Earlier this year, the AQIRYS T.G.A. scored very well in our review. By and large, the T.G.A. Alpha is the same mouse, aside from some rather minor, yet crucial differences.

The most obvious difference is the weight. The T.G.A. Alpha has roughly half the battery capacity of the T.G.A., which, along with doing without scroll wheel illumination, results in a weight of 67 g, which is much more in line with the competition from Glorious and others than the 76 g of the T.G.A. previously tested. Of course, battery life takes a hit as a result of the lower capacity. AQIRYS claims 44 hours without illumination, which I'm unable to confirm or deny due to the battery life indicator being less than reliable. Ultimately, the trade-off involved here comes down to preference: The T.G.A. Alpha is lighter yet doesn't last as long, whereas the the opposite is true for the T.G.A. In terms of charging speed, the T.G.A. Alpha is bit slower than the T.G.A., although both effectively take the same time for a full charge due to the former having the smaller battery. Unfortunately, the charging cable hasn't been improved over the T.G.A., and its lackluster flexibility makes charging while playing a less than ideal experience. The fact that two differently colored cables are included doesn't help in this regard, as they are exactly the same aside from their color.

The different colors do allow matching the color scheme of cable and mouse, however, which brings me to customization. In this category, the T.G.A. Alpha goes above and beyond of what the already richly equipped T.G.A. had included. On top of main button as well as solid and non-solid back pieces, the T.G.A. Alpha also has back pieces with a different hole pattern and a lower and higher hump included, the latter of which is comparable to what the Xtrfy M42 did. While the difference between the two hump heights is rather subtle in use, providing functional on top of aesthetic customization is a great feature. Spacers for altering main button feel, two sets of grip tape, and a set of replacement feet are also found in the box, along with a wireless extender.

Other than that, the T.G.A. Alpha and T.G.A. are virtually identical. While the T.G.A. is a slightly larger and bulkier Zowie S2, the T.G.A. Alpha is a slightly larger and bulkier Logitech G Pro Wireless or G Pro X Superlight. Furthermore, it lacks holes on the sides, and, with the solid back piece, lacks externally visible holes altogether. The side buttons can still be activated by squeezing the sides, but given how much force is needed to do that, this is very much a non-issue. Kailh GM 8.0 switches are used for the main buttons, providing a very firm and satisfying button response, which can be adjusted with the button spacers if needed. The side buttons are just as excellent as on the T.G.A., with minimal pre and post-travel and a satisfying button response. For the scroll wheel, a slightly different encoder is used, which isn't quite as nice as the one on the T.G.A., but still has very good tactility and decently low noise levels. The feet too are unchanged and glide well.

When it comes to performance there are no surprises. The T.G.A. utilizes the same sensor and MCU as the T.G.A., resulting in identical performance: appreciably low CPI deviation, no issues with general tracking, and no more than 1 ms of wireless motion delay. Polling too is stable, with the exception of polling rates below 1000 Hz in wireless mode, which exhibit periodic irregular polls. This is related to the MCU and thus expected. Furthermore, I've again found the odd case where polling breaks down completely, though these only occur in conjuction with RGB lighting. Lastly, using the lowest debounce time in wireless mode, click latency is 3.9 ms, which is excellent.

Overall, while hardly original, the T.G.A. Alpha yet again is an incredibly solid offering. From a value perspective, it even beats the T.G.A.: At $89.99, the T.G.A. Alpha costs only marginally more than the T.G.A., yet provides significantly better value by including back covers with different hump heights, having no holes on the sides, and striking a better balance between weight and battery life. And once again, when comparing the T.G.A. Alpha to the Ultra Custom Wireless Symm 1 from Pwnage, the T.G.A. Alpha is the much better deal. Pwnage charges for every little accessory extra, whereas AQIRYS already includes literally dozens of them by default. Accordingly, the T.G.A. Alpha earns both our Recommended and Budget awards.