Roccat Kone Air Review
A large gaming mouse with a superb battery life
Verdict
For a mid-range wireless mouse, the Roccat Kone Air is a fantastic choice that comes with a comfortable chassis for those with larger hands as well as good sensitivity and some perfectly usable software. The battery life is fantastic for the price, although the fact there isn’t any RGB may not mean it’s right for some.
Pros
- Especially comfortable chassis
- Nicely responsive
- Excellent battery life
Cons
- Lack of RGB lighting may not suit some
- Pretty heavy
Availability
- UKRRP: £57.99
Key Features
- 19,000 DPI sensor:The Kone Air features a 19,000 DPI sensor to offer some especially snappy tracking.
- Up to 800 hours battery life:Up to 800 hours of battery life, giving you practical months’ worth of playtime.
- Roccat Swarm software:Comes with additional software in the form of Roccat Swarm.
Introduction
Roccat has been the maker behind some of the best-value gaming peripherals I’ve used in the last couple of years, and now they’re looking to impress once again with its Kone Air Wireless mouse.
Priced at £59.99, it’s more of a mid-range wireless gaming mouse, and looks to offer a solid set of features for the price, including both up to 800 hours of battery life and a 19,000 DPI sensor.
So on paper, it seems like excellent value for money, but let’s see how that translates into the real world.
Design
- Wide and especially comfortable frame
- Solid and tactile feeling buttons
- 119g weight makes it a pretty heavy mouse
For what is more of an affordable gaming mouse, the construction of the Roccat Kone Air is largely solid, with a textured plastic finish. The plastics feel pretty good, while the rubberised side grips on both sides of the mouse make it extra comfortable to use for longer periods of time.
This is actually one of the wider mice I’ve used, which makes it a great choice for larger hands. And even though my hands aren’t that big, the Kone Air still felt great. With that in mind, this is also quite a heavy mouse, with a 119g weight. Personally, I don’t mind heavier mice, but if you’re a fan of lighter mice, or even ultra lightweight mice, then the Kone Air may not be for you.
The Kone Air’s buttons feel tactile and solid, and don’t feel mushy, as the more affordable price may have implied. There’s no odd placement for a DPI or profile switch on the underside of the mouse, but there is a modifier button to unlock a secondary function layout on the edge of the thumb rest, giving you easy access to them. On the other hand, the scroll wheel features this nice rubberised finish, but feels cheaper than the rest of the Kone Air’s design.
The underside features these large PTFE glide pads, which make the Kone Air able to perform large sweeping movements. And the only button on the underside is the on/off switch, which also allows you to choose between either Bluetooth or 2.4GHz wireless modes. There isn’t a USB port for charging, as this mouse simply runs off AAA batteries.
Performance
- 19,000 DPI sensor ensures a responsive experience
- Bluetooth and 2.4GHz connectivity is convenient
- 800 hours of battery life from up to 2 AA batteries is fantastic
Inside, the Roccat Kone Air packs a 19,000 DPI sensor, which, for the asking price, makes for some excellent sensitivity. A lot of other mice in this bracket may be lighter, but they offer lower DPI figures, so it’s a bit of a tradeoff. In my testing, the Kone Air made for a brilliant gaming mouse for FPS titles such as CS:GO and Apex Legends, with some accurate and responsive tracking, as well as a great ability to glide.
The fact this is a large mouse means it isn’t as nimble and agile as lighter mice I’ve tested, but it should be okay for more casual players. If you’re moving from a lighter mouse over to the Kone Air, you may need a few days to get used to it.
With this in mind, the connectivity over either Bluetooth or the bundled wireless receiver proved solid, and switching between the two is as easy as using the switch on the bottom of the mouse itself. Having both options to connect is certainly handy at more of an affordable price, especially if you also want to use the Kone Air as more of an office mouse, too.
As the Kone Air runs off of either one or two AA batteries, it should perhaps come as no surprise to learn that its battery life is excellent. Roccat quotes a maximum of 800 hours, which means you’ll be able to get nearly three months of use on a battery, assuming 8 hours a day of use. Since getting the Kone Air a few weeks ago and putting the included AA inside, I haven’t had to change it once.
Software and lighting
- Roccat Swarm provides an intuitive experience
- No RGB may not suit some
There isn’t any form of RGB lighting on the Roccat Kone Air at all, which may not be to some people’s tastes, although this is the main reason why the mouse can last for so long on its AA batteries. It’s actually more to my tastes to not have RGB, and it also helps those who want more of a minimalistic setup.
From a software perspective though, the Kone Air delivers. The inclusion of Roccat’s Swarm software as an additional program is decent, as it allows you to remap buttons and change the DPI, for instance.
You’ll find a total of 17 programmable inputs, which from a seven-button mouse, is quite something. That secondary function layer is accessed via the Easy Shift button on the left hand side of the thumb rest, meaning it’s always within easy reach should you need it.
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Should you buy it?
You want a comfortable mouse:
Where the Roccat Kone Air really shines is on its comfortable frame, complete with rubberised sides for extra grip.
You want a lightweight gaming mouse:
While the Roccat Kone Air is generally an excellent mid-range gaming mouse, its 119g weight means it’s pretty heavy, and therefore not the best for those who want something rather lightweight.
Final Thoughts
As time has passed, the world of mid-range gaming mice has become quite the hotly contested battleground, and the title of the best mid-range gaming mouse has been changing hands a fair bit. I’d like to put the Roccat Kone Air forward as a contender, given how comfortable and responsive it is for the price, and especially because of its mega long battery life.
The only issue people may have with it is how heavy it is. 119g for a mouse puts it more towards office-grade mice in terms of weight, as opposed to gaming options. And I guess the fact there’s no RGB lighting may not suit some, but that would come at the penalty of worse battery life. Even with a mouse as feature packed as this, you can’t have everything, but what is here is absolutely fantastic.
How we test
We use every mouse 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 mouse’s software to see how easy it is to customise and set up.
Used as a main mouse for over a week
Tested performance on a variety of games
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FAQs
Yes, it supports both Bluetooth or 2.4GHz wireless modes.
Full 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.
