Corsair Sabre v2 Pro review: 36g but maybe too lightweight on features

Corsair has become one of the biggest names in the PC hardware community — it makes everything from all-in-one liquid coolers to gaming mice, which is what we have today. The brand's latest stripped-down ultralightweight mouse is just 36g — significantly lighter than most of its competition — and, needless to say, you can't put much in the way of buttons or features in a mouse that weighs so little.

There's not a lot to say about the Corsair Sabre v2 Pro, as it's a pretty simple mouse: it has five buttons, an ultra-lightweight faux-symmetrical body, and it features Corsair's 33,000 DPI Marksman S optical sensor. It also offers up to an 8,000 Hz polling rate and up to 70 hours of battery life — though not at the same time, of course — and is available in white or black for $100.

Design and Comfort of the Sabre v2 Pro

Originally, I wasn’t a fan of the Sabre v2’s size. The mouse measures 4.69 inches (119mm) long by 2.46 inches (62.55mm) wide, and is 1.5 inches (38.21mm) thick, which makes it around the same size as the Razer Viper Mini. This isn't a bad thing, necessarily, but I just didn't expect it — it's quite small, especially compared to most mainstream gaming mice. However, I was pleasantly surprised to discover that the mouse's small size hasn't been an issue, even though I have pretty large hands.

The mouse features a pseudo-symmetrical design, with a mild hump and a slight flare at the ends. It's a standard five-button mouse, with two primary buttons, two thumb buttons, and a clickable scroll wheel. On the bottom of the mouse, you'll find a power switch and two medium strip-like UPE mouse feet.

Despite weighing only 1.27 ounces — 36g, which is much lighter than most of the ultra-light mice on the market today — the Corsair Sabre v2 Pro doesn’t feel cheap. It features a matte black finish, which isn't terribly exciting (it's the same finish you'll find on most gaming mice), but the body feels sturdy. It also has a notched scroll wheel and custom-designed tactile mechanical switches from Corsair, which are rated for up to 100 million clicks. The scroll wheel didn't stand out to me, but I found the switches to be very nice.

The Corsair Sabre v2 Pro comes with a few accessories in the box: pre-cut grip tape, extra mouse skates, and an 8,000 Hz wireless dongle.

Performance and Software of the Sabre v2 Pro

The Corsair Sabre v2 Pro is a smooth operator. It was very comfortable while browsing the internet and gaming. Prior to receiving the Sabre, I was using the Cougar Revenger 4k, which uses PTFE skates, while this mouse utilizes UPE. I don't use a mouse pad, and the Sabre v2 Pro glided so smoothly and accurately that I think I'll be looking for mice with UPE skates in the future.

The Corsair Sabre v2 Pro features the brand's Corsair Marksman S optical sensor, which has a maximum resolution of 33,000 DPI and a maximum speed of 750 IPS, and can handle up to 50 G's of force. The mouse also features a wireless polling rate of 8,000 Hz — though this will obviously deplete the mouse's battery life significantly faster than the standard 1,000 Hz polling rate. You can expect about 70 hours of battery life with a 1,000 Hz polling rate — which isn't particularly impressive, but is decent for a mouse that only weighs 36g — but that drops to just 16 hours with an 8,000 Hz polling rate.

To test the Corsair Sabre v2 Pro, I spent at least five hours playing Battlefield 4 in preparation for the franchise's sixth installment. I didn’t have to make any tweaks to the mouse — except for adding a snipe feature to my back button — for it to be a great sidekick in-game. I will point out that the mouse is very simple — there's no built-in button for toggling between profiles or DPI steps: you'll need to set up the mouse before launching your game, which might be frustrating for those who switch between multiple games.

The mouse was comfortable and performed very well for gaming — quick and smooth, and it never felt awkward or difficult to maneuver, which was surprising because I have large hands and tend to use a palm grip. Still, the mouse was lightweight, speedy, and comfortable enough that I didn't think about the size at all beyond my initial impression.

Specs

Features and Software of the Sabre v2 Pro

The Corsair Sabre v2 Pro is customizable via Corsair's Web Hub — which is a web-based software. Yes — Corsair has decided to ditch iCue in favor of a web-based "software" that requires internet connectivity to work. I'm not a fan of this choice at all, as it puts your peripheral settings in the hands of Corsair's servers — which could be subject to blackouts or potential security risks. Also, what if you're trying to update or change your mouse's settings and you don't have internet access? As there's no button for switching between profiles or DPI on the mouse, this seems like it has a lot of potential to be a big hassle.

That said, Corsair's Web Hub works fine — though I found it to be somewhat barren and uninspired (I thought iCue was pretty cool, though not everyone agrees with me). But it is a fairly simple mouse, so there's not much to change — you can remap keys, switch DPI, and change settings such as polling rate using the Web Hub. Still, this mouse is so simple that I wish I didn't have to go online to change just a handful of settings.

The Bottom Line

The Corsair Sabre v2 Pro is a stripped-down, extremely lightweight mouse that performs very well. It was incredibly smooth and accurate in my testing — even smoother if you're the kind of person who notices the difference between 1,000 Hz and 8,000 Hz polling rates (I'll admit I'm not, and so 8,000 Hz polling rates seem like a gimmick to me). I found it very comfortable and natural to use despite its smaller-than-average size and fairly generic design.

But I don't see it overtaking Razer's DeathAdder line (both the DeathAdder V4 Pro and the older DeathAdder V3 Pro are next-level natural-feeling)... or even the brand's own Katar Pro XT. The Corsair Sabre v2 Pro is still $100 — that's not exactly cheap, though it is about $30 less than the Glorious Series 2 Pro Wireless, which also features 8K wireless polling rates and is a similar size and shape (but weighs 55g). (The Series 2 Pro Wireless does have a DPI switch and an extra button for switching profiles, though.)