To those who've read our review of the Prime, the pros and cons above will look very familiar. The reason for this is very simple: Aside from two features, the Prime and Prime+ are no different. Accordingly, instead of reiterating everything for a second time, it makes sense to focus on what is different.

First, the secondary lift-off sensor, which is supposed to provide more granular lift-off distance adjustment. While this sounds good in theory, it is rather underwhelming in practice. There is not even an entire DVD (1.2 mm) worth of distance between the lowest and highest setting, so the choice amounts to deciding between "low" and "a little lower." And much like on the regular Prime, the native LOD adjustment capability of the 3389 is nowhere to be found. Not making use of existing hardware capabilities already was a puzzling decision on the Prime, but why do the same on a mouse that is all about LOD adjustment? Furthermore, the additional sensor is right next to the main sensor and therefore unable to provide additional data points that would help deal with z-axis error. Overall, the secondary sensor adds little value at best.

The same cannot be said about the OLED screen, which allows one to do almost everything one otherwise could do within SteelSeries Engine. The implementation is great as operating the controls is easy and everything works the way it is supposed to. Accordingly, one could do without ever installing SteelSeries Engine and instead customize everything directly on the mouse, as even editing CPI steps is possible. While no doubt a bit of a gimmick, I had some great fun fiddling around with the OLED screen, and it also serves as future-proofing—the OLED screen will most likely still work when we're already on Windows 13 and SteelSeries Engine has long been discontinued. Overall, the OLED screen is a fun little gadget, and unmatched when it comes to the sheer degree of customization it allows for.

Aside from those two things, the Prime+ inherits all the strengths, but also all the weaknesses of the Prime: Flawless sensor performance, inconsistent main buttons, lackluster click latency, and great build quality. On my Prime+ sample, CPI accuracy was actually perfect, and the main buttons more pleasing than on the Prime, but that's just luck of the draw. Considering how little the Prime+ adds over the Prime, I have a really hard time justifying the $20 premium SteelSeries is charging. For instance, why not put the same higher-quality feet the Prime Wireless has on the Prime+? If this is supposed to be the premium edition of the Prime, give me something that makes me feel I got my money's worth over the regular edition. The only scenario I could think of where getting the Prime+ over the Prime could be seen as worthwhile would be if one wants to do as much as possible directly on the mouse instead of using the software at all. In that regard, the Prime+ is indeed unmatched as both the degree and ease of customization are unprecedented and even deserving of our Innovation award. For everything else, I lean towards the Prime or Prime Wireless.