Review: HyperX Cloud III Wireless

HyperX earned an extremely rare 10/10 from us with its Cloud Alpha Wireless headphones. A decent set of gaming headphones has a battery life of 30 to 40 hours; the Cloud Alpha blew us away with 300 hours. Now, the company is back with the Cloud III Wireless. While it doesn't get the same miraculous battery life of its predecessor, it still gets an overwhelming 120 hours and adds a couple tweaks that should broaden the base of customer appeal.

On its surface, the Cloud III Wireless isn't much different from the Alpha. It has the same comfortable ear cups, sturdy but flexible aluminum frame, and red accents. (There is now an all-black option.) The differences are subtle but important. Besides the reduced but still incredible battery life, the wireless dongle makes the switch to USB-C and comes with a USB-A adapter. Internally, the Alpha uses dual chamber drivers, while the III uses more typical angled 53-mm drivers. Oh, and the III is about $30 cheaper.

The changes feel like two steps back, then two steps forward, in a different but still positive direction.

We were so baffled at how HyperX managed to pull off over 300 hours of battery life that it inspired our friends at iFixit to do an investigative breakdown. Their informed guess is that HyperX achieved this unreal mark with a combination of really efficient chips and by cutting power-hungry features like active noise cancellation and generic Bluetooth connectivity.

While this makes the Cloud Alpha ideal for the narrow use case they're designed for—wireless audio for PC or PlayStation gaming—it comes at the expense of other uses, like connecting them to your Switch, phone, tablet, or most other devices. The Cloud III Wireless expands that access, though maybe not quite the way you might want.

In the box, HyperX has included a USB-C dongle that has an optional USB-A attachment. It's a minor difference but a significant one. If you use both pieces to connect these to a PC, it works just how the original Cloud Alpha did. However, with the USB-C dongle, you can now connect the headphones wirelessly to a phone, tablet, or portable handheld gaming console like the Switch.

Unfortunately, plugging the USB-C dongle into the Switch blocks simultaneous playing and charging. It's not the most convenient way to pair headphones, but it's still a welcome addition. The Cloud Alpha got such good battery life that I was more often annoyed that I couldn't use it with other devices, and would've happily accepted half the battery life for more options. HyperX read my mind and delivered that trade.

Photograph: HyperX

The most important aspect of a pair of headphones is their sound quality. On that front, the Cloud III Wireless is a bit disappointing compared to its siblings—which shouldn't be construed as disappointing overall. The audio on the Cloud Alpha was disproportionately excellent for its price. The Cloud III costs less than the Cloud Alpha, but due to its different drivers, it also sounds a little less rich.

The bass isn't quite as deep as I would've liked, but it's still pretty clear. I used it for gaming for a couple dozen hours, and once I got used to it, I hardly noticed the difference. I suspect I might not have even clocked the difference at all if I hadn't gotten so used to the better sound on the Cloud Alpha.

The wireless range was as impressive as other HyperX headphones I've tested. I was able to get up from my gaming PC, walk to the kitchen to grab a drink, and make it back without a single break in my connection.

Physically, there are only subtle differences between the Cloud III and Cloud Alpha. The ear cups and headband are virtually identical, which is to say they're so comfortable I often forgot I was wearing them. The power button is wider than the mute button on the Cloud III, making it easier to tell which button you're pressing.

The Cloud III also offers an all-black option, which is nice, since red accents on black headphones are … well. It's a pretty strong design choice! It's not bad per se, but it either fits with your aesthetic or it really doesn't. An all-black option is a lot more unobtrusive.

The battery is still the star of the show here. Even though HyperX touts less than half the battery of the Cloud Alpha, 120 hours is still an order of magnitude higher than most of our favorite headsets. In theory, 120 hours is long enough to use it for five straight days with no breaks before needing to recharge. In practice, it can last for weeks.

Assuming you use your headphones for eight hours a day, the Cloud III's battery is robust enough to last for two weeks before recharging. Even that is likely an overestimate for most users. Personally, I rarely use my headphones more than four to five hours a day. In my testing over a couple of weeks, I only needed to recharge these headphones once, and I didn't charge it fully out of the box in the first place.

Overall, the Cloud III is an excellent option if you want to get extremely long battery life but don't want to spring for the Cloud Alpha. You might want to wait for a sale, though. The Cloud III starts at $170, which is cheaper than the Cloud Alpha's $200 sticker price, but it's higher than the price we usually see the Cloud Alpha on sale for. Right now, the Cloud III is a decent buy, but when it goes on sale, it will be amazing.