myAir.0 OriMouse review: Eye-catching, super-slim, foldable mouse

Best prices today: myAir.0 OriMouse

Since Douglas Engelbart first introduced his new computer mouse invention in 1968, this revolutionary handheld controller has taken many forms.

Some still look like real mice, except without the wire and therefore without the tail that gave them their name in the first place. Some use an upside-down trackball and therefore look more like a dead mouse. Others stand vertically, like a mouse in a mini circus.

For some mice, it’s all about the number of buttons and scroll wheels: the more, the merrier. Others have no physical buttons at all, but instead rely on surface multitouch swiping and scrolling, like Apple’s Magic Mouse.

In my experience, none are like myAir.0’s new OriMouse, which folds completely flat for easy storage on the go.

Simon Jarry

The OriMouse Wireless Bluetooth 5.2 is a full-size mouse that folds flat and weighs less than 40 grams. You can shape it to activate it and just as quickly push it back into its flat position where it is largely only a few millimeters thick.

It’s thin enough to fit in a jacket pocket without being noticed. It’s ideal for slipping into a laptop sleeve with your MacBook or next to an iPad.

The shape and appearance of the OriMouse is completely unique, using an origami structure that gives the folded mouse both strength and a comfortable grip. At first glance it looks like a complex folding pattern, but it’s an incredibly simple single fold with a neat magnetic closure.

Due to its structure, weight and construction, it is more durable than most mice if dropped.

myAir.0

It’s made from a smooth vegan leather and comes in a wide range of colors like you’ve never seen on a mouse before: bright or racing red, sunflower yellow, grape or noble purple, lime green, beige, titanium, carbon shadow, moonstone, brown or mocha brown, pink, platinum or snow silver, galaxy blue, black, champagne, teal, orange and even a Graffiti model.

myAir.0

Some colors are available in still vegan leather upholstery, but with a fabric surface texture and tactile feel.

Simon Jarry

When folded into its usable form, it functions like a traditional optical mouse, albeit extremely lightweight, but with subtle differences. Instead of a scroll wheel, it has a touch-sensitive scroll pad on its front slope.

It takes some getting used to, although it follows the same usage patterns as a trackpad, and even the Magic Mouse. You need to scroll with light searching movements, rather than frantically flicking through, as I’m apparently inclined to do. myAir.0 describes the movement as “like drawing a short line with your finger.”

Give me a few weeks with the OriMouse and it might seem natural, but it’ll take a while to get my Logitech MX Master 4, our current pick for best wireless mouse for Mac, back. Using this mouse you also get horizontal scrolling, just like with Apple’s Magic Mouse. This is a feature that the OriMouse lacks. But you try to fold any of these mice as flat as the OriMouse.

myAir.0

There are left and right buttons and a middle button that is activated by pressing and holding for 1-2 seconds.

The company claims that due to the left and right buttons being placed closer to the desk surface than traditional mice, the distance between your fingertips and the desk is reduced so that your fingers, resting in a more natural and relaxed position, do not need to remain raised above the desk for extended periods of time. This reduction should place less ongoing pressure on the hand and forearm, reducing the risk of strain associated with conditions such as carpal tunnel syndrome.

The HD infrared sensor located front and center on the bottom of the OriMouse works best on a mouse pad. On my shiny desk, the movement was stiff and nervous. On a mousepad, it was fast and accurate, as its 4,000 dpi would suggest. This level of precision is impressive compared to the 1,300 dpi of the Magic Mouse, but far from the 8,000 dpi of the MX Master.

Simon Jarry

myAir.0 sells a $19 BagPad, pictured above, which is a combination of a carrying bag and a mouse pad, which we recommend, although it will work just fine with something like the Journey ALTI Wireless Charging Desk Mat, or even a flat magazine or book. The BagPad comes in colors to match the mouse itself, but not for the entire line.

Simon Jarry

Battery

The OriMouse is charged via a subtly hidden USB-C slot. in the manual, myAir.0 recommends a USB-A to USB-C charging cable, but informs me that a standard USB-C to USB-C cable will also work.

Battery life is a full three months, longer than Logitech’s 70 days and well beyond the month between charges for the Magic Mouse. Unlike the Apple Mouse, you can use the OriMouse while it’s charging, but it’s not as comfortable as without the cable attached, as it tilts the lightweight structure to one side. Possible, but not recommended.

myAir.0

Price

The OriMouse costs from $69 / £53, with some colors a little higher at $75 / £57; all directly from myAir.0.

Should you buy the myAir.0 OriMouse?

No mouse is as thin for traveling as the 5mm foldable OriMouse, and no other mouse is like it. It will gather a crowd of curious people around your desk while you use it.

Trackpad-style scrolling takes some getting used to, but maybe I’m old-fashioned in my preference for traditional (yet modern) scroll wheels. Switching directly from a Magic Mouse will take some patience and practice on the job. If you want to try such an innovative mouse, you can get used to the new methods while releasing a little forearm tension.