Zaopin Z2 Mini Review: A Mighty Mouse in Miniature.
Meet the Z2 Mini, the charming little sister to the already impressive Zaopin Z2 that a few months ago. This compact mouse is designed to cater to those with smaller hand sizes or anyone seeking a small, agile mouse for their gaming setup. Much like its larger counterpart, the Z2 Mini stands out as a compelling alternative to many other gaming mouse options, bringing an intriguing twist to the table with its hot-swappable switches. Let’s delve into how this tiny titan performs in the world of gaming peripherals.
Hand size: 21 x 12 cm
Grip: hybrid relaxed claw/finger tip
Testing duration: two weeks
Humidity: 50–65%
Mouse pads used: Cerapad Kin v2, Artisan Hien Soft/Xsoft, EspTiger QingSui 3 Pro 6mm, Artisan Hayate Otsu MID, Waizowl Falcon.
Games played: Enlisted, QuakeWorld, Battlefield 1, Battlefield V, Doom Eternal.
Specs and Unboxing
Mind you, we are reviewing the Z2 Mini 1k edition.
In the box you will find:
- Zaopin Z2 Mini
- grip tapes
- USB-A to USB-C braided cable
- manual
- carrying pouch
- 1k dongle + adapter
- 2 pairs of spare skates, including punch-hole ones
- screwdriver
Balance and Weight
I’ll start with a point of criticism: the Zaopin Z2 Mini, weighing in at 57 grams on my scale, isn’t the lightest mouse out there, especially for its size. I was hoping Zaopin would make it lighter since it’s supposed to be a smaller sister to the normal Z2. Don’t get me wrong — they’ve already cut it down by 8 grams but that was expected. Therefore, this weight makes it tricky to handle with a fingertip grip. A larger mouse at the same weight would feel better because the weight distribution in a smaller mouse feels dense and quite different.
The Z2 Mini also feels a bit back-heavy because of its 500 mAh battery, which is more noticeable when you hold it in the middle or use specific grip styles. Although this wasn’t a huge issue for me, it’s worth considering, particularly if you use an aggressive claw grip with minimal palm contact.
Build Quality and Coating
This mouse is like a tank — you can practically nail someone to the wall with it. It inherits Zowie’s renowned build quality, which means it’s very solid: no creaking, no wobbly buttons, no side-to-side movement, and no flexing. It’s just perfect.
The mouse has a coating called “BZ Protein Membrane” that provides a smooth texture for a superior grip while not repelling dirt and fingerprints. The coating is a bit weird though — at first it’s a bit slippery, but once your hand warms up, it really sticks. In my case it takes a few minutes though. Surprisingly, even with extensive use, there’s hardly any visible wear where your fingers touch the mouse, so another point for Zaopin quality here.
Clicks and Buttons
The Huano Green White Dot switches in this mini mouse performed very well, with consistent performance between the M1 and M2 buttons, which was not the case with the Z2 model I reviewed earlier. They are really crisp and spammy this time, no pre- or post travel either. An appreciated feature from the original Z2 is retained here — the ability to hot-swap switches if you’re not satisfied with the clicks. The M4 and M5 buttons are an upgrade from the Z2, though they’re still a bit soft, they now have minimal pretravel. Overall, the clicks offer low latency and are a significant improvement over the larger Z2 model.
Shape, size and comparison to Z2
First of all, I was really surprised that Z2 is not really a smaller copy of Z2. It’s a bit different: notice how slanted Z2 was at the front main clicks and also by the side when you watch it from behind. That really caught me off-guard because I didn’t expect this when I started using Z2 Mini — the smaller one is really more symmetrical in the front and less slanted from left to right. I wonder why Zaopin did this, but it results in being much more “locked” in hand even for a guy with 21×12 cm hands like mine.
The mouse features a pleasant inward curve for the thumb, but the placement of the ring finger and pinky can feel a bit awkward due to the curve on the right side pushing against them. The hump is in the middle and the slant is way less noticeable than in Z2, which makes the mouse fill your hand in a bit more than you would probably expect.
Look how I am forced to hold this mouse, it’s really locked in my hand, which means that fingertip grip is basically impossible or very hard to do for me. It has its advantages but only in those more horizontal-oriented type of games where I don’t have to aim up and donw too fast or switch targets too often. Also, this grip you see above is unnatural for me and leads to some cramps after some time. But my hands are too big for claw/palm grip here and the mouse is a bit too heavy for fingertip (at least for me), so for your hand it could work perfectly fine.
The Hot-Swap and the Skates
When I fist checked Zaopin Z2, I was amazed that the mouse had the hot-swap feature, something that was a real step in gaming mice evolution imagine what a hot-swap feature can offer to you. Bad switches? Swap them. Want some lighter clicks? Swap them. You don’t like Omrons? Swap them. A click breaks? No biggie, swap it! That was also the first thing for back back then. I’m happy that Zaopin continues that way and Z2 Mini is also hot-swappable.
Unfortunately, the stock skates are not punch-hole ones, something I suggested in my first review. Zaopin adds punch-hole skates in the box, but why not include them as default and actually waste the stock ones when you want to swap clicks?
Conversely, the Z2’s stock skates are quite impressive, providing solid performance even if they’re a bit slower than ideal. They stack up well against Corepadz, and Zaopin should take pride in them. They’re fully functional, meeting most performance standards with few criticisms. These skates are rounded, not thin at all, and made of pure PTFE, performing excellently on every surface I tested. This also holds true for the additional set of feet included in the package.
Sensor performance, software and battery life
To start, the device is equipped with the PixArt 3395 sensor alongside the Nordic 52840 Chip and an F2 scroll Encoder capable of 2 million rotations, making it one of the top component choices currently available. Performance is consistently reliable, perfectly aligning with high expectations. However, I question the choice of not using the 3950 sensor, which is better than the 3395 and offers more software customization options. Nevertheless, the Zaopin Z2 includes advanced functionalities like Motion Sync, Ripple Effect, and Angle Snapping, all configurable via its software. During my gaming sessions at a 1k polling rate, the sensor delivered impeccable tracking with no mistakes or issues. The Zaopin software allows for adjustments like click debounce time to enhance responsiveness and prevent unintended double-clicks, lift-off distance, DPI light effects, and sleep mode settings. You can also boost sensor responsiveness and minimize interference with Long Distance mode, although this does consume more battery, it’s still a recommended feature. The software is light, easy to use and nails all features you might wanna try with 3395 sensor.
Zaopin decided to place a 500 mAh battery here, something really powerful for such a small mouse. They could have gone with a smaller battery which would cut down the weight by a few grams but I guess they wanted to feature a potent unit here and it works. With 1k polling rate, the mouse lasts really long — after 12 days of use (a solid few hours each day of use), the battery still showed 20% which is really remarkable. Mind you, with 4k and more that number would be drastically reduced but that’s how it is with these batteries at higher polling rates.
One thing to remember though — the Z2 Mini Max (weird name, I know) sports the PAW3950, so the software could look a bit different there.
Gaming Performance
My gaming performance with the Zaopin Z2 Mini was less than stellar, primarily due to its design and size which didn’t suit my hand and grip style. The mouse’s compact nature forced me into a specialized grip that felt unnatural, essentially “locking” it into my hand. This was particularly uncomfortable because of the aggressive hump on the front-right side of the mouse, which awkwardly pushed my pinky finger, leading to discomfort during extended gaming sessions. Moreover, the size of the Z2 Mini was just too small for my hand, making precise movements challenging. In scenarios requiring heavy tracking, I found myself missing a higher polling rate, which would have provided a smoother experience. Overall, these factors combined to hinder my performance, making the mouse less than ideal for my gaming setup. However, this mouse is designed for medium/small hand gamers, so your experience will most probably vary!
Summary
Bullet Points
- great build quality
- this mouse is like a small tank
- the Z2 Mini looks really pretty
- punch-hole skates should be default when the mouse has the hot-swap feature which…still works great!
- the coating gets better with time, sticks well after a few minutes of use
- the shape is not the smaller copy of Z2, it’s more symmetrical in front and less slanted
- the battery is very good
- this mouse is definitely NOT designed for big hands, even if you use the finger tip because…
- …the mouse is a bit too heavy for its size and a bit back heavy
- very good for small and medium claw/palm grippers though
Disclaimer: his review is not a paid endorsement. I want to ensure transparency and let you know that I am not receiving any compensation, monetary or otherwise, for evaluating or discussing this tech product.
