You want a cherry on top?
If you have dabbled in mechanical keyboards, you know the brand Cherry. Right?
If not, I’ll bet you a beer that you have typed on a Cherry MX switch once, twice, or maybe hundreds of thousands of times. That’s right, Cherry GmbH is a German manufacturer known primarily for its Cherry MX keyboard switches, which have become an industry standard in mechanical keyboards.
In late 2022, Cherry acquired Xtrfy, a Swedish gaming peripheral brand known for high-quality gaming mice (read my review of the Xtrfy M4 Wireless here), keyboards, and accessories.
For e-sport pros. And you.
Cherry Xtrfy continues to expand its product line, this time with its first multi-platform wireless gaming headset, the H3 Wireless. With a mix of gaming-optimized sound, solid battery life, and dual wireless connectivity, this looks like an interesting release.
Gaming audio: good or bad?
The H3 Wireless is designed for gaming, featuring 53mm drivers tuned in collaboration with professional players. This means the sound profile is likely to emphasize key gaming elements like footsteps, gunfire, and other positional audio cues using a built-in equalizer.
The question is whether this tuning goes overboard. Many gaming headsets tend to “color” the sound too much—especially when compared to more neutral, audiophile-grade headsets. That might be a good thing if you are squeezing out that last competitive edge in a comp CS, Valorant, or COD game. But, more often than not, this kind of audiophile make-up goes too far.
Then again, this might probably be exactly what Cherry Xtrfy is aiming for—for those playing competitive games, especially across PS5, Xbox, and PC, who want the potential of a real advantage.
A headset that lets you hear your opponents more clearly can, in itself, be a kind of “cheat code” in games where sound is a crucial part of gameplay—something that many cross-platform players of games like COD and Apex Legends have felt.
Solid battery life
The battery life is slated for 100 hours. Impressive. With my late-night Friday gaming sessions, this headset would last me more than a month on a single charge.
To me, this is excessive. I mean, it is nice to have, but after a max of 5 hours, I am done, and I can then charge my headset (or mouse, or other peripherals). So if the battery amounts to a heftier weight, I could have done with half the amount of hours.
Connectivity and Usability
One of the most interesting aspects of the H3 Wireless is its ability to connect to multiple devices simultaneously. It looks like it uses a dedicated dongle for PC, PS5, Xbox, and Switch, while Bluetooth handles mobile phones.
If this works seamlessly, it’s a major plus for those gamers who play on several platforms. Having a soundscape you are comfortable with, and that is homogeneous across all platforms, is a plus.
And according to the user manual, everything can be controlled directly from the headset’s buttons, eliminating the need for software installations. This is a design philosophy I really appreciate—and one that Xtrfy has successfully implemented before.
No xbox love?
By the looks of the manual, the USB dongle’s software does not support Xbox consoles. I am reaching out to Cherry Xtrfy and asking for clarification regarding how the experience on xbox would work.
Price
It’s competitively priced at $99, $129, and 1490 NOK.
However, in this price range, it is competing with the Logitech G733 and the HyperX Cloud III, among others. Both reviewed well. A competitive segment indeed.
Specs and feautres
Notable specs and features:
- Closed, over-ear design with memory foam ear pads
- 53 mm dynamic speaker drivers tuned for esports
- Low-latency USB dongle for gaming
- Bluetooth 5.1 for mobile and other devices
- Up to 100 hours of battery life (at 50% volume)
- Lightweight aluminum frame for durability
- Memory foam pads
- Detachable omnidirectional microphone
- Controls on the headset (power, volume, mute, EQ switch)
- 2m USB-C to USB-A charging cable included
- Weight: 325 g (excluding mic and cable)
Looks promising – would love to hear more
Cherry Xtrfy H3 Wireless definitely has some compelling specs. Great battery life, multi-platform compatibility, and a gaming-focused sound profile could make this a solid competitor. But as always, real-world performance is what matters.
I’ve had great experiences with Xtrfy products before (especially their mice), so I’d love to test this one out. If Cherry Xtrfy has managed to balance the sound profile well, this could be a good choice for both casual and competitive gamers.
What do you think? Tempted to give it a shot?
