When Turtle Beach acquired ROCCAT in 2019, we knew they had huge ambitions for the already well-known peripherals brand. Although the ROCCAT brand was retired earlier this year, you can be confident that the ROCCAT name’s legacy and excellence will live on. Turtle Beach just introduced the Kone II Air, the latest addition to their gaming mouse collection. With this version, it’s clear that they’ve made significant improvements to the formula for what makes a fantastic mouse.
The mouse is packaged in a stylish purple box with foam inserts for added protection. The bundle also includes the PhantomFlex braided charging cable, wireless USB-A transmitter, USB-C to USB-A transmitter converter, and a few grip strips. Of course, you’ll also get a quick start guide that will teach you all you need to know to get started with your new mouse. The transmitter provides a quality 2.4GHz wireless connection, while low-latency Bluetooth is also available if your device supports it.
I’m still not sure what the adapter’s purpose is. If it was USB-A female to USB-C male, it would make perfect sense given that many companies are transitioning away from USB-A, but this is USB-A and USB-C female, thus I don’t see a need for it unless you have a C to C cord. Unfortunately, contacting TB support did not assist, as I was told it was for more device compatibility. I already have a USB-A to USB-C adaptor (female to male). THAT enhances compatibility, but female to female? Just does not make sense. Someone enlightens me.
The grip strips are an unexpected but extremely welcome feature here. The Kone II Air features a sleek body that isn’t always easy to grip. Placing these strips on either side of the mouse prevents you from mistakenly letting it go while swiping across the desktop. And this mouse moves so beautifully that it appears to float in the air. I scarcely felt any resistance as I pushed it on my mousepad, thanks to the ceramic mouse feet on the bottom.
As previously stated, the body is exceptionally smooth. There are a handful of LED strips along the sides that can be programmed using the Swarm II software, which we will discuss again later. You can also swap between DPI settings by just pressing a button on the scroll wheel. There are two side buttons and the Easy-Shift [+] button, which allow you to set up to 21 tasks in a single profile. Finally, there’s the 4D scroll wheel, which includes left and right tilt pushes for extra control and a button that allows you to choose between a tactile, clicky scroll or a smooth free spin. The tactile scroll is a little too clicky for my taste, but so is the free spin. I think it would have been better if the tactile scroll was more like the Kone XP Air, which I previously evaluated, and the free spin was a little more resistant.
I miss having four side buttons, but the side buttons of the Kone II Air are much more conveniently situated. With my Kone XP Air, I can barely reach the lower forward button and am unable to use the upper forward button. With the Kone II Air, I can quickly access the one forward button. The mouse’s sides are also incredibly accommodating for my digits, particularly my pinky, which often struggles to fit comfortably on other mice.
So, how does the mouse perform? Turtle Beach performs about as well as one might anticipate. The Kone II Air upholds the legacy of previous Kone mice, never missing a click and providing unparalleled accuracy. My shots were spot on when playing Rainbow Six Siege and the Black Ops 6 Beta. The only thing holding me back was adjusting to the various button layouts and determining which new keybinds would work best. The mouse has 100 million click Titan optical switches and a 26k DPI Owl Eye sensor for smooth and precise tracking. With up to 350 hours of battery life (on Bluetooth, 150 for wireless), you can be confident in your ability to stay connected. Unfortunately, this mouse is incompatible with my Kone XP Air’s charge station, which I consider a squandered opportunity.
I already described Swarm II, the new software designed to manage your Turtle Beach peripherals. The application has been improved and streamlined, making it lot more intuitive and simple to use and navigate. The front interface isn’t inundated with information, which can be overwhelming when you initially use the app. Instead, they provide the essential information right away and allow you to explore more advanced choices in separate menus. The other wonderful thing about Swarm II is that if you’ve previously used the ROCCAT Swarm app, you can easily migrate your device settings and profiles to Swarm II with the click of a button. All of my keybindings and presets from my Kone XP Air were moved over to the new program with little effort on my part.
I’m not sure if this is my new favorite mouse yet—I’m still figuring out how to set my keybinds with the various button configurations, especially for Rainbow Six Siege—but it’s definitely at the top of the list. Thankfully, the Kone II Air is less expensive than some of its predecessors, priced at $119.99 USD. It also comes with a one-year manufacturer’s warranty in case it malfunctions.