While the ASUS TUF M4 Air shares its shape with the TUF M4 Wireless released earlier this year, it is a wholly different mouse on a conceptual level. The TUF M4 Air is the first ASUS mouse created with but a single purpose in mind: getting the weight as low as possible. To this end, ASUS does entirely without RGB and even employs holes, albeit of the triangular kind. A most successful undertaking, as the TUF M4 Air manages to come out at just 49 g, making it one of the lightest wired mice around. This is doubly impressive given the TUF M4 Air is by no means a small mouse. While its lower profile makes it feel slightly smaller in hand than it may seem at first glance, the TUF M4 Air is easily the largest wired mouse available in the sub-50 g category. Thankfully, ASUS didn't sacrifice its structural integrity to achieve that. On my sample, creaking is minimal, flexing nonexistent, and while I can actuate the the forward button by squeezing right below it, doing so requires an irregular application of brute force. Unlike the Pulsar Xlite, the TUF M4 Air also comes with a traditional bottom plate. The only part one could take issue with is the use of holes. While they only cover the bottom, back, and part of the main buttons, their triangular pattern does extend to the sides. Their size and shape isn't too irritating, and they do add some grip, but those who prefer the sides of their mouse plain may struggle here.

Even though the M4 Air is released under the TUF brand, some of the niceties previously exclusive to the ROG mice line-up have found their way onto it. In fact, the cable is essentially the same as on the ROG Keris, and thus just as flexible. In addition to that, the debouncing implementation that allowed the ROG Keris and Chakram Core to have among the lowest click latency of any gaming mice is also found on the TUF M4 Air. At a measured click latency of 0.3 ms, the TUF M4 Air even manages to edge out both the Keris and Chakram Core, and is only eclipsed by the Zaunkoenig M2K, which is a high-speed (8000 Hz) device. Despite this incredibly low latency, the TUF M4 Air doesn't suffer from slam-clicking, either, which is commendable. Curiously, the main button switches run at a voltage typically befitting of a wireless mouse, which must be a leftover in the firmware. The feet aren't quite ROG level, but nice enough still. That said, a set of replacement feet would have been a nice addition.

Though not specifically advertised, the TUF M4 Air comes with Kailh GM 4.0 switches for the main buttons. GM 4.0 are typically supposed to be slightly stiffer than GM 8.0, though I've found the implementation on the TUF M4 Air to be closer to a GM 8.0 in terms of stiffness. There is some pre and post-travel, which introduce a minor degree of mushiness to the buttons, but the click feel itself is firm and satisfying. Interestingly, the side buttons have been sized down compared to the TUF M4 Wireless. While I prefer the larger size, the buttons themselves are still good, providing a snappy and mostly even actuation, although I'm not too fond of how they sound. For the scroll wheel, the same encoder from Kailh as previously seen on the TUF M4 Wireless is used, which offers tactile and controlled scrolling, albeit at somewhat elevated noise levels.

When it comes to sensor performance, the M4 Air doesn't disappoint, either. PixArt's PAW3335 sensor is used, which is a wireless sensor first and foremost, but can be used just fine for wired mice provided all power-saving features have been disabled. ASUS did exactly that, and sensor performance is expectedly excellent: CPI deviation is appreciably low, general tracking perfectly fine, and polling stable across the board provided the latest firmware is used. The firmware fixes polling rates below 1000 Hz, which weren't stable on the launch firmware. Lift-off distance is above 1 DVD at the lowest setting, which may dismay those preferring an LOD of under 1 DVD.

Typically, this section would be reserved to me lamenting over Armoury Crate. And sure enough, using Armoury Crate was as annoying as ever: The installation is still notoriously lengthy, resource usage through the roof, and the sheer number of processes (20+) running at any time ludicrous. The good thing, however, is that Armoury Crate really isn't needed for the TUF M4 Air. The four default CPI steps are accurate enough as-is, polling is set to 1000 Hz by default, and aside from button remapping there aren't any other relevant settings to adjust anyway. As such, those who dread Armoury Crate as much as I do can safely skip the whole ordeal with the TUF M4 Air.

Accordingly, I'm having a really hard time finding something to criticize about the TUF M4 Air. Even for those who don't care about the weight, the TUF M4 Air offers a solid build, dependable performance, and some of the lowest click latency one can find on a gaming mouse. Given this level of quality, the TUF M4 Air is more than reasonably priced, too. Competition exists only to a limited extent. The $49.99 HyperX Pulsefire Haste is the next best option. The shape is somewhat similar, weight only 8 g higher, cable even more flexible, and performance equally solid. CPI deviation is absolutely horrible, however, and hasn't been fully fixed to this day. For $49.99, the Glorious Model O is another worthwhile option, though it ranks below both the TUF M4 Air and Pulsefire Haste in pretty much every aspect. Overall, the TUF M4 Air deservedly earns our Editor's Choice and Budget awards.