If you are looking for a Roccat Kone 2 Air review, you should know that the Roccat brand has been assimilated under the Turtle Beach brand. So I’m actually looking at the next iteration of the Kone Air, without the Roccat branding associated with it. I see? Cool.
The Turtle Beach Kone 2 Air is a wireless gaming mouse touted as an ergonomic marvel with a 350-hour battery life. Everything on the box has me very excited because it looks like Turtle Beach has finally rounded out the Kone line with a massive beast in the form of a gaming mouse. But does it live up to expectations in real, everyday testing?
Previously, I spent some time with the Kone 2 Air’s other wireless sister, the Kone Pro Air. Right after taking the Kone 2 Air out of the box, I was already amazed by the enormous comparative quality, both compared to the Pro and what I saw from its predecessor.
The most noticeable difference between the Kone 2 Air and its Pro counterpart is weight. The Pro model is more suited to FPS gaming, weighing just 2.6 oz/75 g, while the Kone Air has always been a bulkier option for gamers who don’t throw their mouse around willy-nilly. With two AA batteries under the hood, the senior Kone Air weighed about 140g… that wasn’t a problem in itself; People like fat mice, including me. Users found weight imbalance problematic.
Kone II Air specifications
Buttons: 7
Communication: USB Type-C, 2.4 GHz wireless connectivity and dual Bluetooth wireless connectivity.
Transducer: Owl-Eye 26K optical sensor
Max resolution: 26,000
Maximum acceleration: 50g
Maximum speed: 650 pixels per second
Polling frequency: up to 1000 Hz
Battery life: Up to 350 hours
Size: 13×4.4×8.2cm / 5.1×1.7×3.2in
Libra: 110g / 3.8oz
Characteristics: Includes infinite scrolling, RGB lighting, anti-slip tape and a USB-A to USB-C transmitter adapter
Price: $120 / 120 pounds
Fortunately, the Kone 2 Air did not employ an AA battery. It’s much more sustainable AND you don’t need to have spare batteries on hand. You can simply plug in the attractive, lightweight braided USB Type-C cable that came with Turtle Beach and click away without interruption.
When it comes to build quality, the Kone 2 Air feels good in your hand and feels solid. Ergonomics are excellent, with a thumb rest and a button that accidentally clicking isn’t as straightforward as it sounds. There’s also something about the thumb recess that I really like as a user of a mouse with a claw grip. Thanks to the included silicone handles on the sides, you can easily hold it even without hitting it.
Each click of the Kone 2 Air’s seven well-placed buttons feels intentional. It produces a satisfying, airy press that doesn’t make a hollow sound like many lighter gaming mice.
The design also moved away from those hideous metal scroll wheels that Kone used, replacing them here with gentle silicone ones that glow RGB at the edges. Not only does it have a fancy, programmable tilt click function, but it also unlocks and goes into free-rotation mode. If you think infinite scrolling is a pointless novelty, I can vouch that it’s one of the best features I’ve found in a gaming mouse. I’ve been using this same feature on the Logitech G502 and G502 X every day for years, and it never fails to come in handy.
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Buy if…
✅ You move and switch between games/game styles: The Kone 2 Air’s Easy Shift feature and five built-in profiles make it great for changing things up and having fun. Plus, the battery life is really fantastic.
✅ Are you looking for a versatile, ergonomic mouse: The Kone 2 Air is extremely comfortable to hold, with a comfortable grip and thumb rest, and is perfect for larger hands.
Don’t buy if…
❌ Are you trying to save money: I know the prospect of a great seven-button ergonomic mouse sounds great, but there are cheaper wireless gaming mice that are almost as good.
❌ You are a great FPS player: There is some lag with the Kone 2 Air sensor. This is true, but the polling rate is a bit inconsistent. With this and the weight in mind, this may be better suited to slightly slower games.
In testing, the Kone 2 Air’s Owl-Eye 26K optical sensor is relatively true, with a nice, velvety curve and minimal outliers in MouseTester’s xCount vs. time plot. While 1000Hz polling looks great on paper, there is quite a bit of inconsistency when it comes to update rates. It’s not enough to notice for general employ, but there’s a latency of around 8ms and quite a bit of hesitation when moving the Kone 2 Air quickly.
It’s essential to note that Swarm 2 has come a long way. It has a attractive, neat look and, importantly, allows you to create your own macros to employ these seven buttons.
Taking more cues from the Logitech G502 and crew, the Kone 2 Air also includes an Easy Shift feature that lets you switch certain buttons on the fly and back quickly. There is also room for five profiles on board, making it a godsend if you play away from home and often switch between games/playstyles. The fact that you can get several good days of battery life with a wireless connection (a week or more in Bluetooth mode) makes the portable look even more enticing.
Honestly, I have a strenuous time finding anything bad to say about the Kone 2 Air. It’s certainly not the cheapest wireless gaming mouse, nor the lightest, nor the mouse with the most buttons. However, having fixed the issues with previous models, the Kone 2 Air is perfectly positioned in the sweet spot for hefty, ergonomic mice and worth considering even at the $120/£120 price point.
