Apple Magic Mouse (USB-C)

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The Apple Magic Mouse has changed little in almost a decade. Minor updates, like a shift away from AA batteries to a rechargeable design, dropping the “2” in the name, and adding an extra color option are the primary updates it has seen over the years. The latest revision of the Magic Mouse ($79 for the white version; $99 for black as tested) doesn’t seek to change that, as the only new addition is the switch away from Apple’s Lightning ports to USB-C. (Thank you, European Union!) The mouse remains a good enough daily driver, and unlike the Apple Magic Keyboard, it’s not exorbitantly expensive. But it’s a little too small for large hands; it’s too glossy to easily keep clean for long; and—in a long-standing complaint—you still need to flip it over to charge it, making the Editors' Choice-winning Logitech MX Master 3S a far better mouse for Macs.

Design: Can't (or Won't) Change a Good Thing

Like the other two new-for-2024 Apple peripherals, the Magic Trackpad and the Magic Keyboard, the new Magic Mouse looks almost identical to its counterpart that’s been on the market for years. Measuring 0.8 by 2.2 by 4.4 inches (HWD), it’s a fairly small mouse. In my hands, it’s a little too small, and the slight bump at the center barely offers my hand any support. The 3.5-ounce mouse isn't too difficult to push around, however, even with my hand fully stretched across it. Ergonomically, this mouse doesn’t hold a candle to the excellent (and Mac-compatible!) MX Master 3S.

I’m not a swooning fan of Apple’s peripherals, but I’ll never say they’re ugly. The Magic Mouse sports the same simple design as before—a clean, borderless mouse with long, virtual left- and right-click buttons that match almost perfectly with the length of my fingers. The distinctive body is well suited for left-handed users as well as righties, but the hyper-glossy exterior is prone to smudging. It’s not too noticeable while using the white version, but on our black review unit, fingerprints abound. To be fair, it can be easily wiped down with a microfiber cloth, so fingerprints won't be a problem if you're committed to cleaning it frequently.

Flipping the mouse over, we see that the bottom remains mostly unchanged. Two parallel low-friction strips lay along the mouse’s belly, while the power switch and sensor remain nestled up top. The only real change here is the retiring of the Lightning port, which makes way for a USB-C port. (A woven USB-C charging cord is included.)

We don't like that Apple didn’t see this Magic Mouse update as an opportunity to revise the mouse’s infamous charging procedure. As it is, you can only charge the mouse by flipping it onto its back like a dead bug or a helpless turtle and plugging in the cable. Moving the cable connector to the end of the mouse would seem a no-brainer. The Magic Mouse has no battery indicator, either; you'll have to navigate to the System Preferences app using your keyboard to know when charging is complete.

Like many others, I’ve always rolled my eyes at this decision, but I suppose it's workable to some degree. The mouse’s battery lasts about a month between charges, and so should last throughout the working day with no problem. In the past, I would simply flip the mouse over and charge while away from my computer. Apple doesn't specify charging times, but we found that the Magic Mouse takes about two hours for a complete charge, and even a short few minutes of plugged-in time can earn you a few hours of use. Still, that's a curious extreme Apple is maintaining here to keep the port out of sight.

Software: Advanced Gestures for Mac Productivity

That the Magic Mouse remains the same, other than the USB-C port, isn't all bad. Some Mac-friendly features were introduced in earlier versions and are still present here, like multi-touch gestures. In addition to traditional right and left clicks, you can perform certain other gestures by dragging your fingers across the mouse. Drag your finger down the center of the mouse to scroll, or swipe two fingers across the mouse to swap between apps with ease. While it doesn’t offer as many gesture commands as the Magic Trackpad, you'll still find plenty of additional functionality. That's pretty good for a mouse without any physical buttons!

Heading to your Mac’s System Preferences app will allow you to customize your mouse to your liking, including tracking speed, scroll speed, and mouse gestures. While Apple doesn’t confirm the mouse’s maximum resolution (measured in dots per inch), it did track just fine on the mouse pads and table surfaces I tested it on, which suggests it should be fine for the casual cursor movements for which it's intended. To be sure, though, it’s not reaching the extraordinary DPI maximums—30,000dpi and up—that some gaming mice for Macs are capable of.

The Magic Mouse’s store page notes that a system requirement for the new USB-C Magic Mouse is a "Mac with macOS 15.1 or later," or an "iPad with iPadOS 18.1 or later." You can try the mouse with Bluetooth-enabled Macs on earlier OS versions, but functionality may be partial. While using an Apple MacBook Pro 16-inch (2021) with macOS Monterey 12.3.1, the mouse was operational, but I could not update the advanced settings or use any gestures. An update to macOS Sequoia 15.1 indeed solved this issue.

Verdict: Reliable, But We're Ready for a New Magic Trick

The latest Apple Magic Mouse doesn’t do much new, other than swap the Lightning port for a USB-C port. But that doesn’t mean the mouse isn’t a competent daily driver for use with a MacBook, Mac mini, iMac, or other Apple device. We still like the gesture-based movements, the handsome ambidextrous design, and the wireless connectivity. It's a shame that its one big wart wasn't resolved here, though, and we wish that Apple had innovated instead of resurrecting the near-same peripheral yet again. Ultimately, the 2024 Magic Mouse is just fine if you want to keep your desk in consistent Apple style, but functionally, it pales in comparison with the far better options for Mac mice these days, including our top pick, the Logitech MX Master 3S.