Roccat Kone Pro Air Review
One of the best wireless gaming mouse options that money can buy.
Verdict
The 2021 Roccat Kone Pro Air is one of the best wireless lightweight gaming mice around right now. It’s not as light or as long-lasting as the SteelSeries Aerox 3 Wireless and could be priced more aggressively as such, but if you’re simply looking for a wireless lightweight gaming mouse that’s better suited for a palm grip, the Roccat Kone Pro Air is the obvious choice right now.
Pros
- Deep, responsive mechanic buttons
- Rock-solid wireless tracking
- Week-long battery
- Great feel, looks and comfort
Cons
- No dedicated DPI or wireless connection button
- Limited lighting
- Requires software install to really use
- No included receiver dock for the desk
Availability
- UKRRP: £119.99
- USARRP: $109.99
- EuropeRRP: €129.99
Key Features
- Fast and reliable connection:Pet hair won’t spike the sensor, and a loose metal object won’t cut its wireless signal.
- Dual wireless modes:2.4Ghz wireless and Bluetooth support allows for quick switching between different devices; like a nearby laptop or tablet.
- Large design:While other manufacturers opt for slim designs, this one manages to shed points without shedding its identity.
Introduction
The 2021 Roccat Kone is prettier, more ergonomic and, more importantly these days, lighter than its predecessor. Oh, and it’s wireless.
Lightweight gaming mice are all the rage at the moment. The craze of honeycomb cutouts used to shed a few pounds has led to an abundance of samey designs in the otherwise unique gaming mouse market. Like a good pair of shoes, there’s nothing worse than everyone having the same damn pair, and the new Roccat Kone puts a much-needed spin on things.
Available in both black and white for £119.99/$109.99/€129.99, the Roccat Kone Pro Air undercuts the Logitech G Pro X Wireless. It isn’t as light or fast, but it is far more comfortable, features Bluetooth support, and has a bigger battery to boot. It’s closer to the Steelseries Aerox 3 Wireless, keeping its rivals best features and improving on its looks.
Design
- Simple yet appealingly smart, showy if needed
- Comfortable regardless of grip type
- Not the lightest wireless mouse
The Roccat Kone Pro Air’s smooth, matte black plastic shell feels great, and its generously deep thumb grip ensures you can squeeze the body just enough that it won’t slip out of your hand like the bar of soap that is the Logitech G Pro X Superlight it almost mimics in design.
Its longer, rounded shell will suit palm grip gamers the best, but there’s no reason hybrid or claw grips won’t be able to enjoy what this particular mouse has to offer.
Everything is positioned to suit the average hand; complete with a subtle curve along the right side to minimize any accidental clicks. The lack of a pinky rest is one comfort omission, and the lack of a dedicated DPI button will be a major turn-off to the most hardcore FPS players as well.
At the heart of the Roccat Kone experience is that iconic, deep click. Each press of the Titan Switch Optical buttons feels chunky, responsive, and deeply satisfying. You hear it, you feel it, and you appreciate it. Though the exact sound isn’t shared by its side buttons, they’re just as mindful of your thickest digit. They’re long, pronounced, and incredibly tactile. They only take a tap to accentuate and they’ll take more aggressive squeezes without buckling under the pressure.
Performance
- Zero tracking issues on any of the three connection types
- 19,000 DPI isn’t the highest available, but it’s certainly enough
- On-the-fly customization is absent out of the box
Powering the package is a 19,000 DPI Owl-Eye sensor based on the PixArt tech. Though it falls short of the >20,000Hz some other brands include, it’s incredibly unlikely to make any discernible difference.
Go beyond the numbers and you’ll find a snappy, reliable sensor that shouldn’t give you any trouble. I had no issues with drift or lift distance in my 10 days playing around in Overwatch, Fortnite, World of Warcraft and World War Z. Even the summer shedding of my cat’s coat couldn’t interrupt its tracking.
Though Roccat makes a case for driver-free setup on the box, the Kone’s default sensitivity settings were noticeably lower than my already relatively low 1200-1400 preference. I’m no sharpshooter, so anyone who relies on fast, snappy movements will certainly need to download and install Roccat’s software to fiddle with the finer details.
If you’re here to learn how Roccat’s “wireless-optimized sensor” performs, I’m also happy to report that it’s a win. The Roccat Kone won’t let you down. It’s as simple as that. Not once did the Roccat Kone jitter, freeze, or drop out.
The included 2.4Ghz receiver delivered a flawless performance for a device I honestly didn’t expect all that much from. Where offerings from Razer and Logitech have let me down this year, the Roccat Kone bulldozed my expectations.
Bluetooth is there if you forget your dongle or want to multi-task with a tablet or laptop, but the toggle being underneath will make this slightly more cumbersome that you may otherwise enjoy.
Get into the habit of giving the 100-hour battery a quick charge whenever you head out to the shops. The included lightweight 1.8m braided cable can quickly turn the Pro Air into a slightly heavier version of its wired sibling should you suddenly run dry. You can get back up and running in a flash if it powers down, but a dock of some sort would have been nice.
Software and lighting
- Limited RGB lighting
- Relatively easy to use
- Software is essential for use beyond the 800 DPI preset
The Roccat Kone avoids being the last lightweight horse to jump the fence by hiding its necessary honeycomb cutout beneath the mouse buttons. Rather than the excessive RGB trim of previous Kone mice, this one slips its lighting underneath the tips of the clickers, cleverly revealing the mesh stylings as the LEDs fade in and out of view.
You can tune how the AIMO lighting performs through the software, but it’s far more limited than most other big brand gaming mice out there. My dreams of having fire or lighting jolting from my fingers with each button press were certainly dashed. Its default breathing pattern is a great example of how the Roccat Kone puts a new twist on a familiar design, but it’s hardly a groundbreaking RGB effort.
All the software is really good for tweaking your DPI preferences, setting profiles to use with the underside button, and maybe turning one of the side buttons into the makeshift DPI toggle. However, it’s still a pain that you need to download the ‘optional’ software to push the DPI beyond the sluggish 800 DPI preset.
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Should you buy it?
You want a larger mouse that’s still light and wireless:
Where others in the lightweight category are shrinking, the Kone stays true to its origins with a chunky, comfy design.
You prefer to save a bit of cash:
If wireless is still too expensive, the wired Roccat Kone Pro is lighter, cheaper, and just as pretty.
Final Thoughts
The new Roccat Kone Pro Air is one of the best wireless gaming mice you can buy right now. It may not have as glamorous specs as offerings from Logitech and Razer, but the performance is still fantastic enough that the majority of gamers won’t notice the difference. However, it’s worth checking out the SteelSeries Aerox 3 Wireless if you want an even lighter or long-lasting mouse at this price point.
FAQs
Yes, the Roccat Kone Pro Air offers both Bluetooth and 2.4Ghz connectivity.
Roccat claims the mouse has a 100+ hour battery life.
The Roccat Kone Pro Air weighs 75g, making it one of the lighter options.
Specs
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.
