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We compare products from their published specs and features; the verdicts below are our independent editorial opinions.
Updated: 2026-09-18 · 7 min read · Independent comparison
• ASUS ROG Cetra II — biggest strength: Wired, no-battery simplicity with a 90° angled connector, aluminum housing and liquid silicone rubber drivers tuned for strong bass.
• ASUS ROG Cetra II — biggest trade-off: It is a cable-only in-ear, so there is no wireless freedom, no mic detail on the level of a boom mic, and no 2.4 GHz or Bluetooth mixing.
• Razer BlackShark V3 — biggest strength: 2.4 GHz, Bluetooth and USB-C in one headset, with a 70-hour battery, 50 mm titanium-coated drivers and a detachable super wideband mic.
• Razer BlackShark V3 — biggest trade-off: It is a bulky over-ear that costs more commitment in weight and size, and some of its surround features are platform-specific.
• Who ASUS ROG Cetra II is for: Gamers who want a pocketable, plug-and-play in-ear for handhelds, phones, Switch and consoles with a headphone jack.
• Who Razer BlackShark V3 is for: Players who switch between Xbox, PC, mobile and handhelds and want one wireless headset to cover all of them.
The ROG Cetra II Core Moonlight White is a wired in-ear built around ASUS Essence drivers made from liquid silicone rubber. That material choice is the headline here: LSR is used to keep the diaphragm's behavior stable while pushing strong bass, which is exactly what you want when a game's low-end rumble needs to land without the driver sounding strained. The 32-ohm impedance and 20 Hz–40 kHz frequency range put it in friendly territory for phones, handhelds and controllers that do not have much amplification to spare.
The part I like most for real gaming is the 90° cable connector. If you have ever played on a Switch or a phone with a cable jutting straight out of the bottom, you know how quickly that gets annoying and how much stress it puts on the jack. The angled plug routes the cable along the device instead of away from it, which keeps it out of your hands during portable play. The housing is lightweight aluminum with a scratch-resistant finish, and the whole thing weighs 18 g — the kind of set you forget is in your pocket. Passive noise cancellation, meaning the seal of the tips themselves, is the isolation you get; there is no active noise cancelling here.
Razer BlackShark V3: Who It's For
The BlackShark V3 is the opposite philosophy: an over-ear wireless esports headset that tries to be the only thing you plug in. Razer HyperSpeed Wireless Gen-2 is rated for latency as low as 10 ms on 2.4 GHz, which is the number that matters if you are the type of player who notices audio arriving a beat late. The Gen-2 TriForce Titanium 50 mm drivers use a titanium-coated diaphragm aimed at clarity and positional accuracy, so footsteps and directional cues come through with detail rather than as a low rumble.
The connectivity is where it earns its keep. You get 2.4 GHz, Bluetooth 5.3 and USB-C, and you can mix 2.4 GHz and Bluetooth audio at the same time on two devices — game audio from your console while a call comes in on your phone, for example. Battery life is rated up to 70 hours, which in practice means you can go a week or more of normal sessions without thinking about a cable. The detachable HyperClear Super Wideband mic is a 9.9 mm unit covering a wider frequency range than a typical headset mic, and being detachable means you can pull it off entirely for mobile or travel use.
There are caveats worth naming. This is a 0.89 kg product with a metal enclosure and oval over-ear cups, so it is a presence on your head and in your bag — nothing like the 18 g Cetra II. Surround sound is platform-dependent: you get next-gen surround on Xbox Series X|S and Xbox One, while THX Spatial Audio is a Windows 10 64-bit-or-higher feature only. The frequency range tops out at 28 kHz versus the Cetra II's 40 kHz, though for gaming that gap is unlikely to be the thing you notice. And you are paying for wireless, a battery and a mic system — all things the wired Cetra II simply does not include.
• Best for handheld and mobile gaming → ASUS ROG Cetra II. The 90° connector plus 18 g weight makes it the more comfortable pick for a Switch or phone session.
• Best for wireless freedom → Razer BlackShark V3. 2.4 GHz, Bluetooth 5.3 and USB-C in one headset, with none of the cable snag.
• Best for battery life → Razer BlackShark V3. Up to 70 hours rated, versus a wired set that never needs charging at all but also never leaves the cable behind.
• Best for mic quality on team chat → Razer BlackShark V3. A detachable 9.9 mm super wideband mic is in a different class from an in-ear's inline mic.
• Best for plug-and-play across old and new hardware → ASUS ROG Cetra II. A 3.5 mm jack covers PC, Mac, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Switch and mobile with zero setup.
• Best for positional audio in competitive shooters → Razer BlackShark V3. 50 mm titanium-coated drivers plus pro-tuned FPS EQ profiles are built for that job.
• Best for durability on the move → ASUS ROG Cetra II. Aluminum housing, scratch resistance and a tiny footprint beat a large over-ear for tossing in a bag.
• Best for multi-device audio at once → Razer BlackShark V3. Simultaneous 2.4 GHz and Bluetooth mixing is something the Cetra II cannot do at all.
For most people reading this, I would buy the Razer BlackShark V3. It replaces three things at once — a wireless headset, a decent mic and a multi-platform connection — and the 70-hour battery means it stays out of your way. The Cetra II is the better answer only if you specifically want a wired, pocket-sized in-ear for handhelds and you already have a separate solution for voice chat. In my opinion the BlackShark V3 is the more complete gaming purchase; the Cetra II is the smarter second headset.
No. It is a wired in-ear with a 3.5 mm jack and a 90° connector. There is no battery, no Bluetooth and no 2.4 GHz option, so it depends entirely on the jack on your device.
Does the Razer BlackShark V3 work with PS5 and Switch?
The BlackShark V3, clearly. Its detachable 9.9 mm HyperClear Super Wideband mic is designed for voice detail, while the Cetra II relies on in-ear call performance that depends heavily on getting a good tip seal.
That depends on what bothers you more. The Cetra II is lighter at 18 g and stays cool, but keeps you tethered. The BlackShark V3 is a heavier over-ear at 0.89 kg but runs up to 70 hours wirelessly. If you want to compare current pricing before deciding, check the latest price on Amazon.
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