Razer is finest identified for its LED-packed gaming computer systems and equipment like mice and keyboards, however the firm can be making a identify for itself on the subject of wi-fi headphones. Today the corporate is asserting an up to date model of its Hammerhead True Wireless Earbuds that add noise cancellation and an improved in-ear design, plus the corporate’s signature design function: color-changing LEDs.

If you’re rolling your eyes at that final function, which illuminates the Razer brand on every earbud, you’re not alone. On paper it appears like nothing greater than a gimmick to assist drum up some additional publicity for the upgraded earbuds, and for probably the most half it’s—the function isn’t particularly helpful for the person, who can’t really see the LEDs glowing whereas carrying the buds. But the gimmick isn’t a dealbreaker. The LEDs is likely to be principally pointless (and will be turned off), however the earbuds themselves are incredible, with high-end options like lively noise cancellation and absolutely adjustable EQ for simply $130. Unless you’re feeling beholden to funnel all of your cash to Apple, there’s little motive to go for AirPods any extra.

Upgraded In-Ear Design With Better Fit

Razer’s unique Hammerhead True Wireless Earbuds had been kind of a clone of the unique Apple AirPods, together with the half in-ear design that many discovered unattainable to comfortably put on with out the buds falling out. For the brand new model of the Hammerhead True Wireless Earbuds, Razer has switched to a design just like the Razer Hammerhead True Wireless Pro Earbuds from final 12 months, which makes use of silicone ear suggestions with three totally different dimension choices included so customers can get a safer match in addition to a wonderful seal that improves noise cancellation.

Compared to the Nothing Ear (1) and the Apple AirPods Pro, the brand new Hammerhead True Wireless Earbuds are a few of the bigger earbuds on the market with an prolonged stem design, however they’re nonetheless mild sufficient that you just barely really feel them in your ears. I haven’t had any points with them falling out, even throughout a jog.

Let’s Talk About Those LEDs

Aside from possibly trying flashier throughout a Twitch stream, or standing out in a rave (though neither is a state of affairs the place you’d really put on wi-fi earbuds) I can’t consider a sensible motive why Razer included color-changing LEDs other than company branding. But it’s Razer’s factor, they usually’ve gone the additional mile to incorporate a number of totally different LED results on these earbuds.

Using the Razer ChromaRGB cellular app on a smartphone—sure, there are two separate cellular apps for configuring these earbuds—you may set the LEDs to a glow a selected colour, slowly cycle by way of the colour spectrum, create a delicate respiration impact that shifts between two totally different colours, and even flash in response to the beats of the music you’re listening to love a graphic equalizer.

I’ll begrudgingly admit that seeing the Audio Meter mode in motion is sort of neat, however you may solely see it while you’re not really carrying the buds—solely others can, they usually can’t hear what you’re listening to, so to them the flashing simply seems fully random.

Furthermore (and to its credit score, Razer could be very up entrance about this) turning the LED options on is definitely detrimental to the earbuds’ battery life. With the LEDs and ANC turned off, the brand new Hammerhead True Wireless Earbuds promise shut to six.5 hours of playback on buds alone, or as much as 32.5 hours when paired with the charging case. That’s near the 34 hours in whole that Nothing guarantees with its $99 Ear (1) wi-fi earbuds, and significantly better than the 24 hours Apple guarantees with the $249 AirPods Pro. With the LEDs turned on, nonetheless, you’ll sacrifice a full hour of battery life on buds alone, and also you’ll lose 5 hours of additional playback time when utilizing the charging case. It’s not a major drop, however it’s a drop nonetheless, and given wi-fi earbuds already wrestle with battery life, I’m undecided who would ever willingly flip the Hammerhead True Wireless Earbuds’ LEDs on.

A Bulkier Charging Case

If there was one criticism to be made about Razer’s new Hammerhead True Wireless Earbuds it’s that the charging case has gained a little bit of bulk. The unique model included a smaller case through which the earbuds may lay inside, however the brand new model is a bit bigger to accommodate the buds standing side-by-side vertically.

It’s not the largest charging case I’ve tried to squeeze in a pocket, however it’s a bit bigger than the AirPods Pro charging case, with out the comfort of wi-fi charging. You’ll have to insert a USB-C cable within the backside everytime you wish to cost it up, and whereas it’s not a significant inconvenience, Qi wi-fi charging is now a function you’ll discover on wi-fi earbuds below $100.

Smaller Drivers, Wonderfully Big Sound

The unique Razer Hammerhead True Wireless Earbuds included beastly 13-millimeter drivers however for the brand new model these have been decreased to 10mm, which continues to be shut in dimension to what you’ll discover inside $300 wi-fi earbuds just like the Master & Dynamic MW08s. Despite the small drop in driver dimension, the brand new Hammerhead True Wireless Earbuds sound actually incredible with each punchy highs and bass replica that actually thump in your ears, however they nonetheless handle to ship a well-balanced and really satisfying sound that additionally doesn’t distort while you’ve obtained the quantity irresponsibly cranked. They not solely sound nice for $130 wi-fi earbuds, they sound virtually pretty much as good because the premium choices from corporations charging nicely north of $250 for his or her earbuds.

I used to be equally impressed with the Razer Audio app that features all of the options I’ve come to count on from a headphone app, together with the flexibility to show lively noise cancellation and ambient sound boosting on and off with out having to memorize a collection of faucets on the earbuds themselves, and the flexibility to alter what options these faucets and multi-taps really set off. The app additionally permits you to activate Razer’s ‘Gaming Mode,’ which guarantees to cut back the latency between what’s taking place in a recreation and the audio being wirelessly delivered to your ears to simply 60ms so there’s minimal lag between the 2. Razer guarantees the function received’t diminish the standard of the audio, though battery life does take one other hit.

Unlike the app that’s accessible for Nothings new Ear (1) wi-fi earbuds, the Razer Audio app permits you to change between equalizer modes like “Enhanced Bass,” “Vocal,” and “Enhanced Clarity,” or create your individual customized EQ combine utilizing 10 totally different sliders that every management a special frequency vary. I’d be stunned to search out anybody who had a criticism with how the Razer Hammerhead True Wireless Earbuds sound out of the field, however with full EQ customizability, anybody can tweak the sound to their very own preferences. At this level each single pair of wi-fi headphones and earbuds with an accompanying app ought to supply this performance.

The lively noise cancellation on the Razer Hammerhead True Wireless Earbuds is stable, and whereas I put it on par with the Apple AirPods Pro, I feel the $99 Nothing Ear (1) earbuds do a barely higher job at chopping out a bit extra of the decrease frequencies. But that was when evaluating the 2 aspect by aspect, and swapping the earbuds out and in. Were I to make use of the brand new Hammerheads in the future, after which change to the ear (1) the subsequent, there’d be little probability I may inform the 2 aside. If noise cancellation is particularly essential to you, you’ll get a lot higher outcomes with a pair of over-ear headphones. Call high quality was additionally stable, though everybody I spoke to may positively hear a small distinction between the Hammerheads versus speaking straight into my telephone.

Worth Buying?

Did Razer really want to stay color-changing LEDs in its wi-fi earbuds? Of course not. It’s a superfluous function that, if something, is a detriment to the efficiency of the brand new Hammerheads when it’s turned on. But the opposite upgrades and enhancements greater than make up for it. For $130 these are genuinely a wonderful pair of wi-fi earbuds which I’d really advocate over Razer’s Hammerhead True Wireless Pro Earbuds as a result of all you’re actually sacrificing is the THX certification, however saving $70 within the course of.