A few years after the first Sabre model came out in 2016, Corsair has returned with its mid-range gaming mouse, and it's just as excellent as it is simple. Eschewing the original model's bulkier design for a less flashy and much more sleek form factor, the Corsair Sabre RGB Pro Champion Series performs admirably for its relatively affordable price.
The latest gaming mouse from Corsair is incredibly adaptable and versatile: Players can functionally use the Sabre straight out of the box with ease, while also being able to fully customize to their preferences. Paired with Corsair's iCUE management software, the Sabre redesign in 2021 has very few downsides as a visually modest but functionally capable gaming mouse. For $59.99, the Corsair Sabre RGB Pro Champion Series mouse is a comfortable claw/palm grip mouse that's both subtle and well-featured.
The Sabre RGB Pro is the dedicated FPS and MOBA gaming mouse from Corsair's Champion Series line, and is meant to serve its purpose efficiently and affordably. There's no major thrills or extraneous qualities with the mouse's visual or functional design, and that's exactly the point. The Sabre is very much an out-of-the-box workhorse, with DPI presets pre-installed and fully customizable, along with functional but largely subtle RGB lighting. At $59.99 MSRP, this light but durable mouse doesn't offer much in the way of style, but the Sabre RGB Pro gets the job done quite well.
Compared to the previous Corsair Sabre model, the 2021 RGB Pro version is much lighter, less bulky, and a far more simplistic design. The updated Sabre RGB Pro eschews the thumb rest from the previous Sabre for a smaller form factor, and also moves the DPI cycle button from the side of the left click button to under the middle scroll wheel. The only downside to that placement is that there's only one cycle button instead of two, meaning users will need to cycle through DPI presets five times to return back to a previous setting.
Other than that, the new Sabre design allows the mouse to be much lighter, thinner, and taller, which is overall more comfortable for palm and claw grip ergonomics. The form factor also seems like it would be an ideal ambidextrous design, but so far there's only a right-handed model available. The mouse also specifically has a "drag-reducing paracord" cable, which makes a small but tangible improvement when it comes to high-movement or aiming situations.
Functionally speaking, the accuracy at all DPI stages is pretty comparable to most higher-end FPS and/or MOBA mice out there. The Sabre RGB Pro utilizes an on-board "AXON" hyper-processing tech that utilizes 8,000Hz hyper-polling, which allows for smooth movement and mouse acceleration, and impressively low latency (<0.115ms). Pair that with the mouse's low weight (around 74g), and the Sabre RGB is pretty agile in most situations.
It's also worth noting that the customizability found in the iCUE software, Corsair's peripheral interface, is really versatile. Players can customize any of the five DPI stages to any sensitivity between 100 and 18,000 DPI, as well as set different sensitivities for the X and Y axis at each stage. Players can bind key assignments (shortcuts) to every button on the mouse, including the DPI toggle switch, which makes the Sabre very adaptable to whatever players' preferences are. Pair that with the usual bells and whistles of RGB control, lighting effects, calibration, and more, and the Sabre's customizability suite in iCUE is really impressive.
Compared to the original 2016 model, the Corsair Sabre RGB Pro is much more workman-like, to great effect. Players looking to snag an affordable, no-frills, and absolutely capable gaming mouse should certainly consider picking up the Sabre RGB Pro. Performance is generally fantastic, though the only major downside is the reduction to one toggleable DPI switch instead of two on the previous model. Other than that, the only other major downside is, aesthetically speaking, the mouse is very basic and doesn't have a whole lot of visual bells and whistles. Despite this, the Sabre RGB Pro is a subtle and efficient gaming mouse that will get the job done quite well.
The Corsair Sabre RGB Pro Champion Series is available now for $59.99. Game Rant was provided a Corsair Sabre RGB Pro Champion Series unit for review purposes.