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Astro A50 Gen 5 review: one-minute review
Logitech’s Astro sub-brand has a sizeable lineage, offering competition-grade audio solutions for years now, and the A50 Gen 5 is able to easily maintain that status quo at a (slightly) lower price point than the Astro A50 X, one of the best wireless gaming headsets we tested last year.
Much of the Astro A50 Gen 5 is built on the same very impressive foundation. It’s packing graphene drivers, which not only sound great but also contribute very little in terms of weight, while the whole design feels well-built without ever feeling uncomfortable for longer periods of use.
Audio sounds excellent, with a broad soundstage that packs in plenty of bass without distortion and plenty of high-end without tinniness, and I found myself using it for listening to music almost as much as I did for gaming.
Dolby Atmos and Windows Sonic are included, as well as the option to pipe in Bluetooth audio from an external source — ideal for anyone looking to crank up a podcast or playlist while grinding in their favorite game.
That flexibility is a common theme with the A50 Gen 5, too, since it can be connected to multiple platforms. While its pricier ‘X’ branded sibling can switch HDMI inputs with a button press, the A50 Gen 5 can do the same for audio.
The same mic from the A50 X is here, too, crystal clear in pressurized competitive moments (or as competitive as you can get within my own skill level) and easy to fold up if you’d prefer to just use the headset as a pair of very nice headphones.
Add to that a fantastic 24 hours of battery life, plus the convenience of being able to rest the headset on the docking station so it’s always ready to go and you’ve got a compelling package — and that’s before touching on Logitech’s G Hub software, which features custom equalizers and Blue voice adjustments.
It’s still not exactly affordable, but if you’re looking for a headset that can work across all platforms, it may be cheaper than buying a dedicated one for each.
Astro A50 Gen 5 review: Price and availability
- List price: $299.99 / £299.99
- Cheaper than Astro A50 X by around £70/$80
- Available worldwide
For $300 / £300, you get a solid package here. Aside from the fantastic headset, that base station really is nifty.
It’s well constructed, offering a really handy way to keep your headset charged, while it’s hard to find fault with the build quality of the A50 Gen 5 headset itself.
It’s more premium than mid-range headsets that lean on plasticky shells, and similarly priced SteelSeries Arctis Nova Pro.
That rival arguably feels more headphone-like in its design, but offers similar versatility from multi-platform and dual-source output. If you want something that looks a little less like a gaming peripheral, that might be the way to go.
Astro A50 Gen 5 review: Specs
|
Price |
$299.99 / £299.99 / AU$439 |
|
Weight |
363g / 12.8oz |
|
Compatibility |
PC, PlayStation, Xbox, Switch, Android, iOS |
|
Connection type |
Wireless (2.4GHz, Bluetooth 5.2) |
|
Features |
Audio switching between platforms, flip-up omnidirectional mic, dual-source audio, 24-hour battery life |
|
Software |
Logitech G Hub |
Astro A50 Gen 5 review: Design and features
- Lightweight headset with fold-down mic
- Graphene drivers are lightweight but offer big sound
- Fabric ear cups are comfortable and avoid sweat build-up
Sat next to the pricier A50 X, you’d be hard-pressed to spot the differences, although the red cables on the Gen 5s versus the black cables on the A50 X are a bit of a giveaway.
The A50 Gen 5 comes in black or white, with magnetic cushions that can be taken off and swapped if you feel they’re getting to the end of their life (although even after well over a year of the premium version, it’s not ever felt that way to me).
The mic is identical, too, folding down to mouth level, while the side panel on the other side contains all the inputs. There’s chat and audio mixing on the headset itself, as well as Bluetooth functionality for piping your music through.
It’s comfortable for long periods thanks to being lighter than the old Logitech Pro X headsets I’ve used in the past, while the ear cups never feel like they get too hot. In fact, I prefer them to the colder, more leather-like alternatives (although you can buy a leatherette conversion kit from Logitech).
Onto the docking station, then, and while there’s no HDMI connectivity on the back, there are four USB ports. One is reserved for power, so the math enthusiasts will recognize that there are three ports left.
The ports are labeled for PC, PS5, and Xbox, meaning Switch is absent, but you can plug it into any of them.
You may need to provide your own USB-C cables, though — Logitech only provides one for power and a single cable to connect up other consoles.
Astro A50 Gen 5 review: Performance
- 24-hour battery life plus added convenience of docking station
- 24-bit PC audio, 16-bit on consoles but you’re unlikely to hear the difference
- Connects via USB-C to docking station, but no HDMI ports
The Astro Gen 5, at least to my relatively trained ears as a musician, sounds the same as its premium sibling.
Footsteps from enemies in Call of Duty: Warzone and Black Ops 6 are crisp and easy to place, while the direction of gunfire is discernible even with short bursts.
Overwatch Hero callouts sound crisp, while more cinematic titles like Assassin’s Creed Shadows feel particularly impressive, notably when rain is falling on rooftops.
It’s worth noting that there’s no Active Noise Cancellation (ANC), but despite having a relatively large head, I felt the seal around my ears was tight enough where that never felt like a major concern. Your mileage may vary, though.
Perhaps most impressively, the A50 Gen 5s are fantastic for non-gaming audio, too. If you want to kick back with music, the balanced soundstage pairs with the comfortable headset to make everything feel nice and fresh.
I found listening to rock epics was a great experience, with piano and percussion dancing around each other nicely, while there’s plenty of bass when the situation calls for it, but without the distortion you may get from cheaper headsets.
You can play around with a mixer in the Logitech G app, too, while the aforementioned earcup controls are ideal for adjusting chat and game audio.
Still, audio output is only one-half of the coin, and while I have tended to keep mics folded up in favor of a desktop option with older setups, the mic here is crystal clear at all times.
The Logitech G app on PC can tap into the company’s Blue mic filtering to adjust to get you sounding sweet as a whistle, but even right out of the box, it feels as though you could be standing right next to a teammate as you work on strategies.
Should you buy the Astro A50 Gen 5?
Buy it if…
Don’t buy it if…
Also consider…
Still not sold on the Astro A50 Gen 5? Here’s how it compares to two similar products.
| Row 0 – Cell 0 |
Astro A50 Gen 5 |
Astro A50 X |
Razer BlackShark V2 Pro |
|
Price |
$299.99 / £299.99 / AU$439 |
$399.99 / £359.99 / AU$649 |
$199.99 / £199.99 / AU$299 |
|
Weight |
363g / 12.8oz |
363g / 12.8oz |
320g / 11.28oz |
|
Compatibility |
PC, PlayStation, Xbox, Switch, Android, iOS |
PC, PlayStation, Xbox, Switch, Android, iOS |
PC, Mac, Android, iOS |
|
Connection type |
Wireless (2.4GHz, Bluetooth 5.2) |
Wireless (2.4GHz, Bluetooth 5.2) |
Wireless (2.4GHz, Bluetooth 5.2) |
|
Features |
Audio switching between platforms, flip-up omnidirectional mic, dual-source audio, 24-hour battery life |
Audio and HDMI switching between platforms, flip-up omnidirectional mic, dual-source audio, 24-hour battery life |
Loud volume, unidirectional mic, 70 hours of battery |
|
Software |
Logitech G Hub |
Logitech G Hub |
Razer Synapse |
How I tested the Astro A50 Gen 5
- Tested over multiple weeks
- Used on a gaming PC with an RTX 4070 Ti, PS5 Pro, and Xbox Series X
- Party chat across multiple games used to test the mic, as well as Discord on PC
I spent my time using the Astro A50 Gen 5 across PC and console, switching between Call of Duty Warzone and Black Ops 6, indie multiplayer title The Headliners, and EA FC 25.
For testing the mic, I played some heated games of Overwatch 2, Marvel Rivals, and Destiny 2 to ensure comms were clear.
First reviewed April 2025
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