Why you can trust TechRadar
We spend hours testing every product or service we review, so you can be sure you’re buying the best. Find out more about how we test.
Astro A20 X: Two-minute review
The Astro A20 X is basically a jazzed-up version of the Logitech G522 Lightspeed – but is that such a bad thing? That latter headset is, in my eyes, one of the best wireless gaming headsets of the year, and many of its strongest qualities have carried forward into the Astro A20 X.
It features the same excellent detachable 48kHz microphone, which picks up your voice clearly when you’re chatting on services like Discord, and the handy red LED indicator that tells you when it’s muted.
The level of comfort offered by the headset is unchanged, too. It’s lightweight but feels suitably durable, with plush earcups and a pleasantly soft headband. The design looks bulky on my head, but it’s hard to complain about this too much when it’s so comfortable to wear.
So what is actually new this time around? The big new addition isn’t found on the headset itself, but rather what else you get in the box. The Astro A20 X comes bundled with a small Playsync base and two USB Type-C cables. This is its wireless dongle, and it can be plugged into two different systems at the same time.
Tapping a tiny new button found on the back of the headset itself switches between the two systems almost instantaneously, which is a game-changer if you’re like me and use a PlayStation 5 and PC (or Xbox and PC) with the same display. The feature works fantastically, but I can’t help but feel that the use of the Astro branding is a bit of a misstep from Logitech.
Sure, Astro products do generally support multiple platforms – but the headset’s design looks nothing like existing models like the Astro A50 X or Astro A10.
It doesn’t even have an Astro logo on it – bearing the same Logitech G branding as the Logitech G522 Lightspeed. As a big fan of the Astro brand, there’s something a little sad about seeing it lose some of its identity like this.
Astro A20 X: Price and availability
- Costs $179.99 / £169.99 / AU$349.99
- More expensive than the G522 Lightspeed
- Worth it if you use multiple platforms
At $179.99 / £169.99 / AU$349.99, the Astro A20 X is priced just a touch higher than the Logitech G522 Lightspeed, which costs $159.99 / £139.99 / AU$299.99. It can be found at most of the same retailers, meaning Amazon and Best Buy in the US or Amazon, Currys, and Argos in the UK. In Australia, it can be purchased at Amazon and JB Hi-Fi.
Whether the extra $20 / £30 / AU$50 is worth it compared to the Logitech G522 Lightspeed is largely going to come down to your platform preferences. If you use two or more platforms in the same setup, the Astro A20 X makes a lot of sense and will be the more convenient option.
At this increased price point, you will need to consider alternatives like the Razer BlackShark V3 or SteelSeries Arctis Nova 5 Wireless more seriously, though. That latter model is significantly cheaper at $129.99 / £129.99 / AU$139.95 and offers similarly good audio quality, though you do miss out on the convenient platform switching.
Astro A20 X: Specs
|
Price |
$179.99 / £169.99 / AU$349.99 |
|
Weight |
10.23oz / 290g |
|
Compatibility |
PC, PS5, PS4, Nintendo Switch, Nintendo Switch 2, Android, iOS |
|
Connection type |
Bluetooth, Lightspeed Wireless, Wired USB-C |
|
Battery life |
40 hrs (default lighting), 90hrs (RGB off) |
|
Features |
Detachable 48kHz / 16 bit omni microphone, Lightsync RGB, Playsync Base |
|
Software |
Logitech G Hub (PC) / Logitech G app (mobile) |
Astro A20 X: Design and features
- Almost identical to the G522
- New platform switching button and base
- Spatial audio support on PC
Logitech hasn’t taken any risks with the design of the Astro A20 X, making only minimal changes compared to the G522 Lightspeed. On the headset itself, the only noticeable change is two extra buttons on the back of the right earcup.
One is a volume mix rocker that increases or decreases the volume of a call compared to your game, while the other is a little red switching button. This works in tandem with the new Playsync Base – a super compact dongle that connects to two systems with USB Type-C.
The front of the base features two LED lights, which illuminate to denote your selected input device. On the back, you’ll find the two USB Type-C ports and two little switches.
These switches are labeled Xbox / USB and PC / USB, respectively, and should be selected depending on what you have plugged in. Luckily, a useful guide is printed on the bottom of the Base to tell you what you need to choose if you want to use a PC, Xbox, PlayStation, or Switch.
The Base has two little rubber feet that help it grip the surface of your desk a little better, though I find that it can still slip off from time to time. The base is very, very light, and even just the weight of the plugged-in USB cables can move it around.
The new platform switching aside, the Astro A20 X otherwise boasts identical features to the Logitech G522 Lightspeed, with highlights like PC spatial audio support and customizable RGB zones on each earcup. The colorways of the Astro A20 X are also slightly different from the G522 Lightspeed. There’s still a Black and White option, but both feature red accent colors rather than blue.
Astro A20 X: Performance
- Comfortable to wear
- High quality audio
- Great microphone
Being nearly identical to the excellent G522 Lightspeed, it’s very hard to fault the performance of the Astro A20 X.
It sounds great out of the box, though as with that headset, I would personally use the companion Logitech G Hub software to crank the low frequencies (20Hz, 50Hz and 125Hz) up by 3dB, 2dB, and 1dB then add 0.5dB at the higher end for slightly better all-round sound as the bass is a little weak by default.
You can access all the same good presets of the G522 Lightspeed with the Astro A20 X, too, including a bass boost mode, gaming mode, dedicated FPS mode, and a media mode, or download hundreds of alternatives created by the community.
The microphone is indistinguishable too. It’s high-fidelity at 48kHz and picks up your voice well, though it does tend to allow in background noise, so I would suggest making sure the noise cancellation features of the Logitech G Hub software are on.
Battery life is identical to the G522 as well, and in my testing, I easily managed a touch over 40 hours with RGB enabled, which is a decent result.
On top of all this, the new platform switching feature works flawlessly with no noticeable delay, swapping you over, and has no issues with pairing.
Should I buy the Astro A20 X?
Buy it if…
Don’t buy it if…
Also consider…
Not sold on the Astro A20 X? Here are two other options to consider, including the original Logitech G522 Lightspeed.
| Row 0 – Cell 0 |
Astro A20 X |
Logitech G522 Lightspeed |
SteelSeries Arctis Nova 5 |
|
Price |
$179.99 / £169.99 / AU$349.99 |
$159.99 / £139.99 / AU$229 |
$129.99 / £129.99 / AU$139.95 |
|
Weight |
10.23oz / 290g |
10.22oz / 290g |
9.5oz / 266g |
|
Compatibility |
PC, PS5, PS4, Nintendo Switch, Nintendo Switch 2, Android, iOS |
PC, PS5, PS4, Nintendo Switch, Nintendo Switch 2, Android, iOS |
Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, PS5, PS4, Nintendo Switch, PC, Mac, Mobile |
|
Connection type |
Bluetooth, Lightspeed Wireless, Wired USB-C |
Bluetooth, Lightspeed Wireless, Wired USB-C |
Wireless (2.4GHz via dongle), Wired (USB-C), Bluetooth 5.3 |
|
Battery life |
40 hrs (default lighting), 90hrs (RGB off) |
40 hrs (default lighting), 90hrs (RGB off) |
Up to 60 hours |
|
Features |
Detachable 48kHz / 16 bit omni microphone, Lightsync RGB, Playsync Base |
Detachable 48kHz / 16 bit omni microphone, Lightsync RGB |
360-degree spatial audio, retractable ClearCast 2.X mic |
|
Software |
Logitech G Hub (PC) / Logitech G app (mobile) |
Logitech G Hub (PC) / Logitech G app (mobile) |
SteelSeries Arctis Nova 5 Companion App (mobile), SteelSeries GG |
How I tested the Astro A20 X
- Tested for multiple months
- Tried with a wide range of games
- Tested with PC, Xbox, and PS5
I tested the Astro A20 X over a period of multiple months, using it with PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X, and PC. In that time, I played plenty of games with it, including Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 and subsequently Black Ops 7, plus the likes of Astro Bot, Sniper Elite: Resistance, Final Fantasy 7 Remake Intergrade, Lego Horizon Adventures, Dead Island 2, and more.
Throughout my time with the headset, I compared its performance to a range of other models that I’ve tested, including the Logitech G522 Lightspeed and SteelSeries Arctis Nova 5, plus more premium alternatives like the Razer BlackShark V3 Pro and Astro A50 X.
First reviewed September-December 2025
https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/5dCXhvNxAHF8AzAaX3ePcH-2560-80.jpg
Source link
dash.wood@futurenet.com (Dashiell Wood)
