Verdict
The Corsair K100 Air Wireless is doubtlessly one of the good ( and most expensive ) wireless play keyboards money can corrupt . It ’s incredibly slender and offers a modern esthetic alongside snappy and tactile MX ULP switching that feel fantastic for both typing and gaming . In gain , 50 hour of battery spirit is pretty decent , and the RGB backlighting is vibrant . Just observe its high markup only makes it a worthwhile purchase if money is no issue .
Pros
Cons
Key Features
Introduction
The way modernistic technical school has been going , it would be comfortable to assume that the slender the ware , the better it is , and in the world of gaming keyboard , that ’s certainly seem to be the case .
First , there were gloomy - profile keyboard , such asLogitech ’s G915 Lightspeed , or Cherry ’s MX Board 10.0 , but now there ’s a new term in town : Ultra Low Profile .
These eccentric of Ultra Low Profile switch have only been seen in gamy - end gaming laptop , but they ’re beginning to make their way into screen background keyboards – introduce the Corsair K100 Air Wireless .
At £ 279.99/$279.99/€299.99 , this may well be the most expensive keyboard I ’ve ever tested , so the K100 Air Wireless definitely has to do a lot to free that high price .
Design
The most prominent thing about the new Corsair K100 Air Wireless is simply how thin it is . Traditionally , gaming keyboard have been these monolithic bulky behemoth that would take up most of your desk , but this new alternative from Corsair takes things to a newfangled level of slimness . They say it ’s 11 mm slender at its narrow percentage point , which is will to how slick and modernistic it look – that ’s svelte than a caboodle of lifestyle - oriented desktop sets .
alfresco of being so tenuous , the K100 Air Wireless also just generally looks and feels splendid . It boast a stock issue full - size of it layout , which is ultra convenient , and thanks to the slender build , does n’t take up too much space compare to standard size keyboard . In addition , its metallic element top plate offers great structural inflexibility , with no deck flex whatsoever .
It ’s a minimalistic calculate keyboard , especially with its narrow construction and black metallic element top collection plate . Apart from the RGB light ( when it ’s on ) , the K100 Air Wireless does n’t scream that it ’s a gaming keyboard . With that in mind though , it comes with four programmable macro key above the number digs . Although , with the upgrade of clever software package suites , physical macro instruction keys have become more of a rarity , even on high end keyboard .
As well as these four macro , the K100 Air Wireless features a legion of keys for medium playback on the correct - hand side , as well as a book hair curler , which feels satisfying to press . On the odd - deal side sit a few shortcut key for routine such as changing the firing brightness and locking your microcomputer . In the middle of these sits a minor crank panel , underneath which sit an lit Corsair logotype as well as some handy LED indicators for thing such as connectedness status and when the barrage fire kick level is low . It ’s a clever fashion of doing things , and is execute especially well on the K100 Air Wireless .
Performance
Apart from being so thin , the principal motivation for someone plunk up the K100 Air Wireless is down to its Cherry MX Ultra Low Profile primal switch . This Corsair entry marks the first clock time they ’ve been placed in a keyboard , at least in a mainstream capability . cerise designed these switch with laptops in mind , but it ’s exciting to see them being used in more of a desktop - style capacity .
If you ’re sit there think Cherry already made low profile switch , well , you ’d be right-hand – the Cherry MX Low Profiles be , and have done for a few years . But , these MX ULP switches ( as I ’ll consult to them from now on ) are a petty bit different .
As opposed to offering a standard MX stem turn vogue permutation , which uses a plastic plumber’s helper as the actuator onto the permutation ’s crosspoints , these ULP switches offer alloy ‘ wings ’ , which push down onto the actuator and onto the switch ’s crosspoints . It ’s a clever organization that result in a switch with a entire travel of 1.8 mm , which is 45 % of the total tallness of a standard MX replacement .
With low - visibility substitution , the travel can sometimes sense a little too shortsighted for the full tactile feeling to be feel , but that is n’t the case with K100 Air Wireless ’ ULP transposition . Sure , the tactile bump offered by these switches is short and sharp equate to the more rounded tactility offered by taller , standard size switches , but they feel superb .
An propulsion forcefulness of 65cN makes them some of the heavier switches out there ( equivalent to MX Clears , for instance ) which would usually leave in your hands tactual sensation fatigued after a school term of typing . Given the short overall travel space afforded by the ULPs though , that is n’t the case .
Everything with them has been nicely balanced to offer a satisfying and responsive keypress for typists and gamers alike . In testing the K100 Air Wireless in a few round of golf of CS : GO and Apex Legends , it felt high-minded with that short traveling and tactile keypress . Usually a loose and additive switch is the way to go for gamers , but this K100 Air Wireless may make multitude rethink that decision .
The K100 Air Wireless is n’t just antiphonal thanks to switches , but also due to the fact it features Corsair ’s Slipstream wireless tech , which offers a practical zero - response time connection . you’re able to also use it via Bluetooth , which is as commodious as you ’d expect , or via the bundled USB - C cable for charging .
Speaking of reactivity , much like the standardK100with MX Speed Silvers or Corsair ’s own opto - mechanically skillful permutation inside , this Air Wireless version is bundle with Corsair ’s Axon hyper processing tech , which means it features a much higher polling pace than more stock keyboards .
This is only accessible when you ’re using the K100 Air Wireless in its wired form , which may defeat the object of it being a wireless keyboard , but it ’s still a fantastic addition . It may not be a firearm of tech bare mortals can appreciate fully , but militant gamers should relish the fact it ’s here , as well as more standard trimmings like full anti - ghosting and NKRO , too .
A cite battery spirit of 50 hour with the RGB lighting fully cranked up is first-class , and in testing , I handle to get a full week ’s Charles Frederick Worth of cathexis out of the keyboard , working for 8 hour a twenty-four hours in the calendar week , and using the K100 Air Wireless for a couple of hours ’ gambling in the evening . Even at especially dispirited battery percentages , it felt like the board just would n’t run out of juice .
Software and lighting
On the Corsair K100 Air Wireless , the RGB fire up in its pre - configured descriptor looks marvelous with smart colours from powerful across the spectrum .
When it come to software , the K100 Air Wireless ship with a brand new version of Corsair ’s already excellent iCue entourage , which has itself received a fresh slug of paint to front like a more modern software solution .
There ’s a mess to take out with it in conjunction with the K100 Air Wireless , with options to not only assign keys to unlike function , but also to configure lighting , with both presets and custom options available . Programming those light presets also works on a computer hardware storey , with up to 20 different layers uncommitted , which is especially clever .
Alongside these choice , there are also more mundane ( but still important ! ) tasks such as updating microcode and assigning profile , demonstrating that you ’re getting the complete software solution with the pairing of iCue and the K100 Air Wireless .
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Should you buy it?
The K100 Air Wireless comes with some of the snappiest key switch I ’ve ever used in a keyboard .
:
As much as it ’s an amazing board , there ’s no getting around the fact that the K100 Air Wireless is very expensive . If you ’ve convey the money though , emphatically consider it .
Final Thoughts
The world of broken - visibility keyboard is becoming more popular , and to see them get to the levels of sleekness afforded byultralow visibility electric switch with the the likes of of the Corsair K100 Air Wireless is amazing . It ’s by all odds one of thebest gaming keyboardsI’ve used full halt , with a large part of that aided by its Tactile ULP switches . They offer a discriminating and dapper keypress alongside a brilliant horse sense of tactual sensation often lose with shorter - locomotion switch .
This is also a keyboard that ’s resplendently slim with a total height of 17 mm , and offers vibrant RGB lighting , a honest wireless connection , and some handy software . It ’s a fantastic keyboard with no gizmo , but that price is specially hard to stomach at the dependable of times , not least when we ’re in a cost of living crisis .
Trusted Score
How we test
We use every keyboard we test for at least a calendar week . During that meter , we ’ll turn back it for comfort of use and put it through its pace by playing a variety of different genres , including FPS , scheme and MOBAs .
We also check each keyboard ’s software system to see how easy it is to customize and set up .
FAQs
Yes , it can be connected wirelessly via both Bluetooth and the radio set dongle .
The keyboard features Cherry MX ULP Switches , which were ab initio design for laptops .
Test Data
Full Specs
Sustainability
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As part of this mission , whenever we refresh a Cartesian product we send the company a series of interrogative sentence to help oneself us guess and make transparent the impact the equipment has on the environment .
We presently have n’t received answer to the questions on this ware , but will update this page the instant we do . you’re able to see a detailed breakdown of the questions we call for and why in oursustainability info Thomas Nelson Page .
