Xbox Wireless Headset – Test, Hardware, Android, iPad, iPhone, PC, Xbox One, Xbox Series X

Setting up the wireless headset is as simple as it is with the console: the easily accessible on / off switch in the back of the left ear doubles as a sync button if you hold it down for several seconds. If you press the opposite end on the console, the headset will connect to the Xbox or wireless dongle on the PC within a few seconds. As is common nowadays, the first firmware update is ready and you will be notified immediately. The download works wirelessly, so you only need the included 50cm USB-C cable to charge the lithium-ion battery. According to the manufacturer, 30 minutes on electrical current is sufficient to power the headset for about four hours. If you plug it into the socket or the USB socket for three hours, the power storage should be increased to 15 hours when it is turned off. How long the battery lasts depends, among other things, on factors such as the distance to the controller. After about seven hours of continuous use, four of them with continuous chat conversations, the charging status of our test model is still referred to as “average” in the Xbox Accessories app.

Pairing also works just as quickly as a console and a mobile device, although not using Microsoft’s internal wireless protocol, but Bluetooth 4.2 and later. In fact, a parallel operation can be done: you can simultaneously take calls or listen to music from the mobile device and use the headphone while playing the game. If the computer is not equipped with a Bluetooth unit or a wireless unit, the device can also be used with a cable connection. As mentioned earlier, the included charging cable turned out to be quite short, which is why a USB extension is practically mandatory in this case.

Doesn’t Bluetooth support also allow it to be used on PlayStation? In theory, yes, but in practice, Sony’s operating system refused to call a Microsoft headphone in our testing. However, there is a tried and tested twist to at least use the wireless headset as a wireless headphone with any source connected to a Bluetooth enabled TV. The headphone can be paired with LG TV without any problems. Hence the use as a communication device logically falls.

Comfortable to wear, great service

The wireless speaker weighs 312 grams and is very comfortable to wear. This is ensured on the one hand by the soft PU leather ears and on the other hand by the well-cushioned and yet stable headband, which of course can also be adjusted and thus adapted according to the shape of the head. Only after the XL session, in which I played for over six hours and always wore a headphone, did I feel a slight pressure on my ear.

With Equalizer, you can actually find several ready-made profiles within the extensions app.

My main highlight is the cool operation, which is wonderfully comfortable thanks to the two outer handles on the respective ear cups. The required size can be adjusted on the right side, with the mechanism at the lower and upper ends snapping into place. On the left side, where the non-detachable flexible microphone is connected with an additional mute button, you can control the balance between game and chat audio. A simple snap in the middle position, where the division corresponds to 50:50, ensures good steering when mixed. I like the process a lot because it’s intuitive and at the same time you don’t have to search for any small dials or buttons, as is the case with some other headphones.