Corsair Katar Elite Wireless Gaming Mouse Review

Corsair's Katar Elite Wireless features a powerful sensor and low latency wireless, making it a mid-range wireless gaming mouse to consider.

Corsair Katar Elite Wireless Gaming Mouse
Published Nov 11, 2022 4:50 PM CST   |   Updated Mon, Dec 5 2022 3:35 PM CST
Manufacturer: Corsair (CH-931C111)
6 minute read time
TweakTown's Rating: 90%
TweakTown award

The Bottom Line

From its lightweight build to its impressive and accurate sensor, the Corsair Katar Elite Wireless is a step forward for the Corsair Katar range. And a great choice for those that claw-grip.

Pros

  • + Powerful and accurate sensor
  • + Lightweight ambidextrous build
  • + Low latency wireless
  • + Excellent switches and great click feel
  • + Not too expensive

Cons

  • - More suited for those that finger or claw-grip
  • - The finish is prone to pick-up fingerprints
  • - The scroll wheel is a tad stiff

Should you buy it?

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Introduction & Specification Details and Close-up

When it comes to a gaming mouse, there was a time when choosing to go wire-free meant adding weight to support batteries, seeing a reduction in latency, and making a few performance sacrifices here and there. Nothing that would cause any sort of noticeable impact on day-to-day usage or playing some games, but we're talking about an era where games like Quake existed. So, responsiveness was a priority, and wireless was a step-down for those serious about gaming.

The good news is that as resolutions have increased, alongside display refresh rates, wireless tech has followed suit. Smash cut to 2022, and the only real major difference between a wired high-performance mouse versus a wireless high-performance mouse is pricing.

Corsair Katar Elite Wireless Gaming Mouse Review 1

With some great hardware under the hood in the form of low-latency Slipstream Wireless and a new sensor, and a digital-wallet-friendly price-point of USD 79.99 - the new Corsair Katar Elite Wireless might just be the high-performance wireless gaming mouse you're looking for. It's also versatile, with long-lasting Bluetooth and even wired USB support for some play-and-charge action.

When coupled with the lightweight build, it's something you could easily take on the go or pair with a gaming laptop. The wireless dongle can also be stored on the underside of the Corsair Katar Elite Wireless for storage and quick access, which is handy because it's one of those tiny, almost invisible dongles tailor-made for laptops.

Specifications & Close Up

  • Product Type: Gaming Mouse
  • Interface: Wireless, Bluetooth, USB
  • Sensor: MARKSMAN 26K Optical
  • DPI: 26000
  • IPS: 650
  • Max Acceleration: 50G
  • Switch: Omron switches
  • Buttons: 6 programmable
  • Mouse Feet: PTFE
  • Lighting: 1 Zone RGB
  • Dimensions: 115.8 x 64.2 x 37.8 mm
  • Weight: 69 grams (w/out cable and accessories)
  • Battery Life: 2.4GHz SLIPSTREAM: Up to 60hrs continuous use, BLUETOOTH: Up to 110hrs continuous use
  • In the Box: KATAR ELITE WIRELESS Gaming Mouse, USB charging and data cable (1.8m), Wireless USB transceiver
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Kosta's Test System Specifications

  • Motherboard: MSI MAG X670E Carbon Wi-Fi
  • CPU: AMD Ryzen 9 7900X
  • GPU: NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 Founders Edition
  • Cooler: Corsair iCUE H100i RGB PRO XT Liquid CPU Cooler
  • RAM: 64GB (4x32GB) Corsair DOMINATOR PLATINUM RGB DDR5 DRAM 5200MHz
  • SSD: Kingston FURY Renegade PCIe 4.0 NVMe M.2 SSD 2TB
  • Power Supply: Thermaltake Toughpower GF1 850W
  • Case: Thermaltake Core P3 Tempered Glass Snow
  • OS: Microsoft Windows 11 Pro 64-bit
Buy at Amazon

Corsair Katar Elite Wireless Gaming Mouse

TodayYesterday7 days ago30 days ago
$79.99$79.99$79.99
* Prices last scanned on 12/26/2022 at 3:51 pm CST - prices may not be accurate, click links above for the latest price. We may earn an affiliate commission.

Design, Sensor, & Software

Design

A gaming mouse can come in various sizes, from ergonomic shapes that fit the entire palm of your hand to small ambidextrous efforts built for multi-purpose speed and use. Corsair's new Katar Elite Wireless falls into the latter category, with an overall size that is smaller than most full-sized products on the market. Corsair has also managed to keep the overall weight down to an impressively lightweight 69 grams, which makes it an ultralight perfectly suited for fast-paced shooters, battle royales, and MOBAs. That is if the ambidextrous fingertip grip-style suits.

Corsair Katar Elite Wireless Gaming Mouse Review 2

The design is simple in how it looks and performs, with six buttons, including the DPI switch and scroll-wheel click - for minimal no fuss action. The left and right sides feature textured grips, which are great for claw-grip fans, but the overall plastic body and finish are prone to fingerprint marks. To the point where even after a couple of minutes, you can begin to see the smudgy finger marks. A shame because the build quality here is great, and the clicks have a nice feel, backed up by 60-million-click-rated Omron switches, and a scroll wheel with a nice rubberized soft finish.

Outside of the color-coded DPI indicator, the Corsair Katar Elite Wireless features a single RGB zone, the Corsair logo. This is fully customizable, alongside reprogramming the six-available buttons via Corsair's iCue software.

Sensor

The Corsair Katar Elite Wireless is the next version and a step up from the Corsair Katar Pro Wireless, which retails for the cheaper price of USD 49.99. Outside of the 'Elite' tag, there's no real visual difference between the two outside of the lighter weight that comes from moving away from the Pro's use of AA batteries for power. Inside, though, it's a very different story, with the Corsair Katar Elite Wireless featuring the new Corsair Marksman optical sensor that not only ups the DPI to 26K from 10K but also supports up to 650 IPS tracking speed and 50G of acceleration.

Corsair Katar Elite Wireless Gaming Mouse Review 6

All three of these stats are well above what you would expect to find in a wireless gaming mouse and work well with the Slipstream Wireless tech deployed - which supports 2,000Hz Hyper-Polling. The included dongle supports multiple connections, too, so if you're running more than one Corsair peripheral, it'll help free up a spare USB port. The up to 2,000Hz Hyper-Polling rate helps keep latency down to less than 1ms, which is remarkable considering 1,000Hz has been the gold standard for a few years now.

Software

Like all Corsair products, the Corsair Katar Elite Wireless makes use of Corsair's iCue software for customization and even setup - including updating the firmware to the latest version for both the mouse and dongle. There are separate settings for the Slipstream Wireless USB Receiver, which lets you manage what devices are paired and adjust the polling rate. In terms of the Katar Elite Wireless, you've got full control over all buttons, features, and settings.

Corsair Katar Elite Wireless Gaming Mouse Review 13

In iCue, you can remap or disable each of the buttons easily by right-clicking on the corresponding button in the UI and making a few selections from the main Key Assignments menu. iCue is robust and powerful and easily one of the most in-depth bits of software currently available from a pure hardware perspective. However, it does take some time to get used to because the UI isn't the most intuitive. Once you figure out where everything is, you can quickly adjust DPI increments, change the RGB lighting and even do some surface calibration.

Corsair Katar Elite Wireless Gaming Mouse Review 14

Strangely, even though the Corsair Katar Elite Wireless brings some major hardware revisions to the table over the previous Pro model, there's only room for a single profile to be stored on the actual mouse. This is a shame if you want to make major game-specific changes and be able to switch on-the-fly. All in all, iCue integration adds a big layer of customization on top of the Corsair Katar Elite Wireless's out-of-the-box features, and the quick Device Settings window provides easy access to battery saving modes, RGB brightness, and things like lift height.

Gaming Performance and Productivity

Gaming Performance

If your preferred style is ambidextrous with a fingertip and claw-style grip, then firing up a game like Overwatch 2 with the Corsair Katar Elite Wireless will no doubt impress. Corsair's Marksman optical sensor is not only powerful but responsive and precise, with just about zero latency or issues with connectivity. The switches are also great, with a great click feel that's responsive. The lightweight 69-gram build is also wonderful for first-person shooters or action games where fast and precise movement is called for.

Corsair Katar Elite Wireless Gaming Mouse Review 3

Being limited to six buttons isn't an issue for games like CS: Go or even Apex Legends, other titles tested for this review, though the scroll wheel does feel a bit stiffer than other models we've tested. The lack of on-board profiles does make it seem like a single-genre device, but you'd be hard-pressed to find a style of game where suing the Katar Elite doesn't feel great. Underneath the Corsair Katar Elite Wireless, you'll find generous PFTE feet coverage, which makes for a smooth and precise glide.

For this review, we were able to pair the Katar Elite with the Corsair MM700 cloth gaming mouse pad - which, although it features some RGB action, impresses because of its uniform surface feel. Having a high-quality pad helps make the most out of a high-end sensor like the Marksman 26K and brings precision to the fore.

Productivity

Being able to adjust the polling rate and even make quick DPI adjustments in increments of 50 without the need for software makes the Corsair Katar Elite Wireless more than serviceable for day-to-day use. The stiffer scroll wheel also doesn't feel out of place when browsing. It has a great "wheel feel" when you're not gaming.

Having a high-end sensor will always be overkill if all you're doing is responding to a few emails, but there's nothing wrong with high-end precision and super-accurate tracking and performance if the alternative is not that. Laptop-wise, the Bluetooth functionality and lightweight 69-gram build also make the Katar Elite a wonderful alternative to a trackpad.

Final Thoughts

There's a lot of 2022 in the Corsair Katar Elite Wireless, a new high-end sensor with excellent tracking and sensitivity, in addition to the Slipstream Wireless tech that allows multiple devices to connect with just about zero latency. And with a price point of USD 79.99, there's a lot of versatility and value to be found, from the long-lasting battery to Bluetooth and the ability to make DPI adjustments without the need for software.

Corsair Katar Elite Wireless Gaming Mouse Review 10

The 69-gram weight does make it the most comfortable Katar mouse to use too, which is nice. That said, the Katar Elite's small form factor and ambidextrous design mean that it's more suited to those that prefer a specific style of grip. If that sounds like you, well, it's hard to fault the Corsair Katar Elite Wireless outside of a few minor quirks - like the prone-to-smudge finish and the ability to store a single profile. As a revision and step forward for the Katar range, though, it's a winner. And comes highly recommended.

Buy at Amazon

Performance

90%

Quality

90%

Features

85%

Value

95%

Overall

90%

The Bottom Line

From its lightweight build to its impressive and accurate sensor, the Corsair Katar Elite Wireless is a step forward for the Corsair Katar range. And a great choice for those that claw-grip.

TweakTown award
90%

Corsair Katar Elite Wireless Gaming Mouse

TodayYesterday7 days ago30 days ago
$79.99$79.99$79.99
* Prices last scanned on 12/26/2022 at 3:51 pm CST - prices may not be accurate, click links above for the latest price. We may earn an affiliate commission.

Kosta might be a relatively new member of TweakTown, but he’s a veteran gaming journalist that cut his teeth on well-respected Aussie publications like PC PowerPlay and HYPER back when articles were printed on paper. A lifelong gamer since the 8-bit Nintendo era, it was the CD-ROM-powered 90s that cemented his love for all things games and technology. From point-and-click adventure games to RTS games with full-motion video cut-scenes and FPS titles referred to as Doom clones. Genres he still loves to this day. Kosta is also a musician, releasing dreamy electronic jams under the name Kbit.

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