Ever considered buying a mouse that requires the least effort to use? Is it even possible to find such a mouse? The simple answer is yes. That’s if you can lay your hands on the best trackball mouse.
A quality trackball mouse requires the least arm movement to use; importantly, they’re far less prone to error than other mice you can lay your hands on. The accuracy of the efficiency of trackball mice is often unrivaled, even without a desk. Really.
To save you the worry of searching in futility for a good trackball mouse, we’ve found and reviewed the best trackball mice in 2020.
Now, let’s take a look.
Best Trackball Mouse in 2020
Preview
Product name
Specs
Logitech MX Ergo
- Dimension 3.92 x 5.21 x 2.02 inches
- Weight: 5.76 ounces
- Connectivity:Mac, Windows2 x 6 x 8 inches
Kensington Orbit
- Dimension 2 x 6 x 8 inches
- Weight: 0.64 pounds
- Connectivity:USB
3Dconnexion Space Mouse Pro
- Dimension 8 x 5.6 x 2.3 inches
- Weight: 1.47 pounds
- Connectivity:USB
ELECOM Trackball Mouse M-DPT1MRXBK
- Dimension 5.25 x 3.6 x 2.26 inches
- Weight: 5.71 ounces
- Connectivity:Wireless/Wired/Bluetooth
Logitech Trackman Marble Trackball Mouse
- Dimension 9 x 3 x 8 inches
- Weight: 3.2 ounces
- Connectivity:PS/2, USB
Kensington Expert Wireless Trackball Mouse (K72359WW)
- Dimension 6.02 x 4.92 x 2.76 inches
- Weight: 1.35 pounds
- Connectivity:USB 3.0, Radio Frequency
ELECOM M-DT2DRBK Wireless Index Finger Trackball Mouse
- Dimension 3.7 x 1.8 x 4.9 inches
- Weight: 4 ounces
- Connectivity:USB
Logitech MX Ergo Advanced Wireless Trackball
For users who need a trackball mouse that can serve a variety of purposes, look no further from the Logitech MX Ergo Advanced Wireless Trackball mouse.
The MX Ergo has an ergonomic design that fits your hand perfectly. It allows you to choose between different connectivity options (including the unifying receiver or Bluetooth connections). It is wireless mouse and can be charged via a Micro USB port. The battery life is 70 days at a full charge. When the battery’s completely down, a minute charge can last you an entire day’s work. This mouse can be connected to your Mac or Windows PC.
The MX Ergo features a unique adjustable hinge which allows you to easily customize the trackball angle from 0 to 20 degrees. This gives you a more natural, comfortable hand position, and drastically helps reduce muscle strain.
Thanks to the dual connectivity feature, this mouse can be used with up to three Windows or Mac computers at the same time.
But the MX Ergo is not an ambidextrous mouse – this is one flaw Logitech didn’t put much taught into for this product.
Pros:
- Well-sculpted and ergonomic design
- Dual connectivity feature
- Long-lasting rechargeable battery.
- Features precision scroll-wheel
Cons:
- Not ambidextrous.
- Tilt options are limited.
- Price
- Redundant buttons.
Our verdict
The Logitech MX Ergo Advanced Wireless Trackball Mouse is the best trackball mouse in terms of performance, style. However, the mouse isn’t really a good choice for left-handed folks. And it comes at a price that’s not really competitive.
Kensington Orbit Trackball Mouse with Scroll Ring
The Kensington Orbit Trackball mouse is an affordable trackball mouse that delivers good performance plus the added advantage of a scroll ring.
The Orbit is built to be controlled with either the left or right hand – this makes it a great option for someone looking to buy an ambidextrous mouse in 2019.
In terms of usability, you can’t fault the Kensington Orbit. If you’ve never used a trackball mouse before this is one product you should consider starting off with. We say this because the design of the Orbit makes it easy to fit perfectly into your hands, irrespective of how big or small your hands are.
This mouse comes with a detachable Wrist rest for improved comfort. It’s compatible across Windows and Mac operating systems.
Pros:
- Impressive design
- Accompanying Kensington software
- Ambidextrous design
- Compatible with Windows and Mac OS
Cons:
- Tricky installation process
- Difficulty in performing finger combination clicks.
- Continuous usage of thumb on trackball can cause some discomfort.
Our verdict
If you need an affordable mouse with good accuracy and performance, then the Kensington Orbit Trackball Mouse is for you. We can’t say less for a well-designed ambidextrous mouse that comes with an efficient scroll Ring.
3Dconnexion Space Mouse Pro 3D-Mouse
Are you someone who produces a lot of Computer Aided Designs (CAD) or computer animations? What you need is a highly responsive mouse with a range of buttons that can be mapped to keyboard shortcuts. One of the best 3D mice that meets all the requirements is the 3Dconnexion Space Mouse Pro.
As the name implies, the 3Dconnexion Space Mouse features a Space Navigator that controls how you zoom, rotate, tilt, pan, or roll a screen. This is exactly the same way you manipulate a 3D object on camera. The challenge is, it’ll take some time for you to get used the controls of the controls that come with this mouse. Especially for those who don’t know how to use a 3D mouse.
The compact footprint of the 3Dconnexion Space makes it easily fit into any desk without taking up much space.
This mouse features a brushed steel base, which helps to give it a great look and enhances the device’s stability. There are two buttons on this mouse, each of which opens its radial menu. The buttons help in providing access to various application command. One unique feature that comes with this mouse is the 3DxWare 10.
The 3DxWare 10 is a driver that works with all 3Dconnextion peripheral devices. It means you do not have to install different software each time you buy a 3Dconnexion device.
Pros:
- Ergonomic design
- Excellent precision
- Small footprint.
- Advanced 6 degrees-of-freedom optical sensor
Cons:
- Difficult for left-handlers
- Difficult for users that aren’t tech-savvy to use.
- Not a traditional trackball mouse.
Our verdict
We didn’t find a better-suited trackball mouse for 3D designers, CAD engineers, and architects who produce lots of 3D designs. What surprised us was how affordable the mouse came. In terms of price, you could easily pass it for a 2D mouse.
ELECOM Trackball Mouse M-DPT1MRXBK
Elecom left very little to chance in producing a high-quality mouse when they came up with the ELECOM DEFT PRO Trackball Mouse. We were astounded by the connectivity options of this mouse.
This is one of the first trackball mice to offer up to three connection types in a single device: Bluetooth connectivity, wireless 2.4GHz connectivity via USB and a wired connection via a USB cable.
With all that connectivity options, you can connect the ELECOM DEFT PRO to multiple devices at the same time meaning you can be using your Bluetooth mouse connection on your laptop and USB connection on your desktop.
We found the ELECOM trackball smooth and very responsive. It was easy to move around and didn’t make any obvious clicking sound when the select buttons were pressed repeatedly. The side buttons allow you to switch connection types between Bluetooth and USB.
The ELECOM DEFT PRO is a finger-operated trackball mouse (as opposed to a traditional thumb-operated trackball), this means you can move the ball with your pointer and middle finger, while the thumb is used to left-click or use the scroll wheel. The thumb can also be used to press the forward and back buttons. Hey, we know this would take some getting used to if it’s your first time with a trackball mouse. But rest easy, the ergonomics of this device are good and you’ll totally enjoy it.
Let’s talk a bit about the buttons on this mouse. The ELECOM DEFT PRO features eight buttons in total. There are the normal left and right select buttons, then there’s the Fn1, Fn2, Fn3, forward, backwards and the Scrollwheel-click buttons. Is that a handful for you? We’ll leave you to decide.
Pros:
- Excellent performance
- Lots of connectivity options
- Long-lasting rechargeable battery
- Ergonomic design
- Easy to use finger-operated trackball.
Cons:
- Not ambidextrous. Right-handed design only.
- Tough to remember all movement options.
- Difficulty in performing finger combination clicks.
Our verdict
For those with small hands who prefer finger control of the trackball instead of thumb control, the Elecom Deft Pro trackball mouse is one device you should seriously consider buying. The sleek, ergonomic design will appeal to any regular PC user. The fact it supports multiple connection types adds to that appeal.
Logitech Trackman Marble Mouse
High quality. That’s what you get from the Logitech Trackman Marble trackball mouse. Don’t fret about the price because we said high quality, this is quite an affordable mouse.
What you might not really appreciate is, you’re a wired mouse if you decide to go with this option. The Trackman Marble doesn’t require setup for Windows or Mac-based OS computers. It’s designed to be ambidextrous so you don’t need to worry if you’re left-handed.
The Trackman Marble features four programmable buttons. It’s up to you to set them up however you prefer. Two of those buttons are designed by default to serve as forward and back buttons for easy website or document navigation.
The LOGITECH Trackman Marble flaunts an ergonomic design which makes it comfortable for your palm. One advantage of owning a wired mouse is you don’t need to install any software before you can use it. You don’t need to bother about buying new batteries either. It’s all plug-and-play here.
With few buttons on the Trackman Marble to fiddle with, you don’t have to endure the hassle of button configurations.
Pros:
- Comfortable Trackball and ergonomic design
- Easy to use – with those back/forward buttons for navigation
- Plug and play. No installation required
- Works on Windows or Mac OS.
- Ambidextrous design; works well for both right-handed and left-handed users.
- Budget price
Cons:
- Not best for people with large hands.
- Tilt options are in limit.
- Wired mice can be clumsy and boring
Our verdict
Buy it if you want a trackball mouse that won’t give you any hassle. The Logitech Trackman Marble scores a lot of good points for being ambidextrous and efficient. It’s not an overpriced option either. But if you’re not a fan of excess wires on your peripheral devices, you might have to look elsewhere.
Now, let’s see something else.
Kensington Expert Wireless Trackball Mouse (K72359WW)
At this point we must take out time comment on Kensington’s burgeoning brand reputation for producing high-quality ergonomic mice. The Expert Wireless Trackball mouse from Kensington buttresses this point.
The Expert Wireless Trackball is a high-performance trackball mouse which focuses on high-performance and excellent ergonomics. To start with, it comes with a padded wrist rest. This pad can easily handle both small and large wrist sizes making it a unique one size fits all trackball mouse.
The mouse has high durability, the buttons are customizable and the pointer speed and acceleration are adjustable to fit your needs. It also has an auto-sleep feature so you can conserve the battery life of the mouse. It is built for ambidexterity as both right and left-handed users can take advantage of its ergonomic features.
Given it’s a wireless Trackball mouse, the Kensington Expert uses a long-lasting battery. In fact, the battery life has been proved to last up to 90days (three months) on full charge.
The trackball that comes with this mouse is quite large which makes it easy to manipulate. We can only be pleased it comes with a scroll Ring. This small hardware feature allows the Expert Wireless Trackball mouse to be used in easily scrolling up or down whatever document or webpage you’re browsing.
The Expert Wireless Trackball is compatible with all Windows, Mac and Chromebook Operating Systems.
Pros:
- Super-fast connectivity with Bluetooth 3.0 LE or USB Nano receiver
- Easy to set up and customize
- Large trackball
- Ambidextrous build
- Long battery life
- Highly compatible across various OS
Cons:
- The scroll wheel could be better in terms of design
- Difficulty in performing finger combination clicks.
- Continuous usage of thumb on trackball can be discomforting
Our verdict
A brief look at the key features tells the whole story why you should buy the Kensington Expert Wireless Trackball mouse. It has a long-lasting battery life; the design is ergonomic; it’s an ambidextrous mouse and it features Wireless and Bluetooth connectivity. Everything comes together to make the Expert Wireless Trackball mouse a good fit for any PC user.
ELECOM M-DT2DRBK Wireless Index Finger Trackball Mouse
ELECOM has a sibling trackball mouse to their DEFT PRO we reviewed earlier – it’s called the M-DT2DRBK Wireless Index finger trackball mouse. Let’s just call it the ELECOM Index Finger Trackball Mouse for the sake of this review. Mind you, it also carries the trademark ‘Deft’ logo on the mouse, so don’t be confused.
The ELECOM Index Finger Trackball Mouse combines a modern look with a classic design to give you a high-quality wireless mouse you can’t love less.
This Index Finger Trackball Mouse comes with excellent ergonomics and fits perfectly into all hand types – large, medium or small. This mouse has good controls, sensitivity, and accuracy and delivers an excellent performance in terms of speed and responsiveness.
Every button on the ELECOM Index Finger Trackball Mouse can be customized for ease of use. They’re designed to fit the structure of your hands so you won’t have to stretch your fingers to locate each button.
There’s an “ELECOM Mouse Assistant” software which you can easily install to enable you customize the buttons on this mouse to suit your preference. This is one mouse that allows you to manually change the cursor speed.
The ELECOM Index Finger Trackball Mouse is quite easy to maintain. You can effortlessly remove and clean the trackball by loosening it from the bottom side of the mouse.
Pros:
- Highly durable switches
- Cool light showing battery life
- Good build quality.
- Impressive performance.
Cons:
- Might be too large for people with small hands
- Too many finger movements to recall
Our verdict
ELECOM puts in a lot of effort in their peripheral devices. To be fair, they have some of the best ergonomic and responsive mice in the market today. The ELECOM Wireless Index Finger Trackball Mouse is everything you want in a Trackball mouse and a little more. This mouse is easy to use, delivers on performance and comes at a budget price.
Buyer’s guide for Best Trackball Mouse
The only major difference between a trackball mouse and other traditional mice is the obvious trackball that’s prominently featured on a trackball mouse; and yes, trackball mice are still cool in 2019. Nevertheless, before you spend money on a trackball mouse, there are important features you must look for.
Like:
Compatibility
Before you buy a mouse, you should know you’re buying a peripheral device that’s different from the hardware you have on hand. That’s why you need to be sure you’re buying a mouse that’s compatible with your operating system.
Most trackball mice are usually compatible with Windows Operating System. A few aren’t. For Mac OS, not all trackball mice are compatible. So you need to check carefully. Glance back at our products table, we list the OS compatibility for each mouse reviewed here,
Connectivity
How will your trackball mouse interact with your computer? You should know before buying. Some are wired (like the Logitech Trackman Marble) many others are wireless, like many we reviewed.
Do you want a wireless or wired mouse? It’s up to you to decide.
Ergonomics
Ergonomics is arguably the most important feature to look out for before buying a trackball mouse. We all have different hand sizes, so buy a mouse that suits your hand. That’s why you should buy a mouse that fits your hands well. If you buy a mouse that doesn’t fit you, it could cause you pain and stress during use.
Also, the design of the mouse matters. A mouse that doesn’t have good hand rest or isn’t built to accommodate your hand position may cause you problems after long use.
Conclusion
Trackball mice are cool easy to use. Although some of them can be a little chunky, they’re usually built to provide good ergonomics and comfort for your hands. But some trackball mice perform better than others.
That’s why we’ve taken our time to review only the best trackball mice in the market for 2019. It’s now up to you to make a choice.
Have you used a trackball mouse before? What’s your experience with trackball mice? We’re waiting to read your thoughts on our comments section. Over to you!
