14 DAY TRIAL // Razer has so far impressed with its gaming hardware, but at the same time, the company has also tried to expand into some new markets where its products ended up competing against famous names from several other tech giants.
And the best example in this regard is none other than Razer’s lineup of earbuds, which despite their gaming focus, they can very well be alternatives to Apple’s AirPods and the Google Pixel Buds.
But let’s start with the essential information and then detail what the Hammerhead is all about.
First and foremost, the Razer Hammerhead True Wireless earbuds boast Razer’s DNA in all regards, starting with the Chroma RGB lighting that is integrated into each earbud. They support no less than 16.8 million colors, and the build quality is impressive, from the moment you open the case to the one you insert them into your ears.
The in-ear design is top-notch, and to be honest, I found Razer’s earbuds to be a lot more comfortable than many other models currently on the market. I used the standard ear tips that came with the earbuds, but on the other hand, there are several others included in the box just to make sure they fit any ear size and offer just the perfect level of comfort.
Choosing the right fit is more important than you’d be tempted to believe, not only as far as the comfort goes but also in terms of noise isolation. The earbuds come with active noise canceling, or ANC, which in theory is supposed to eliminate all distractions and the ambient noise and let you enjoy just the best quality of the sound you’re listening to.
But on the other hand, I found the ear tips to be much more effective than the ANC, as the noise-canceling system still lets some ambient noise go through on various occasions. So by choosing the right fit for the ear tips, you can therefore reduce the distractions even more in the simplest possible way.
Active Noise Cancellation is actually a new feature that’s exclusive to the 2021 version of the earbuds, as the original model launched in 2019 lacked such capabilities. The same from the Razer Chroma RGB, which is definitely a neat touch and makes the most of a Razer goodie that everybody now really loves.
The Hammerhead earbuds continue to feature a low-latency gaming mode, but to be honest, I think the compromise that you make in terms of battery life just isn’t worth it. By reducing the latency, the earbuds should be much more appropriate for gaming, but on the other hand, the impact on battery life per charge is substantial. I had to recharge the earbuds some 2 hours and a half when using the gaming mode, so at the end of the day, I would rather keep it disabled.
On the other hand, you could very well tweak the earbuds settings from the mobile companion app and optimize them without a built-in mode, therefore minimizing the power consumption.
The new earbuds come with touch controls, though they’re pretty basic and don’t even get close to similar capabilities boasted by the Mobvoi TicPods, for example. For instance, with a simple tap on either earbud, you can simply enable and disable ANC, but on the other hand, playback controls and other gestures aren’t supported simultaneously.
The mobile app, however, does allow you to remap touch gestures, while also offering a series of extras, such as battery information, firmware updates, and control the lighting effects.
The battery life provides mixed results depending on how you use the earbuds and their configuration. Razer says that if you use the lights on the earbuds as well as active noise canceling, you should get some 4 hours on the earbuds as well as 16 extra hours from the case (which by the way, is missing wireless charging).
As I said earlier, despite the gaming focus, some of Razer’s products end up competing with similar products from other companies that aren’t necessarily supposed to enhance the gaming experience.
For example, the earbuds are fitted with dual environmental noise-canceling microphones, which in theory make them a solid choice for things like meetings and online communications that have become so common these days. The performance of this feature is pretty solid, and given the earbuds are so comfortable, it’s pretty easy to use them not only for gaming but for your typical work activities too.
THE BOTTOM LINE
The Razer Hammerhead True Wireless earbuds are a solid evolution of the first-generation model, and without a doubt, if you’re looking for such a product in a low price range, they should be taken into consideration by any potential buyer not necessarily looking for AirPods-like quality.
Razer’s earbuds can be yours for $129.99, and at this price point, they seem to provide just a fair experience that doesn’t necessarily align with Razer’s high-end signature but which still serves its purpose just right.
At the end of the day, if you know exactly what to expect, the Hammerhead True Wireless earbuds are worth the money. If you expect a high-end experience, however, you may end up disappointed.
