Optical Mouse vs Laser Mouse

A computer mouse is a pointing device which works by discovering a 2-dimensional motion proportional to its supporting surface. The structure of the mouse is such that a user can hold it under one of his hands and click the buttons on top with his fingers. Usually, there are only two buttons needed to work with a mouse but extra features or buttons are sometimes added to provided the user with more convenience. Over the years, with the advent of technology, a computer mouse has evolved and transformed from using a trackball to using a laser or LED light for moving the pointer on screen.

Of late, the two most commonly found types of computer mouse devices are - optical mouse and laser mouse. Both these types have successfully replaced the trackball technology. For anybody looking to buy a new mouse or wanting to change their old one, they would be interested in knowing which one of these types emerges victorious in the debate on the optical mouse against the laser mouse. But before moving on to that, it is important to understand how each one of these mouse types function.

Optical Mouse
An optical mouse works with optical technology and is separate of the surface beneath it. This type of mouse consists of an optoelectronic sensor which is responsible for taking pictures, irrespective of the surface it is moved on. These pictures are then processed with help of specialized chips. An LED fixed at the bottom of the mouse lights up the surface beneath and because of this, the image-processing chip is able to analyze the light which is being reflected from the surface, and it then uses an optical flow algorithm to interpret it into the movement on the X/Y axis. This is how it is able to take successive pictures.

In simpler words, an optical mouse has a very small camera integrated in it which can take about 15,000 pictures per second, and these images are transferred to the digital signal processor by the LED light. The mouse processor has a high operating speed which can process 18 million instructions per second, detect patterns of images and finally determine the distance the mouse has traveled since the previous change. All these co-ordinates are transmitted to the computer, which then transforms the information into movement of the cursor.

Laser Mouse
In a laser mouse, the LED present in the optical mouse is replaced with an infrared laser light. This is the main difference between optical mouse and laser mouse. The laser mouse was launched by Logitech in the year 2004. The working of a laser mouse is similar to that of an optical mouse but instead of LED, an invisible laser beam reacts with great precision to even the slightest of hand movement of the device. The laser beam passes through the base ring and light reflected from the surface travels to the sensor, which has the capacity to take 5.8 megapixels pictures per second.

Comparing the Two Mice

Optical Mouse	Laser Mouse
Optical mouse uses LED light to detect and interpret movement	Laser mouse uses laser light to detect and interpret movement
An optical mouse can sometimes face problems while working on black or shiny surfaces	A laser mouse works well on almost any surface except tissue paper
The DPI (dots-per-inch) in an optical mouse is 400-800. This is lower compared to a laser mouse	For a laser mouse, the DPI is 2000 and higher than what an optical mouse operates at
Optical mouse is best and sufficient for working on a daily basis	A laser mouse is highly useful for computer artists and gamers because of its speed
Optical mouse devises are cheaper than laser mouse devices	Laser mouse devices are expensive than optical mouse devices

From the distinction, it is evident that a laser mouse is better and technologically advanced than an optical mouse. However, it is a matter of personal choice and the amount of money a person is willing to spend which will help in making the decision. The same is the case with people wanting to know what to choose in an optical mouse vs laser wireless mouse dilemma. A wireless mouse is useful while making presentations and operating from a distance, but is expensive. A good idea is to select the mouse type as per needs.