Corsair's Vanguard Air 99 Wireless is a brilliant gaming keyboard, but thanks to its clean, grown-up aesthetic, it also serves as a great companion for creators and home workers. This new offering from Corsair doesn't look like a typical gaming keyboard, and it isn't, as it incorporates key features that make it a solid option for creators too, despite some design quirks and its relatively steep price.
Corsair Vanguard Air 99 Wireless Design and Features
The Vanguard Air 99 is incredibly sleek for its feature set, measuring just 26.27mm thick, 137mm tall, and 425mm wide, and weighing less than 1kg (928g). Despite its slim design, it maintains a full 99% keyboard layout, cramming in almost everything expected from a full-size keyboard, aside from a few insignificant keys. It also houses a 1.9-inch IPS display, a volume roller, a full-size num pad, dedicated media keys, and six programmable SD-keys, totalling 108 keys.
The keys are Corsair's OPX Low-Profile Switches, featuring a 1.5mm actuation distance, 2.5mm total travel distance, and an actuation force of 45g. While optical keys offer speed advantages over mechanical switches by using infrared light to detect keypresses, they are not customisable, meaning users cannot adjust actuation distance. With a polling rate of up to 8k, FlashTap SOCD capability, and 2.4GHz wireless, Bluetooth, and USB connectivity, along with fully customisable RGB, it boasts all the features expected from a high-performance gaming keyboard, but in an incredibly sleek, smart, and grown-up design suitable for an office environment.
It also features virtual Stream Deck capabilities, allowing users to create shortcuts and customisable actions via Corsair's Web Hub, thanks to Corsair's integration with its sister company, Elgato. However, it does not work as seamlessly when the key itself does not change, unlike a traditional Stream Deck, requiring users to remember what they programmed for each key. Design and Features Score: 4.5/5
Corsair Vanguard Air 99 Wireless Performance
Thanks to five layers of internal sound-dampening and premium gasket mounting, the Vanguard Air 99 delivers a pleasant sound and feel for gaming, creating, and typing. The keys are not overly thocky; they sound slightly clickier but remain pleasant and not obnoxiously loud for shared workspaces. Gaming performance, bolstered by premium features like 8k polling and FlashTap, is fantastic, with rapid inputs, and the virtual Stream Deck offers benefits in certain games.
However, the cramped nature of the keyboard is less fantastic. While Corsair deserves praise for cramming so many keys onto the board, the keys are incredibly close together, often leading to hitting the wrong key in tense moments or mistyping words in emails. It takes considerable time to get used to, especially with the low-profile switches. Once hands adapt to the form factor, it becomes easier, but input accuracy is undeniably affected. The 1.9-inch screen is also basic and, lacking touchscreen capability, its utility is limited. It looks pretty and adds to the aesthetic, but many users may find themselves not using it at all. Additionally, the keys are not hot-swappable, a feature many manufacturers now offer to provide more upgrade and customisation options. Corsair's Web Hub software has been hit-or-miss, with inconsistent performance at times, though it remains an improvement over iCUE. Performance Score: 4/5
Corsair Vanguard Air 99 Wireless Value for Money
The Vanguard Air 99 Wireless has an RRP of £239.99/$259.99, placing it among the most premium gaming keyboards available. For comparison, keyboards like the Razer BlackWidow V4 Low-Profile HyperSpeed (£199.99/$199) and the Logitech G915 X LIGHTSPEED (£219.99/$259.99) offer similar features at a lower price, though they are not exact equivalents. Value for Money Score: 3.5/5
Corsair Vanguard Air 99 Wireless Overall Thoughts
Overall, the Corsair Vanguard Air 99 is a fantastic keyboard not only for gamers but also for creators and office workers who double as gamers. It is relatively expensive, may feel cramped for some users, and the small IPS screen is not particularly useful. However, the typing and gaming experience is impressive, especially considering its super-slim form factor. Overall Score: 4/5
