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Razer Hammerhead V3 HyperSpeed: two-minute review
The first thing I thought when I pulled the Razer Hammerhead V3 HyperSpeed gaming earbuds out of their box was “Wow, these are ugly.”
Not exactly the strongest first impression, but it’s unavoidable when each bud has a weird, bulbous design that gives them an appearance like a pair of obese AirPods. The shiny black plastic material looks cheap, as does the printed Razer logo on the outside, which (despite all the Razer Chroma branding on the box) is just a decal that doesn’t illuminate.
They’re thankfully not uncomfortable to wear, but even in your ears they’re nowhere near as stylish as similarly priced competitors like the SteelSeries Arctis GameBuds.
With much flatter sound, they’re significantly less versatile (especially if you’re after a pair of gaming earbuds that you can also use to listen to music) and offer fewer features than that model to boot, with inferior active noise cancellation (ANC) that fails to block out most background noise when you’re out and about.
The Razer buds’ biggest benefit is the use of the latest Bluetooth 6.0 standard, which allows for ultra-low-latency connectivity with compatible devices and is ideal if you’re a serious mobile gamer looking for something to use with the latest phones. The included 2.4GHz Razer HyperSpeed Wireless dongle is also impressively compact and offers similar low-latency performance on PC, PlayStation 5, and handhelds like the Nintendo Switch 2.
This alone might be worth the compromises elsewhere if you’re a really serious mobile gamer, though there are a few more things worthy of praise. The included case is well-designed and feels pretty high quality, with an attractive RGB strip that is illuminated to denote pairing or charging status. I also really like how you don’t have to take the dongle if you want to use it: simply plug the case into your machine, and you’re ready to go, which makes it basically impossible to leave behind.
Find the Razer Hammerhead V3 HyperSpeed gaming earbuds at the right price – and they could be a good pick.
Razer Hammerhead V3 HyperSpeed review: price & availability
- Costs $129.99 / £129.99 / AU$229.95
- Available via Razer right now
- Availability at other retailers seems spotty
The Razer Hammer V3 HyperSpeed gaming earbuds cost $129.99 / £129.99 / AU$229.95 if you buy them directly from Razer, which is where I would recommend getting them, as stock at other retailers seems spotty.
If you do choose to buy from the likes of Amazon, be mindful not to accidentally purchase the cheaper Razer Hammerhead V3 X or older Razer Hammerhead True Wireless X model, as they look very similar.
At this price, the earbuds are going head to head with the likes of the SteelSeries Arctis GameBuds, which originally launched at $159.99 / £159.99 / AU$359 but are now regularly discounted to around $130 / £100 in the US and UK.
Even factoring in the added $30 / £30 at full price, I think the Arctis GameBuds are much better value. They offer a much more stylish design, versatile sound that you can easily customize with hundreds of selectable EQ profiles, in addition to slightly better overall battery life.
Razer Hammerhead V3 HyperSpeed review: specs
| Row 0 – Cell 0 |
Razer Hammerhead True Wireless X |
|
Price |
$129.99 / £129.99 / AU$229.95 |
|
Weight |
0.19oz / 5.6g (each bud); 2.22oz / 63g (case) |
|
Compatibility |
PC, PS5, mobile, Nintendo Switch, Nintendo Switch 2 |
|
Connection type |
2.4GHz HyperSpeed Wireless / Bluetooth 6.0 |
|
Battery life |
~40 hours |
|
Features |
THX Spatial Audio license included |
|
Software |
Razer Audio (mobile) / Razer Synapse (PC) |
Razer Hammerhead V3 HyperSpeed review: design and features
- Look bulky and dated
- THX Spatial Audio support
- Case is good
You should know by now that I’m not a big fan of how these earbuds look. They have a basic stemmed in-ear design with quite a bulbous body constructed from shiny black plastic and a cheap-looking green Razer decal on the back. They honestly look like something you’d buy on Amazon for under 50 bucks rather than a product from a premium gaming brand.
The case is much better, at least. It’s large, but still easily pocketable, and has a pleasant matte texture to its exterior and a very robust hinge with satisfyingly strong magnets. There’s a subtle strip of LED lighting on it as well, which lights up in an attractive rainbow pattern when the case is opened. It also illuminates different colors to denote charging or pairing status, battery level, and so on, which makes it surprisingly practical as well.
Inside the case, there’s plenty of space for the two earbuds and a little slot for the compact HyperSpeed Wireless dongle. When in the case, the dongle is nestled inside a Type-C port with passthrough connectivity. This means you can plug the entire case directly into your PC or console in order to pair the buds, which is pretty handy and helps keep everything in one place.
Aside from this, the Razer Hammerhead V3 HyperSpeed gaming earbuds don’t have a particularly expansive feature set compared to the offerings of other brands. The earbuds support ANC and a transparency mode, in addition to automatic pausing when removed from your ears. The compatible software offers three default EQ profiles (for gaming, music, and movies, respectively) plus the ability to create your own.
On PC, the buds come with a license key for THX Spatial Audio, which simulates 360-degree sound decently well and is a solid bonus.
Razer Hammerhead V3 HyperSpeed review: performance
- Sound is okay
- ANC is poor
- Decent battery life
Although it is impressively low-latency and thus suited for competitive gaming, I found the sound of the Razer Hammerhead V3 HyperSpeed to be so-so compared to similarly priced alternatives. In the default gaming preset, the bass is plenty punchy, but they lack clarity and sounds quite muffled in the high end. It’s good enough for the likes of PUBG: Battlegrounds or Counter-Strike 2, but would be an incredibly poor fit for more story-driven titles.
The music-listening experience is bad, and no amount of EQ tweaking could remedy the uninspiring sound. I would recommend swerving the default music EQ as well, as it’s absolutely rancid and tanks not only the bass but also the low mids, leading to sound that’s not dissimilar to that produced by the free earbuds you get on an airplane.
Alternating between the Razer Hammerhead V3 HyperSpeed and the SteelSeries Arctis GameBuds, there is simply no contest: the SteelSeries pair sounds better no matter what you throw at it, and the fact that it can handle music too means that you don’t need to buy a second pair to use with your phone.
The ANC also underperforms compared to alternatives, be they the GameBuds or others such as the Sony Inzone Buds. It fails to block out much background sound and even struggles to drown out the consistent, low noise from a desk fan. If you want to take these on a plane, just forget about it.
The microphones are okay, but not particularly reliable. With any kind of background noise, they can begin to struggle to pick up your voice – which had me relying on my desktop mic instead. Touch controls are quite awkward as well. They feel unresponsive and struggle to pick up inputs, leading to frequent accidental pauses or skips if you’re trying to use them for your tunes.
The battery life is at least one area where the Razer Hammerhead V3 HyperSpeed doesn’t disappoint. I easily managed 7-8 hours per charge with the buds, and the case holds enough to fully top them up about four times when you’re on the go.
Should I buy the Razer Hammerhead V3 HyperSpeed?
Buy it if…
Don’t buy it if…
Razer Hammerhead V3 HyperSpeed review: also consider
Here are two more compelling options to weigh up.
| Row 0 – Cell 0 |
Razer Hammerhead V3 HyperSpeed |
SteelSeries Arctis GameBuds |
PlayStation Pulse Explore earbuds |
|
Price |
$129.99 / £129.99 / AU$229.95 |
$159.99 / £159.99 / AU$359 |
$199.99 / £199.99 / AU$329 |
|
Weight |
0.19oz / 5.6g (each bud); 2.22oz / 63g (case) |
0.19oz / 5.3g (each bud); 1.7oz / 48.7g (case) |
0.2oz / 6.5g (one earbud with medium tip) |
|
Compatibility |
PC, PS5, mobile, Nintendo Switch, Nintendo Switch 2 |
Xbox, PlayStation, Nintendo Switch, PC |
PS5, PlayStation Portal, PC, mobile |
|
Connection type |
2.4GHz HyperSpeed Wireless / Bluetooth 6.0 |
2.4Ghz (via USB-C), Bluetooth 5.3 (mobile) |
PlayStation Link wireless, Bluetooth (mobile) |
|
Battery life |
~40 hours |
Up to 40 hours (buds 10 hours; case 30 hours) |
5 hours with 10 hours from the charging case |
|
Features |
THX Spatial Audio license included |
360° Spatial Audio, Qi Wireless Charging Case, 6mm neodymium drivers, four-mic ANC, transparency mode, in-ear detection/sensor, IP55 rating, fast charge, companion app with more than 100 presets |
Planar Magnetic Drivers, AI-enhanced noise rejection, Dual Device connectivity, 3 sets of ear tips |
|
Software |
Razer Audio (mobile) / Razer Synapse (PC) |
Arctis Companion App (mobile), SteelSeries Sonar (PC) |
N/A |
How I tested the Razer Hammerhead V3 HyperSpeed
- Tested for multiple weeks
- Used with PC and mobile
- Compared to other gaming earbuds
I tested the Razer Hammerhead V3 HyperSpeed gaming earbuds for multiple weeks across both PC and mobile, playing a range of different games.
This included plenty of Call of Duty: Black Ops 7, PUBG: Battlegrounds, Battlefield 6, Forza Horizon 6, Grand Theft Auto 5, and more, in addition to mobile titles like Neverness to Everness, and Call of Duty Mobile.
Throughout my time with the buds, I compared the experience to my hands-on testing of other gaming earbuds, including the SteelSeries Arctis GameBuds and other products featured on our best gaming earbuds guide.
First reviewed July 2026
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dash.wood@futurenet.com (Dashiell Wood)
