On one end of the gaming mouse spectrum, you have mice specialising in lightweight, low-latency capabilities that are purely built to be as fast and reliable at aiming and clicking as possible, and on the other it’s all about having unique ergonomics, as many buttons, and as much configurability as possible, weight and wires be damned. I’ve mostly preferred the latter category over the last few years, and it’s hard to imagine going any other way after I’ve gotten used to the convenience of a super customisable mouse. Spending time with the Corsair M75 Air has me reconsidering my needs, and I’ve been surprised at how a difference a lightweight wireless mouse makes in my day-to-day.
Corsair mice are solidly built and sleekly designed, and the M75 Air wireless mouse is no exception. Our review model has a sleek black build that’s fully plastic, but hardly lacking in premium feel. After having a glowing, RGB-filled mouse on my desk for so many years, the minimalist blacks of the M75 body, broken up only by the pop of colour from the neon-green plastic inside the scroll wheel was a really refreshing combo. That all-plastic build is a major contributor to how weightless this mouse is, too. Clocking in at just around 60 grams, it feels like nothing in your hands, making it easy to grip it in whatever method you prefer and still have full control over the movement and consistency of your aiming and pointing.
In terms of size, the M75 Air comes in at a similar volume to other Corsair mouse products. As someone with particularly big hands, a claw grip on the M75 can be a bit finicky and uncomfortable, but more natural resting or hovering positions feel reliable and plenty comfortable. There are just two programmable side-buttons on the left side of the otherwise symmetrical mouse, and while the small number of buttons is a bit of a downside, their positioning is perfect (unless you’re left handed). The buttons are raised, extra-wide, and curved along the edge of the mouse. No matter your resting hand position, you’ll almost certainly have your thumb naturally resting near the buttons, making it so simple and natural to use them during intense gameplay or hasty work sessions.
Despite being so light, this is still a wireless mouse with battery built-in. There’s no concerns over this adding latency to your gaming sessions, thanks to a 1,000Hz polling rate when using the USB dongle that ensures it’s consistent and effectively instantaneously responsive – even the most dedicated FPS aficionados will have a good time with this piece of hardware, though cabled mice can go much, much higher. That polling rate comes with a hit to the battery life, and the M75 Air operates for up to 34 hours before needing a recharge, but if your focus is on productivity you can switch to Bluetooth and get up to 100 hours instead. That’s far from the months that some heftier mice are able to get from a battery, but recharging via USB-C will have you back at 100% in 75 minutes.
While the lack of more programmable side-buttons on the M75 Air is a minor disappointment, the lack of a profile/DPS switcher button is a much bigger oversight. Corsair products have highly customizable software profiles via the included iCue program, but you’re likely going to want to have multiple DPI or sensitivity options for your mouse depending on when you’re working or what you’re playing. Having no easy way to swap between those on the hardware is a bit of a pain.
There’s a lot of competition for a spot on a gamer’s desk these days, and the M75 Air’s £100 / $100 price point has got a lot of great options out there with variations and different features. There’s the regular M75 Wireless, which is a bit pricier at $130, and weighs 90g, but has three times the battery life, RGB and more buttons. Then there’s the Logitech G Pro which has a similarly restrained design and touts a 48hr battery life with onboard profiles – it’s also very regularly on offer, which can brings its newer revisions down to £100 as well. There’s also the Steelseries Aerox 3, which is full of holes, so it can dedicate those precious grams to RGB lighting and a whopping 200 hour battery.
