ASUS ROG Balteus Qi RGB Mouse Pad Review

Mouse pads are probably one of the most underrated gears in the world of PC gaming. Sure they look simple enough on top of their simple functionality but there’s more to that surface really. On this review, we are going to check out the ASUS ROG Balteus Qi. A gaming mouse pad with a lot to offer at $100 USD.

The ROG Balteus Qi is one of the many additions to ASUS’ growing mouse pad line-up. This is the latest in the Balteus series, featuring a Qi wireless charging capability and a LED indicator. That’s about it when it comes to the differences.

Technical Specifications

Packaging and Accessories

The ASUS ROG Balteus Qi comes packed inside your usual gaming mouse pad packaging. It comes with the following documentations and accessories inside:

• ROG logo sticker
• User documentation
• 2-Meter USB2.0 cable
• Micro-USB cable (Missing)

Design, Layout and Build Quality

The ASUS ROG Balteus Qi is a large gaming mouse pad with a portrait layout. It is basically a Balteus with Qi charging functionally attached. Weight is about 1400 grams.

The culprit for its heavy weight design is the thick ROG inspired rubber mat. Quite possibly the best looking rubber base I’ve seen so far too.

Surface is definitely hard plastic with coarse grain like texture to aid tracking. Since this is also a rather thick mouse pad at 7.9mm, ASUS took the opportunity to smoothen the corners.

The ASUS ROG Balteus Qi has a button to change lighting options depending on the software configuration. It also features a USB pass-through and a Micro-USB port for the Qi charger. That’s right, you have to put another cable here if you want the Qi charger to work.

The cable is thick. Rather too thick for my liking. It also doesn’t carry power to the Qi charger so… what a sad sight.

Test Setup and Methodology

Testing a gaming mouse pad is not that difficult, but it is mostly subjective; similar to testing head gears in a sense. That said, no mouse pad is perfect and the verdict usually depends on personal preferences. With that in mind, we are overhauling our testing methodology by following key pointers that should matter the most; that includes the surface performance, the size and comfort. To keep our test methodology simple and free of extra variables, please note the following software and configurations used below.

Physical Layout, Functionality and Ergonomics

Surface material is an important thing to consider when looking for a mouse pad. There are four basic types of surfaces here; metal, plastic, cloth and rubber. Metallic materials are preferred when speed and longevity matters over comfort and acoustics. Plastic on the other hand is the choice when speed, control and longevity are concerned. Cloth is the most prominent out of the bunch, offering speed, control and comfort. The emergence of synthetic rubber materials allows control, longevity and comfort over speed. There are also hybrids with multiple layered materials.

Your desk space and aiming style also influences what mouse pad you should buy. For an instance, wrist-aiming gamers would prefer smaller mouse pads while arm-aiming gamers will prefer larger mouse pads.

The ASUS ROG Balteus Qi feature a length at roughly 370mm and a width at 320mm. Thickness on the other hand is about 7.9mm. This is a large mouse pad appropriate for arm-aiming thus requiring a large desk space.

Surface material is hard plastic, most likely ABS with a coarse textured finish. This is a mouse pad that I though was built for speed yet it felt more for control. Since the surface is so gritty, it will reduce the life span of your gaming mice’s gliding material compared to smoother hard pads.

Tracking Performance

Mouse pad tracking performance is evaluated with the MouseTester V1.5.3 with a DPI level of 800 DPI. Our aim is to check out the surface material’s performance; and to look for reporting inconsistencies.

Excellent tracking performance we got here with the ASUS ROG Balteus Qi. Performance is actually comparable to my SteelSeries QCK Mini.

Software, Lighting and Special Features

The ASUS ROG Balteus Qi comes with support for the ARMOURY II software. This allows the gamer to maximize the mouse pad’s full potential with lighting options, profiles and even fine tuning options.

The ASUS ROG Balteus Qi features excellent lighting effects, although you really have to use the Armoury to maximize this feature of the mouse pad. The button on the Balteus Qi could be configured to adjust the brightness or effect depending on your preference.

One of the main features of the ASUS ROG Balteus Qi are its ports. There is a built-in USB 2.0 pass-through to easily connect other devices such as a mouse and there is a Micro-USB port for Qi charging to work.

The defining feature of the ASUS ROG Balteus Qi is of course its wireless charging feature. If you have a device with Qi charging capabilities, then it is definitely a QoL feature.

Final Thoughts

The ASUS ROG Balteus Qi is not your typical run of the mill RGB mouse pad no doubt. It is a performance oriented looker with Qi charging and USB pass-through attached.

While it performed like a champ, I can’t deny the fact that it has the potential to eat your mice’s gliding material. It doesn’t matter if it’s Teflon or ABS. The Balteus will most likely eat it before it goes smooth as time goes by. There’s also my personal hatred for spaghetti wires so if you insist on using the wireless charger, then prepare to see more cables.

Coming in hot at around 5399 Pesos or about $90 USD internationally, the ASUS ROG Balteus Qi is definitely expensive. If you heavily favor RGB and an excellent surface tracking performance at the expense of your device’s gliding surface longevity, then this is the mouse pad that you are looking for.