HP 700 Rechargeable Wireless Mouse Review: why Charge?

Mice are rarely exciting, but the HP 700 rechargeable wireless mouse is an exception. HP eliminates one of the most important frustrations of wireless hardware and provides some nice extras as a bonus.

The HP 700 Rechargeable Wireless Mouse (€55.36 excl. VAT) is not just any mouse. HP replaces the battery with a supercapacitor. The manufacturer is not the first with this idea, but it is definitely a clear advantage of this mouse.

Supercapaci-what?

A brief crash-course chemistry lesson is in order: a battery generates electrical charge through a chemical reaction. A supercapacitor holds an electric field. The supercapacitor holds that charge less well than a battery, with higher loss even without use. On the other hand, you can recharge such a capacitor lightning fast.

HP takes advantage of these properties in the HP 700 Rechargeable Wireless Mouse. In 90 seconds, the supercapacitor is sufficiently charged to continue for another month. When the wireless mouse runs out of charge at an inconvenient moment, because it’s been ages since you last charged the thing, that problem is literally solved in seconds.

By choosing a supercapacitor, HP ensures you don’t lose time reviving the dead mouse or searching for new AAA batteries. Otherwise, you won’t notice any difference. A USB-C to -C cable is included, but only serves for charging. The cable is useless for other purposes and cannot handle a data connection.

Not Ergonomic

The mouse itself has a very classic design. HP chooses the original design here and implements no ergonomic shapes. For that, you need to look at the recently launched HP 725M (with or without Tilt variant). Coming from a more ergonomic mouse, like the Logitech MX Master 3S, takes some getting used to.

The mouse does feel very high-quality. The liquid silicone housing is soft, stays clean, and can be easily cleaned. The buttons click clearly but never sound loud. We feel nothing but quality in our hands. Still, for the office worker who has to work with this thing all day, we would recommend a more ergonomic alternative.

The classic shape chosen by HP does have some advantages. First and foremost, the mouse is quite compact. This means you can easily take it with you when you are travelling with your laptop. Secondly, the symmetrical shape means that left-handed users can also use it.

Smart Buttons

HP puts seven buttons on the HP 700 Rechargeable Wireless Mouse. Between the left and right mouse buttons, you’ll find a robust scroll wheel that also lets you scroll left and right. Behind that is a small extra button that opens the Shortcut wheel. That’s a small wheel on your screen from which you can quickly open applications. In certain applications like Word, you also get context-specific options, such as the ability to quickly adjust text formatting.

You can customize the shortcuts in the wheel through the HP Accessory Center. This Windows application centralizes the management of all HP peripherals. In the tool, you can also adjust the sensitivity of the mouse sensor (between 400 and 6,000 dpi) and give the functionality of other keys your own configuration. So you have two more buttons on the left side, which are set by default as next and previous.

If you long-click the first button, a yellow circle appears around your mouse: handy when you can’t find your cursor. Not everything is immediately clear. Another button on the side serves to adjust the volume. When you hold it down, however, nothing happens until you turn the scroll wheel: handy, but a bit hidden.

Smart Dongle Case

Connecting the wireless mouse is naturally done via Bluetooth. This can be with or without a dongle. In total, the HP 700 Rechargeable Wireless Mouse supports a connection with three devices (two via regular Bluetooth and one with dongle) between which you can switch with a button on the bottom. A small LED light indicates which connection is active.

The dongle (USB-A) is very conveniently stored in the mouse, behind a magnetically attached flap. That flap sits securely so there’s really no risk of losing it in a backpack. Opening is done very simply by pressing the designated spot. It all feels very thoughtful and premium. Thanks to this approach, you always have the dongle with you. We do wonder in the margin how long USB-A dongles will remain the norm, now that USB-C is ubiquitous.

Compact Mobile Champion

The HP 700 Rechargeable Wireless Mouse is an absolute champion. All the goals HP sets for itself with this device, it achieves with flying colors. The mouse feels high-quality and luxurious, the buttons click pleasantly but quietly, the extra functions work properly and are conveniently customizable, and the choice for a supercapacitor ensures that you can’t even get coffee before your empty mouse is completely recharged.

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All details are well executed, down to the hidden dongle in the mouse. The only real disadvantage is the ergonomics. For €55.36 excl. VAT, you’re buying a mouse that is actually insufficiently suitable for prolonged daily use. As a travel mouse, the HP 700 Rechargeable Wireless Mouse is completely perfect.

If you’re looking for a mouse that gets a permanent home at one workplace, consider a more ergonomic alternative. If you want to stay with HP for this, for example because of the nice software functions, then you can look at the HP 725M mice. These are somewhat more expensive, but your wrist will thank you.