Turtle Beach Kone II Air review

Our VerdictThe Kone 2 Air improves tenfold on its predecessor, bringing Bluetooth, better ergonomics and a fantastic scroll wheel to the design. It feels like a premium mouse, and it delivers on battery life as well as supporting software. You couldn’t ask for much more from a heavy, wireless gaming mouse.

Our Verdict

The Kone 2 Air improves tenfold on its predecessor, bringing Bluetooth, better ergonomics and a fantastic scroll wheel to the design. It feels like a premium mouse, and it delivers on battery life as well as supporting software. You couldn’t ask for much more from a heavy, wireless gaming mouse.

ForGreat shape & lovely hand feel3 days battery over wirelessFree spin scroll wheelSwarm II software is greatAgainstMarks made easily on the coatingMinor inconsistencies in polling rate

ForGreat shape & lovely hand feel3 days battery over wirelessFree spin scroll wheelSwarm II software is great

AgainstMarks made easily on the coatingMinor inconsistencies in polling rate

PC Gamer’s got your backOur experienced team dedicates many hours to every review, to really get to the heart of what matters most to you.Find out more about how we evaluate games and hardware.

$119.99$94.99View$100.79View$119.99ViewShow More DealsWe check over 250 million products every day for the best prices

$119.99$94.99View$100.79View$119.99View

$119.99$94.99View

Turtle Beach - Kone II Air…

Best Buy

$119.99$94.99View

$119.99$94.99

$94.99

$100.79View

Turtle Beach Kone II Air –…

Amazon

$100.79View

$100.79

$119.99View

Turtle Beach Kone II Air…

Walmart

$119.99View

$119.99

Show More Deals

We check over 250 million products every day for the best prices

If you’re looking for a review on the Roccat Kone 2 Air, you should know that the Roccat brand has been assimilated under the Turtle Beach brand name. So I’m actually looking at the next iteration of the Kone Air, here, minus the associated Roccat branding. Got it? Cool.

The Turtle Beach Kone 2 Air is a wireless gaming mouse marketed as an ergonomic wonder with up to 350 hours of battery life. Everything on the box makes me very excited, because it looks like Turtle Beach has finally rounded out the Kone lineup with a chonky beast of a gaming mouse. But does it live up to the hype in actual, everyday testing?

Previously, I spent some time with another wireless sister of the Kone 2 Air—theKone Pro Air. Just getting the Kone 2 Air out of the box I was already amazed at the vast comparative quality, against both the Pro and what I’ve seen of its predecessor.

The clearest difference between the Kone 2 Air and its Pro counterpart is the weight. The Pro is more suited to FPS games, weighing in at just 2.6oz / 75g, while the Kone Air has always been the chunkier option for players who don’t fling their mouse around willy-nilly. With two AA batteries under the hood, the old Kone Air was around 140g… not an issue in and of itself; people like chunky mice, myself included. It’s the weight imbalance that users found problematic.

Kone II Air specs(Image credit: Future)Buttons:7Connectivity:USB Type-C, 2.4GHz wireless & Bluetooth dual wireless.Sensor:Owl-Eye 26K Optical SensorMax DPI:26,000Max acceleration:50gMax speed:650 IPSPolling rate:up to 1,000 HzBattery life:Up to 350 hrsSize:13 x 4.4 x 8.2 cm / 5.1 x 1.7 x 3.2 inWeight:110g / 3.8ozFeatures:Infinite scroll, RGB Lighting, Grip tape and USB-A to USB-C Transmitter Adapter includedPrice:$120/£120

Kone II Air specs

(Image credit: Future)Buttons:7Connectivity:USB Type-C, 2.4GHz wireless & Bluetooth dual wireless.Sensor:Owl-Eye 26K Optical SensorMax DPI:26,000Max acceleration:50gMax speed:650 IPSPolling rate:up to 1,000 HzBattery life:Up to 350 hrsSize:13 x 4.4 x 8.2 cm / 5.1 x 1.7 x 3.2 inWeight:110g / 3.8ozFeatures:Infinite scroll, RGB Lighting, Grip tape and USB-A to USB-C Transmitter Adapter includedPrice:$120/£120

(Image credit: Future)

A Turtle Beach Kone II Air gaming mouse with RGB enabled. And a cute dog sleeping.

Buttons:7Connectivity:USB Type-C, 2.4GHz wireless & Bluetooth dual wireless.Sensor:Owl-Eye 26K Optical SensorMax DPI:26,000Max acceleration:50gMax speed:650 IPSPolling rate:up to 1,000 HzBattery life:Up to 350 hrsSize:13 x 4.4 x 8.2 cm / 5.1 x 1.7 x 3.2 inWeight:110g / 3.8ozFeatures:Infinite scroll, RGB Lighting, Grip tape and USB-A to USB-C Transmitter Adapter includedPrice:$120/£120

Thankfully, the Kone 2 Air has done away with AA battery power. It’s much more balanced,andyou don’t need to keep spare batteries to hand. You can just plug in the lovely, light braided USB Type-C cable Turtle Beach has included and click away, unhindered.

Where the build quality is concerned, the Kone 2 Air feels good and sturdy in hand. The ergonomics are lush, with a thumb rest and a button on it that isn’t as easy to accidentally click as it looks. There’s also something about the thumb grove I really like as a claw grip mouse user. It makes it easy to keep hold of even without slapping the included silicone grips on the sides.

Every click of the Kone 2 Air’s seven, well placed buttons feels purposeful. There’s a satisfying, light press that doesn’t sound hollow like a lot of lighter gaming mice do.

The design has also moved away from those awful metal scroll wheels Kone used to rep, replacing it here with a soft silicone one that lights up with RGB at the edges. Not only does it have the fancy, programmable tilt click function, it also unlocks and goes into freespin mode. If you’re thinking infinite scroll is a pointless novelty, I can vouch that it’s one of the single best features I’ve found in a gaming mouse. I’ve been using the same function on the Logitech G502 andG502 Xdaily for years and it never stops being useful.

Image1of2(Image credit: Future)(Image credit: Future)

Image1of2

(Image credit: Future)(Image credit: Future)

(Image credit: Future)

A Turtle Beach Kone II Air gaming mouse with RGB enabled. And a cute dog sleeping.

(Image credit: Future)

A Turtle Beach Kone II Air gaming mouse with RGB enabled. And a cute dog sleeping.

Buy if…✅ You move around and switch between games/playstyles:The Kone 2 Air’s Easy Shift function and five onboard profiles make it great for changing things up, and playing away. Plus, the battery life is pretty fantastic.✅ You’re looking for a well-rounded, ergonomic mouse:The Kone 2 Air is super comfortable to hold, with a nice grip and thumb rest, and it’s great for larger hands.

Buy if…

✅ You move around and switch between games/playstyles:The Kone 2 Air’s Easy Shift function and five onboard profiles make it great for changing things up, and playing away. Plus, the battery life is pretty fantastic.✅ You’re looking for a well-rounded, ergonomic mouse:The Kone 2 Air is super comfortable to hold, with a nice grip and thumb rest, and it’s great for larger hands.

✅ You’re looking for a well-rounded, ergonomic mouse:The Kone 2 Air is super comfortable to hold, with a nice grip and thumb rest, and it’s great for larger hands.

Don’t buy if…❌ You’re trying to save money:I know the prospect of a gorgeous ergonomic mouse with seven buttons sounds great, but there are cheaper wireless gaming mice out there that are almost as good.❌ You’re a bigtime FPS gamer:There’s a bit of latency going on with the Kone 2 Air’s sensor. It’s accurate, but the polling rate is a little inconsistent. With that and its weight in mind, this might be better suited to slightly slower-paced games.

Don’t buy if…

❌ You’re trying to save money:I know the prospect of a gorgeous ergonomic mouse with seven buttons sounds great, but there are cheaper wireless gaming mice out there that are almost as good.❌ You’re a bigtime FPS gamer:There’s a bit of latency going on with the Kone 2 Air’s sensor. It’s accurate, but the polling rate is a little inconsistent. With that and its weight in mind, this might be better suited to slightly slower-paced games.

❌ You’re trying to save money:I know the prospect of a gorgeous ergonomic mouse with seven buttons sounds great, but there are cheaper wireless gaming mice out there that are almost as good.

❌ You’re a bigtime FPS gamer:There’s a bit of latency going on with the Kone 2 Air’s sensor. It’s accurate, but the polling rate is a little inconsistent. With that and its weight in mind, this might be better suited to slightly slower-paced games.

In testing, the Kone 2 Air’s Owl-Eye 26K Optical Sensor is relatively accurate, with a nice smooth curve and minimal outliers on MouseTester’s xCount vs. Time chart. But while 1000 Hz polling looks great on paper, there are quite a few inconsistencies when it comes to the update rate. It’s not enough to notice in general use, but there’s around 8ms latency and quite a lot of wavering when shifting the Kone 2 Air around quickly.

One thing to note is that the Swarm 2 Software has come far. It’s got a lovely clean look, and it importantly lets you create your own macros for using those seven buttons.

Taking more cues from the Logitech G502 and crew, the Kone 2 Air also includes an Easy Shift function, so you can switch some of the buttons up on the fly, and quickly back again. There’s space for five on-board profiles, too, making it a godsend if you play away and switch between games/playstyles a lot. The fact you can get a good few days of battery life out of it over wireless connection (a week or more in Bluetooth mode) makes the portable aspect all the more enticing.

Honestly, I’m struggling to find something bad to say about the Kone 2 Air. Sure it’s not the cheapest wireless gaming mouse out there, nor is it the lightest, or the mouse with the most buttons. But having rectified the issues with previous models the Kone 2 Air is perfectly placed in that sweet spot for weighty, ergonomic mice, and one that’s worth your consideration even with that $120/£120 price tag.

Turtle Beach Kone II Air: Price Comparison

$119.99$94.99View$100.79View$119.99$101.99View$111.99View$119.99View

$119.99$94.99View

Turtle Beach - Kone II Air…

Best Buy

$119.99$94.99View

$119.99$94.99

$94.99

$100.79View

Turtle Beach Kone II Air –…

Amazon

$100.79View

$100.79

$119.99$101.99View

Turtle Beach - Kone II Air…

Best Buy

$119.99$101.99View

$119.99$101.99

$101.99

$111.99View

Turtle Beach Kone II Air –…

Amazon

$111.99View

$111.99

$119.99View

Turtle Beach Kone II Air…

Walmart

$119.99View

$119.99

Show More Deals

We check over 250 million products every day for the best prices

The Verdict89Read our review policyTurtle Beach Kone II AirThe Kone 2 Air improves tenfold on its predecessor, bringing Bluetooth, better ergonomics and a fantastic scroll wheel to the design. It feels like a premium mouse, and it delivers on battery life as well as supporting software. You couldn’t ask for much more from a heavy, wireless gaming mouse.

The Verdict

89Read our review policyTurtle Beach Kone II AirThe Kone 2 Air improves tenfold on its predecessor, bringing Bluetooth, better ergonomics and a fantastic scroll wheel to the design. It feels like a premium mouse, and it delivers on battery life as well as supporting software. You couldn’t ask for much more from a heavy, wireless gaming mouse.

89Read our review policy

Turtle Beach Kone II AirThe Kone 2 Air improves tenfold on its predecessor, bringing Bluetooth, better ergonomics and a fantastic scroll wheel to the design. It feels like a premium mouse, and it delivers on battery life as well as supporting software. You couldn’t ask for much more from a heavy, wireless gaming mouse.

Turtle Beach Kone II Air

TOPICSHardware

TOPICS

LatestToday’s Wordle answer for Friday, January 10We may not have a roadmap or balance patch just yet, but at least Path of Exile 2’s bugfix patch notes are funnyDeus Ex: Mankind Divided writer didn’t like the ending either: ‘Nothing is resolved’See more latest►

Latest

Today’s Wordle answer for Friday, January 10We may not have a roadmap or balance patch just yet, but at least Path of Exile 2’s bugfix patch notes are funnyDeus Ex: Mankind Divided writer didn’t like the ending either: ‘Nothing is resolved’

Today’s Wordle being played on a phone

Today’s Wordle answer for Friday, January 10

Path of Exile 2 showing the Warbringer ascendancy class bludgeoning his way through a pack of hyenas

We may not have a roadmap or balance patch just yet, but at least Path of Exile 2’s bugfix patch notes are funny

Adam Jensen with his head in his hands.

Deus Ex: Mankind Divided writer didn’t like the ending either: ‘Nothing is resolved’

See more latest►

Most PopularTurtle Beach Stealth Pivot reviewIkea Matchspel gaming chair reviewASRock DeskMini X600 reviewZotac Zbox Magnus EN374070C reviewMinisforum AtomMan G7 Ti reviewSamsung Galaxy Book4 Ultra reviewNoctua NH-D15 G2 reviewGulikit KK3 Max reviewBallionaire reviewMarvel Rivals reviewBe Quiet! Dark Rock 5 review

Our Verdict#

Our Verdict