Corsair K100 Air Wireless
Corsair K100 Air Wireless: One-minute review
The Corsair K100 Air Wireless is so thin, the brand isn’t calling it low-profile. Please! That moniker is for gaming keyboards that are over 20mm thick. No, at only 17mm at its thickest and 11mm at its thinnest, this fresh (and by that, we do mean both new and revolutionary) offering deserves that ULTRA-THIN title.
But, its form factor is actually the least amazing thing about this wireless gaming keyboard. What’s really impressive here is that Corsair managed to pack practically everything – from the usual fully-programmable keys, dedicated media buttons, multi-device connectivity to rarer skills like up to 50 hours of battery life (that’s with the RGB lighting on), dedicated macro keys, enough onboard storage for up to 50 profiles and 20 lighting effect layers, and what else… Oh yes, a lightning-fast polling rate of 8,000Hz (via USB connection).
The K100 Air Wireless certainly beats the likes of the Logitech G915 and the newer Razer Deathstalker V2 Pro in many ways. It is a little more expensive than the competition, its price of entry at $279 / £279 / AU$479. However, it’s also one of those products you should absolutely get regardless of the price because it’s simply worth every penny.
Guys, this might be love at first type.
Corsair K100 Air Wireless: Price and availability
- How much does it cost? $279 (£279, AU$479)
- Where is it available? Available now
- Where can you get it? Available in the US, the UK, and Australia
Layout: Full
Switch: Cherry MX Ultra Low Profile Tactile
Programmable keys: Fully-programmable plus dedicated macro keys
Dimensions: 17.3 x 6.15 x 0.67 inches (437 x 156 x 11 to 17 mm)
RGB or backlighting: Yes
Absolutely, the Corsair K100 Air Wireless is expensive. At $279 (£279, AU$479), it sits in the premium market alongside gaming keyboards that cost $400 / £400. It certainly costs more than the competition, with the extremely popular Logitech G915 costing $249 / £229 and the highly-praised Razer Deathstalker V2 Pro setting you back $249 / £249.
But, again, considering everything the Corsair K100 Air Wireless has on offer – compared to Razer’s low-profile entry, for example, it boasts a faster wireless polling rate, a longer battery life, a bigger-capacity onboard storage, and more customizations – it might actually be the better value for most people. Remember, you’re only paying an additional $30 / £30 for a more expansive feature set.
Though, if we’re being honest, the hardware alone is enough to convince us. Those keys are just so responsive and so satisfying, we’d almost happily pay that amount just to keep typing on them.
- Value: 4 / 5
Corsair K100 Air Wireless: Design
- Physics-defying ultra-thin profile
- Media keys, hotkeys, dedicated macro buttons
- Tactile switch hits different
It seems only yesterday when we were professing our love for other low-profile gaming keyboards before Corsair came in and showed us that we, in fact, know nothing and that love was merely the puppy kind.
We might be biased here, as we do love a good low-profile keyboard and we’re always excited about what else manufacturers can come up with in that genre. But, that also doesn’t change the fact that Corsair has done something revolutionary here — without really doing anything novel.
The fact is, many of the elements you’ll find in the Corsair K100 Air Wireless aren’t exactly new. We’ve seen keyboards with 8,000Hz polling rate before, low-profile keyboards have existed for a while now, and some features here you’ve already seen on other Corsair keyboards. Heck, even its design is very similar to Corsair’s signature style.
What’s different this time around though is that the brand essentially took all those elements and put them all together in a new, 17-inch thin package. And, so the K100 Air Wireless was born, touting a brushed-aluminum frame that’s reminiscent of the Logitech G915’s deck, Cherry’s ultra low-profile tactile switches, the hyper polling rate that the Razer Huntsman V2 first introduced into the world, and many of the goodies you’ll find in top Corsair keyboards.
It might just be the best gaming keyboard to come out of the brand’s line-up, especially with flourishes like hotkeys for cycling through different profiles and macro recording without the software, four dedicated macro keys that also moonlight as the connectivity keys, and a volume roller that’s just a pleasure to use.
As fun as it is to use that roller, however, it has nothing on those Cherry ultra low-profile switches that might just have sold us on tactile switches (we used to be clicky fans), and those low-profile keycaps that are decently-sized and subtly rounded inward to effectively prevent finger slippage.
Of course, the usual Corsair design elements are present and accounted for, including that light indicator section in the middle that makes this keyboard so easier to use — it’ll tell you, for example, how much battery you’ve got left and whether or not the keyboard is connected to the wireless receiver.
Another truly-Corsair addition is its ability to layer different RGB lighting effects. Although you do need to program those layers via the iCUE software, this feature is among the most unique things about Corsair keyboards, and we’re really glad to see it implemented here. They just make the whole keyboard a little more dynamic and a lot more you. It’s just a little disappointing that the RGB here isn’t as vibrant as others at its brightest, but some people actually prefer that.
We also appreciate the fact that the power button is just the power button and doesn’t function as the switch for Bluetooth and wireless connections. The latter design is just a little inconvenient to use. Finally, there’s a Slipstream wireless adapter garage, because let those who haven't lost a USB receiver before throw the first dongle.
- Design: 4.5 / 5
Corsair K100 Air Wireless: Performance
- Fast, fast, fast
- Corsair’s RGB lighting layers are the best thing
- Up to 200 hours of battery life, 50 with RGB
Is the Corsair K100 Air Wireless’ 8,000Hz (2,000Hz when connected wirelessly via USB receiver) a bit of an overkill? For most humans, yes. A lot of people won’t even be able to tell the difference. But, it also ensures that you won’t ever worry about delays when gaming, even if it does mean that it takes up a little more of your gaming PC’s resources.
The Corsair K100 Air Wireless, therefore, rolls out incredibly fast responses, even when you’re “slumming it” at 2,000Hz because you simply can’t add another cable to your messy setup. It also helps that the pre-travel here, according to Cherry, is 0.8mm, so even if there’s certainly a deeper key travel here of 1.8mm, your key presses are registering long before that. Although, we still wish that full travel is a tad shorter.
This keyboard proves to be incredibly responsive during games, whether we are battling it out on Doom Eternal or unwinding with Sable. The experience of using it is incredibly satisfying, and it’s just as great to use for typing. In fact, we’ve been using this keyboard for work for about a week now, and we can’t seem to bring ourselves to stop.
Modders might be disappointed about the fact that because the key caps are mounted differently, Corsair is discouraging the removal of them unless you’re experienced with this type of switch – it has a scissor-like design, but both Corsair and Cherry are calling it a mechanical switch. But then again, there aren’t a lot of ultra low-profile keycaps for customizations – not that many of those aftermarket keycaps are going to be compatible with this new switch mounting anyway.
While Logitech’s and Razer’s low-profile offerings come with up to 30 hours and 24 hours of RGB battery life, respectively, the Corsair K100 Air Wireless gives you 50 hours with the RGB lighting on. Turn it off, and you’ve got a whopping 200 hours of gameplay.
- Performance: 4.5 / 5
Should I buy the Corsair K100 Air Wireless?
Buy it if...
Don't buy it if...
Also consider
Corsair K100 Air Wireless: Report card
| Value | Yes, the Corsair K100 Air Wireless is expensive, but with all the features it’s packed in, it’s worth the price. | 4 / 5 |
| Design | That ultra-thin design is seriously impressive, not to mention appealing. But the hotkeys, macro keys, and layered RGB lighting are a nice addition too. | 4.5 / 5 |
| Performance | This is a seriously fast gaming keyboard, with up to 8,000Hz polling rate and an actuation point of 0.8mm. | 4.5 / 5 |
| Total | We’re big fans of this new offering from Corsair. It’s a top performer that’s also heavy on features. It might not be cheap, but it’s certainly worth the investment. | 4.3 / 5 |
- First reviewed October 2022
How we test
We pride ourselves on our independence and our rigorous review-testing process, offering up long-term attention to the products we review and making sure our reviews are updated and maintained - regardless of when a device was released, if you can still buy it, it's on our radar.
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