Razer Hammerhead: True wireless sound for music and gaming Razer is primarily known for its gaming equipment. The manufacturer has been offe...

Razer Hammerhead: True wireless sound for music and gaming

Razer is primarily known for its gaming equipment. The manufacturer has been offering keyboards, headsets and all kinds of accessories related to video games on PCs and consoles for many years. For some time now, the US company has also been pushing into the headphone market. The Razer Hammerhead True Wireless should not only appeal to gamers.

Gamers and music lovers have a few different demands on their headphones. Every user wants good sound quality, long-lasting batteries and comfortable earbuds, whether they’re gaming or just listening to music. With their low latency in gaming mode, the Razer Hammerhead True Wireless in-ear headphones are primarily aimed at mobile users. The lower the latency, the quicker the noise reaches the user's ear, promoting quick reactions in heated online battles.

Specifications of the Razer Hammerhead

The Razer Hammerhead True Wireless (2021) is the successor to the 2019 variant of the same name and can also be seen as the successor to the True Wireless Pro. The technical parameters are the same in several respects, but the newer model has the current Bluetooth standard 5.2, longer battery life and Active Noise Cancellation (ANC). The protection class IPX4 also remains the same. This means that they are quite well protected against water, but should not be submerged in the bath. Rain, on the other hand, does not harm them.

Overview of the technical data

• Bluetooth standard: 5.2

• Audio codecs: SBC, AAC

• Battery life: 32.5 hours

• Active Noise Cancellation

• Protection class: IPX4

• Charging port: USB-C

• Earbud Weight: 10 grams

• Weight charging case: 44 grams

• Dimensions charging case: 50 x 63.8 x 25.0 millimeters

• Chroma function: Razer icon lights up to the beat of the music

• Low latency in gaming mode

scope and accessories

The scope is limited to the essentials: In addition to the wireless earbuds, you will also receive the charging case and a charging cable for USB-C to USB-A with the purchase. Also included in the package are three silicone attachments of different sizes.

The charging case is relatively small and fits in one or the other trouser pocket. It weighs 44 grams and measures 50 x 63.8 x 25.0 millimetres. The earbuds themselves weigh 5 grams individually and are therefore pleasantly light to wear.

Gaming mode for low latency

Latency describes how long it takes for a noise signal to reach the listener. While that doesn't really matter when listening to music, in video games lag can make the difference between victory and defeat. Wireless headphones tend to have slightly higher latency than wired headphones. At the same time, the wireless design offers a few advantages that can also be useful for gaming if you don't want to get annoyed with too many cables.

So that it also works wirelessly when gaming, Razer offers the gaming mode. This reduces the latency to 60 milliseconds and thus enables a smooth gaming experience. This mode is more susceptible to interference than regular mode. However, if the distance between the user and the source is small, this should hardly matter.

New design and the Chroma function of the Razer Hammerhead

The current Razer Hammerhead True Wireless build on their 2019 predecessors. In terms of design, little has changed at first glance. The earbuds still come in the Razer-influenced sleek black package. The earphones themselves have gotten a little smaller, from 13 millimetres to 10 millimetres. This makes them easy and comfortable to wear. The additional silicone attachments ensure additional comfort.

One innovation only stands out when you turn on the function using the app: thanks to Chroma, the manufacturer's logo lights up in different colours according to the music. According to the manufacturer, the colour spectrum includes 16.8 million colours. There are also special breathing and reactive effects. However, only those who watch the wearer listening to the music can enjoy the light show. You only see them when you take them off.

In addition to the regular Razer Audio app, you also need the Razer Chroma RGB app on your smartphone. With this, you specifically control the colours and the brightness of the earbuds.

power and battery life

To charge the in-ear headphones, you need the charging case. The Razer Hammerhead True Wireless charging case can charge the small earbuds four times. According to the manufacturer, you get 32.5 hours. The earbuds themselves have a runtime of 6.5 hours. However, this only applies to the playback of music and sound.

As soon as additional functions such as ANC or Chroma are activated, the runtime is reduced by around one hour. According to Razer, the battery lasts for 4 hours once both functions are turned on. Frequent use of the display or the breathing and reactive effects reduce the runtime by additional minutes.

Sound Quality and Active Noise Cancellation

The Razer Hammerhead True Wireless has dynamic 13mm drivers with a good basic sound. The sound quality is definitely sufficient for gaming, but the low latency is more important here and the sound is clear and audible.

The earbuds deliver juicy mids and basses, but the highs are somewhat lacking. The Active Noise Cancellation dampens the ambient noise and ensures that you can concentrate better on the game or the music. You will still hear a tram rattling past, but you will be spared other disturbing ambient noises. The passive noise isolation of the headphones can be further improved by using silicone tips.

Operating the Razer Hammerhead True Wireless

As with the previous model, you operate the earbuds with a touch gesture or using the app. The touch surfaces are on the outside of the wireless earbuds. This is also where you turn on Active Noise Cancellation or Gaming mode. Triple tap and the sound will switch to the low latency mode. You turn them off the same way.

One tap is enough to pause or resume the music. The volume can also be reduced or increased in this way without having to access the app right away. This is an innovation compared to the previous models. Tapping and holding on the left bud decreases the volume, and the same action on the right bud increases it.

Bluetooth and connection

With the new model, Razer updates its headphones to Bluetooth 5.2 and thus supports current standards. The manufacturer also offers Google Fast Pair, which makes it easier to connect to Android smartphones. However, there is no Bluetooth multipoint. This means that you always have to disconnect the device first if you want to switch to a new device, even if it is already known to the earbuds.

The apps for operation

You can use two apps to operate the Razer Hammerhead True Wireless headphones. The Razer Audio App offers a range of settings and is available for iOS and Android devices. Here you will find, for example, various sound profiles, equalizer settings and controls for active noise cancellation. In addition to some predefined profiles, you can also create your own profiles here.

The controls can be customized to suit your needs. This allows you to set different functions for different touch gestures. The app also offers a smart link function. This enables automatic switching between different audio sources of known devices.

The Razer Chroma RGB App is used to control the Chroma function. Colour settings and the selection of effects can be made here. If you only want a static colour instead of a changing spectrum, you will find the settings for this. There are 14 colours to choose from or you can choose one from the colour box. The brightness of the chroma effects can also be adjusted here in ten levels.

Our verdict on the Razer Hammerhead True Wireless in-ear headphones

The Razer Hammerhead True Wireless is primarily aimed at gamers who don't want to deal with unnecessary cable clutter. Despite the wireless transmission of the sound, gamers do not have to compromise on the response time. The gaming mode with a low latency of 60 milliseconds makes it possible. The 32.5 hours of runtime represent an improvement over the previous models. The chroma function offers a visually appealing extra, which primarily benefits the surrounding viewers.