In late 2019, Razer debuted the Viper Ultimate. One of the finest releases then, the Viper Ultimate still manages to be a top recommendation more than two and a half years later. Accordingly, a successor inevitably finds itself in a difficult position, as any improvements will seem marginal. By and large, this is the case for the Viper V2 Pro. For some, the main difference may not even be seen as an improvement: Compared to the Viper Ultimate at 74 g, the Viper V2 Pro in black loses a whopping 17 g, managing to even beat the Logitech G Pro X Superlight in this regard. However, in order to achieve this, RGB lighting as well as the built-in side grips and second set of side buttons on the right side, as well as charging dock compatibility had to go, meaning that the Viper V2 Pro is no longer a symmetrical design, just an ambidextrous one. To compensate for the lack of built-in side grips, Razer included a set of grip tape with the Viper V2 Pro. Most impressively, build quality did not suffer, at least on my copy: Creaking is minimal, the shell does not flex, and while I can actuate the side buttons by squeezing the sides, doing so requires applying excessive force.

The next significant advancement is the sensor. The Viper V2 Pro debuts the Focus Pro 30K, which is also known as the PAW3950 and the result of an ongoing collaboration between PixArt and Razer. In my testing, performance has been near flawless. CPI deviation is kept to a minimum, motion delay is low across the board, and polling perfectly stable. I did find two oddities, however: Both 125 and 500 Hz will look rough in plots, but Razer has assured me that this is due to a specific implementation netting significantly lower motion delay compared to other 500 Hz implementations in particular, which is a claim I can corroborate. Furthermore, I've observed a rather curious shift behavior at 1000 Hz in wireless mode, which randomly increases motion delay by roughly 1 ms past a certain point. Most curiously, this behavior does not occur when using Razer's HyperPolling Wireless Dongle at 1000 Hz, and it also randomly disappears and reappears for no immediately apparent reason. Considering that Razer has trouble reproducing this behavior, it may in fact be restricted to my specific setup. Outside of mere performance metrics, the Focus Pro 30K also features improved surface compatibility, most notably on glass surfaces.

Arguably the most tangible improvement brought upon by the Viper V2 Pro, however, concerns battery life: Razer claims up to 80 hours at a polling rate of 1000 Hz, which is in fact a rather conservative estimate. I've found a figure of around 100 hours to be closer to reality, which is genuinely impressive, especially considering the rather small battery of just 300 mAh capacity. Unfortunately, in the course of reducing the weight wherever possible, the charging dock compatibility too had to go on the Viper V2 Pro. Only USB Type-C charging is possible, but thankfully, the cable is significantly more flexible than older Razer charging cables. While still not on the level of recent ASUS ROG or Glorious Wireless charging cables, the Viper V2 Pro at least can be used plugged in without the cable feeling overly restrictive. Charging itself is slow at just 0.160 A, even though this is a conscious choice in favor of higher battery capacity. Given the exceptionally long battery life, an acceptable compromise I'd say.

When it comes to the buttons, the changes are rather subtle. Razer optical switches of the third generation are used for the main buttons, which feel very similar to the second-generation switches overall. Button response is even sharper and more defined than on the latter, and significantly less mushy than on the first-generation switches. While still distinctly different in terms of feedback compared to a mechanical switch, with each new generation Razer manages to get ever closer to mechanical switches. In terms of latency, the optical switches continue to shine, achieving among the lowest latency of any 1000 Hz wireless mouse thus far, without ever being able to develop double-clicking. The side buttons are convincing too, with minimal pre and post-travel, albeit somewhat hollow feedback. Despite its lightweight build, the scroll wheel likewise is genuinely good, owing to clearly discernible steps and great tactility, although scrolling up is noisier than I'd prefer. Aside from their shape, the feet haven't received any changes, and glide as well as ever.

Of course, the Viper V2 Pro is compatible with Razer Synapse. My experience with Synapse has been a pleasantly stable and bug-free one, but resource usage continues to be much higher than I'd prefer. Most importantly, several services with a non-negligible RAM footprint keep running even with Synapse set not to auto-start and not running at all, which is rather annoying. While most settings can be stored on the Viper V2 Pro and Synapse promptly uninstalled afterwards, I'd much prefer a solution like Logitech's Onboard Memory Manager, which allows configuration of all important settings without having to install a behemoth of a software first.

Lastly, arguably the most exciting new feature of the Viper V2 Pro isn't actually included with it: the HyperPolling Wireless Dongle. The Viper V2 Pro is among the few Razer wireless mice compatible with the HyperPolling Wireless Dongle at the time of writing. Through the dongle, 4000 Hz wireless polling for the first time ever is enabled on the Viper V2 Pro. As a result, the Viper V2 Pro is able to achieve the lowest motion delay and click latency of any wireless mouse to date. The only downside is that battery life goes down to around 24 hours (30 hours in my testing) as a result. Still, even though the Viper V2 Pro unfortunately isn't capable of 4000 Hz polling out-of-the-box, the fact that the HyperPolling Wireless Dongle enables it to be elevates the Viper V2 Pro above every other 1000 Hz mouse, including the Viper Ultimate. On the other hand, $30 for the HyperPolling Wireless Dongle alone is no bargain, which brings me to a topic that has been discussed to great lengths already: the price.

At $149.99, the Viper V2 Pro retails for the same as the Viper Ultimate did back in 2019, albeit without the charging dock, and for $20 more than the DeathAdder V2 Pro a year and a half ago. With costs for shipping and parts rapidly increasing everywhere, this $20 premium isn't too outrageous. At the same time, people have argued that for a mouse that actually loses some features compared to its predecessor, $150 is a fairly hefty price tag nonetheless. On the other hand, one could argue that for those who actually want those features, the Viper Ultimate is and will continue to be available. In that sense, the Viper V2 Pro is meant to complement rather than replace the Viper Ultimate. More specifically, the Viper V2 Pro targets those who want the best possible performance and the lowest weight above all. In short, the Viper V2 Pro is an enthusiast mouse, and as always, the smaller the audience a product caters to is, the more a manufacturer will be inclined to charge for it. That said, at $149.99, I'd at least expect to see a replacement set of mouse feet included, which even some $60 wireless mice manage to do these days. In any case, the Viper V2 Pro is an excellent mouse, and especially in conjunction with the HyperPolling Wireless Dongle it pushes the boundaries of what is possible for wireless gaming mice. Despite the substantial price tag, I think this achievement merits our Editor's Choice.

When it comes to alternatives, there are quite a few. Razer's own Viper Ultimate has already been mentioned: higher weight, similar performance, and charging dock compatibility, for an MSRP of $149.99 (with charging dock) or $129.99 (without charging dock), respectively, although street prices are significantly below that these days. The SteelSeries Aerox 3 Wireless has great buttons, significantly worse performance, weighs more despite having holes, and battery life drops to just ten hours with RGB lighting fully enabled, for $99.99. The HyperX Pulsefire Haste Wireless also has great buttons, significantly worse performance, weighs the same while utilizing holes, and comes with comparable battery life, for $79.99. Lastly, the Glorious Model O Wireless too has very good buttons, much worse performance, weighs more despite featuring holes, and struggles with its software, for $79.99.