The mobile gaming industry grew exponentially in 2019, so many tech brands have been trying to ride the trend by introducing mobile accessories. ASUS was the first to set the trend with their wide collection of mobile gaming accessories before other brands started to introduce TWS earbuds with "low-latency" for mobile gaming. This includes Razer with its latest Hammerhead True Wireless Pro earbuds for RM949.
I confess that I'm usually sceptical whenever brands claim to have a wireless audio product with the "lowest" latency possible for mobile gaming. As someone who enjoys listening to songs and has reviewed a few wireless earbuds this year, that just sounds like baseless claims to me. It's all a numbers game these days, but let's give them the benefit of doubt. Without further ado, here's my review of the Razer Hammerhead True Wireless Pro.
Right off the bat, the Hammerhead (that's what I'm going to call it for the rest of the review) earbuds come with a design that is basic as you can expect. While Razer is known for having RGB lighting on their gaming keyboards and mice, you won't find any on this pair of earbuds. The main body may look quite protruding but don't worry, as they should fit in your ear canal nicely.
The charging case and USB C cable (bottom) and a TPU case (top)
Should look nice on everyone
SmoothComfort Black Silicone Tips (left), SecureSeal Translucent Silicone Tips (right) and Comply Black Foam Tips (bottom)
Earbuds often come with 2-3 pairs of silicone buds inside the box, but Razer took it to the next level with the Hammerhead. Inside, you won't find just three extra pairs, but a total of 7 pairs! Overkill much? Perhaps, but there's a good reason for that. According to the manual, there are three types of silicone buds included. Specifically, there's the standard "SmoothComfort" black silicone tips (small, medium, and large), the translucent "SecureSeal" silicone tips (small, medium, and large), and the black comply foam tips (medium).
The manual also suggests that SmoothComfort buds are more suitable for long hours of use. On the other hand, SecureSeal tips would be better for stability and noise isolation. As for the comply tips, they're made of premium foam that can conform to the shape of your ear canal, delivering the best in passive noise isolation. Having tried all three, my favourite was the black foam tips because of the noise isolation. By the way, the SmoothComfort buds don't affect audio performance at all.
Quick Attention mode is nice as it lets you talk without having to take the earbuds off, but just taking them off is still much faster
The Hammerhead has a total of 6 types of touch action for 13 different commands. Personally, I think this is way too much. It's not exactly the friendliest user interface for new owners, and it requires some time to get used. For example, you need to tap and hold for 1-second to play or pause. Don't even get me started on how you also need to tap and hold for 2-4 seconds for a specific command.
Now that we got the features out of the way, let's talk about the audio performance. Is the Hammerhead just a glorified pair of wireless earbuds? Well, the THX-certified sound certainly elevates the experience and quality. The Hammerhead's max volume is quite loud, so I never have to exceed 50% for games or music, except when I'm watching videos. Phone calls are also quite good, and I never got any complaints about my voice clarity.
Despite the great THX sound, I won't say that it's an advantage for mobile gamers. When I tried switching the Game Mode on and off, I honestly couldn't tell if there was any difference in Call of Duty: Mobile, even after several matches. It also has barely any effect on rhythm games like Cytus II, only making the bass sound louder at most. Unfortunately, Game Mode is a white elephant in the room, and I really have to question its existence.
While Game Mode doesn't make much difference, the THX sound is still nice
Overall, music playback is pretty good
In terms of music audio performance, the Hammerhead does the job well. However, the drum bass kicks often sound kind of flat for live rock concerts and some song covers. Some electronic tracks suffer from this as well, particularly when the deep bass vibration doesn't feel as intense as it should be. Two music tracks with this issue are Utada Hikaru's "Face My Fears" and Amy Park's remix of BLACKPINK's "How You Like That". Aside from that, the audio quality is good.
For the battery performance, I have to say that it's quite impressive. On an average of 2 to 3 hours per day for 4 days, the charging case's battery was only depleted by about half. The earbuds' batteries depleted by half about 3 hours in, so you should be able to get another 3 hours (or less, I never got that far) out them. Not bad for a THX-rated audio product!
You can even directly wash them
Would you spend RM949 on these?
For RM949, the Hammerhead is a mixed bag. It really has a great sound thanks to the THX sound system, and I love watching videos with it. Plus, the battery performance is excellent, so you don't have to charge it as much. Unfortunately, it has rather complicated touch controls, and the Game Mode isn't too useful. The pros are not enough to justify the price tag. If you really want a pair of gaming earbuds, you can go for the Edifier Hecate GM4 (review here) instead. This wireless model doesn't have THX, but it comes for a far more affordable price tag of RM399. I rest my case.
Tech specs and features
- 10mm sound driver
- THX-certified
- 2 (Beamforming) voice microphones
- Features Hybrid Active Noise Cancellation, 60ms Low Latency Connection, IPX4 water splash resistant
- Battery - Up to 20 Hours Total (4 for Earbuds + 16 for Charging Case)
- Accessories - Charging Case, USB-C Charging Cable, 6 Pairs Silicone Ear Tips (SmoothComfort + SecureSeal S/M/L), 1 Pair Comply Premium Foam Tip (M)
Pros: THX-rated sound is amazing for watching videos, playing games, and listening to music (depending on your hearing expertise). The battery life is also durable
Cons: Complicated touch controls, nigh-useless Game Mode, and an expensive price tag
Conclusion: Get the Hammerhead if you're a huge Razer fan and want that THX-certified sound system to flex, but don't bother otherwise
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