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Asus ROG Harpe Ace Mini: two-minute review

The Asus ROG Harpe Ace Mini doesn’t contain any new tech, but it does fulfil a sentiment among enthusiasts – what if Asus took its top-end sensors and switches and put them into a smaller pointer?

The company’s latest high-end mouse tech, including its ROG AimPoint Pro optical sensor (capable of an impressive 42,000-dpi) and its ROG 100M Optical Micro Switches, were previously exclusive to the ludicrously expensive Harpe Ace Extreme and the comparatively reasonably priced Keris II Ace – both aimed at competitive gamers with deep pockets.

The Harpe Ace Mini adopts the new tech, making it another top-end mouse in the Asus arsenal, putting it on par with the Ace Extreme at a price that’s not terrible – though still is out of reach of many gamers, even without the 8,000Hz Polling Rate Booster dongle that’s sold separately.

(Image credit: Zachariah Kelly / TechRadar)

Without the additional dongle, the mouse is capable of a standard 1,000Hz polling rate, which is fairly average among performance mice. What’s not average is the low weight – at only 1.72oz (49g), it's a number I’ve only seen bested by a handful of rivals.

The aforementioned AimPoint Pro sensor and Asus' ROG SpeedNova 2.4Ghz tech makes the mouse satisfyingly precise, which the low weight no doubt helps with. Hitting my shots in shooting games and navigating programs with small icons was a breeze, and at no time did I notice it being any less reliable than other high-spec mice that I've reviewed.

The maximum acceleration of 50g is less than that of the Razer Deathadder V3 (70g), but it felt sufficiently up to scratch for a casual gamer or PC user who might, at most, want to quickly flick the mouse to hit their shots in a shooting game. Additionally, the mouse can track on almost any surface without the need for a mouse pad – I've used it on wood, plastic, glass and metallic surfaces and had no trouble (though I prefer the feeling of a mouse pad).

The RGB is minimalist, housed entirely within the scroll wheel. The Asus Armory Crate software allows you to tweak its animation, color and brightness to your liking, and the lights will pulse red when it’s at low battery. It’ll also pulse green when charging.

(Image credit: Zachariah Kelly / TechRadar)

The battery life, which maxes out at 139 hours when RGB is disabled and Bluetooth is used, is impressive, as is the neutral design that I prefer my peripherals to have. You’ll likely be using the mouse with the 2.4GHz dongle for its greater performance, bringing maximum mouse battery life to 105 hours with lighting off and 79 hours with lighting on. Don’t get the wrong idea though – that’s still a fairly impressive number among RGB-touting rivals.

Flipping the mouse over, you’ll find a button that changes the DPI among your presets, cycling through them with every click, along with a pairing button. There’s also a slider that switches between wired (also ‘off’), Bluetooth and 2.4GHz dongle options.

There’s genuinely not a lot of bad things to say about the Harpe Ace Mini. It’s comfortable, it glides across a mousepad easily, and the only things I could even say critically about this pointer feel quite tepid.

(Image credit: Zachariah Kelly / TechRadar)

The high price is obviously a drawback, and the small size isn’t for everyone. The scroll wheel is a bit stiff, though this might be preferential for some users. The mouse is designed for right hands with its side buttons aligned on the left, though this would be a non-issue for many. The DPI switch is on the bottom, meaning you can’t quickly switch between presets, but this isn't unique to the Harpe Ace Mini and is the case on many high-end mice.

Asus’ Armory Crate software is a bit difficult to navigate, but is fine if you’re only going to make small tweaks here and there like I did (changing up the DPI, the actions of the side buttons and the mouse RGB).

There’s not much more I would have liked the mouse to have, given that it’s sporting much of the great tech found in the pricey ROG Harpe Extreme – though the carbon fiber shell from the Extreme would have been awesome (but understandably would have raised the price).

The ROG Harpe Ace Mini feels masterful. There’s very little room for improvement here, and it’s certainly a contender among the best gaming mice.

Asus ROG Harpe Ace Mini review: price & availability

(Image credit: Zachariah Kelly / TechRadar)

• $129.99/£129.99/AU$229
• Available in white and black
• Polling Rate Booster dongle solder separately

Available now in black and white, the Asus ROG Harpe Ace Mini comes with a set of mouse grip tape, replaceable mouse feet and a 2-meter USB-C cord, along with a 2.4GHz dongle and USB-C to USB-A converter. That dongle shouldn’t be confused with the Polling Rate Booster, which takes the report rate from 1,000Hz to a whopping 8,000Hz but is sold separately.

At this price, the ROG Harpe Ace Mini is competing with other high performance but fairly discreet mice, and is punching well above its price point. The now two-year-old Razer Deathadder V3 Pro is a considerable contender, as it launched three years ago and can often be found with attractive discounts. The same can be said for the impressive Logitech G Pro X Superlight 2.

These mice launched at higher prices than the ROG Harpe Ace Mini, which in my mind puts Asus’ tiny gaming mouse on the winning track, especially considering that it’s much smaller than either of these rivals. On size, we’d look to the Razer Cobra Pro as the closest contender, though it has a much lower DPI (30,000) and greater weight (77g).

Asus ROG Harpe Ace Mini review: specs Should I buy the Asus ROG Harpe Ace Mini? Buy it if…

You like small mice

The ROG Harpe Ace Mini’s bread and butter is high performance in a small package, so you should consider it if you dislike big mice.

You’ve already got a ROG-heavy setup

It’s good to cut down on accessory software on your computer, so you should consider the ROG Harpe Ace Mini if you’ve already got a setup taking advantage of Armory Crate.

Don’t buy it if…

It’s too expensive

The price of the ROG Harpe Ace Mini might be out of reach of many users.

You want more buttons

The ROG Harpe Ace Mini is a discreet mouse, and you’ll only get five programmable buttons included.

Asus ROG Harpe Ace Mini: Also consider

Razer Deathadder V3 Pro

One of TechRadar’s highest-rated mice, this is arguably the best gaming mouse you can currently buy.

Read our Razer Deathadder V3 Pro review

Logitech G Pro X2 Superlight

Also notable for being discreet, the G Pro X2 Superlight offers a competitive feeling and is often discounted.

Read our Logitech G Pro X2 Superlight review

Razer Cobra Pro

The closest rival to the ROG Harpe Ace Mini, the Razer Cobra Pro is also notable for its small size, but is heavier with a lower maximum DPI.

Read out Razer Cobra Pro review

How I tested the Asus ROG Harpe Ace Mini

• Used primarily on a Windows 11 gaming PC
• Multiple tweaks made in Armory Crate
• Tested alongside other new Asus ROG products

I tested the Asus ROG Harpe Ace Mini over the course of a month, mostly using it to play games like Avowed, Marvel Rivals and The Headliners. I also used it regularly when browsing the internet and when writing things up at my home computer.

I made good use of Asus’ Armory Crate software, using it to tweak the RGB color and animation, along with changing my DPI presets and tweaking the actions of the side buttons. I used it primarily with the 2.4GHz dongle, but also over Bluetooth and while wired.

I also used the mouse alongside a slew of new Asus products to get the best unified experience, swapping out my all-Logitech setup for an all Asus arrangement.

Read more about how we test

• First reviewed in March 2025

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• Two cybercriminals have stolen over $600,000 worth of tickets
• The tickets were primarily Taylor Swift concert tickets
• The criminals used a backdoor into the StubHub systems to redirect the tickets

A pair of cybercriminals have been arrested and charged after allegedly stealing over 900 concert tickets, raking in over $635,000 in profit. This works out to an eyewatering $700 average profit per ticket, so it might not surprise you to hear that the criminals mostly stole from Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour, as well as other high profile events like NBA games and the US Open.

The two criminals were employees of ticket site StubHub, and are accused of using their access to company systems to find a backdoor into a “secure area of the network” where tickets that had already been sold were assigned a URL and queued to be sent to the customer. The criminal, Tyrone Rose, then redirected the URLs to his co-conspirator, Shamara Simmons.

The criminals have been charged with grand larceny in the second degree, computer tampering in the first degree, conspiracy in the fourth degree, and computer tampering in the fourth degree - and face up to 15 years in prison if convicted.

High value targets

Scams targeting popular events like sports competitions, shows, and concerts, especially the hugely popular Taylor Swift Eras tour - are common as criminals look to take advantage of the urgency of quick-selling tickets. In this case, the tickets were purchased through a perfectly legitimate site, but customers were still defrauded, which makes this case particularly worrying.

“According to the charges, these defendants tried to use the popularity of Taylor Swift’s concert tour and other high-profile events to profit at the [expense] of others,” said District Attorney Melinda Katz.

“They allegedly exploited a loophole through an offshore ticket vendor to steal tickets to the biggest concert tour of the last decade and then resold those seats for an extraordinary profit of more than $600,000.”

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The release of GPT-4.5 for ChatGPT naturally leads to questions about how the model compares to its many rivals. After comparing it to GPT-4o and getting somewhat ambiguous results as to which model is preferable, I decided to go for a more direct competitor, Google Gemini, specifically the most recent Google Gemini Flash 2.p

GPT-4.5 claims to be better at emotional understanding and to offer fewer hallucinations than has been the case previously. Gemini Flash 2.0, meanwhile, is Google's latest iteration of its quite successful set of AI models capable of juggling text, images, audio, and even video inputs. To put them both to the test, I came up with four prompts reflecting typical things an average person might genuinely need help with.

Weekend travel

(Image credit: ChatGPT / Gemini Screenshots)

First up was planning a quick weekend trip. I asked both AI chatbots to: “Plan a weekend getaway to the Catskills, including hiking recommendations and dining and accommodation options.”

ChatGPT 4.5 whipped up a neat itinerary suggesting several hikes at different trail difficulties and durations along with nearby dining spots and a place to stay that had the vibe of a cozy, laid-back weekend. It also offered some extra advice about getting there. Gemini had plenty of good hiking and dining recommendations too, but its only advice on places to stay was towns in the general area, so not quite as proactive in its answer.

Translation Total

(Image credit: ChatGPT / Gemini Screenshots)

I decided to try a simple translation test next as that's always a popular use of AI chatbots. I asked the two AI chatbots to: “Translate the phrase ‘Good morning’ into French, Spanish, and Japanese.” As you can see above, the only difference is the links from GPT-4.5. So for basic translation among widespread languages, there's really no major difference.

Laugh AI

(Image credit: ChatGPT / Gemini Screenshots)

Then came the humor test, asking each AI to: “Tell me a joke about artificial intelligence.” GPT 4.5 amused me with the corny pun: "Why did the AI go to art school? Because it wanted to learn how to draw its own conclusions." Gemini went with an equally silly pun, "Why did the AI break up with its chatbot girlfriend? Because she kept giving it scripted responses!" Admittedly Gemini's joke isn't amazing, but I'd put it at the same level as GPT-4.5 in terms of actual humor.

(Image credit: ChatGPT / Gemini Screenshots) Weather measure

I ended with a classic question about weather here in Nyack, New York. This one drew the biggest difference in responses. Gemini gave just the current weather, but GPT-4.5 did an hourly measurement with images denoting the weather along with the words.

Match met

After all this testing, I have to admit I can't honestly say that one of the AI chatbots is better than the other. GPT-4.5 and Gemini had some differences, especially with the weather option, but otherwise, you wouldn't notice unless you're also the kind of person who thinks there's a huge difference between Coke or Pepsi. You’ll get answers, you’ll get some mild amusement, and you’ll probably still end up double-checking Google or asking a real person just to be sure.

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