MeLe F10 Deluxe Review

Originally, we were planning to briefly mention the MeLe F10 Deluxe airmouse as a cute living room accessory, but since it made such a good impression, we decided to take a closer look.

This is a humble $26 device and we weren’t expecting too much, but we were in for a surprise. The MeLe F10 Deluxe is a smart, 2.4GHz mouse with a QWERTY keyboard on the back. It measures 163 x 45 x 15mm (6.4 x 1.8 x 0.6 inches), and weighs 163g. It sports a 500mAh battery and the manufacturer claims 200-day standby.

What impressed us was not the spec, but the good build, clever design and accuracy. The device features an accelerometer and gyroscope. This combination is usually marketed as a “6-axis gyro”, but we’re actually dealing with three gyro axes, backed by three acceleration axes. Basically this results in a bit more control and a smoother experience. It also means the device can be used in some games (eg racing games). We can report we experienced no accuracy issues with the MeLe F10.

The front features a standard gyro remote design, with a few extra buttons. On the back, you’ll find a QWERTY keyboard. As soon as you flip the device, it goes into keyboard mode and kills mouse functionality. In case you need it, you can activate the pointer in keyboard mode as well. The keyboard is small, but should suffice for most home theatre needs. The rubber keys are soft and there’s not much of a report when you press them.

However, the front keys (which you will use most of the time), offer a much better tactile experience, with an audible click. The front keys allow easy navigation, since you get left and right click buttons, home and menu buttons, along with volume and playback controls. You might be wondering what that orange button is for. It allows the MeLe F10 Deluxe to go into “AI Power” learning mode, so you can program it to replace a few of your remotes.

The IR sensor is on the left hand side of the device, while the blaster is up front.

As for the build quality, we really have no complaints. However, the finish is glossy, so it ends up with a lot of fingerprints and smudges after extended use. Overall, the MeLe F10 Deluxe looks and feels better than similar remotes that ship with pricey smart TVs, yet it offers a lot more functionality. Since it's available for just $26, we really couldn’t ask for more.