Turtle Beach Kone II & Kone II Air Gaming Mice Review

Gaming mice don’t always have to be about additional buttons, fancy LEDs, flashy colorways, and high polling rates (although all of the above are very nice). Sometimes, the perfect fit is something that improves one’s gameplay by ensuring a lesser degree of strain and natural ease of use. In other words, ergonomics are the great white whale of a PC gamer who wants a mouse that fits just right.

I’ve had the Kone II and the Kone II Air, Turtle Beach’s newest mice inspired by the ROCCAT lineup of gaming mice, for the past few weeks. I’ve put them through their paces in gaming and office use. I’m thrilled to say that, as a user with large hands, the Kone II and Kone II Air are mice that were made just for me and are some of the most comfortable mice I’ve ever used as a PC user.

The wired Kone II weighs in at 90g, while the wireless Kone II Air is 110g. For a wireless mouse, 110g might be seen as “heavy,” but when compared to others in its class (like the Razer Basilisk V3 Pro/Ultimate or the Logitech G502 Plus) it’s more-or-less the same. If anything, the Kone II Air’s weight hits the sweet spot when in use. Coming from the Burst II Air, I noticed the difference in weight immediately, but it wasn’t to the point for me to think that I was over encumbered by the mouse. I would recommend trying it out in-store if you’re on the fence.

The Kone II (and its wireless counterpart) were clearly made with ergonomics at the top of a list of non-negotiables. Its angle which peaks on right hand side and downward-angled left-hand side let my hand naturally hold it without any compromises. Even though it supposedly supports multiple styles of grips, it feels the most natural when using the Palm Grip. I say this as a Palm Grip person, but don’t let that stop you from thinking that it won’t feel right if you’re a Claw Grip or Fingertrip Grip user. The rounded lower end of the mouse nestles just right in the palm of my hand, making me feel like this mouse is an extension of my hand.

I have big hands, and most mice feel like they’ve been made for players with smaller hands than myself. Not the Kone II. It took very little adjustment for me to switch from another mouse to the Kone II – perhaps because of its ergonomics. Going back to another mouse, on the other hand, made me realize that the Kone II had a natural fit that other mice just don’t have. While some mice (like the Burst II Air) excel in giving the user weightlessness and accuracy, they miss out on making the mouse easy to use and encouraging natural movements by placing buttons where one might naturally expect them to be. The Kone II is incredible because of how well all of its buttons, even the extra buttons that some gamers would dismiss, are placed for those to use.

The Kone II features 7 programmable buttons along with a “4D-wheel” that can be rolled normally but also clicked from the sides. Think of the 4D function like tilting the button from side to side. The primary mouse buttons contain TITAN Optical Switches, which boast greater durability than other mouse switches to the point of 100 million clicks. They’re supposedly the same pre-tensioned optical switches as those found in the Burst II Air, but the buttons on the Kone II feel slightly less clicky yet more mushy than the Burst II Air. The Burst II Air’s clicks have a slightly greater click, whereas the Kone II’s clicks have a hollow sound. Most individuals won’t be able to tell the difference, but as someone with both mice, they sound and feel slightly different.

Part of the Kone II’s ergonomic prowess exists in its placement of side buttons, most notably the Easy-Shift button. The Easy-Shift button acts as a Shift button of sorts, changing each mouse button to a different action. For instance, pressing the Easy-Shift and scrolling the wheel changes your device’s volume. On the Kone II, it is placed on the side of the mouse right under where your thumb naturally rests. A subtle downward press of the thumb activates the button with ease. This kind of button is on other gaming mice, such as the DPI Shift button on the G502 (which can be reprogrammed into something other than DPI shifts). The Kone II’s Easy Shift button is easily reached thanks to its positioning – you don’t have to adjust your hand or even move the mouse to reach and activate the button.

Speaking of DPI, the Kone II and Kone II Air feature Turtle Beach’s Owl-Eye Optical Sensor that supports up to 26k DPI. In my previous review of the Turtle Beach Burst II Air, I mentioned that I’ve stuck to 16k DPI as my personal preference – this remains true to this day. I once again tested out the 26K DPI (for science!!), and it was…well, let’s just say that it felt like I was unable to control my mouse in VALORANT. But, if you can use a mouse with an ultra-high sensitivity above 20K, then the Kone II and Kone II Air will meet your needs quite well.

The Kone II is a wired mouse, but the Kone II Air can be used wired, wirelessly via Bluetooth, and wirelessly via the 2.4GHz dongle (which is best for gaming). When connected via Bluetooth sans dongle, it supposedly lasts 350 hours. For the sake of full transparency, we weren’t able to get to the 350 hour mark because…the mouse wouldn’t die. We also spent most of our review period testing the Kone II Air using the 2.4GHz dongle, which is what most players will opt into using (when not wired). The 2.4GHz dongle ensures higher-performance, lower latency, and a FAR higher polling rate. In gaming, a higher polling rate matters for those wanting precision and rapid responses. With the 2.4GHz dongle, the Kone II Air is rated at 130 hours before needing to be charged. That translates to about a full week’s worth of consistent gaming. With the LEDs off and battery-saving enabled (which turns the mouse off when on standby), we were able to slightly exceed that 130-hour mark. For the record, we were able to get nearly a full week’s worth of use (an 8-hr workday and several hours of gaming) WITH the LEDs on in 2.4GHz mode.

Compared to similar wireless gaming mice, the Kone II Air is an impressive contender, especially one with vivid LEDs that usually burn through battery life. In this category, I often see similarly specced mice (e.g., Logitech’s G502 X Plus and Razer Basilisk Ultimate) hit the 100-hour marks before needing to be charged. It’s even more impressive that the Kone II Air is priced far under the likes of Logitech and Razer.

These mice are very smooth, utilizing a matte plastic that keeps them lightweight while also sturdy. That smoothness can translate into a slippery surface when playing in a hot room or a high-intensity game. Thankfully, some grip tape is included for the sides of the mice. It was pretty easy to install the grip tape, but I had to reapply it to align the tape with the indents. The tape didn’t lose stickiness on the second application. With the grip tape applied, it was far easier to move the mouse across my desk/pad.

The Kone II mice glow exquisitely thanks to their multiple illumination zones in the wheel and on the sides of the mouse. By default, the mice are set to the “AIMO” color setting, which gradually shifts color beginning at the top of the wheel all the way to the bottom of the mouse. Those who have used AIMO-enabled products should see this as a familiar color scheme. The slowly shifting colors is a great way to utilize the LEDs in the mice and do a better job at highlighting the mice’s capabilities of recreating a good spectrum of color. The Swarm II software suite (mentioned below) can change the color scheme to a great degree, so if the AIMO setting ain’t your thing, you can find something that suits your needs.

Like Turtle Beach’s other recent products I’ve reviewed (like the Atlas Air and the Burst II Air), the Kone II mice are compatible with and can be customized using the Swarm II software suite. I mentioned in my reviews of the Vulcan TKL II Pro and the Burst II that I loved using Swarm II to configure my peripherals – this remains true with the Kone II and Kone II Air. It is very easy to keep my mice up to date and configure them to my liking thanks to how well information is presented along with UI elements that explain some of the more complex features, such as Easy Shift and Angle Snapping.

There are a handful of small differences between the Kone II and the Kone II Air outside of the former being wired and the latter being wireless. First, price: The Kone II is $69.99 while the Kone II Air is $119.99 – around a $50 difference. This is to be expected, given that wireless gaming mice tend to be treated as premium options to their wired counterparts. Second, the Kone II Air replaces one of its configurable buttons below the wheel with a button that swaps the wheel from being infinite scrolling to ratchet scrolling (which makes a tactile click when you move the wheel up or down). It’s the same button as the one on the Logitech G502 HERO, for comparison’s sake. The Kone II does not have a customizable wheel – it lacks smooth scrolling altogether. The Kone II Air also has one less lighting zone – prior to writing this review, I couldn’t tell the difference between the Kone II Air and the Kone II’s lighting, so this specific feature is a wash. Oh yeah, the wired version is also 20g lighter…which I honestly couldn’t discern with both mice on hand.

Other than what I pointed out above…the Kone II and the Kone II Air are the same mouse.

I don’t think it’s worth paying the $50 extra for a customizable wheel, especially if you don’t have a firm preference between the mouse being wired and wireless. Some folks balk at the idea of having to charge another peripheral on their desk, but I’m fine plugging in a peripheral while I go make a cup of coffee or take a shower. Even more, the Kone II Air has been rated for ~130 hours when using the 2.4GHz dongle. As mentioned earlier in this review, that translates to a full week of use without needing to plug it in. I’m sure things might change in a year or even two, but the fact remains that you can get quite a bit out of the Kone II Air that warrants the premium.

The Turtle Beach Kone II and Kone II Air are impressive mice, reigning supreme in ergonomics that are unparalleled down to the extra button placements. They’re gorgeous, to boot. While the wired Kone II is lighter and more affordable, the premium Kone II Air boasts a long battery life in practice and is the contender for my current favorite wireless mouse.