A few weeks ago, we introduced our readers to the Rapoo range with the review of the Rapoo MT750 Multi-Mode Wireless Mouse. The MT750 is one of the more premium devices from the range of office peripherals, delivering great performance. To this day, the unit has not yet required a battery recharge, moving beyond the 50-day mark as it stands. With such great results, I took the opportunity to review a mid-range device, the Rapoo 8200M Multi-Mode Wireless Mouse and Keyboard Combination. As deduced from its name, the combination includes both a wireless mouse and wireless keyboard, which offer various ways to connect to your devices to deliver seamless connectivity across the home or office.
Build and Design
Compared to the MT750, the 8200M mouse is far more minimalistic and streamlined. It has a more plastic build as well, as part of the more conventional build. It features a symmetrical design, which makes it comfortable to use for both left and right-handed individuals. Although simplistic in the end-result, the unit is comfortable in hand with a singular curved shape to fit perfectly into your palm. The left and right buttons are crafted from a single piece of plastic, which joins at the palm end. There is a strip down the middle, housing the scroll wheel, a button in the middle (used to change the DPI settings, as is indicated by the “DPI” text), an LED indicator to highlight the device’s connectivity and then rounded off with the Rapoo logo behind it. Turning the mouse over you’ll see the power button on the top left side, the mode switching button towards the centre, the sensor to the left of this and then the slide out lid that houses the single battery required to power the unit. The left-hand side of the device houses two buttons, which has been set up as the back and forth buttons by default. The design, as already mentioned, is straight-forward and no over-the-top trinkets that aren’t always required or used in the end.
The keyboard also features a straight-forward design with one or two tweaks here and there. For starters, the unit is well designed with a slightly angled frame for easier usage and reduction of fatigue in the wrists. The angled finished also makes room for an extra set of multimedia keys on the top row without creating a much bigger device, which is often times the case as a result. The keys themselves are soft keys, which makes typing super quiet as a result. It’s also very comfortable thanks to the evenly spaced keys on a standard QWERTY layout, where you can expect all the buttons to be found where they usually are, including a full numeric keyboard. The biggest difference on the 8200M’s keyboard is the addition of four function keys, which are used to select the various devices the unit has been previously paired to. The inclusion of the multimedia keys reduces the requirement for additional function keys. If there is one thing missing from the keyboard, it would have to be the power on/off button. Once you’ve added the battery, the device is automatically connected with no means of powering it off manually. Thankfully, there are a few features included to make this more power efficient, which I will discuss below.
A nice inclusion on the keyboard is that it has a spill-resistant design. For anyone who has ever spilt some coffee, tea or coke on their keyboards, the 8200M has you covered. You can either simply leave the spillage waiting for it to dry or unscrew the rear to clean it out if you suspect it may become sticky over time.
Setup and Features
As with the MT750 unit, the 8200M is just as easy to set up. Thanks to the various connectivity options, which includes Bluetooth 3.0, Bluetooth 4.0 and 2.4GHz wireless, setting up is a breeze. Wireless technologies have both improved in recent years, as well as become more affordable for manufacturers to apply and pay for standards to follow ISO best-practices.
To start off with, you can connect the 2.4GHz USB receiver to any device, which will then automatically detect both the mouse and keyboard of the 8200M. You can immediately start using the device without any need for further setup. The keyboard is a bit of a weird one, however, as there is no power on or off button. Once the battery has been placed in the keyboard, it’s ready to start working and no way to turn it off. It does, however, have battery-saving features built in, so the unit will automatically power down after a few minutes when not in use.
A little more challenging to set up, only in relation to the first option, users can use the Bluetooth option to connect both units. The mouse has a similar setup to the MT750, which means that you can switch modes by means of the button underneath and then detect and pair it on your laptop, PC, smartphone, console or any other supported Bluetooth-enabled device. The keyboard has a slightly different setup. By means of using the “Function” key, users can choose options 1-4 to switch between the three Bluetooth and one 2.4GHz slot. Once you’ve selected 1-3 for Bluetooth, you can then search and pair the keyboard, again, to any device.
Battery and Performance
As mentioned a few times throughout the review, the Rapoo devices all have battery-saving technology built into the devices, which means that it will switch to low power when not in use for a few minutes and then to standby mode after a few more minutes. This saves quite a bit on battery power. Much the same as with the MT750, I was unable to deplete the battery life on either the mouse or keyboard. The difference between the MT750 and the 8200M is that the latter requires the use of an AA battery. From tests on previous devices using similar tech, the battery life could last a few months, even from a single battery in each device.
Unlike the MT750, the 8200M units are exclusively wireless. There aren’t any cables included to connect either device in this manner. The mouse has four default DPI values to switch between, 600, 1000, 1300 and 1600DPI. It may not be as accurate as the MT750, but it’s more than capable of handling its own. The keyboard is great to use as well. The only issue arises when you press any of the buttons to bring the unit out of standby mode. It takes around 10-15 seconds before users can start typing accurately, as any keys pressed before that either double-clicked or doesn’t click at all. It isn’t a major concern, however, as this is simply to allow the unit to accurately connect with your PC or laptop. Once connected, the soft-keys are impressively quiet with less travel on each stroke. As mentioned in the design section, the keyboard layout is fairly standard and well-spaced, making it extremely comfortable to use over long periods of time, while allowing for fast typing as well.
Conclusion
The Rapoo 8200M Multi-Mode Wireless Mouse and Keyboard Combination is a great mid-range mouse and keyboard combination, which is well-built with sufficient features included. The standout among these is the extremely long battery life, have not shown any signs of depleting its battery anytime soon. The unit is also available at a great price, with prices under R500 from all outlets.
The Review
Rapoo 8200M
The Rapoo 8200M is a well-round mouse and keyboard combo with a really good price as well.
PROS
- Great battery life
- Mult-mode connectivity options
CONS
- Keyboard needs some time to power-up
