SteelSeries
SteelSeries Aerox 5 Wireless
$109.99
Released 2022-01
Best Gaming Mice · head-to-head
SteelSeries Aerox 5 Wireless vs Pulsar X2 V2 Medium
A sourced, side-by-side comparison. Pulsar X2 V2 Medium is cheaper at $99.95. Every spec and price links to its source.
Pulsar
Pulsar X2 V2 Medium
$99.95Cheaper
Released 2023-09
Which is better: the SteelSeries Aerox 5 Wireless or Pulsar X2 V2 Medium?
The Pulsar X2 V2 Medium wins 3 of the 3 specs we compare head to head; the other wins 0. The Pulsar X2 V2 Medium is the cheaper at $99.95. The Pulsar X2 V2 Medium both leads on specs and costs less — the straightforward pick.
As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases. Prices verified at capture; live price may differ.
Key specs, head to head
The numbers that decide it, drawn to scale — longer bar wins, the accent bar is the stronger figure.
Full spec sheet
✓ marks the stronger figure where "more" — or "less", for price and weight — is unambiguously better.
| Spec | SteelSeries Aerox 5 Wireless | Pulsar X2 V2 Medium |
|---|---|---|
| US price | $109.99 | $99.95 |
| Brand | SteelSeries | Pulsar |
| Released | 2022-01 | 2023-09 |
| Sensor (dpi) | 18000 | 26000 |
| Weight (g) | 74 | 53 |
| Connectivity | 2.4 GHz Quantum 2.0 wireless + Bluetooth 5.0 | 2.4 GHz wireless + USB-C wired |
| Buttons | 9 | 6 |
| Polling (Hz) | 1000 | 4000 |
| Battery hr | 180 | 100 |
| Switch type | Golden Micro IP54 | Pulsar optical |
| Release | 2022-01 | 2023-09 |
Sources — SteelSeries Aerox 5 Wireless: steelseries.com (verified 2026-06-15). Pulsar X2 V2 Medium: pulsar.gg (verified 2026-06-15).
What's the difference between the SteelSeries Aerox 5 Wireless and Pulsar X2 V2 Medium?
Where the two actually differ on the specs we track (7 of 7). Matching specs are omitted.
- Sensor (dpi): SteelSeries Aerox 5 Wireless 18000 vs Pulsar X2 V2 Medium 26000
- Weight (g): SteelSeries Aerox 5 Wireless 74 vs Pulsar X2 V2 Medium 53
- Connectivity: SteelSeries Aerox 5 Wireless 2.4 GHz Quantum 2.0 wireless + Bluetooth 5.0 vs Pulsar X2 V2 Medium 2.4 GHz wireless + USB-C wired
- Buttons: SteelSeries Aerox 5 Wireless 9 vs Pulsar X2 V2 Medium 6
- Polling (Hz): SteelSeries Aerox 5 Wireless 1000 vs Pulsar X2 V2 Medium 4000
- Battery hr: SteelSeries Aerox 5 Wireless 180 vs Pulsar X2 V2 Medium 100
- Switch type: SteelSeries Aerox 5 Wireless Golden Micro IP54 vs Pulsar X2 V2 Medium Pulsar optical
What reviewers say
Sourced tester consensus for each — the "what people who used it think" layer, not just specs.
SteelSeries Aerox 5 Wireless
After verification, two of the draft's sources survive: Tom's Guide (which physically tested battery) and TechRadar (which reviewed the mouse but ran no drain test). TechPowerUp was dropped because the fetched URL returned only the review's intro page, leaving its cited weight/battery/latency figures and quotes unverifiable; RTINGS was JS-only. Both surviving sources praise the Aerox 5 Wireless as a light, well-built, versatile 9-button mouse with a fast, accurate sensor; Tom's Guide adds smooth PTFE glide. The headline flaw is battery: Tom's Guide measured only ~12 hours at 1,000Hz with RGB enabled versus the 180h claim. Both note it is expensive (~$140). (2 sourced reviews, 1 lab-tested.)
Praised: Lightweight body; Fast, accurate, responsive sensor; Versatile nine programmable buttons and deep SteelSeries GG customization.
Flagged: Expensive at ~$140; Poor real-world battery life at 1,000Hz with RGB (measured ~12 hours vs. 180h claimed); Divisive honeycomb design and lackluster RGB lighting.
Pulsar X2 V2 Medium
Only one whitelisted hands-on review was checked: TechPowerUp's Pulsar X2V2 (Feb 2024). The fetched page returned only the Introduction/Specifications page of the 9-page review, so the sole draft claim verifiable against the retrieved text was the 1.80 m braided cable spec. All three quotes and the click-latency, motion-delay and Perfect Control Speed figures live on sub-pages that were not in the fetched text and could not be confirmed, so they were dropped. TechPowerUp's tested unit was also the Size 1 (Mini) variant, not the Size 2 Medium under review. (1 sourced review, 1 lab-tested.)