Zowie S Series Review

Introduction

The Zowie S series Is the latest series of mice to be released by the esports centric Perhiferal brand, Zowie. Their new nice has been released in a matte coating. In this review, we are going to taking a look a the Zowie S1 and the slightly smaller Zowie S2.

As this is my first review on the channel, a quick rundown of my previous mice is in order, so that you can better understand my reasoning behind some of the opinions l have on this mouse. My first ever mouse was a Razer DeathAdder which l used for about 2 years, before moving onto a Zowie Ec2A, which was my main for around 3 years before switching to an FK2 which I have enjoyed using ever since. Now that we have got that out of the way, let’s go over the mice and its features. 

Shape

The shape is a continuation of the FK series of zowie mice, and whilst the shape compliments an ambidextrous design, the mouse lacks side buttons for left-handed users. If you’re a right-handed user and you find ergonomic mice such as the Zowie EC2A and the Razer to be too uncomfortable, an ambidextrous mouse may suit your hand better, as it’s symmetrical design allows for more consistency when making a left and right adjustments in-game. 

Taking a look at the rear of the mouse, there is a noticeable difference in the way that the mouse curves, this is because the s series is aimed at being an ambidextrous solution for palm grip users, and the mouse reflects this by slightly raising the lowest point of the rear, and having a more pronounced hump to fit your palm better, the result is that this mouse fits the palm without your wrist touching the mousepad and dragging along, an issue that can be present if you use a Zowie FK2 and prefer to use a palm grip.

The mouse is also slightly raised at the front in comparison to the FK series, personally, I was okay with the height of the front buttons on the FK2, however, as the entire rear shell has been raised, it makes sense as to why the front has also followed suit. 

There are noticeable Comfort grooves on the side and There’s More room for index and pinkie finger on the right side, allows for both 1 – 3 – 1 finger grip and the standard 1 – 2 – 2 finger grip. L personally had issues trying to hold the fk2 with a 1 – 2 – 2 grip, as my fingers did not fit on the side of the mouse and attempt to adjust my grip resulted in my fingers either dragging on the pad. So l am glad that this change has been made. 

The overall shape of the S series is also slightly shorter in length in comparison to mice such as the FK series and the glorious model o, this allows the S series to address some criticisms that the FK series has about being too long, this shorter design also allows for vertical movements to be more consistent and precise. L actually found this change to be quite jarring at first as l round myself overcompensating for recoil in-game such as counter strike global offensive, and missing menu icons when trying to pick a server. 

The cable has been slightly raised on the S series to ensure that the mouse does not drag on the mousemat when you’re flicking the mouse around. It’s a small change that makes a dramatic improvement when you’re in-game. Speaking of cable, the one sent out on the s2 is easily one of the top non-braided / paracord cables available. It’s thin enough to easily slide through your bungees and isn’t flimsy enough to get in the way of your playing. A real winner for me. The Zowie S series both have Excellent weight distribution and have no coil rattle/sounds when shaking around. 

Comparison.

I wanted to take a small segment out of this review to make a direct comparison between the S2 & the S1 as there are notable differences between each. For starters, the s2 weighs in at 82 grams and the S1 adds an additional 5 grams due to its larger proportions.  The mice both measure out at 29mm at the front of the buttons, so those who choose the Larger s1 will not be subject to more raise from the cable or higher sitting buttons. 

The thumb rest on the S1 also provides slightly more room for the thumb in comparison to the S2, something you may want to consider if you have larger hands and worry about clicking in the side buttons by accident. There is only a single millimetre in the difference between the height of the top hump, between the S1 & S2. The width is where the dimensions change a little more, with the s1 being two millimetres larger at the front corners, the thumb grips, and the rear comfort grooves. These small changes equate to the S1 fitting the palm more fully and providing more 

A small detail to mention between the two mice, it’s certainly easier to initiate a 1 – 2 – 2 on the S1 due to its larger overall profile, however, this will vary depending on the size and thickness of your fingers.  a 1 – 3 – 1 finger placement is still comfortable on the S1, so if you’re one of the few people who use this finger placement, it’s worth bearing in mind. Based on my hand size of 18 x 9cm, l personally find the S2 to be more comfortable, compared to the s1 which feels a little large for my tastes, so if l had to choose between one or the other. It would definitely be the S2. 

Buttons and sensor.

The 3360 sensor performs flawlessly in this mouse, although l do struggle to see a noticeable difference between this sensor and the 3310. I would only consider upgrading to a 3360 if you have issues with tilt slam or if your sensor is prone to spinning out. Zowie has also implemented a small feature around the sensor itself where there is a slight ring around the sensor, again, im hardpressed to find a purpose for this small ring, however, other mice such as the Logitech G Pro wireless also include this, so I’m sure there’s a good reason for it. 

The S series also benefits from having Larger buttons on the left side, with no buttons on the right side. It’s an unwelcome change if you’re a left-handed user, however, this change benefits right-handed users dramatically, as the lack of buttons provides a more comfortable grip for your pinkie and ring fingers when holding the mouse. These buttons feel great, have minimal travel, and are a cut above other zowie buttons we have seen such as on the old EC series and FK series. Sticking to the theme of driverless function, Zowie have continued to implement their polling rate button, which was first seen on the ECB series, this is certainly a nice to have if you find yourself flicking through the options. 

Dpi button:

Zowie was the first company to really take this design choice and get other mice to think differently about button placement, and the continuation of the dpi button being on the bottom of the zowie range has influenced other esports-centric mice such as the G PRO wireless, the new Razer Viper & the Endgame xm1. The only problem here is that the increments are still set to 400, 800, 1200 and 1600. Something zowie doesn’t look to be changing anytime soon. 

Criticisms and DRAWBACKS:

There are a few things to expect if you buy a zowie mouse, one of which is that the mouse will not come with drivers, however, this is a reflection of Zowie’s idea to create a no BS mouse with focuses entirely on eSports. The other is that if you are if you are looking for a mouse with RGB, then the Zowie is most definitely the wrong place to look. There is an argument to be made that Zowie could have tried including a 3389 sensor instead of a 3360 to tie in with the release of this mouse, however, the only difference between the two is that a 3389 sensor can achieve DPI increments of 50. And as we discussed earlier, the DPI increments are fixed. A personal recommendation of mine would be to include a more robust way of changing the liftoff distance on the mouse, as the only way of doing it currently is to hold certain buttons when plugging the mouse into your PC. 

Final thoughts. 

I love what zowie has done here with the S series and l would recommend it to anyone that is looking for a fresh change from their FK1 / FK2 / Rival 110 or Steelseries sensei or Nixeus revel. But as always, if you perform fine on your current mice then why change it. I hope that you have enjoyed this review of the Zowie S series, I would appreciate as much constructive feedback as l can on this review as it is my first attempt. If this review is well received, l may look at reviewing/going into length detail on my other favourite mice such as the FK series, EC series, the Glorious model O and more.