Razer’s new true wireless earbuds have RGB lighting and ANC

Razer has quietly updated its Hammerhead True Wireless earbuds with new features and, unfortunately, a slightly higher price of entry.

Like the previous Hammerhead buds, the new version maintains the 60ms low latency, but introduces two features missing from the original: RGB lighting and active noise cancellation (ANC).

ANC is an important feature for most buyers, as it reduces ambient noise around you – be it the roar of car engines when out running, or the background hum of a plane when on a transatlantic flight. And while the noise cancellation won’t be as effective as that found on the company’s £200 flagship Hammerhead True Wireless Pro earbuds, it’s still a solid upgrade on the previous generation.

RGB lighting is more divisive, but does underline the Hammerhead True Wireless earbuds’ gaming credentials, given its prominence in the PC gaming accessory scene. You can adjust the colour and brightness of the lighting in the Razer Audio app to your own tastes. Any lighting will, of course, impact battery life, so many will prefer to turn it off altogether. 

On that note, Razer says that the new buds more than double the total battery life of the last generation, jumping from a maximum of 16 hours to 32.5 hours. That best-case scenario comes with 6.5 hours in the buds themselves, and a further 26 in the charging case, but it’s impacted by both lighting and ANC. 

With lighting permanently on, Razer reckons the total will drop to 27.5 hours, and if you turn ANC on all the time, it’ll fall to 22.5. Use both together all the time, and you’re all the way down to 20 hours – which still, impressively, is better than owners of the last generation can hope for.

The Razer Hammerhead True Wireless earphones are available to order from Razer’s website right now, priced at £129.99. That’s £30 more than the previous generation, which is still available if you want to save a bit of cash.