allows it to work well with most computers
- Good scroll wheel and sensor allowing for precise control
Cons
- Out of the functions I need, it would need a scroll tilt click to be perfect
- Also would need more buttons, around 6 on the left side to be perfect for me
- No wireless option
- Takes a while to learn and master the Swiftpoint Z2
Product Link
Amazon – https://amzn.to/3L6w6u7
Official Link – https://www.swiftpoint.eu/products/gaming-mice-swiftpoint-z2
--- Please remember to stay safe, and always have fun while listening to music!---
- If you have a dime to spare, please donate, and help us! It would make the day brighter for me and my wife-
Full Playlist used for this review
We listened to more songs than those named in this playlist, but those are excellent for identifying a sonic signature. I recommend trying most of the songs from this playlist, especially if you’re searching for new music! The playlists are different for Spotify, Tidal and Youtube, and based on the songs I enjoy and are available on each!
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL_cjBXGmwSHSdGcwuc_bKbBDGHL4QvYBu
https://open.spotify.com/playlist/5J3oloz8Riy9LxEGenOjQ0?si=979ba4f082414be7
https://tidal.com/browse/playlist/330fd544-8e5b-4839-bd35-676b2edbb3d5
--- Contact Us ---
