Razer Kaira Wireless review

Razer used the Kaira Pro to show the way forward for its next-gen premium gaming headsets, with a solid core of features and a few meaningful bells and whistles. Similarly, the Razer Kaira Wireless shows what that approach looks like on a budget: almost the same.

The Kaira Pro isn’t one of the best gaming headsets on the market, but it’s already a pretty decent bargain. Does the Kaira Wireless retain the right stuff to make it a real steal?

Editor’s note: this Razer Kaira Wireless review was updated on September 20, 2024, to shorten some text and add new measurement charts.

What is the Razer Kaira Wireless like?

The Razer Kaira Wireless is almost identical physically to the Razer Kaira Pro. In fact, with a few exceptions, this headset offers basically the same user experience.

Much like its Pro counterpart, the Razer Kaira Wireless is a wireless gaming headset for the Xbox One and Xbox Series S/X. It’s made entirely of plastic, with memory foam cushions covered in the same mesh fabric as the Pro model, as well as headsets like the Razer BlackShark V2 and its Pro variant. It’s lightweight, and the headband offers just the right amount of clamping force to feel secure. It’s easy to establish a decent seal, too. The headphone hinges offer a decent tilt range, and they rotate to lay flat, so most head shapes are accommodated.

Using the gaming headset is pretty straightforward, and there’s actually less involved than with the Pro model. If you own an Xbox, just pair the headset with it, and the two devices will automatically connect from then on. There’s no Bluetooth or wired option here, so you can only connect to an Xbox or a PC with an Xbox Wireless adapter, which doesn’t come with the headset.

The headset features an array of on-ear buttons and dials to give you all the control you need. On the left headphone, there’s a power button, volume dial, and mic mute switch, and the right headphone features a button for pairing and a dial to control game and chat audio balance. With the Razer Kaira Pro, the addition of a Bluetooth button makes the controls feel cluttered, and it’s easy to forget what button is located where. Even losing just one button dramatically improves things in this regard with the regular Kaira Wireless.

Does the Kaira Wireless come with software?

Because the Razer Kaira Wireless is an Xbox Wireless gaming headset, there’s no software component to worry about. Razer Synapse doesn’t recognize a headset connected with an Xbox Wireless adapter (the Windows volume controls don’t even work with it), so everything is handled on the hardware side.

What is the battery life of the Razer Kaira Wireless?

According to Razer, the Kaira Wireless can last up to 15 hours on a single charge. In our testing, we found that at a consistent output of ~75dB(SPL), the headset lasts 21 hours and 39 minutes. This isn’t the greatest battery result for a gaming headset, but it’s hardly bad and almost identical to the Razer Kaira Pro.

How is gaming with the Razer Kaira Wireless?

Gaming with the Razer Kaira Wireless is largely the same experience as with the Razer Kaira Pro, which is, to say, pretty good. It’s comfortable and lightweight enough for long sessions. On Xbox and PC, the headset supports Windows Sonic surround sound, which isn’t the most intense surround sound standard, but it gets the job done.

Getting access to an Xbox Series X/S is still rather difficult, so we did all our in-game testing on a PC using an Xbox Wireless adapter. The Wireless adapter always makes headsets behave a little oddly (Windows typically only recognizes them as Xbox controller audio inputs, after all), but even then, the Razer Kaira Wireless performed well. The headset handled the cluttered mix of in-game and orchestral sound in Final Fantasy XIV well, as well as the hectic sounds of the battlefield in the newly re-released Halo 4.

Does the Razer Kaira Wireless block out noise?

The Razer Kaira Wireless hardly competes with the best on the market, but it offers above-average isolation for a gaming headset. This won’t do much in very noisy environments like a cafe, but given it lacks the Bluetooth connectivity of its Pro sibling, that’s not really an issue. You shouldn’t run into any issues hearing things over the typical sounds of the home, but you’re probably not going to miss any doorbells, either.

How does the Razer Kaira Wireless sound?

The Razer Kaira Wireless (cyan) has a surprisingly accurate frequency response for a gaming headset. It generally follows our consumer curve (pink), with some deviations throughout each frequency range. The audio output is hardly tuned for audiophiles. Nothing sounds too far out of whack, but if accuracy is your preference, this isn’t it.

Lows, mids, and highs

Music with big, booming bass sounds great coming out of the Razer Kaira Wireless. In Pirouette by Chiiild, the bass tones and drums totally take over, which really accentuates the song’s dreamy tone and sounds great. However, the uneven treble register causes a lot of the subtler strings in the background to get lost.

In-game, a frequency response like this means the battlefield’s din will sound that much more chaotic. In games like Fortnite or Valorant, the sounds of explosions and gunfire run a real risk of running roughshod over subtler sounds like footsteps, which can be pretty important to hear in certain circumstances.

Does the Razer Kaira Wireless have a good microphone?

The Razer Kaira Wireless sports the same boom microphone as the Razer Kaira Pro, only now it’s permanently attached to the headset. Bass tones are under-emphasized, but not to the degree as most gaming headset microphones. This means that people with deep voices won’t sound as tinny or quiet as they often do on other headsets. The Kaira Wireless also doesn’t feature the cruddy internal microphone of the Pro, but that’s no great loss—it just means you’re left with one of the better gaming headset microphones on the market. Have a listen for yourself:

Razer Kaira Wireless microphone demo (Non-standardized):

Should you buy the Razer Kaira Wireless?

If you’re in the market for a gaming headset just for your Xbox, you should consider the Razer Kaira Wireless. If you need it for anything else, look elsewhere.

The Razer Kaira Wireless has many of the strengths of the Razer Kaira Pro. It’s just as comfortable, sounds just as good, offers just as good a mic, and has almost as good battery life. Considering it’s $50 cheaper, this headset is a little easier to recommend, but it still has the most glaring problem of the Kaira Pro.

For the convenience it brings, Xbox Wireless remains something of a barrier to using on other platforms. Obviously, this doesn’t have Bluetooth, so mobile connections are out, as are wired connections. However, needing to buy an adapter just to use the Kaira Wireless on PC—in an inferior manner, no less—makes this pretty much locked to a single platform.

The Razer Kaira Wireless is a good gaming headset, to be sure, but it’s hamstrung by Xbox Wireless in the same way that every Xbox Wireless gaming headset is. It can be a solid option, but if you need a headset for any other platform, it’s just not very good.

What should you buy instead of the Razer Kaira Wireless?

Meanwhile, gaming headsets like the SteelSeries Arctis 7X, the Xbox-oriented version of the Arctis 7P ($175 at Amazon), are built for Xbox, but remain compatible with Nintendo Switch, PC, and mobile because they include a dongle. The Razer Barracuda X (2022) is another multi-platform wireless headset that can connect using a dongle, Bluetooth, or wired 3.5mm connection at the same price as the Kaira Wireless, $99 at Amazon. Additionally, wired headsets like Razer’s own BlackShark V2 ($79 at Amazon) or even something cheap like the Fnatic React ($64 at Amazon) bring basically everything the Kaira Wireless does, and you just need to plug it into your controller.

Frequently asked questions about the Razer Kaira Wireless