Last year I reviewed the Corsair Sabre RGB Pro Champion Series gaming mouse and came away impressed by its build, ergonomics and performance. The only problem is that it is wired, something I don’t need or want given I don’t play competitive games which require zero latency. The new Sabre RGB Pro Wireless Champion Series mouse is the answer I’ve been looking for ever since I gifted away my Razer Viper Ultimate.
Retailing for $170, the Sabre RGB Pro Wireless Champion Series – let’s call it Sabre Pro Wireless for brevity – costs twice as much as its wired sibling which makes you wonder, is it twice the mouse? In some ways, yes and others not so much. For starters, the newer mouse adds Corsair’s Slipstream 2.4Ghz wireless, Bluetooth 5.0 and detachable USB cable.
A 2000Hz polling rate is double most gaming mice but still much slower than the wired Sabre Pro’s crazy 8oooHz. Even then, I doubt most of us would ever need such a high polling rate let alone feel the difference. So the new wireless connectivity already justifies a big chunk of the cost and there is more to like about the Sabre Pro Wireless but let’s not get too far ahead of ourselves.
Corsair Sabre Pro RGB Champion Series Wireless Gaming Mouse Review
Corsair really nailed the design of the Sabre Pro family. They are exceedingly comfortable to hold, especially for palm and claw grip styles. The higher arching back of the mouse nestles comfortably in your palm giving you the right amount of support without being big and unwieldy. The shape is almost symmetrical with tapered sides that allow your thumb and pinky to rest comfortably.
The main mouse buttons and thumb buttons have a slightly rougher texture than the rest of the mouse’s slick black plastic shell. The two thumb buttons are nice and chunky with a satisfying clickiness about them. The scroll wheel is likewise tactile and grippy with just enough resistance to it. Behind it sits the DPI switcher and an LED that lets you know which setting you’re on.
There are seven programmable buttons in total that you can customise in the Corsair iCUE app. The app allows you to record macros, adjust DPI, polling rate, RGB lighting and much more. These settings can then be saved as profiles to the mouse – up to five. The annoying thing is that you can’t save profiles unless the mouse is connected via the USB cable for some reason.
In terms of performance, there really isn’t anything you could complain about here. The Slipstream wireless is absurdly fast with latency under 1ms which is as close to a wired connection as you’ll get. Combined with the faster 2000Hz polling rate and the QuickStrike mechanical buttons even pro’s can use this mouse wirelessly for competitive play without issue.
The QuickStrike keys use OMRON mechanical switches and a zero gap between the switch and the mouse button for instantaneous response. The feel crisp and swift but not in a way that is noticeably better than any other gaming mouse in this tier. For sensor, the Sabre Pro Wireless uses a Marksman 26,000 DPI optical sensor which is a huge step up from the wired Sabre Pro’s 18000 DPI.
These are all pretty meaningless numbers in real world use where most of use can barely use the mouse above 2000 DPI in games. Nevertheless, this sensor with 650 IPS tracking is sublime. You get smoother motion and pinpoint accuracy whether you are popping off quick headshots in Halo Infinite or doing precise pixel graphic design work.
A very welcome addition to the Sabre Pro Wireless is the inclusion of Bluetooth connectivity. This is perfect for using the mouse with a secondary device like a laptop, removing the hassle of having to shift the tiny USB dongle around. The connection is rock solid and works just fine in games though if you are playing twitch shooter then stick with Slipstream. Note that one of the coolest things about Slipstream is that you can use up to three different Corsair devices with a single dongle. This is such a great port saver and I enjoyed using my Corsair HS80 headset and this mouse together without any issues in connection at all.
Battery life on the Sabre Pro Wireless is decent at 60 hours with Slipstream and 30 hours more if you are using just Bluetooth – probably more if you turn off the RGB backlighting and tone down the polling rate. In my testing I was doing a mixture of both and the mouse easily got 70 hours or roughly an entire week’s worth of use out of it. I know other mice out there last well over 100 hours on a charge or even 450 hours in the case of the Razer Orochi V2. Nevertheless, this battery life isn’t bad at all.
My only complaint is that Corsair didn’t opt for a charging puck design like the kind Razer uses. It would be very convenient to just plop the mouse down on it every night before going to bed and never worry about running out of charge. The Sabre Pro Wireless also doesn’t have any kind of quick charge.
Thankfully, Corsair smartly used a USB Type-C interface on the mouse so you could even use your phone charger to top it up if you wanted. I really do like Corsair’s bundled Paracord USB cables – they are braided for extra strength and they barely cause drag on your desk so a dead battery will never really keep you from the action.
Verdict
At the end of the day, I’m super happy with the new Sabre Pro Wireless Champion Series mouse. Corsair has captured that magic that Razer did when they made the Viper and then the Viper Ultimate. This wireless iteration is worth every penny of the premium over its wired sibling especially because of the multiple wireless connections, excellent performance, ergonomic design and polished look. It’s easily one of the best wireless gaming mice you can buy and my new daily driver.
