Perfect for portability! ASUS Marshmallow MD100 Customizable Mouse Review

This time, I'll be reviewing the ASUS Marshmallow mouse MD100.

I obtained it through the "Try out ASUS products" campaign, where you receive a mouse as a gift for purchasing an eligible product and writing a review on a designated e-commerce site (a campaign held in March 2025).

A quick search reveals that it's available on ASUS's website for 3980 yen, with actual market prices ranging from 3000 to 5000 yen. It seems to be a good product, with a full range of features and performance, as you'd expect from ASUS.

Let's take a closer look at what it's actually like.

Opened

First, let's look at the outer box.

The product features are listed on the side of the box.

We will discuss the features in more detail later.

This is the contents.

It has a relatively simple design, but the instruction manual and warranty card are included in paper form.

appearance

Here, we'll take a closer look at the exterior.

Let's start by looking at it from the front.

As the product name "Marshmallow" suggests, it has a rounded, gentle, and symmetrical design. I apologize to ASUS, but personally, it looks more like a goheimochi (rice cake) than a marshmallow to me.

The symmetrical design makes it easy for left-handed people to use, which I think is a great feature.

The control buttons are simple and conventional, consisting of three types: right-click, left-click, and the scroll wheel button.

My impression of ASUS is that they tend to have products with rather mechanical designs and a lot of features, so a product like this, with its gentle and simple design, is a bit of a surprise.

This is the back side.

The back side will have the various setting buttons. More details will be covered in the features section.

It's on the left.

When viewed from the side, it's clear that it has a fairly flat shape.

Most mice have a raised center, which makes them bulky to carry around, but this product is flat, so it fits easily into a pocket or bag, which I think is great.

However, when it comes to the feel of using a mouse, whether a flat or curved type is better depends on personal preference, so it's hard to say definitively (there are various types such as gripping, grasping, and pinching).

Front and back views.

The back view has a design that resembles a rice cake.

It feels like you're holding it.

The overall shape is flat, so it feels like you're pinching it. Personally, I prefer the type that you grip, but surprisingly, even though it's a pinching type, the rounded edges on both sides and the back are just right and it's not bad at all.

These are the overall dimensions.

Its defining feature is its extremely thin size, with a thickness of just 27.8mm, less than 3cm. This thin, flat shape means it won't take up much space in a bag, making it very convenient to carry around.

It's the weight.

At 81g including the battery, this mouse is relatively lightweight.

Considering its shape and weight, it's clearly designed to be very portable.

Functions, performance

Let's start by looking at the most notable feature: the customization options.

The cover is only attached with magnets, so it can be easily removed.

A light blue cover is included as a replacement (the one on the right is the included cover).

Incidentally, the surface of the cover is treated with an antibacterial coating called ASUS BacGuard. This has been scientifically proven to suppress the growth of over 99% of bacteria within 24 hours, and is expected to reduce the spread of bacteria through contact (official website).

A light blue cover is included, so let's try replacing it.

The atmosphere changes quite a bit, doesn't it?

You can keep the extra cover for replacements, but it might also be fun to customize it to your liking by painting it or adding non-slip material (and don't worry if you mess up, you have spares).

Next, let's look at the buttons on the front of the mouse, which are the main function of the mouse.

The controls are simple, consisting of only three buttons: left-click, right-click, and the scroll wheel.

Each button is designed for silent operation and is very quiet. According to ASUS, it's below 20dB, which is quieter than ambient noise, so it should be usable in libraries, quiet offices, or even for late-night work without disturbing others.

They seem to have put a lot of effort into durability, with each button supposedly capable of withstanding 10 million clicks, which is about three times the durability of a typical mouse.

Given ASUS's commitment to performance and functionality, it seems they've put a lot of thought into designing for quiet operation and durability.

Let's take a look inside the cover.

With the cover removed, you can see the clips that hold the cover in place, the left and right click micro buttons, and the three magnets that secure the cover. Although the magnets aren't particularly strong, the placement of the clips and magnets is so precise that the cover won't come off unexpectedly.

It is powered by AA batteries (batteries are included). According to ASUS's website, it has an energy-saving design and can last for up to 12 months.

The carrying strap and wireless receiver are stored inside (USB Type A).

In 2025, it's unlikely that any PC will lack Bluetooth connectivity, but some office PCs and public facility PCs may prohibit Bluetooth connections for security reasons. Therefore, having wireless connectivity can be useful, and you might find yourself using it more often than you think.

Let's take a look at the other side.

I think the mouse feet are where ASUS put the most effort into this mouse. The mouse feet are made of Teflon resin, which makes them very smooth and improves usability. According to ASUS, they use the same grade of materials as their gaming mice.
Also, since Teflon is a very hard material, it is resistant to scratches and should last a long time.

The central area features various setting buttons, including a check light, mouse tracking mechanism, power/connection mode selection switch, DPi switch (cursor speed adjustment), and pairing button.

The mouse likely uses an optical tracking system with a blue LED. The blue LED is quite convenient because it can be used anywhere.

The power button also serves as the selection button for wireless and Bluetooth connections. Incidentally, since it uses Bluetooth 5.0, as of March 2025, it should work with almost any device that has Bluetooth functionality.

DPi offers three selectable cursor movement speeds: 800, 1000, and 1600.
It's quite difficult to visualize with numbers, so let me explain.

・ 800DPi: With the slower setting, using it with your usual感覚 (sense/feeling) results in a cursor movement that's so slow it's a little irritating.

・1000DPi: A standard setting that is familiar to many people.

・1600DPi: A very fast setting; the mouse moves so quickly that you might lose track of the cursor.

I think we'll mainly be using the 1000 DPI.

I don't think you'll use the pairing button very often, as you'll only use it to reconnect if the connection is lost or to set up Bluetooth.

The above summarizes the functions and performance. Finally, I've included a table to help you understand them better.

Actual usability and summary

One thing that might be a concern when actually using it is that the click sensitivity of the scroll wheel button is too high (this may vary depending on the individual unit or user).

When scrolling through pages with the mouse wheel, it often results in unintentional middle-clicks, activating auto-scroll mode. Therefore, you may need to change the button assignment to address this issue.

Aside from this one point, it's incredibly comfortable to use, as expected from an ASUS product.

On the other hand, here are some points that concern me:

To summarize its advantages and disadvantages, this mouse is not suitable for demanding tasks like serious gaming, but it's easy to use for everyday tasks and convenient to carry around.

Considering it's a portable mouse, I think it's quite user-friendly, making it ideal for carrying around with a laptop or mobile PC and using in cafes, libraries, or schools (or even for people who like to move around at home for a change of scenery).

The main attraction, the customizable outfits, are stylish, which makes it even more suitable for carrying around.

Considering everything discussed so far, I think it's best to use a versatile, multi-functional mouse for long work sessions (at home or in your office) and the ASUS MARSHMALLOW mouse for portability.

That concludes my review of the ASUS MASRSHMALLOW MD100 mouse.

For reference, a comparison of competing products in the same price range.

・ASUS MASRSHMALLOW MOUSE MD100 　Blue
This is the product I reviewed. The parts other than the cover are also blue.

ASUS MARSHMALLOW MOUSE MD100 Purple & Green
This product comes in purple and green color variations. The parts other than the cover are white.

・ASUS MARSHMALLOW MOUSE MD100lite
Please note that the MD100lite does not support interchangeable covers; however, it is slightly cheaper because it does not support interchangeable covers.

I also do reviews of other gadgets, so please check them out if you're interested.