Ajazz's AJ159 Apex gaming mouse is a no-nonsense device that focuses on razor-sharp accuracy with absurd DPI levels and incredible speed. Though focusing on simplicity and performance, a few bonuses make the overall package shine.
Ever used one of those gaming mice that sharply curves along the thumb or features over a dozen buttons? In my years of reviewing and previewing games and hardware, a lot of wild products have come across my desk. A gaming headset that featured rumble. Cellphone pouches designed to look like animals. Bypass switches to enable mouse and keyboard controls on older consoles. If a manufacturer can imagine a gimmick or embraces the concept of incremental improvement, it’s been made.
I’ve “famously” owned one gaming mouse for over a decade. It was a Logitech MX510, an optical mouse that had a wavy blue pattern and 8 buttons. Sometime in the mid 2010s I abandoned the mouse for something wireless… and also because I probably had some money to splurge on one.
But in my experience, a mouse is like a game controller. Too much and it becomes unwieldy. 75% of the time, two buttons and a scroll wheel can get you out of any pinch in a sweaty Call of Duty match or build a fast enough bullet barrier in Fortnite. But those left-side buttons are pretty sweet, especially when you want to go back a page when browsing the Internet.
The Ajazz AJ159 Apex embraces my favorite thing about gaming mice: simplistic elegance. Weighing around 56 grams, it feels like a feather in the hand, easily coasting along the surface of a desk or, if you’re like me, sometimes the carpet when you’re sprawled out on the floor trying to write. It has five buttons: the two main left and right clicks, the scroll wheel button, and two left-side buttons. It’s great. Five stars. No complaints.
By no stretch of the imagination am I some kind of pro gamer or could even pretend to be one. I am casually hardcore, spending a few hundred hours in a yearly Call of Duty before falling off, not caring too much about my K/D. The PC has become more of an indie haven for me and a lot of those games don’t even use a mouse. But more and more interesting F2P shooters are coming to market that provide ample opportunity to try and challenge my base instincts as a gamer. Still, I don’t want a gaming mouse that is going to register an unintentional button click or have a DPI that crawls like molasses.
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Most likely have a tendency to look at any gaming device and think “that’s it?” when seeing it for the first time. And you wouldn’t be mistaken to do that with the AJ159 Apex. My white mouse–which also comes in black, blue, and orange–matches my PlayStation 5 and PC tower, which sit next to each other. The scroll wheel and side buttons are black and “AJAZZ” is embossed in gold right where your thumb would normally rest. It’s not flashy, more so trying to make a statement with its lack of one. And I love that. A slight grain gives just a bit of texture and grip to the smoothness of the mouse as it curves upward into the palm.
For all purposes, the AJ159 Apex is a mouse, not a “gaming” mouse that screams bells and/or whistles. A lack of exaggerated curves give it the profile of almost every standard or pack-in mouse you’ve seen for the past 25 years. Honestly, the only thing I don’t like about its design is the slot in the front where users are meant to plug in a cable to either charge the mouse or use it wired to absolutely reduce any sliver of latency. The bottom of the mouse is black and features a removable panel where the USB dongle goes, a few spots for traction, an input mode switch, a DPI button, and the connector to the charging base.
Anyone who would have any issue with the AJ159 Apex’s visual appeal is understandably looking for a bit more flash, perhaps some RGB lights or a design. Ajazz’s restraint in doing any of these flourishes is instead translated to the charging station. In the Apex model of the AJ159, the charging station features a line of RGB lights along that bottom perimeter. The base is angled in a way so the mouse inclines when charging rather than lay flat, making it a kind of statement piece when not in use. Finally, a small screen sits prominently. On the screen, users can see the date and time, battery life, DPI settings, report rate, LOD silent height, or connectivity method. Finally, the display can show up to and cycle between five images and a .gif, emitting the user’s personality.
The display screen is a wonderful tool for the charging base. Because it has sticky grips, it will stay on most surfaces and be set in a place where users can easily see it from multiple angles. One button on the base adjusts RGB lighting features while another button adjusts what is shown on the display screen. Further customization is done through an Ajazz app that also has a simple drawing pad that instantly uploads an image to the base.
It’s also through this software that users can “overclock” the DPI to 42,000… past the 30,000 not done through the software. Ajazz also boasts the AJ159 Apex’s accuracy through the use of PixArt’s PAW3950 sensor, further giving the mouse a tracking speed of 750 IPS and 50G acceleration.
To enthusiasts, these words and numbers will absolutely be a delectable treat upon which to feast. For me, I definitely understand the concept of DPI and have often struggled with finding the absolute sweet spot; usually clicking between a DPI button and adjusting sensitivity settings in-game to find something truly optimal.
As a joke, I hopped into CS: Go and Valorant, two games I’m terrible at. These shooters require a lot more tactical movement and thought, something my Call of Duty-laced brain doesn’t have much patience for. I’m terrible at Go and Valorant and have never seriously been invested in getting good at them. But I decided to pretend to be an accuracy master and use the 42,000 DPI setting in those games. No, I didn’t instantly switch to them, first dialing up the setting so I didn’t swing too wild with too much control. But let me tell you, there is an insane granularity that almost makes me want to puke–not necessarily a bad thing. Yet when you are attempting to poke around a corner and identify any target, the ability to move sights seemingly the length of a grain of sand is quite remarkable.
For a player like me who has little to no “professional” gamer or e-Sports skill, some of the immense functionality, accuracy, and speed of the AJ159 Apex will be lost on me and that’s okay. While I could see a visually simpler mouse like this with fewer buttons not coming on the radar for pros, I think the things a gaming mouse primarily does–aiming–is superb. I understand that an RTS like Starcraft, a MOBA like League of Legends, or MMO like Final Fantasy XIV may benefit from a few hotkeys assigned to the mouse. But the AJ159 Apex feels geared towards players wanting an edge in shooters. In Rainbow Six: Siege, those increased DPI settings were a dream for popping my head in and out of safe spaces to try and get a crucial few shots to down an opponent.
The AJ159 Apex connects easily through Bluetooth, 2.4G wireless via a dongle, or through a USB-C wired connection. Of course, everyone will tell you that wired is the best method to reduce any possible instance of lag or delay. But at this point, any of those are virtually impossible to notice without some kind of software to measure it. Obviously, this particular mouse has no issue keeping up with intense, snappy aiming during the most high-intensity matches.
Nothing about the Ajazz AJ159 Apex feels unnecessary. At the price of $69, you are getting an incredibly accurate gaming mouse that offers sleekness over complexity and abundant style. Its unassuming nature is one of the best parts about it, forgoing unneeded buttons that clog up a device meant to do only a handful of things in a game. Those looking for added flair should delight in its charging station, which features a screen and RGB lights to inject one’s personality into something that won’t always be covered by the hand. This is how a gaming mouse should look, feel, and play.
