Corsair K70 Pro Mini Wireless Review
A great mini keyboard from Corsair
Verdict
The Corsair K70 Pro Mini Wireless is a fully featured, compact, and capable gaming keyboard which largely lives up to the brand’s all-star reputation. For those wanting power and portability at a premium price, there’s a lot to love with this latest 60% offering.
Pros
- Compact design
- Excellent build quality
- Swappable keycaps
- Decent battery life
Cons
- Premium price tag
- Cramped for working on
Availability
- UKRRP: £169.99
- USARRP: $179.99
- EuropeRRP: €189.99
- CanadaRRP: CA$239.99
- AustraliaRRP: AU$299
Key Features
- Swappable keys A tool is included in the box to swap out your keycaps with any compatible sets of your choosing for extra variety and personalization.
- 60% design:The Corsair K70 Pro Mini Wireless is a small form factor keyboard giving you much more space on your desk and making it more portable than larger decks.
- Wireless connectivity:This keyboard can be used both wired and wireless meaning you’ve got many different connectivity options between USB-C, Slipstream dongle, or Bluetooth.
Introduction
The Corsair K70 Pro Mini Wireless is a premium mechanical miniature keyboard that maximizes its 60% footprint to the max for gaming and work.
You’re forgoing the Numpad, macro keys, media bar, and arrow keys, meaning that the function button here serves double duty to give you the shortcuts.
Armed with the company’s stellar build quality, responsible and tactile switches, and sharp aesthetics, the Corsair K70 Pro Mini Wireless makes a compelling argument for those looking for a lightweight solution on your desk.
Read on to find out whether the Corsair K70 Pro Mini Wireless makes the cut as one of the best gaming keyboards that money can buy.
Design
- PBT double-shot pro keycaps
- Cherry MX microswitches
- Durable aluminium frame
The visual language of the Corsair K70 Pro Wireless keeps things simple. If you’ve ever had your hands on the brand’s line of enthusiast-level decks in the past, then you’ll be right at home here.
This model is truly tiny at 60%, and while not quite the smallest size of keyboard you can connect to your computer or console, this is generally considered the minimum you can go for a fully-featured variant.
The strong metal baseplate puts up a lot of resistance here, with no flex or warping to speak of in heavy use. What’s more, the 0.64 kg weight really makes this model feel high end; there’s nothing cheap feeling about this pricey unit. You’ve got your standard 61 keys here, as is in line with 60% boards, bolstered with a pair of fold-out legs to angle the model up when typing and gaming. It’s all very straightforward.
As expected, the Corsair K70 Pro Wireless works with both the Corsair Slipstream dongle and low-latency Bluetooth, but you can also use the deck plugged in, too, with a decent length braided cable (which is USB-C to USB-A) to work with the likes of Xbox Series X, PS5, and PC, too.
Performance
- 32-hour battery life with RGB
- Works both wired and wireless
- Keycaps and switches can be traded out
As far as the gaming performance of the Corsair K70 Pro Mini Wireless is concerned, you’re getting the tried-and-true prowess of many of the company’s higher-end decks, just in a much smaller size than normal. In my testing, I opted to use this deck both wired and wirelessly with the included Slipstream dongle and found the differences to be diminutive.
The Cherry MX Red microswitches can easily be considered some of the most popular in use for mechanical keyboards today and this is for good reason. The linear switch characteristics, requiring just 45g of force (roughly 2mm of travel) mean that those with a light touch are right at home here for both typing and gaming. What’s more, the keyboard rollover is Full Key (NRKO) with 100% Anti-Ghosting. They’re some of the quieter switches you can slot into a PBP board so you won’t be conjuring up a thunderstorm when putting the unit to use.
The major elephant in the room with the Corsair K70 Pro Mini Wireless comes down to the 60% form factor, which means typing on it for extended periods of time doesn’t give you the same space as with a larger gaming keyboard. It took some getting used to, but I found I was able to average around 67 WPM in some of the tougher typing tests, and around 60 in the benchmarking which is in line with my usual score. I did become uncomfortable after some time, though, having to cross my hands over a little more than usual, so if you’re thinking of buying this board for work and play, do keep the size in mind.
Gaming on the Corsair K70 Pro Mini Wireless is a different story altogether, as this is easily one of the nicest feeling models I’ve had my hands on in all my time as a PC gamer. My testing included playing through the likes of fast-paced titles such as Hotline Miami, Sonic Mania, and Battlefield 2042 to see what this deck could do when the pressure was on.
While some of the more basic games I played worked well, I did notice myself reaching for my usual shortcut keys that weren’t there when running around in Dice’s latest blockbuster shooter. Something I also began to miss was the complete lack of arrow keys here. It felt like I had missing limbs at first, but that just comes down to personal preference.
Software and Lighting
- Corsair iCue RGB lighting
- Radiant 360° LightEdge
Just as you’ll find with any Corsair gaming keyboard, the K70 Pro Mini Wireless takes full advantage of iCue lighting with what the brand describes as ‘radiant 360° LightEdge’ ensuring full coverage with no bleeding to speak of.
Through iCue, you can choose from a wide variety of preset effects (such as rain, wave, and static) as well as different color combinations.
Also of note is the fact that an alternative spacebar and Corsair logo keycap is included in the box so if you’re not a fan of what comes factory stock as light passes through, you can change it out. There’s 8MB storage on board to save your profile settings within iCue, too, so you won’t have to worry about setting up that perfect combo every time you boot up your rig.
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Should you buy it?
You want a premium small form factor gaming keyboard.
The Corsair K70 Pro Mini Wireless is scaled-down in size, yet retains the same incredible build quality, aesthetics, and wireless functionality as some of the company’s full-sized decks.
You need arrow keys and a bit more room to type and game.
If the 60% form factor is a little too small for you this is unlikely to change your mind. You may be better served by a 65% model instead, such as the Corsair K55 Mini.
Final Thoughts
The Corsair K70 Pro Mini Wireless is one of the best 60% gaming keyboards on the market, but it still falls victim to the typical trappings of decks this diminutive. If you’re after something equal parts powerful and portable and can live with the missing keys, then there’s a lot to love with what this model has to offer.
You’re getting the Cherry MX Red micro switches, the addition of ICue lighting, incredible build quality, and many different ways to connect at a premium price. You get what you pay for with this board, and those after something more wallet-friendly may need to look elsewhere.
Other mini keyboards worth considering include the Razer Huntsman Mini Analog, HyperX Alloy Origins 65 and Keychron Q1.
How we test
We use every keyboard we test for at least a week. During that time, we’ll check it for ease of use and put it through its paces by playing a variety of different genres, including FPS, strategy and MOBAs.
We also check each keyboard’s software to see how easy it is to customise and set up.
I used the Corsair K70 Pro Mini Wireless as my main keyboard for both working on and gaming.
During my time with the review unit, I played a series of games including FPS and action titles.
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FAQs
A 60% keyboard, such as the Corsair K70 Pro Mini Wireless lacks the number pad, function key, row and arrow keys. These smaller decks are ideal for people wanting to maximize limited desk space while still having enough keys (typically 61) to type and game with.
Inside the Corsair K70 Pro Mini Wireless box is the keyboard itself, the braided charging/power cable, dedicated tools for swapping out keycaps and micro switches, as well as a replacement spacebar, and ESC key adorned with the Corsair logo.
Corsair has claimed that the K70 Pro Mini Wireless has a 32-hour battery life with RGB-enabled when connected with the Slipstream USB dongle, and up to 200 hours of total use with the lighting turned off.
Full specs
Jargon buster
RGB
RGB stands for Red Green Blue, and essentially means a device is capable of producing colourful lighting, rather than just a white light. It's often found on gaming peripherals such as mice and keyboards.
Editorial independence
Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.
Editorial independence
Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.
