It has been four long years since the last time Fnatic released a mouse. With the BOLT, Fnatic is returning to a very different market environment, where lightweight and wireless have emerged as the defining trends. Fully in line with these, the BOLT aims to deliver what people have come to expect in 2022, and while not without flaws, it does so quite successfully.

First of all, sensor and wireless performance. Much like most competitors, Fnatic trusts in PixArt's PAW3370 sensor. Yet, as we've seen here on TechPowerUp countless times, real-world performance largely hinges on how the sensor in question has been implemented. Even though the BOLT is Fnatic's first foray into a wireless mouse, the BOLT does admirably well in this regard. I've measured an isolated wireless delay of just 1 ms, which is easily on par with the absolute best, such as Logitech or Razer. General sensor performance isn't any worse as CPI deviation is appreciably low and polling perfectly stable both in wired and wireless use, and owing to the lack of smoothing, motion delay is consistently as low as possible across the entire CPI range. Speaking of which, Fnatic decided to limit maximum CPI to 12,000 despite the sensor being capable of 19,000 CPI. While such high values aren't properly usable in practice anyway, there is no good reason to impose a limit like this, either. I'm also unable to detect any added motion delay at the onset of motion, so overall performance is pretty much as good as it gets. Fnatic even included a wireless extender for optimal connection at all times, which is no given at this price point. Sensor performance is complemented by the click latency, which already is competitive out of the box, but can be lowered to just +2.6 ms if desired, which is nothing short of excellent.

The general wireless experience is quite pleasing. Charging is fast, and the charging cable flexible enough to where it doesn't restrict mouse movement, so charging and playing at the same is perfectly possible. A 470 mAh battery is installed, and battery life appears to be strong, although telling when the mouse needs charging is complicated in two ways. For one, you first need to plug the mouse in. This is only convenient if the mouse indeed needs charging, otherwise having to do so entirely defeats the purpose of having a battery charge indicator in the first place. Second, the indicator isn't of much use. The percentage will randomly change every time the mouse is plugged in, and on top of that, it's not reliable either. For me, it still showed 98 or 100% charge after 20 hours of use, which of course is impossible. And while RGB lighting is present on the BOLT, only the scroll wheel lights up, and it doesn't exactly look good, either, so one may be inclined to turn it off entirely. For those seeking improved battery life for office work, Bluetooth is also on board, which is certainly a most welcome addition. That said, due to the lack of a storage compartment for the dongle on the mouse, the BOLT is less suited for traveling.

Recently, we've seen Kailh GM 8.0 switches become the go-to main button switch choice for mouse manufacturers, and the BOLT is no exception in this regard. Compared to most other implementations, the ones on the BOLT end up being a decent bit heavier, however, aside from the usual firm and snappy feedback. The BOLT utilizes a split-button design where the triggers are mechanically separated from the shell. This can result in lateral button movement, and sure enough, there have been reports about button wobble and a general lack of stability on the BOLT. For my sample at least, I can confirm these reports only in part: While some movement can be provoked, it is hardly noticeable during regular use, the buttons sit fairly tight, and pre and post-travel too are under control. For the side buttons, a pair of tactile switches is used. There are good reasons for doing that, but I consider these a lesser choice nonetheless. While the lack of pre and post-travel is pleasing, feedback is dull and muted, and the pressure point isn't entirely even, either, leading to a rather lackluster experience overall. For the scroll wheel, Fnatic has opted for an ALPS encoder, which is among the most premium options available, and tactility is expectedly great. However, the wheel of the BOLT is a bit too small in size for this specific encoder, resulting in fairly stiff scrolling, possibly overly so for those who like to scroll pages fast. I've been informed by Fnatic that future batches will be reworked to alleviate the stiff scrolling observed on some units, along with further improvements to the main buttons.

In terms of build, I have little to complain about. Aside from one specific spot, my copy doesn't exhibit any creaking or flexing, and the side buttons cannot be actuated by squeezing the sides. At 68 g, the weight of the BOLT is highly respectable, and by doing without some of the slightly overengineered parts, could have been even lower. As for the feet, Fnatic specifically advertises how the skates on the BOLT have small ridges to aid with stability. Frankly, this is a marketing gimmick at best, but of no consequence either way as the feet are of excellent quality otherwise. A set of replacement feet is included in the box, which is commendable.

Sounds pretty good so far, right? Well, unfortunately there is one big, ugly caveat going by the name of Fnatic OP. With its software, the BOLT follows the recent and most lamentable trend of "release first, establish basic functionality later." Granted, the software is explicitly labeled a "Beta," but as long as that Beta status doesn't apply to the pricing, I'm not inclined to let that excuse fly. The overall experience with the software can only be described as miserable. First of all, it is buggy. Settings don't save reliably, I get a JavaScript error every time I terminate the application, and the software sometimes straight up ceases to work. In terms of functionality, things aren't looking any better. An incredibly basic feature such as button remapping is entirely absent. This is doubly worrisome as the BOLT doesn't allow one to cycle CPI steps like every other mouse in existence. Instead, it is only possible to cycle entire profiles complete with all of their associated settings. In practice, this means that if I want to make use of all four available CPI steps, I need to manually adjust every single setting for each of them. Of course, advanced techniques such as "copying an existing profile" or "transferring settings between profiles" are nowhere to be found. What may seem like a minor hassle quickly becomes a major one when considering that the BOLT is incapable of settings adjustment in wireless mode. Instead, one has to plug the mouse in every time one wants to change a setting. What's more, if I want some settings to actually stick, I need to unplug and re-plug the mouse on top of that. And while the firmware update process was smooth sailing for me, there have been multiple reports from others less fortunate in this regard. In a sea of issues like these, mishaps such as LOD adjustment being restricted to increments of 100 even though the sensor natively supports increments of 50 almost become a mere footnote. The only saving grace is the reasonably low RAM footprint.

The only good thing about the software is that one isn't forced to use it. Instead, one can run the updater once (pray that it works), save everything to the on-board memory, and uninstall the thing right after. Still, for those who intend to frequently make use of their mouse software, Fnatic OP is what I consider a dealbreaker. In that case, I'd indeed look elsewhere as the software will provide nothing but a never ending stream of frustration. Accordingly, this mouse is better treated as if it were a Zowie mouse—just pretend there is no software and you'll be much happier with your purchase. Thankfully, the default settings already are reasonable and CPI steps accurate enough as-is, so messing with the software isn't necessary. For the record, Fnatic also plans to address most of the issues mentioned in this review, including the ability to remap buttons, adjust settings in wireless mode, adjust CPI in increments of 50, and the full 19,000 CPI being accessible.

Rating the BOLT fairly is a tough nut to crack. For those who value good software, the BOLT will be a horrible choice. For those who don't, it will be excellent. After some internal back-and-forth with myself, I've decided to settle on giving it our Recommended award as despite its shortcomings, core performance is unaffected by the software woes and strong enough to carry the BOLT, and it is priced very fairly, too. At $89.99, the BOLT directly competes with the more affordable wireless offerings from Glorious, which have slightly worse performance, quite a few holes, but much better software. The BOLT also comes with Bluetooth, which is a rarely seen feature at this price point. While a competitor such as the Razer Viper Ultimate overall outpaces the BOLT, it is priced much higher at $129.99. Furthermore, none of these alternatives have a Zowie S2-inspired shape like the BOLT, and those who do go for more than $89.99, such as the Pwnage Ultra Custom Wireless Symm 1. Overall, the BOLT hence deserves our Recommended award.