Razer Hammerhead True Wireless Pro Review

If you’re looking for the best true wireless earbuds, you’ve landed in the right place, as today we will review the Razer Hammerhead True Wireless Pro. We know, that’s a pompous name for a pair of earbuds, but truth be told, Razor has a habit of doing this with its gear, so forget about it.

To describe the Razer Hammerhead in a few words, these are some of the best gaming earbuds you can lend your ears to so to speak, and we are not mincing words here either. Okay, we are the first to admit it (spoiler alert): these earbuds sound amazing and all that, as Razor seems to have put an emphasis on sound quality.

However, the Hammerhead True Wireless Pro will drain almost 200 bucks from your bank account, i.e. some may say this is good sound at the wrong price. Rest assured though, as these babies are the complete package, and if you can afford them, just go for it, and forget about buyers’ remorse.

If these are out of “range” price-wise, check out our article about budget gaming headsets. Now let’s dig deeper into the abyss, right after a short commercial break.

Specs

• Active Noise Cancellation: Hybrid
• Low-Latency Mode: 60ms
• Driver Size: 10mm
• Microphones: 2 (1 feed-forward, 1 feedback)
• Water Resistance: IPX4
• In-The-Box: Charging case, charging cable

Battery Life

• Earbuds: 4 hours with ANC
• Case: 4 full charges (16 hours)

Replacement Tips

• SmoothComfort: 1 small, 1 medium, 1 large
• SecureSeal: 1 small, 1 medium, 1 large
• Comply Foam: 1 medium

Design

The Hammerhead True Wireless Pro’s design takes cues from Apple’s AirPods, which is interesting since imitation is the highest form of flattery. Hence, if you want a premium pair of earbuds that look pretty much the same as AirPods, the Hammerhead would definitely fit the bill in all regards, including sound and build quality.

Needless to say, these earpods really look and feel like 200 bucks, starting with the high-quality charging case, which has a glossy interior and a smooth black plastic finish. The contrasting materials offer a high-end feel, even if it may be prone to scratches and smudges.

We must also mention the minimalistic design with a subtle Razor branding on the top, and a petite LED which indicates charge status. One cool feature of the charging case is that by simply opening the lid you will pair the earbuds to any device, as in there’s no pairing button.

Even if this package is neither unique nor even original, being clearly inspired by Apple’s AirPods, we really enjoy it; however, we must mention that the case is a tad bulky compared to the AirPods, though it’s reasonably easy to carry inside your jeans pocket.

The earbuds look pretty much the same as the 2019 Hammerhead True Wireless, with their relatively unobtrusive design and all-plastic construction. There’s a larger Razor logo on the Pro version, which also enlarges the area for touch controls.

Ergonomics are excellent, as the Hammerhead True Wireless Pro comes with 7 ear tips in the retail box, of various fit and sizes, which, weirdly enough may be a problem actually. The thing is, given the fact that you have so many options to choose from, including 3 sets of SmoothComfort black silicone tips designed for long-term use, a set of Secureseal Translucent silicone tips for increased stability and even Comply ear tips, which are a balance of the two, you may become confused about what’s what.

In our view, the Comply tips offer the best of both worlds, between bass response and comfort, yet since they are made of foam, they are prone to becoming extremely dirty and also get squished relatively easily. The point is, if you want to keep them in tip-top condition, you’ll have to clean them regularly, but don’t worry, as they are easy and safe to wash.

We must also mention that while the earbuds stay secure inside their case, they are difficult to take out, which means in-hand operability is kind of clumsy; but, once you fit them inside your ears, they will never leave you unexpectedly, even while running or lifting/horsing around at the gym. Seriously, we tried that, and they remained perfectly stable in all scenarios.

The True Wireless Pro are also supremely comfortable if you choose the tips properly, and for most people, removing them for a break is a highly improbable scenario.

Touch Controls

If you like tinkering with your audio gear, the Hammerhead Pro will not disappoint, as they arrive with tons of touch controls that will squeeze every bit of functionality from your earbuds. To mention a few features, you can play/pause media, reject/answer calls, activate the voice assistant, cycle through ANC settings, skip tracks, turn on low latency mode and even clear paired devices.

This is what $200 buys you nowadays, right? To perform the aforementioned actions, you will have to employ a mix of single/double/triple taps, including combos of tapping and holding, i.e. this requires a steep learning curve to sort it all out, but in the end, it doesn’t even matter.

Don’t worry, as some of the basic functions only take a single or, at worst, a double tap, yet when it comes to more complex tasks, like activating the low latency Game Mode, things may get surreal, as in complicated. The sensitivity of the touch area is a mixed bag, but if don’t have sausage digits and you’re the persistent type, you’ll get the hang of it pretty quick.

Software

As expected, you will be able to control the Razer Hammerhead True Wireless Pro via its dedicated app that works both on Apple and Android. Using the app is advisable if you’re looking to make quick changes to your earbuds “on the fly”, as in while gaming or watching a movie.

The app is well designed and has an intuitive user interface, featuring a few EQ presets, including enhanced bass, enhanced clarity, THX and vocal. The most balanced profile overall is THX, but regardless, you can customize the EQ just the way you like it. If you dig deeper through the settings, you’ll find the noise cancellation thing, which is a cool feature to have if you’re going to use the Pros outdoors.

Performance

The Hammerhead Pro is a major improvement over the previous version in regard to sound quality. The 10 mm drivers and the THX partnership really paid off for Razer, as these babies provide a balanced and rich soundstage, not to mention nice bass, clear mids and smooth highs.

The Hammerheads will sound great on basically every music genre, with tons of detail and impressive soundstage, which is arguably their main attribute in terms of sound quality. While we’re at performance, we must mention that the noise cancellation technology is not at the same level as the AirPods, yet it’s not bad at all.

If you play music at 80 percent volume or more, the noise cancelation will block most of the outside noise, but if you’re listening to podcasts at a lower volume, some of the “outside world” will creep in, though not to an intrusive level. It must be said that if you want “complete silence”, the ANC system on the Hammerhead Pro cannot deliver.

Since we’re talking about performance, we must mention the Gaming Mode, also known as low latency mode, as the Hammerhead True Wireless Pro are claimed to reduce it down to 60 ms, which clearly targets the gaming audience. We can’t measure that, but in real life, it definitely works as intended.

Battery Life

The Hammerhead True Wireless Pro is rated at four hours of battery life, with active noise cancellation ON, and after testing it for a while we can vouch for Razer’s promise. The case will give you an extra 16 hours of autonomy, which makes for 20 hours total.

PS: the case has a USB-C port for charging purposes, but does not support wireless charging nor quick charge.

Final Word

Even if the Razer Hammerhead True Wireless Pro is not quite as good as the Apple Airpods, it still does a great job in terms of SQ and build-quality. For the price asked, you’ll get some cool earbuds, with expansive sound and rich controls. The only downside is microphone and call quality, which is an area where Razer did not excel for whatever strange reason.