Corsair Sabre RGB Pro review: "Lightweight, fast, and incredibly satisfying"

Designed to offer the lightweight profile and lightning-fast click speeds required by competitive FPS and MOBA titles, the Corsair Sabre RGB Pro certainly excels in its experience. There’s plenty to love here, from the tactile switches to the integration with Corsair’s iCUE software - even the cable is drag-free to offer very little resistance even from the largest of motions. It’s worth noting, though, that if you’re after more than a simple attention to speed you’ll find more customizable options on the market for less right now on our guide to the best gaming mouse.

Features

Boasting an 18K DPI sensor with three quick shift settings, the Sabre RGB Pro certainly ups the ante of the already speedy 10,000 DPI of the previous model. The result is beautifully responsive on the highest setting possible - perfect for those high octane moments, while still smooth and snappy on the middle setting as well. 

Sure, brands like Logitech and Razer (and also some Corsair models) can offer DPI sensors reaching 25,000. But add the 74g weight to this equation and the Sabre Pro quickly starts to shine through. It’s far lighter than other gaming mice offering faster DPI speeds, save perhaps for the Razer Viper 8K Hz ultralight models, making for an incredibly speedy experience with incredible accuracy and easy sweeping gestures.

The Sabre RGB Pro also features Corsair’s ‘QuickStrike’ switches, which offer very little travel with every click and work elegantly in tandem with Axon processing for a speedy response as well. 

If you’re looking to dig into the macros here, though, you may be a little disappointed. While standard for FPS-designed pointers, the Sabre RGB Pro only offers two programmable thumb buttons and a scroll wheel button for customization. If you want more buttons to play with, you're better off looking at the Corsair Dark Core RGB Pro or the Razer Naga Pro.

Design

The new Sabre RGB Pro certainly streamlines the design of the original Sabre model. You’re getting a fairly long form factor here, and one that suits a palm grip particularly well. However, the length also extends to the two main buttons which will suit a claw grip too.

Unfortunately, it’s worth noting that the two thumb buttons along the left are a little too far down for smaller hands to reach in this claw grip. Similarly, the DPI switch is placed quite far below the scroll wheel which meant we had to adjust our grip significantly to reach. If you love a good on-the-fly DPI switch, this might be something to watch out for. 

Performance

With a super-lightweight design, 18K sensor, and that QuickStrike switch technology, the Sabre RGB Pro can certainly be an intimidating force in the arena. Not only that, but the very little travel in each surprisingly satisfying click makes every twitch reflex feel just as good as it - probably - looked. While the sensitivity of the macro buttons on the side doesn’t quite match, they certainly offer a responsive click, if slightly heavier to avoid unwanted presses.

It's that combination of tactile actuation and lightweight speed that makes the performance of the Sabre RGB Pro so impressive. Sure, you're not getting the highest DPI in the world, but the sensors never felt lacking during particularly heated Doom Eternal sessions or during timing-critical plays on Overwatch. 

While it may be wired, the cable never felt like it got in the way of a wider sweep either. Corsair boasts that its threaded wire is 'drag-free', and while there will always be the setbacks of a wire getting caught on the corner of a keyboard or desk (there's a reason we're fans of the best wireless gaming mouse), there was no rubbery pull holding us back. 

Should you buy the Corsair Sabre RGB Pro?

The Corsair Sabre RGB Pro offers up an excellent experience considering the fact that this one hails from a line of cheaper pointers. While some may be put off by slower specs on paper (though an 18K DPI is certainly nothing to be discounted straight away), the lightweight body and snappy, responsive switches certainly remove that doubt the moment it's plugged in. 

If you're after a speedy, FPS-oriented gaming mouse but don't want to break the bank, this is certainly a worthy choice.