Lately, one could arrive at the impression that wireless releases whose shape is "inspired" by the Zowie S2 have come out every other week. This, of course, is made possible by Zowie not having released a wireless S2 to this day. Fantech is one of the manufacturers stepping in to fill that void, and in the case of the Helios XD3 V2, with great success.

The single most interesting thing about the Helios XD3 V2 is the pricing. At $59.95, the Helios XD3 V2 goes for less than even Zowie's regular wired S2. In terms of shape, the Helios XD3 V2 indeed is very close, just slightly shorter. The feet are similar to the big Zowie S2 feet in size and shape, too, albeit of much higher quality that wouldn't look out of place on a $90 mouse. Even a set of replacement feet found its way into the box, which is a most welcome addition. For the most part, Fantech didn't cut any corners when it comes to the buttons, either. Kailh GM 8.0 switches are used for the main buttons, which provide the firm and snappy button response one has come to expect, and aside from some negligible pre and post-travel, the shell design is competent as well considering how lateral button movement is kept to a minimum. The side buttons have been outfitted with tactile switches, which are among the few lesser choices in terms of components, and post-travel on these indeed is higher than I'd want it to be. At the same time, the Fnatic BOLT also uses tactile switches for its side buttons, and that one goes for $89.99. For what it's worth, I have been informed by Fantech that future batches will come with Huano instead of the current tactile switches. The scroll wheel is perfectly fine as well, providing decent tactility and clearly separated steps at somewhat elevated noise levels, especially when scrolling up. As a side note, the CPI button itself is fine, but due to being placed between the main buttons and recessed almost entirely into the shell, pressing it without actuating the main buttons at the same time can be difficult.

Lately, many manufacturers opt for the CX52850 as the MCU of choice for their wireless mice, and for good reason. Ever since its public debut on the Pulsar Xlite Wireless, the CX52850 has been proven to be among the most reliable and solid choices for wireless gaming mice. Thankfully, coupled with PixArt's PAW3370, this MCU sees use on the Helios XD3 V2 as well, with expectedly excellent results. Wireless motion delay sits at just 1 ms, click latency can be lowered to just 2.7 ms (wired), and general tracking is fine. The only issues I could find are above average CPI deviation and polling rates below 1000 Hz suffering from periodic outliers in wireless mode, the latter of which has plagued every single CX52850 mouse thus far. The accompanying software is great as well, as it includes all the relevant options available on the sensor level while keeping resource usage in check. The only part that could use some improvement is the battery life indicator, which barely passes as functional and thus is of very limited use. As for the general wireless experience, Fantech even included a wireless extender, which is very rare in the $60 price range and sometimes omitted even in the $100+ price range. The charging cable, on the other hand, can't keep up and ends up being rather stiff. However, this is less of an issue as charging is quite fast at around 0.397 A, which is also needed as the battery capacity clocks in at a whopping 720 mAh. Considering that size, the claimed battery life of up to 70 hours seems perfectly believable. A side effect of the battery size is the weight being a bit higher than competitors at 85 g. At the same time, the Helios XD3 V2 barely weighs more than the original wired S2 from Zowie while being wireless, adding RGB lighting, and being similarly well-built, so while the Helios XD3 V2 doesn't qualify as lightweight, it is far from heavy, too.

In short, I'm seriously impressed by the Helios XD3 V2. Clones of popular shapes tend to get a bad reputation, but if the clone provides something the original doesn't, be it in features or pricing, I would argue undeservedly so. On the Helios XD3 V2, value for money is frankly outstanding to where even perfectly reasonably priced releases, such as from Pulsar and Glorious, look overpriced by comparison. The Helios XD3 V2 suffers only from minor issues, which is why I have no reservations against handing out our Recommended and Budget awards.

As for alternatives, there are several. The AQIRYS T.G.A. is another S2-"inspired" mouse; it uses the same MCU and firmware package, weighs less due to employing holes, and comes with lots of customization options and a modular shell, for $85.60. Aside from the pricing, the T.G.A. is no different from the Pwnage Ultra Custom Wireless Symm 1, which is another option. The Fnatic BOLT is not an exact copy of the S2, but most certainly similar in terms of shape, has great performance and click latency, mostly good buttons, but is plagued by dreadful software, for $89.99. For wired mice, the Gamesense Meta comes to mind, which weighs no more than 64 g, is outfitted with high-quality switches all around, has very good performance, and only suffers from minor issues with CPI deviation and polling stability, for $44.99.