Glorious’s gaming mice have been a popular choice among PC gamers for the last several years. It’s Model O 2 Wireless and Model D Pro wireless made a splash and impressed us in our combined review. While we’re still waiting on news for a new Model O, the company is back with a brand new entry in the Model D line-up with the Model D 2.
Slightly unconventional in releasing the standard Model D 2 after the Model D 2 Pro, this new version trades some of the pro-oriented features for more mainstream fare, like RGB lighting, Bluetooth connectivity, and longer battery life, all while maintaining a 66-gram weight. The shape flies in the face of mouse trends currently, and it is a bit expensive, but there’s an audience for this design. If you’re looking for a larger 6-button mouse, this is one worthy of considering.
Specifications
- Current Price: $99.99 (Glorious)
- Connectivity: Tri-Mode Connectivity (Lag-Free 2.4 GHz/Bluetooth 5.2 LE/Wired)
- Battery Life: 110hrs (2.4GHz); 210hrs (BT)
- Buttons: 6 Remappable
- Max Sensitivity: 26,000 DPI
- Max Speed: 650 IPS
- Max Acceleration: 50G
- Max Polling Rate: 1 ms (1000Hz)
- Lift-Off Distance: 1 mm - 2 mm
- Adjustable Debounce Time: 0 - 16 ms
- On-Board Storage: 3 Custom Profiles
- Lighting: 16.8 Million Color RGB
- Weight: 66g
- Software: Glorious CORE (Optional)
- Compatibility: Windows, MacOS, Linux
- Glorious Warranty: 2 Years
Glorious Model D 2 - Design and Highlights
The Glorious Model D 2, is the latest mouse from the peripheral maker and comes alongside a brand new KeyCapsules initiative we’ll be looking at shortly. The mouse is a rework of the Model D 2 Pro which released in 2023. It’s one of three mouse lines offered by the company, each catering to different grip styles and control preferences. The Model O is a smaller six-button mouse catering to accuracy and speed. The Model I is a 9-button ergonomic mouse that centers on comfort and control.
The Model D, then, is a middle ground between the two. It keeps the 6-button configuration of the Model O while increasing the size and particularly the height. This encourages a hybrid or full palm grip but it works well with a claw grip as well and is light enough to use with fingertips.
While it’s pretty unusual for a Pro model to release before a standard model, it works. Glorious is well aware that a lot of its customers have competitive aspirations and enjoy first-person shooters and MOBAs. The D 2 Pro cut out a lot of the extras and instead went for competition-grade performance. There was no RGB, the switches were optical, and it would only connect wired or with a high-speed 2.4 GHz dongle at up to 8 kHz if you bought that version (the standard Pro was 1 kHz). It was also slightly lighter at 60 grams and had a solid outer shell.
The standard D 2, launching today reverses nearly all of that while still offering competitive features and specs. At only six grams heavier (66g), it makes some smart trades to better serve to mainstream gamers. There are two customizable RGB strips on either side that look great, especially with other RGB peripherals alongside it. Bluetooth is back in version 5.2 Low Energy (LE). Battery life is also much better, offering nearly 40% more battery life than the Pro at 110 hours over 2.4 GHz and 210 hours over Bluetooth.
The addition of these things surely added more than six grams, so it’s not surprising to see the honeycomb shell return on this model. A portion of the palm rest is milled out to reclaim some of that weight. It still feels sturdy and didn’t have any worrying creaks or misclicks when squeezed on my sample. So, for six grams of extra weight, you get a mouse that looks better, works longer, and offers more versatile connectivity.
Otherwise, the two mice are nearly the same, which is to the D 2’s benefit. They both use the BAMF 2.0 optical sensor which comes with top-tier specs. The mouse tops out at 26K DPI, which, while not the highest out there right now, is more than enough for the vast majority of gamers in low DPI/high sensitivity setups. It’s ridiculously fast with a maximum speed of 650 inches per second and 50G of acceleration, abnd try as I might, I couldn’t get it to spin out or lose accuracy.
The D 2 is essentially identical in layout. It’s a standard six-button mouse with left, right, and middle clicks, and two thumb buttons on the left side. Under the hood, things are shaken up a bit with a switch to mechanical switches rather than the optical switches on the D 2 Pro. The switches have a slightly shorter lifespan at 80 million presses instead of 100 million, but they have a very nice click action and tactility.
The mouse also features an adjustable debounce delay from 0 to 16ms. Debounce delay is a type of electrical interference that occurs after clicking a mechanical switch. Being able to adjust this up or down is a nice feature to dial in the precise feel you’re looking for in your mouse. The same applies to lift-off distance, which can be set from one to two millimeters.
When it comes to actually using the mouse, I like it, but it took some getting used to coming from mice closer in shape to the Model O. It offers good support under the palm, which I enjoy for casual web browsing when I don’t need such an alert posture. The mouse buttons were very responsive and the mousewheel has a nice tactility that I found reliable for swapping weapons.
Over the years, my hybrid grip (brought about by years of MMORPGs) has slowly shifted into more of a claw grip, which made the Model D 2 feel quite tall in my hand. The contour begins high on the mouse and is quite steep, so though you can claw it, I had to readjust to its shape. Once I was used to it, my K/D ratio went back to normal, but I still think I prefer the Model O 2 overall. As with any mouse, however, you need to choose the shape that’s right for you.
One thing I am very pleased about is to have a shape like this at such a light weight. It’s pretty common to see these larger mice weight 80 grams or more. This mouse manages to have the weight of a true ultralight while being significantly larger, bringing that light airy feeling to a wider audience, and that’s a win.
KeyCapsules Drop #1 - Sketch
The other launch occurring right now is Glorious’s KeyCapsules program. KeyCapsules work as limited edition drops of keycaps. Once a month, Glorious will be unveiling a new set with only 500 to 1,000 available to purchase. These sets are made of thick PBT plastic and promise unique colors and themes that will only be available for that single month.
The first drop is a very neat set called Sketch. It uses thick, marker-styled outlines on each keycap and scribed side legends for each key. I have to admit that I wasn’t sold at first, but after seeing them in person, they genuinely look very neat. As you can see in the picture gallery here, installed on a keyboard, they actually do lend it a sketch-like appearance. It’s an eye-catching effect.
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The keycaps are high quality with thick walls for a deep sound signature and solid feel under the fingers. They appear to be slightly thicker than the stock keycaps that came on my GMMK 2 Compact. Since they’re not shine-through, the RGB lighting is reduced to an underglow. In bright office lighting as in the pictures here, the lighting doesn’t show up well, but in normal use it’s quite striking.
This is an exciting program and I’m very interested to see what other sets they may offer in the future!
Final Thoughts
Overall, the Glorious Model D 2 is a solid entry in Glorious’s catalog. The feature trades are well-picked and shouldn’t make a big difference for most gamers. The feeling I’m left with is that you’re getting all of the noticeable performance with more features and better aesthetics for six grams of extra weight. At $99.99, it feels a bit expensive, but its battery life, shape, and weight for that shape help it to remain a compelling option in its price range.
The product described in this article was provided by the manufacturer for evaluation purposes.
