Dareu A980 Pro Max mouse review

Keyboard Builders' Digest / Review

Dareu A980 Pro Max mouse review

With its modern design, 4K/8K polling rate, tri-mode connectivity, and TFT display, the Dareu A980 Pro Max mouse is a highly customizable companion for gaming and office use.

KBD.news
Published November 29, 2024

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Nope, you haven't lost your way – you're in the right place! This is still the same keyboard-themed blog you know as kbd.news. :) However, after mentioning this cool wireless mouse with a fancy TFT display, the Dareu A980 Pro Max, in my latest editorial, I thought it would be helpful to share my thoughts.

Seeing that some of you have already picked it up, and some of you might be considering it with the 30% BF&CM discount (which means $63 until Monday!), here's a quick rundown, backed by a few days of testing.

Introduction

As its design, specs and features suggest, the Dareu A980Pro/Pro Max mice aim to provide top-notch performance with innovative features for professional and avid gamers. Which, to be clear, I am definitely not. :) Sure, with its ergonomic, lightweight design, and versatile customization options, its target audience is mostly gamers, and it caters to users looking for high-speed, accurate gameplay. However, you'll be getting my opinion from the perspective of coding, blogging, and other less demanding daily tasks typical of an office worker and hobbyist.

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Background

It was only a few weeks ago that I first heard of Dareu, but that’s really just a sign of my own lack of awareness when it comes to gaming brands.

DAREU [/deə(r)/ /ju/] has been around for 16 years, working as an OEM for Logitech and Razer, and offering computer peripherals for both e-sports and offices for global customers. Yep, they have keyboards too, we may get to those a bit later. ;)

In 2013, DAREU was appointed the exclusive gaming equipment brand for the world's top gaming competition WCG China. In 2022, they officially entered the overseas market, in 2023 the US e-commerce market, and now they've sent me this Dareu A980. :) As always, take everything I write with a grain of salt, as receiving a free product may introduce all kinds of biases – as you already know.

Variants

The DAREU A980 has a Pro and Pro Max variant. The most significant difference between the two models is the display, this fancy feature of the Max. Otherwise, the Pro is both cheaper, lighter, has smaller battery, and it looks like its scroll wheel is completely different too. I can't find much info on it, and while this may be a matter of personal preference, I have the feeling I preferred the wheel material and pattern of the little brother.

Both models are available in white, black, and a dark grayish blue color – providing options for different tastes.

Unboxing & Contents

In the stylish quality cardboard box you have the mouse itself, a product card, user manual, mouse bag, 1.5m cable with paracord, 4K receiver, nano receiver, anti-slip stickers and replacement feet pad.

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Quick specs

Compatibility: Windows, Mac, iOS, Android
magnesium alloy button (Pro Max only?)
0.85" TFT display (Pro Max)
4K/8K max polling rate (wireless vs wired)
400/800/1600/3200/6400 DPI
Battery: 500mAh (Pro), 930mAh (Pro Max)
IC: AIM-750
Switch: Kailh GM8.0 Black Mamba
Dimensions: 129x73.3x39.9mm
Weight: 65g (Pro), 74g (Pro Max)

Design and Build Quality

The A980Pro Max feels relatively lightweight but sturdy enough to serve you as a serious companion for long working hours or gaming sessions. With its smooth curves, asymmetric ergonomic design (for right-handed folks), and a relatively low-profile shape it fits your hand and fingers really well, the buttons are well-placed, at least depending on your mousing style.

And this is important. Your experience, just like with mechanical keyboards, will depend on a lot of different things – some of these personal preferences, some individual characteristics: hand size, finger length, grip style, working environment, etc.

If we classify grip styles into palm, claw, and fingertip, the Dareu A980 is clearly best suited for palm grip. The shape of the mouse and the positioning of the thumb buttons make it optimal for this grip.

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Claw grip might work too, but with fingertip grip – unfortunately, my preferred style when resting my arms on the armrests of my chair – you may have to forgo one or two of the thumb buttons. The back button is the most crucial for my workflow, so I ended up resting my thumb on it.

Performance and Sensor

Equipped with the DAREU X PixArt AIM-750U IC and PAW3395 sensor, the A980 Pro Max should offer exceptional tracking capabilities. Unfortunately, I'm not in a position to judge this performance. In theory, this sensor supports DPI settings up to 30,000, 750IPS and 50G, ensuring responsiveness for various gaming genres. That said, 1600 DIP is still borderline too sensitive for my taste. :)

The 4K (wireless) and 8K polling rate (wired) should translate into near-zero latency, allowing for ultra-smooth cursor movement even during high-intensity gaming.

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However, other than competitive gaming, I don't think extreme settings have any practical significance. I tried the lowest, 125Hz polling rate, and working this way felt just as good. :)

The Kailh GM8.0 switches are rated for a ridiculously 80M click lifespan. Obviously, I can't test their longevity in just a few day since owning this mouse, but being trusty Kailh switches, ensuring consistent performance over time is guaranteed.

All in all, whether you're engaged in fast-paced FPS games, precision-demanding strategy titles, or browsing kbd.news, the sensor and switches combine for a great experience.

Connectivity and Battery Life

The A980Pro Max is a tri-mode wireless mouse – it offers:

Wireless 2.4 GHz.
Bluetooth for versatility across devices.
USB-C wired mode for uninterrupted usage and charging.

The average life of the 500mAh (A980 Pro) and 930mAh (A980 Pro Max) batteries should be more than capable of handling several hours of continuous gaming.

Some hard numbers? I haven't charged it yet, using it as it came. The screen, showing the actual battery level, indicates 45%. A few hours ago it was the same. Yesterday too, I guess. So my prediction is that a single charge will last for weeks if not months with my usage pattern.

Customization and Software

Dareu's all-in-one software (for Windows 10 and above) expands the mouse's functionality with various customization options. However, with the Max variant's built-in display and direct feedback, you don’t even need to install any software. These settings can be adjusted directly on the mouse itself.

Press the wheel while holding the sniper button to enter the menu:

Adjust DPI settings for precision control.
Polling rate
Memory with 6 profiles
Standby settings (choose between a handful of GIFs and displaying parameters)
Brightness (3 levels)

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On the back of the mouse, there's a physical button for selecting connection modes, and also one for DPI selection.

To sum up, allowing deep customization may provide gamers with an edge, but for the average user, let's be honest, you'll most likely set these parameters once and then forget about them. That doesn't mean these settings are unnecessary, quite the opposite. That's the way you tailor the mouse to your needs and preferences.

Scroll wheel

While the magnesium scroll wheel is definitely classy and fancy, using it feels less direct than something rubberized. Not slippery but perhaps slick is the good word. Maybe it's just its pattern, but I wonder if the A980 Pro (not Max) is closer to my personal preference. Based on the photos it looks like its wheel has more traction.

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Display

Thanks to the clever design, the 0.85" TFT display looks much larger than it is, and it's actually quite useful. Sure, the animated gifs might be considered a gimmick, but I really appreciate the mode that shows key parameters like battery level, connection mode, DPI, and polling rate.

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Important note: The viewing angle of this small screen is quite narrow, even with the max brightness setting. In practice, you'll need to lift the mouse and turn it toward you to clearly see and read the settings.

Experiences

It took me a while to find the optimal sensitivity (DPI) for my multimonitor setup – or rather, I'm still not sure if I've found it yet.

Part of this challenge comes from the fact that, like any precision device, the mouse behaves differently on a bare desk surface compared to different kinds of mouse pads.

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When placed directly on my desk, it was way too sensitive – even at 1600 DPI. Clicking a button would often move the cursor. Using a deskmat was essential to tame this beast, but I'm confident that, with time, I'll find an even better solution.

Pros and Cons

Pros:

cool shape, ideal for palm grip
the display with live parameters rocks
highly customizable through software or in itself (Pro Max).
tri-mode connectivity (2.4GHz wireless, Bluetooth, USB-C wired).

Cons:

with fingertip grip, some thumb keys are hard to reach
I'd favor more control and traction when it comes to the fancy magnesium alloy scroll wheel

Conclusion

The Dareu A980Pro Max is an excellent choice for gamers seeking a lightweight, high-performance mouse with versatile customization options. As a non-gamer, I still liked its features, even the display. While the modern and ergo design might cater for most users, those with fingertip grip will have to give up on comfortably reaching one or even two thumb keys.

For more information or to purchase the A980Pro Max, visit the Dareu website:

Dareu A980 Pro Max – ~~$90~~ $63 – now with 30% off (BF&CM sales)!
A980 Pro Max in Dareu's Amazon store.

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Published on Fri 29th Nov 2024. Featured in KBD #181.

Tags: review mouse

Keyboard Builders' Digest / Review