HP Omen Vector Wireless Mouse Review

We reviewed HP’s new Omen Vector wireless gaming mouse. How does it stack up? Read our review below to see whether or not it’s a mouse we recommend.

While wireless gaming mice (and wireless peripherals in general) may no longer be strictly inferior to their wired counterparts, owning a wireless mouse will inevitably lead you to one of two situations: you either replace the batteries, or recharge it. Replacing the batteries results in additional costs on top of what is (usually) an already expensive purchase, and recharging forces you to step away from what you’re doing for a period of time.

With neither of these being particularly desirable outcomes, it’s no surprise that people have continued to use wired products. And while wireless products are slowly raising the bar, there’s still a long way to go.

That leaves the HP Omen Vector Wireless mouse in a bit of an odd position. Priced at $100 (currently discounted to $75 on Amazon), it stands between its tried and true wired predecessors, and the innovation of newer models. So what justifies that price tag?

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Tech Specs

Battery Life

The Vector tackles the problem of wireless mice in its own way. It boasts 180 hours of use off of a single charge, and with its quick-charge technology, 30 seconds of charge equates to one hour of battery life (1.5 hours to a full charge). It may not be not quite on par with Logitech’s G502 Lightspeed, which wirelessly charges itself as you play—provided you own the $120 standalone mousepad—but it only costs around a third as the aforementioned mouse and pad combination.

I was somewhat skeptical about the battery life claims, but after 5 days of daily use, it hasn’t dipped below 70% charge.

Build Quality

The first thing you’ll notice upon picking up the Vector is its weight. Compared to the mouse I used previously (Razer’s Death Adder v2), it’s substantially heavier (105 grams vs 82 grams), owing mainly to the way it’s been built. In spite of the additional weight, it glides rather easily, and after getting accustomed to the weight, it doesn’t feel much different.

Really, though, the Vector was built to be sturdy above all else. While that’s great if you want to be able to throw it in a backpack or suitcase and not worry about it, it makes it feel somewhat restrictive in both day to day use, and in-game.

As a result of its sturdiness, the two main buttons require substantially more pressure to fully depress, which can be the deciding factor in high stakes reaction based games like Valorant or CS:GO, and proves to be something of an annoyance over the course of a work session. Given its sturdiness, I feel much more inclined to use it as a travel mouse, rather than my day-to-day peripheral.

Other than that, it has the typical two side buttons, a DPI button on top, and a small thumb wing on its right side, restricting its use to right-handed individuals.

Comfort

Your level of comfort with the Omen Vector will depend largely on what type of mouse grip you use, as well as the size of your hand. My hands are fairly large, and my fingers are longer than the average person’s. While the Vector is only slightly shorter in length than other mice, its grip is noticeably larger. In my case, my fingers became cramped within a few hours, and my wrist was forced into an awkward position. On the other hand, my brother, who has smaller hands and shorter fingers than me, used it for a few hours without problem. He actually liked it better than his own mouse. I typically use the fingertip grip, while my brother uses the palm grip.

As with any mouse, the level of comfort will vary from person to person. This is especially true for the Vector, owing to its somewhat awkward dimensions.

Connectivity and Customization

As with most other wireless peripherals, the Vector features seamless plug-and-play. Should you choose to download the OMEN Gaming Hub from the Microsoft store, however, you’ll have access to a fairly impressive level of customization. Along with the standard color programming, you can create custom macros or keybinds for any button on the mouse, including right-click and left-click.

It also features 5 different DPI “levels”, each of which can be changed to a different value through the gaming hub. It’s worth noting, though, that it can only be adjusted in increments of 100—so it may not be as precise as some may prefer.

One glaring issue I noticed was that the Vector seems to struggle with maintaining its connection while not in active use. Whenever I left my computer and subsequently returned, the mouse would be unresponsive for the first few seconds of use. It may not seem like a big deal, but becomes increasingly irritating if you step away from the computer frequently.

Verdict: Good, but Difficult to Justify

Our rating: 7.0/10

It’s a bit difficult to recommend the HP Omen Vector. It may not have any direct competition at its price point, but it’s difficult to justify the cost. With a bit of cable management, a standard wired mouse will rarely—if ever—cause issues.

The Vector’s main benefits over other wireless products are its battery life and quick charge capabilities. In a vacuum, these are strictly inferior compared to other wireless products like the G502 Lightspeed. That said, the G502 Lightspeed and its wireless charging mouse pad cost nearly $300 together, making it another tough sell. In comparison, the Vector is more affordable—though you pay for that affordability with having to stop and charge it every so often, as well as with potentially uncomfortable hand and wrist posture. Overall, though it’s still a good mouse—so long as you don’t mind it being slightly heavier.

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