Razer's New Cross-Platform Wireless Gaming Earbuds Are THX Certified
We may receive a commission on purchases made from links.
Razer has been hard at work earning your dollars and a reputation for being a one-stop shop for streamers and gamers. The gaming accessory maker is back with another audio product that it claims will improve your game: the Razer Hammerhead Pro HyperSpeed, a follow-up to its original gaming-ready true wireless buds.
You're getting a pair of cross-platform wireless earbuds with a 2.4 GHz wireless connection to your PC, PlayStation 4 and PS5, Nintendo Switch, or Steam Deck. That HyperSpeed moniker attests to its sub-40 ms latency compared to Bluetooth, which means you shouldn't notice much delay between what you're hearing and seeing. You'll need the included HyperSpeed dongle to achieve those speeds, but you also get decently speedy 60 ms transmission performance with Bluetooth 5.3 in gaming mode. That flexibility is ideal if you want to use them to jam out to music on your phone or for casual gaming when you don't care to tote an extra piece.
Compared to the original Hammerhead buds, Razer packed these with 10 mm drivers boasting THX certification. That means they meet a minimum sound quality standard that measures frequency response, distortion, and isolation. For the latter, Razer included hybrid active noise cancellation with ambient aware mode, the strength of which you can tune using a slider within the companion app. The Hammerhead Pro HyperSpeed will run you $199.99, which is $50 more than the original and about as expensive as a pair of on-sale AirPods Pro. You can buy a pair from Razer starting today, including through Amazon.
The new Hammerhead earbuds pack Chroma color tech
Other neat features include Razer Chroma RGB lighting, offering 16.8 million different shades for you to customize the outward appearance of your buds. You'll also be able to customize the lighting patterns and sync them with in-game lighting effects in certain titles. How enjoyable is it when you won't see them in your ears? Unless, for some reason, you game while facing a mirror, perhaps not at all, but it's a cool inclusion for those watching along, say, while you're streaming.
As for longevity, Razer is advertising up to 6.5 hours of playback on Bluetooth while playing music without ANC or Chroma lighting effects, plus an extra 24 hours from the case. That drops to about 3.5 + 13 case hours with both on.
While using the HyperSpeed dongle, battery life drops to four and 14.5 hours for the buds and case with all effects off, respectively, and three plus 11 hours with everything on. These numbers aren't great compared to other true wireless earbuds in contention, but they're a solid improvement over the original Hammerhead buds, and these add 15W Qi wireless charging in the case (there's also USB-C) to make charging easier.