ASUS ROG Strix Carry review: The wireless travel gaming mouse!

ASUS ROG Strix Carry review: The wireless travel gaming mouse!
Rating

The ASUS ROG Strix Carry is a small mouse that offers dual wireless connectivity via 2.4GHz and Bluetooth, as well as a 7200 DPI optical sensor and swappable Omron switches that are rated to last 50-million clicks. For a mouse that you take with you when you are traveling for work, the ASUS ROG Strix Carry can play! If you want to know more about it and what it is capable of, read this review:

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ASUS ROG Strix Carry: Who is it good for?

The ASUS ROG Strix Carry is an excellent choice for:

  • Users who travel and want a portable wireless mouse of excellent quality
  • Those who work while traveling but also want to play when they get to the hotel room
  • Republic of Gamers fans who want a discreet travel gaming mouse

Pros and cons

There are many positives about the ASUS ROG Strix Carry wireless mouse:

  • It uses 2.4GHz wireless connectivity to offer excellent performance in games
  • It also uses Bluetooth for less demanding situations such as when doing office work
  • It is well built and should last you a long time
  • It is comfortable to use even for long hours
  • It uses durable, swappable Omron switches

There are also a few downsides:

  • The RoG Armoury software is still not on par with similar software from the competition
  • Its price is higher than the average
Product rating 4/5
Verdict

Verdict

The ASUS ROG Strix Carry proved to be an excellent little mouse. We like it a lot, and we believe that the description of "shrunk mouse on steroids" describes it well. Its dual wireless connectivity is something that you do not find on most travel mice, and it is useful to have if you need a mouse that you're going to use both for work and gaming. If you travel a lot and you want one of the best mobile mice available on the market, you should take the ASUS ROG Strix Carry into consideration.

Unboxing the ASUS ROG Strix Carry mouse

The box in which the ASUS ROG Strix Carry mouse arrives is made of premium cardboard. On the front side, you see a large glossy image of the mouse, on a black background, and the logo used by the Republic of Gamers brand. You also find out that this mouse supports 2.4 GHz wireless connectivity as well as Bluetooth.

ASUS ROG Strix Carry: The box
ASUS ROG Strix Carry: The box

On the back and the sides of the box, ASUS printed a few pictures and details about the mouse' features and hardware specs.

The back of the ASUS ROG Strix Carry box
The back of the ASUS ROG Strix Carry box

Inside the box, you find the ASUS ROG Strix Carry mouse, a small travel bag, two AA batteries, two spare Omron switches, and a ROG sticker.

ASUS ROG Strix Carry: What's inside the box
ASUS ROG Strix Carry: What's inside the box

Unboxing the ASUS ROG Strix Carry gaming mouse is a fine experience, worthy of a premium device.

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Design and hardware specifications

When you take the mouse out of its box, the first thing you notice is that it is small, especially for a gaming mouse. With a length of just 101 mm (3.98 inches), this mouse is created for those who travel a lot and want a mouse to carry around. One that keeps you productive while doing Office work as well as providing you with speed and accuracy when playing games.

The ASUS ROG Strix Carry wireless mouse
The ASUS ROG Strix Carry wireless mouse

If you take a closer look at the mouse, you see that its shape was created to fit right-handed users. Its back is slightly higher to the left, and the right-click button is slightly lower than the left-click button. However, the mouse is so small that it fits nicely in a leftie's hand also.

The ASUS ROG Strix Carry seen from the back
The ASUS ROG Strix Carry seen from the back

Unlike many other ROG devices, the Carry mouse does not have RGB lighting on it. There's just one LED on the DPI button beneath the scroll wheel. ASUS probably wants this mouse to have a discreet appearance, one that you can take out of your bag and use with your laptop in an office or meeting without drawing too much attention. Then, when you arrive at your hotel room, you can start using it as a gaming weapon. 🙂

The ASUS ROG Strix Carry has only one LED
The ASUS ROG Strix Carry has only one LED

Although it is a shrunk gaming mouse, the ASUS ROG Strix Carry packs one powerful PMW3330 optical sensor with a resolution of up to 7200 DPI, and also dual wireless connectivity. What does that mean? Well, it means that you can connect this mouse to your laptop, computer, or similar device, using Bluetooth or the 2.4GHz wireless frequency. To work on 2.4 GHz, you must use the bundled USB dongle (by the way, the dongle is found under the magnetic top cover, between the AA batteries).

The ASUS ROG Strix Carry mouse uses 2 AA batteries
The ASUS ROG Strix Carry mouse uses 2 AA batteries

Speaking of which, the mouse indeed needs 2 AA batteries to work. Theoretically, they provide the mouse with an autonomy of over 400 hours on Bluetooth and over 300 hours on 2.4GHz. If you want to play games using this mouse, you should use the 2.4GHz WiFi connectivity, because the polling rate is higher and thus the mouse is more responsive.

The optical sensor and the switch on the ASUS ROG Strix Carry
The optical sensor and the switch on the ASUS ROG Strix Carry

Unfortunately, although its autonomy is excellent, the fact that it uses 2 AA batteries has its downside: it makes the mouse relatively heavy, which some users might not like. It weighs 72.9 grams (2.57 oz) without batteries. With batteries, its weight increases to about 118 grams (4.16 oz).

The front side of the ASUS ROG Strix Carry
The front side of the ASUS ROG Strix Carry

The switches on this mouse are easily swappable, and the mouse supports multiple types of Omron switches. Furthermore, ASUS also provides an additional set in the box, with a different click feel. The ROG Strix Carry mouse uses Omron switches rated to 50-million clicks. Here's the list of switches supported by the Strix Carry mouse:

  • Omron D2F Series switches: D2F, D2F-F, D2F-01, D2F-01F
  • Omron D2FC Series switches: D2FC-3M, D2FC-F-7N, D2FC-F-7N(10M), D2FC-F-7N(20M), D2FC-F-K (50M)
The Omron switches are replaceable
The Omron switches are replaceable

If you want to read more about the features and specifications of the ASUS ROG Strix Carry mouse, visit its official webpage: ROG Strix Carry.

We like how the ASUS ROG Strix Carry mouse is designed, and we like its high-end hardware specifications. However, we feel that it is a bit too heavy for a portable mouse: maybe it could have used 2 AAA batteries instead of AA.

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Using the ASUS ROG Strix Carry mouse

During the weeks in which I used this mouse, I found it pretty comfortable, although my fingers are longer than the average, and the Strix Carry mouse is small. Obviously, with a length of just 101 mm (3.98 inches), it is impossible to use a palm grip, unless you have really small hands. However, because of its body and buttons shape, both claw grip and (finger) tip grip are comfortable ways of holding it.

The ASUS ROG Strix Carry has two side buttons
The ASUS ROG Strix Carry has two side buttons

I also liked the non-slip coating on the top and the textured rubberized sides, which help you keep a firm grip of the mouse. The coating also helps with keeping your hand dry: my palm did not sweat even after a few hours of playing League of Legends.

The ASUS ROG Strix Carry has rubberized sides for good grip
The ASUS ROG Strix Carry has rubberized sides for good grip

I used the ASUS ROG Strix Carry wireless mouse both in games and for writing articles, including this review. I also played Metro Exodus and more than a couple of League of Legends matches. In the end, the mouse worked great in all situations: it's responsive, fast, and accurate.

Although the ASUS ROG Strix Carry mouse is a small wireless travel mouse, it is also a shrunk mouse on steroids. Its performance is top-notch, and using it is a pleasure.

Drivers and software

Just like for all the mice from the Republic of Gamers lineup, to customize your ASUS ROG Strix Carry, you get the Armoury II software. This app delivers both new firmware and personalization options. You can get it from here: ASUS ROG Strix Carry.

You can create and save three profiles for how the ASUS ROG Strix Carry works. For each of the profiles, you can choose different settings for what the buttons do, what DPI resolutions are used by the mouse, and on what type of surface you use it on.

Armoury II surface calibration
Armoury II surface calibration

The Armoury II software also lets you create and use macro actions with this mouse if you want such a thing.

Recording macros for the ASUS ROG Strix Carry
Recording macros for the ASUS ROG Strix Carry

Armoury II can also record mouse usage statistics. You can monitor the number of clicks you perform, the distance your mouse cursor travels, and the number of mouse actions per minute. Unfortunately, the statistics are not recorded automatically: to start recording you have to manually press the Record button from the Stats page.

Statistics page in Armoury II
Statistics page in Armoury II

The Armoury II software is useful if you want to personalize how your ROG Strix Carry mouse works. However, it still lags behind the software offered by competing companies.

What is your opinion about the ASUS ROG Strix Carry mouse?

This was our impression about the ASUS ROG Strix Carry mouse. Before closing this review, tell us whether you like this mouse and you intend to buy it. Is there something you don't like about it? Share your opinions and insights in the comments section below.

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