Logitech MX Anywhere 3S vs Rival 3 Wireless Gen 2

What actually differs

The source set holds no write-up covering the Logitech MX Anywhere 3S and the SteelSeries Rival 3 Wireless Gen 2 together, and the coverage of one never mentions the other. This page therefore lines up the coverage of the two mice. Manufacturer figures count as arithmetic, and any verdict that rests on separate single-product write-ups is flagged rather than dressed up as a head-to-head result.

The two are aimed at different jobs. PCWorld’s verdict calls the Logitech the best travel mouse around for buyers willing to pay up, and EFTM tells anyone who works on the go that they need it 12. Tom’s Guide calls the SteelSeries “a cheap and cheerful mouse for most people” 3, and PC Gamer sees it as a jack of all trades for work, travel and light gaming rather than a primary gaming mouse 4.

The differences that matter for a buyer are price, sensor and polling headroom, weight, power source (a rechargeable cell against AAA batteries), click noise, tracking on glass and handedness. Software and build quality draw praise for each mouse, with GamesRadar listing a sturdy build for the Rival and Tom’s Guide calling the Logitech well made 56. Battery endurance cannot be compared from the figures available. A verdict closes the sections below.

Which is cheaper?

SteelSeries announced the Rival 3 Wireless Gen 2 at $59.99 in May 2025 7. Logitech’s US page showed $89.99 for the Black MX Anywhere 3S on October 8, 2026, with no struck-through list price, while Tom’s Guide and XDA reported a launch price of about $79 to $80 869. These are list prices from different dates, so the gap runs from roughly $20 to $30 depending on which Logitech figure you use. None is a current street price.

Price pushback appears in the Rival and Logitech coverage alike. GamesRadar’s reviewer calls the Rival a better purchase at $40-45 than at its $60 list price 5. Trusted Reviews lists the Logitech as quite expensive, PCWorld as a bit pricey, and Tom’s Guide says it is difficult to recommend at full price 1016. Windows Central adds a caution on the cheaper mouse: its reviewer says a little more money buys noticeably better gaming performance 11.

Verdict: SteelSeries Rival 3 Wireless Gen 2, on the published list prices alone.

Which has the better sensor and gaming performance?

On paper the SteelSeries leads. SteelSeries lists an 18,000 DPI sensor, against 8,000 DPI on Logitech’s specification page 712. NotebookCheck gives the Rival a 1,000 Hz polling rate 13. Two caveats apply to the SteelSeries: TweakTown says Bluetooth mode drops to 125 Hz, and Maxi-Geek’s review gives a 3,200 DPI maximum that conflicts with the manufacturer and every other review 1415. Logitech’s spec page lists only a Bluetooth report rate of 88 to 133 Hz, which leaves no like-for-like polling comparison 12.

No outlet assessed the two mice together. For the Rival, NotebookCheck says 1,000 Hz is more than enough for most gamers except competitive players, and Trusted Reviews treats it as fine for casual play 1316. For the Logitech, Tom’s Guide found tracking at about 4,500 DPI in Hell Let Loose more than fast enough and expects 8,000 DPI to suit most casual gamers 6. RTINGS’ latency and polling results for both mice are member-only, so they are not used here 1718.

Esports players have no clear pick here. TweakTown says the Rival might not suit competitive gamers, and NotebookCheck says the AAA weight makes it not ideal for competitive FPS play 1413. Tom’s Guide suggests competitive players look at mice with 4,000-8,000 Hz polling rather than the Rival, while Basic Tutorials cites a 1.9 ms wireless click delay and calls it suitable for competitive gaming 319. On the Logitech side, PCWorld doubts that the 8,000 DPI sensor matters in a mobile setting 1.

Verdict: SteelSeries Rival 3 Wireless Gen 2 for casual gaming, based on its higher published DPI figure and Tom’s Guide listing it as great for casual gaming 73. No source ran the two against each other, and the Rival’s own sources split on its fitness for competitive play 1914.

Which is lighter?

Logitech lists 95 g with its battery and 85 g without 12. SteelSeries lists 95 to 106 g for the wireless Rival, and PC Gamer’s spec box lists 95 g with one AAA battery and 106 g with two, a split TweakTown’s spec table also gives 7414. On those figures the two match at one AAA battery, and the Logitech is lighter than the Rival fitted with two. These are two separate sets of figures, compared by arithmetic only. RTINGS’ separate default-weight readings were 93.7 g for the Logitech and 111.6 g for the SteelSeries 1718. Trusted Reviews and Digital Camera World give the Logitech as 99 g, so published figures for it vary by a few grams 1020.

Weight is a recurring complaint about the Rival. RTINGS says it is noticeably heavier than much of its competition, Trusted Reviews lists it as heavy, and NotebookCheck says it is heavy especially with two AAA batteries 181613. PC Gamer found the rear-weighted balance noticeable even after weeks of use 4. For the Logitech, Tom’s Guide lists “Nicely weighted” 6 among its pros, and Tom’s Hardware puts it 46 g below the larger MX Master 3S 21.

Verdict: Logitech MX Anywhere 3S, narrowly. It ties the Rival at one AAA battery and is lighter than the Rival fitted with two AAAs, with RTINGS’ readings pointing the same way 1241718.

Which fits hands better?

This is unsettled: the two shapes were never judged together. For the Logitech, Trusted Reviews calls the shape well suited to small and medium hands and tells larger-handed buyers to look at bigger mice, and Digital Camera World and How-To Geek both say it might be too compact for some 102022. XDA’s small-handed reviewer found it a good fit for long sessions, while Tom’s Guide’s reviewer, who has a wrist condition, found it uncomfortable after a couple of hours 96.

For the Rival, RTINGS says the shape is better suited to claw or fingertip grips with medium or larger hands, and Tom’s Guide’s reviewer found it comfortable over a four-hour gaming stint and an eight-hour work day with medium or large hands 183. NotebookCheck found it long enough for palm grips on small to medium hands, and Maxi-Geek says it sits well even in smaller hands 1315. The two Tom’s Guide pieces cover separate products, so their comfort remarks do not form a head-to-head result.

The size warnings in the cited reviews attach to the Logitech, while the Rival’s reviews describe fit by grip and hand size without a too-small warning 1018. That is a pattern across separate write-ups, so treat it as a prompt to check the fit rather than a finding.

Verdict: unresolved. Larger-handed buyers have more documented reason for caution with the Logitech.

Which has the better battery setup?

The two mice take different approaches. Logitech rates its battery at up to 70 days, and its USB-C port is for charging only, with use while charging possible 129. How-To Geek and Digital Camera World both cite three hours of use from a one-minute quick charge 2220. The SteelSeries runs on one or two replaceable AAA batteries, which TweakTown credits as a strength, while GamesRadar and PC Gamer note that no rechargeable cell is supplied 1454. Tom’s Guide says rechargeable AAAs can be used with it, which would mean buying them separately 3.

Endurance cannot be compared from the published ratings. Logitech states days; the SteelSeries ratings quoted by reviewers are in hours, with NotebookCheck and Basic Tutorials citing 200 hours on 2.4 GHz and TweakTown and Maxi-Geek citing 175 13191415. The cited material does not state the usage pattern behind either, so converting one to the other would be guesswork.

Measured results are patchy. EFTM had 60% left on the Logitech after about two weeks, and PCWorld could not stress-test the 70-day figure 21. NotebookCheck’s single AAA fell from 90% to 61% over a week of moderate use, and Windows Central’s reviewer found the 200-hour claim seemed accurate 1311.

Verdict: the sources don’t settle runtime. Choose on format: a built-in rechargeable cell with fast top-ups, or swappable AAAs (rechargeable ones work but are bought separately) that add weight.

Which has the better connectivity?

Both list Bluetooth plus a USB receiver, per Logitech’s spec page and SteelSeries’ press release 127. The practical differences are in the box and in the pairing count.

The SteelSeries ships with its dongle, and NotebookCheck says it is stored inside the mouse 13. PCWorld, XDA and How-To Geek say the Logitech’s Logi Bolt receiver is not in the box, and XDA adds that the mouse has no slot to store one 1922. RTINGS says most people will not notice a difference between the receiver and Bluetooth, so the missing dongle matters mostly to those who want a receiver 17.

On multiple devices, Digital Camera World lists up to three Bluetooth devices for the Logitech, and How-To Geek paired it with two MacBook Pros and an iPhone at once 2022. The cited Rival coverage gives no paired-device count. Its Bluetooth mode has limits: TweakTown says remapping applies only in 2.4 GHz mode, and Maxi-Geek could not get the mouse to appear over Bluetooth on a Windows PC 1415.

Verdict: tie. The Logitech has documented multi-device pairing; the SteelSeries includes the receiver.

Which has the better clicks, scroll wheel and buttons?

Quiet clicks are the Logitech’s headline upgrade. PCWorld, Digital Camera World and Tom’s Hardware list them as strengths, RTINGS says the buttons are noticeably quieter than the previous generation’s, XDA reports that colleagues could not hear the clicks in a video meeting, and EFTM calls them very quiet 120211792. Its scroll wheel is praised too: How-To Geek lists ultra-fast scrolling, and Tom’s Guide lists a lovely scroll wheel 226.

Click noise gets less attention in the Rival coverage, though NotebookCheck says its clicks have a nice, soft sound and Basic Tutorials lists quiet mechanical primary keys 1319. No review sets the Rival’s clicks against the Logitech’s, so the quiet-click comparison here is between separate write-ups. Feel does draw criticism: Gaming Trend says the buttons feel entry-level, PC Gamer calls the scroll wheel mushy and squeaky, and Windows Central calls it soft and cheap-feeling 23411. On the Logitech, RTINGS notes the scroll wheel lacks the left and right tilt inputs that some rival mice offer 17.

Button count is level on spec sheets: Logitech lists six, and TweakTown lists six programmable buttons on the Rival 1214. Complaints attach to the Rival and Logitech layouts alike. GamesRadar, Tom’s Guide and Basic Tutorials all flag the Rival’s thin side buttons, while Tom’s Guide lists few buttons on the Logitech and Digital Camera World would move its side buttons forward 5319620.

Verdict: Logitech MX Anywhere 3S on the documented feel, with a caveat. The praise and criticism come from separate reviews, including the quiet-click remarks on both mice, and the buttons are a tie.

Which tracks better on glass?

The Logitech has the evidence. XDA tested on glass and it worked, EFTM used a glass table, and Geek Culture reports smooth tracking across inch-thick glass 9224. PCWorld saw only minimal skipping on a mirrored surface 1. Logitech’s own page promises any-surface tracking without naming glass 8.

TweakTown says glass-capable tracking is absent on the Rival’s older sensor, and RTINGS’ glass test result is member-only 1418. GamesRadar adds that tracking held up across surfaces despite the sensor’s fixed 2.4 mm lift-off distance 5.

Verdict: Logitech MX Anywhere 3S, with XDA, EFTM and Geek Culture each reporting glass tracking 9224. The case against the Rival rests on one outlet’s statement 14.

Which has the better software?

Trusted Reviews and Tom’s Hardware praise Logitech’s Logi Options+, and Tom’s Guide calls the app polished and easy to use 10216. The Logitech has no hardware DPI selector, though, and XDA lists the need for extra software to change DPI 69.

For the Rival, Windows Central praises independent X/Y DPI, acceleration and angle-snapping controls, and also lists onboard memory with five DPI profiles 11. Trusted Reviews lists useful software control, and Tom’s Guide calls the software user-friendly 163.

Verdict: tie. Praise exists for the Logitech app and the Rival app alike, and no source compares them.

Which is better for left-handed users?

XDA and Geek Culture describe the Logitech as ambidextrous, and RTINGS calls it symmetrical, though Tom’s Guide’s spec box lists a right-handed design 924176. The Rival is symmetrical in shape, but Tom’s Guide notes there is no left-handed version and Maxi-Geek calls its right-hand-only layout a weird choice 315.

Verdict: Logitech MX Anywhere 3S, with the spec-box disagreement noted.

Which one to buy

No overall winner emerges: the dimension verdicts split. The SteelSeries Rival 3 Wireless Gen 2 wins on price and on sensor and polling headroom. The Logitech MX Anywhere 3S narrowly wins on weight (a tie at one AAA battery), and wins on glass tracking, handedness and, on the documented evidence, click and scroll feel. Connectivity and software are ties, and fit and battery runtime are unresolved.

Buy the Logitech MX Anywhere 3S if you carry a mouse between desks, want quiet clicks, need glass tracking or left-handed support, and accept the higher price and the missing receiver 19. Buy the SteelSeries Rival 3 Wireless Gen 2 if budget matters, you play casually, and you can live with a heavier body (especially with two AAA batteries) and AAA batteries 313.

Buyers focused on gaming may want a third option. Windows Central names the Razer Viper V3 HyperSpeed as costing about $10 more with better performance and a lighter build 11. Buyers with larger hands can look at the MX Master 3S that Tom’s Hardware compares with the MX Anywhere 3S 21.