Review cover ROCCAT Kone Pro Air Wireless Mouse (Hardware)
Official GBAtemp Review

Product Information:

As light as air, we look at Roccat's latest wireless mousey offering!

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Alongside the Roccat keyboard I reviewed a little while ago, I received a mouse. Much like the keyboard, I've had a Roccat mouse before too in the Kain 200 AIMO, and it's actually been my daily driver since writing the review a little over a year ago. It was, and still is, a mouse with an incredibly premium feel to it, but since losing the wireless dongle a few months back, I've been eager to look for another. Enter the Kone Pro Air.

Having just finished up a review of Asus' ROG Keris a week or so ago, I've been suitably engrossed in general mousery of late, and it's been a fun learning experience for me. With my previous mouse being one of Roccat's, I had a general idea of what to expect as I opened the box. It's sleek and stylish, it looks the part of a premium mouse, but like the Keris, I was again struck by just how light it is. Though slightly heavier than the Keris at 75g, it does a good job in living up to the air moniker in its name. If you're used to something heavier, the adjustment period is slightly awkward, but within a day or two, it'll feel natural.

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Review image

The shape of the mouse lends itself to right-handed users well. With a textured indent for your thumb to rest in, it feels fantastic to hold and incredibly comfortable to use over extended sessions. All the clicks are satisfying, but one thing that caught my attention in particular was the aluminium scroll wheel. It's bizarre, and I don't quite know if I like it. Looking at it from the side, you can see cleanly through it. It's a fantastic look. I just can't decide whether it feels nicer than your more standard rubber offerings. I find myself scratching at it with my nail subconsciously and being surprised each time as it feels almost ceramic instead of the softer materials I've come to recognise. It's interesting if nothing else.

As with pretty much every Roccat product of this modern age, the Kone Pro Air effortlessly integrates into AIMO ecosystem, and the way it does so is striking. Where I praised the Keris for its distinct and clear colours shining onto the mouse wheel, Roccat take a completely different approach in shining its lights of many colours through a honeycomb pattern on each mouse click. It's a brilliantly visual way to illustrate the internal structure of the mouse, with honeycombing mentioned frequently in this kind of light design. Outside of that though, it is genuinely unique and interesting to make the mouse stand out from a lighting perspective. Naturally, if you're running Roccat's Swarm software in the background it'll interact with your other AIMO-enabled peripherals. Seeing a wave transition from your keyboard to your mouse is the weirdest kind of satisfaction.

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Now I've not been shy in airing my grievances when it comes to Swarm. It crashed a lot when I reviewed the Vulkan, it crashed a lot when I reviewed the Kain, and it still crashed a lot when I reviewed the Pyro in recent weeks. It'll be no surprise to anybody reading this that it still crashes a lot! There are a few positives to take away here though. First and foremost, Swarm isn't required to get the most out of the mouse in the same way it might be for a keyboard. All the configurations done within the software are saved to the mouse and are usable on a machine regardless of whether the software is open, or even installed. Using Roccat's Easy Shift, you get an extra layer of functionality for each button, allowing me to create a media remote without having to sacrifice any core mouse features. It's a mouse that just works, and it works incredibly well once you've got it set up to suit your preferences. If AIMO lighting does mean a lot to you, I have also recently discovered an app called "Restart on Crash", and it does exactly what it sounds like it does. It doesn't necessarily excuse Roccat's oddly unstable software, but it at least gives you a hassle-free way to keep using it.

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Being a fairly premium wireless mouse, the Kone Pro Air has several connectivity options for you to pick between. First and probably most common nowadays is the wireless dongle. This is my go-to when lying on my bed watching things from afar. Thanks to the media configuration I have, I can effortlessly control my PC without the need for a keyboard at my side. It's entirely plug and play with no kind of pairing process or drivers required. Next up is what I use the majority of the time: wired. Now sure, it might seem a bit counterproductive to be picking up a wireless mouse to just have it tethered to a PC the majority of the time, but for me, a wireless mouse is about options. If I'm in reach of a PC, a wire, especially such a flexible one string-like one as this, isn't a hassle. Using this primarily also keeps the mouse fully charged for when wireless is preferable. Though I'm no kind of competitive gamer, I didn't notice a difference in performance between the dongle and the wired setup, though I imagine those more sensitive to intricate movements may pick up on slight discrepancies.

Last but still certainly deserving of a mention is the mouse's Bluetooth capabilities. This is something I've used once or twice in my few weeks of having the Kone Pro Air, and frankly, it's not something I'm going to be using much in the future either. While it's a convenient option to have, especially if you're struggling for USB ports or happen to lose the dongle as I did with the Kain, you do lose out on some of the mouse's better features. Ultimately, in Bluetooth mode, it's just a mouse. All your fancy changes are gone and all your settings are standard. It gets the job done and I'm grateful to have it, but with the mouse being able to house its USB dongle in its casing, I doubt there'll be a repeat of my previous misfortunes.

Looking finally to the sensor, we see Roccat's variation of the PAW3370 in the Owl-Eye 19K. To the eyes, or I suppose more fittingly, hands, of a plebeian like myself, it's brilliant. The cursor moves incredibly smoothly across the screen with no noticeable signs of correction or alignment to my inputs. For those wanting to dive deeper into the specs though, I'll attach them at the end of the review for your perusal.

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All in all, Roccat's Kone Pro Air is a fantastic mouse, and one I can't help but recommend for those after a heavily customisable and versatile wireless experience. At £120, you are undoubtedly paying a premium for these features, and that isn't something that should be glossed over. If you're just wanting something wired and don't plan on swapping buttons around, there will be better options out there for less money. If however like me, you're wanting a stylish, comfortable, and versatile mouse to last you, this is one to consider.

Tech Specs

Sensor

  • ROCCAT® Owl-Eye 19K optical sensor (Based on PAW3370)
  • Adjustable lift-off distance
  • 50g acceleration

General

  • ROCCAT® Titan Switch Optical
  • 100 million click life cycle
  • On-board memory
  • 1.8m flexible cable

Dimensions

  • Length: 125.6mm
  • Height: 40mm
  • Width: 72mm
  • Weight: 75g

Package Contents

  • ROCCAT® Kone Pro Air (Ash Black) / (Arctic White)
  • PhantomFlex™ USB-C charging cable
  • Wireless Dongle
  • Quick-start guide

Compatibility

  • Windows® 7, 8 and 10 (software support)
  • USB 2.0 (or higher)
  • Internet connection (for driver software)

Verdict

What We Liked ...
  • Unique lighting
  • Comfortable design
  • Fantastic customisation options
  • Great connectivity options (wired/wireless/Bluetooth)
  • Driver software not required after initial setup if you're not interested in AIMO lighting
What We Didn't Like ...
  • Swarm remains an unstable piece of software that is prone to crashing
  • Limited features available when connected via Bluetooth
9
out of 10

Overall

The Kone Pro Air is now my daily driver, much as the Kain 200 was before it. As a lightweight and heavily customisable option, it ticks every box as to what a good mouse should be to me. It's definitely one worth considering.
  • Like
Reactions: Mama Looigi
Hum... 130€ on amazon.

Seems pretty interesting.
I love the convenience of wireless mice, but hate when they run out of battery, so always end up having them connected by cable anyway. >.>
 
  • Like
Reactions: Scarlet
Hum... 130€ on amazon.

Seems pretty interesting.
I love the convenience of wireless mice, but hate when they run out of battery, so always end up having them connected by cable anyway. >.>
I feel that. That's why I tend to use them wired where I can, so I can have that freedom when needed.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Skelletonike
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