Dell MS900 Premier Rechargeable Mouse Review: Your Digits Will Thank You

dell-ms900-premier-rechargeable-mouse-review:-your-digits-will-thank-you

Rating: 9/10 ?

  • 1 – Does not work
  • 2 – Barely functional
  • 3 – Severely lacking in most areas
  • 4 – Functions, but has numerous issues
  • 5 – Fine yet leaves a lot to be desired
  • 6 – Good enough to buy on sale
  • 7 – Great and worth purchasing
  • 8 – Fantastic, approaching best-in-class
  • 9 – Best-in-class
  • 10 – Borderline perfection

Price: $100

A front view of the Dell Premier MS900.
Hannah Stryker / How-To Geek

Mice and keyboards may be thought of as simple computer accessories, but the Dell Premier Rechargeable Mouse (MS900) is far from basic. Designed for comfort, fast-paced workflows, and seamless device pairing, the MS900 looks, feels, and performs like a mouse of tomorrow that you can use today. 

Design: Set Sail on a Flagship of Comfort

The Bluetooth/RF inputs of the Dell MS900.
Hannah Stryker / How-To Geek
  • Dimensions: 3.5 x 1.8 x 5in (88.9 x 45.72 x 127mm)
  • Weight: 4.75oz (0.134kg)
  • Color: Graphite

The MS900 is one of the most comfortable point-and-click mice I’ve ever used, bar-none. And whether you’re doing some basic web browsing, a long-haul graphic design project, or mixing and mastering your own music with Pro Tools, the MS900 is built to hold your hand—quite literally. 

Dell brilliantly used a soft padding that wraps around the part of the mouse where your palm meets the hardware. This material can also be found on the device’s left-facing thumb perch, which is a design choice I wish more mouse manufacturers would incorporate. 

In terms of buttons, you’re working with the traditional left- and right-click mouse clicks (not padded), with a textured vertical scroll wheel for navigating through pages and documents. Below this, there’s an input button for switching between two different Bluetooth sources and RF connectivity (which requires you to connect the MS900’s USB dongle to whatever device you’re using).

There’s also a horizontal scroll wheel located right above the thumb rest, which made me realize just how much I was missing in a world without a left-right scroll. Sure, my MacBook’s TrackPad can do it, but you haven’t lived until you’ve rocked the X-axis with a point-and-click.

And while the Dell MS900 isn’t necessarily an ergonomic mouse, its design and shape is comfortable to hold for hours on end.

Responsiveness: Who Said Slow and Steady Should Always Win?

A front view of the Dell MS900 mouse.
Hannah Stryker / How-To Geek
  • Wireless Standards: Bluetooth 5.1, 2.4GHz
  • Buttons: 7 (3 programmable)
  • Movement Resolution: 8,000 DPI
  • Compatibility: Windows, macOS, Linux, ChromeOS, Android

When it comes to a mouse, one of the most important considerations is how well it moves around your workstation. Notice how I didn’t just say “desk.” These days, we can bring our laptops and tablets pretty much anywhere. There’s no reason why the vital accessories we tout along with this gear should have any limitations. 

Now don’t get me wrong: there’s no beating a mouse pad, and if you’ve got one hanging around, I suggest packing it along with the MS900. But if you don’t have one handy (like me), you’ll be pleased to hear that Dell’s mouse works well on multiple surface types. My own workstation is one of those MDF computer desks, and the MS900 seamlessly glided across the desktop, to the point where I forgot I didn’t even have a mouse pad. I’m betting this is due in part to its thoughtful build. 

The Best Mouse Pads of 2023

Amazon Basics Gaming Computer Mouse Pad

Amazon Basics Gaming Computer Mouse Pad

Orbitkey Desk Mat

Best Large Mouse Pad/Desk Pad

Orbitkey Desk Mat

SteelSeries QcK Gaming Surface

SteelSeries QcK Gaming Surface

Corsair Gaming Mouse Pad

Corsair Gaming Mouse Pad

Vornnex Ergonomic Memory Foam Mouse Pad

Vornnex Ergonomic Memory Foam Mouse Pad

Logitech G440 Hard Gaming Mouse Pad

Logitech G440 Hard Gaming Mouse Pad

When you flip the mouse over, you’ll find two bumped-up sections of smoothed plastic trim. They may not look like much, but that eighth of an inch in height allows the MS900 to be used on wood, tile, and a myriad of padded surfaces. In my own experience, the mouse worked just as well on top of my super-cushioned ottoman as it did on my desk. 

Out of the box, the MS900 was a little draggy in terms of movement and scroll speed, but I was able to easily fix this with a few quick adjustments in my MacBook’s mouse settings, which brings me to the following point. No matter what, though, you won’t want to use this mouse if you’re looking to play AAA games.

If you’re using this mouse with a Windows machine, you’ll be able to download Dell’s Peripheral Manager to customize things like tracking and scroll speed. But the big win with the software is the ability to map commands to the MS900’s three programmable buttons. These include the “click” command of the mouse’s two scroll wheels and the dedicated side scroll button. 

Unfortunately, macOS, Linux, ChromeOS, and Android users will only be able to use first-party settings for tweaking things like scroll speed and choosing the primary mouse button. Oh, bother.

Battery Life: Charge It Once a Season

  • Battery Type: Rechargeable (includes USB-C cable)
  • Battery Life: Up to 3 months

Ah yes, the incredible powers of USB-C. Yeah, it’s been out for some time now, but when it comes to re-juicing peripherals like mice and keyboards, lightning-fast charge times really never get old. In the case of the Dell MS900, you’ll get close to three months off a single charge; but once the mouse is fully dead, charging it for only two minutes will get you enough battery for close to 24 hours of usage.

My advice: Every two months or so, dedicate one day to charging the MS900 for as long as possible. This will basically guarantee you’ll have enough battery to last for the majority of a single season. 

The Best Mice of 2023

Razer Pro Click Humanscale Wireless Mouse

Logitech G203 Wired Lightsync Mouse

Logitech G203 Wired Lightsync Mouse

Logitech G502 X plus Lightspeed

Logitech G502 X plus Lightspeed

Logitech MX Master 3S

Logitech MX Master 3S

Razer Basilisk V3

Razer Basilisk V3

Logitech MX Vertical

Logitech MX Vertical

Apple Magic Mouse 2

Apple Magic Mouse 2

Should You Buy the Dell MS900 Premier?

Yes, and don’t think twice. Even if you’re not using a Windows PC, I still think you’ll be able to get plenty of personalization out of your laptop, phone, or tablet’s haptic controls. And just based on comfort alone, the Dell MS900 is easily the most comfortable point-and-click mouse I’ve ever used, and I’d be happy to spend close to $200 on it (although I’m glad it’s only $100).

Rating: 9/10 ?

  • 1 – Does not work
  • 2 – Barely functional
  • 3 – Severely lacking in most areas
  • 4 – Functions, but has numerous issues
  • 5 – Fine yet leaves a lot to be desired
  • 6 – Good enough to buy on sale
  • 7 – Great and worth purchasing
  • 8 – Fantastic, approaching best-in-class
  • 9 – Best-in-class
  • 10 – Borderline perfection

Price: $100

Here’s What We Like

  • Extremely comfortable
  • Seamless performance
  • Incredible battery life
  • Multiple wireless pairing options
  • Good price

And What We Don’t

  • Dell Peripheral Manager is only available for Windows
  • Default settings may need some adjusting

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