Logitech G502 X Plus Review

The Logitech G502 X Plus is a mouse that we would recommend to any gamer who is looking to upgrade their MOBA or MMORPG gaming setup. This is because the mouse offers an elaborate and awesome feature set, a good selection of buttons, excellent build quality, and a sensor that would put most others to shame. And, at ₹14,995, it offers great value for money and was also crowned the winner of the Digit Best Buy Award 2022. 

However, if you are someone who is into FPS games, we would recommend you to go for the Logitech GPro X Superlight, which retails for a lower price, and is a no-nonsense mouse for the ones who like clicking digital heads!

Logitech has been a mainstay in the business of making PC peripherals, and their products, like the G502 mouse, have become an icon in their own right. There was a Lightspeed variant of the G502 already in the market, commanding its own reach amongst the gamer kind. So, when the company released the G502 X Plus, we were really interested to see what direction the brand was headed in with this product, and when it showed up at the Digit Test Centre, we put it through our rigorous testing process and here’s what we found out.

Logitech G502 X Plus - Specifications at a glance

USB-C Charging 106 grams Low-friction PTFE feet Weight: 106 g Height: 131.4 mm Width: 41.1 mm Depth: 79.2 mm Sensor: HERO 25K Resolution: 100 – 25,600 dpi Max. acceleration: >40G2 Max. speed: >400 IPS 3 [Tested by the brand on Logitech G240 Gaming Mouse Pad] Zero smoothing/acceleration/filtering Battery life - Constant motion 130 hrs (37 hrs RGB on) Colours Available: Black and White

Logitech G502 X Plus - Build and Design

As soon as one reads the name of this mouse, the G502 prefix instantly gives away the fact that this mouse will have a design that is inspired by the trusty G502. However, given that this mouse is an upgrade over the previous iteration of the mouse in the series, there are some noticeable differences in the design of the mouse.

While the button combinations remain the same, the Hyperfast scroll wheel stays, the RGB lighting on the mouse has seen a massive change. The brand has released two wireless variants of the G502 X - the G502 X Lightspeed and the G502 X Plus. What is the difference? Well, the latter has LED lights, while the former does not. And, the change in LEDs is mainly in the lighting patterns, as you can see in the images here.

Coming to the overall shape and feel of the mouse, the design is essentially the same as that of the OG G502. If you have used the older version of the mouse long enough, then you will feel at home right away. The buttons have a very familiar clicky feel to them, and the feedback is something that one could write books in praise of. The sniper button the side, right above the thumb rest is modular, meaning that it can be removed and added to the mouse as you please.

The body is made with the usual Logitech sturdy, and lightweight plastic with a combination of matte and gloss finishes accenting the mouse. As per the claims made by Logitech, which we verified as well, the mouse weighs 102 grams, which is supposed to be lighter than before. There is a small circular plate at the bottom of the mouse, covering the dongle storage cavity of the mouse, held in place by fairly strong magnets.

The thumb rest of the mouse has a rubberised finish which feels great when you are using the mouse. It provides for additional grip, preventing the rather slippery mouse from going flying away from your hand when you hit those insane flicks in games. The PTFE Feet are the same that are featured in the other high-end Logitech mice like the Logitech GPro X Superlight.

Logitech G502 X Plus - Features

When talking about the features of the Logitech G502 X Plus, there’s a lot to talk about. So, let’s start with the switches featured on this mouse. 

One of the biggest attractions of this mouse, which helps it stand apart from the older G502, is the new kind of hybrid optical-mechanical switches that have been added to this mouse. According to the brand, these new switches “achieve higher levels of speed and reliability as well as retain the crisp actuation of mechanical.” In our time using the mouse across a variety of game genres, we could feel the difference. One that made our experience of using the mouse better. 

Then, there is the Logitech GHub, which is the software you can use to control and customise the various functions and lighting modes of the mouse. It remains one of our all-time favourites and continues to work flawlessly with the G502 X Plus. The DPI shift button allows for on-the-fly changes to the DPI, and Powerplay integration means that you can use the mouse forever without ever needing to charge it.

The Hyperfast scroll wheel, which can be toggled to ratcheted or free-flowing states by the click of a button, ensures that you don’t need to exercise your index finger a lot when scrolling long Reddit threads or pulling off those insane bunny hops. Additionally, if you are someone who owns tons of Logitech peripherals that are compatible with Lightsync RGB, then you are in luck. This mouse also supports Lightsync RGB, meaning that you will be able to colour-match the LEDs on your peripherals.

Logitech G502 X Plus - Performance

When trying to figure out how the mouse performs, one of the first things that we tend to look at is the sensor that the mouse is equipped with. So, when we saw the Hero 25K sensor, which was featured in our Digit Zero1 Awards 2022, winning mouse, our expectations were high. However, the mouse could not match up to the performance of its cousin.

In our testing, the response time of the G502 X Plus fell short of the one we found when we tested the GPro X Superlight. It was off by 9 points, which might not impact the day-to-day gaming activities of most users, but if you are someone who pushes your peripherals to the limit when gaming, then you will definitely feel the difference in the performance of the GPro X Super light and this mouse.

When we populated our scoring sheets to calculate the final performance score of the mouse, accounting for DPI difference, response time, Enotus Mouse Test, and other miscellaneous tests and metrics, there was a very small difference between the two mice. This goes to show that Logitech has been putting love and care into their products. However, whatever difference there was, albeit something that most of you all would not notice, should not have been there.

Logitech G502 X Plus - Verdict

The Logitech G502 X Plus is a mouse that we would recommend to any gamer who is looking to upgrade their MOBA or MMORPG gaming setup. This is because the mouse offers an elaborate and awesome feature set, a good selection of buttons, excellent build quality, and a sensor that would put most others to shame. And, at ₹14,995, it offers great value for money and was also crowned the winner of the Digit Best Buy Award 2022. 

However, if you are someone who is into FPS games, we would recommend you to go for the Logitech GPro X Superlight, which retails for a lower price, and is a no-nonsense mouse for the ones who like clicking digital heads!

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Logitech G Pro X SUPERLIGHT Review: Lightweight with exceptional performance

The Logitech G Pro X SUPERLIGHT is a great lightweight gaming mouse, with an excellent sensor, great click latency, great build quality, and great overall wireless performance. It’s one of the lightest wireless mice we’ve ever tested, and you can certainly feel the difference between the SUPERLIGHT at the G Pro Wireless.

Based on the same design language and build as the Logitech G Pro Wireless, the Logitech G Pro X SUPERLIGHT, like the name suggests, does away with all the additional frills on the G Pro Wireless to bring the weight down to an impressive 61g. This makes the Logitech G Pro X SUPERLIGHT one of the lightest gaming mice we’ve tested, which is saying something considering that the mouse is also wireless. With that being said, let’s jump into the detailed review.

Logitech G Pro X SUPERLIGHT: Specs at a glance

Weight: 61 g Feet: Virgin-grade PTFE Feet Height: 125.0 mm Width: 63.5 mm Depth: 40.0 mm Onboard memory (require Logitech G HUB Software) 5 buttons Sensor: HERO 25K Resolution: 100 – 25,600 DPI Zero smoothing/acceleration/filtering USB report rate: 1000 Hz (1ms) Battery Life: 70h

Logitech G Pro X SUPERLIGHT: Build and design

Like we mentioned, the Logitech G Pro X SUPERLIGHT looks pretty much identical to the G Pro Wireless, it even has the same dimensions. However, there are some key differences worth pointing out. For starters, the G Pro X SUPERLIGHT only has two fixed buttons on the left side of the mouse, unlike the G Pro Wireless which could have two detachable buttons on either side. They’ve also done away with the DPI switch button under the G Pro X SUPERLIGHT, and the Logitech G logo lighting on the body of the mouse. Where the light would be, instead you’ve just got a glossy Logitech G logo. There’s only a small indicator light on the body for when the mouse is charging and when you switch DPI via the software. While all of these are technically missing features, they’ve been done with the intention of reducing the weight as much as possible; which they’ve accomplished, bringing the weight down to 61g from the G Pro Wireless’s 80g. The mouse has a standard ratcheting (perstep resistant) plastic scroll wheel with a textured rubberised coating. No side scrolling.

Coming to the build quality, the entire body is made with lightweight, sturdy plastic, with matte finish. There’s flex on the left and right click buttons when they’re pressed down hard, but that’s about it. There’s no loose or jiggling parts and the overall build quality feels very premium. Under the mouse, below the on-off switch, you’ve got a magnetic cap under which you can house the mouse’s USB dongle. Being able to carry the dongle within the mouse itself makes it a lot more convenient when it comes to portability; this is in addition to the mouse already being pretty lightweight.  

The body can be a bit on the slippery side, but they’ve included side and click grips in the packaging. They’ve also included an additional magnetic cap with PTFE on it for extra glide. Speaking of PTFE feet, the mouse uses virgin-grade PTFE feet which are firmly in place, and show no sign of peeling off even after rigorous testing. You will however, need to forcibly peel them off if you intend to open the mouse up.

There is a charging cable included which is 1.8m in length, which is a pretty standard mouse cable length, and the mouse works wired as well, so you can plug it in when it's low and continue using it as normal.

Logitech G Pro X SUPERLIGHT: Features

A lot of the features present on the G Pro Wireless have been stripped from the G Pro X SUPERLIGHT, so the mouse does fall short in the features department. For instance, the only way to change the DPI is via the G Hub software. You can obviously map the ability to change DPI to a mouse button, but your options are limited because you only have two extra buttons. Chances are, as a gamer those are already mapped to other in-game actions.

In case you do decide to assign other actions to the mouse, the mouse comes with onboard memory so you can carry the same settings along with you to other devices as well. You can also map the G-Shift action to a button allowing you to effectively have four more button actions from the mouse for a grand total of 9 actions. Holding down G-Shift essentially allows you to assign different actions to each button while the G-Shift button is held down.

The polling rate can also be adjusted via the G Hub software, but that’s about it. The mouse doesn’t come with any angle snapping or acceleration.

Logitech G Pro X SUPERLIGHT: Performance

Coming to the performance, we’ve got the excellent Logitech HERO 25K sensor, which ranges from 100 CPI to 25600 CPI. The CPI can be adjusted in steps of 50, which is great, especially if you want to finetune the CPI to your needs. We found the sensor to be fairly accurate and track well, which is consistent with previous Logitech mice we’ve reviewed which also featured the HERO 25K sensor. Like the Logitech G Pro Wireless, the G Pro X SUPERLIGHT also has low click latency, which is ideal for competitive online gaming, such as FPS and MOBAs. However, we can’t recommend this mouse for MMOs, where you would probably want more buttons to map actions to.

The mouse comes with a tracking speed of 400 IPS, so the mouse should track well and have no trouble keeping up even during high intensity gameplay. Like we mentioned, the mouse also has a maximum polling rate of 1000 Hz, which is standard at this point with gaming mice and should more than suffice for any of your gaming needs.

Coming to the battery, Logitech promises 70h of battery life from the G Pro X SUPERLIGHT at constant motion. We can verify that the mouse does indeed have impressive battery life, and have to charge it only once in two weeks.

Logitech G Pro X SUPERLIGHT: Verdict

The Logitech G Pro X SUPERLIGHT is a great lightweight gaming mouse, with an excellent sensor, great click latency, great build quality, and great overall wireless performance. It’s one of the lightest wireless mice we’ve ever tested, and you can certainly feel the difference between the SUPERLIGHT at the G Pro Wireless. However, the lightweightedness does come at the cost of certain features, but it’s up to you to decide whether the trade-off is worth it.

 

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Steelseries Apex 7 TKL Mechanical Gaming Keyboard Review: The best TKL you can get your hands on right now

The SteelSeries Apex 7 TKL is the best TKL keyboard we’ve used so far, so it shouldn’t come as a surprise that it was a runner up for our Zero1 2021 best mechanical keyboard. It’s feature-rich and the only thing it’s missing is a numpad, but since this is a TKL keyboard, that’s the whole point. The only complaint we have about it is that it’s loud, so if you’re in the market for a TKL mechanical keyboard and don’t mind it being loud and costing INR 11,999, then go for the SteelSeries Apex 7 TKL.

The SteelSeries Apex 7 TKL is part of SteelSeries’ new lineup of mechanical gaming keyboards, along with the SteelSeries Apex Pro and the Apex 7. As the name suggests, this is the TKL or Tenkeyless variant. At a glance, this is a very premium looking keyboard, with a sleek and classy design, and a sturdy aluminium frame. Of course, let’s not forget the OLED screen on the top right of the keyboard, which also stands out. With all that being said, let’s jump into the review and see how the SteelSeries Apex 7 TKL fares and whether you should buy it.

Steelseries Apex 7 TKL Specs at a glance

Top Material: Aircraft Grade Aluminium Alloy Frame N-Key RollOver: 84-Key Anti-Ghosting Dynamic Per Key RGB Illumination Weight: 771g Dimensions: 355.44 x 139.26 x 40.44mm SteelSeries QX2 Mechanical RGB Switch Switch Actuation: 2 mm Total Travel: 4 mm Force: 45cN Lifetime: 50 Million Keypresses

Steelseries Apex 7 TKL Build and design

Like we mentioned earlier, this is the TKL variant of the Apex 7. This basically means that there’s no numpad included. Now, while the lack of a numpad can take some getting used to, there are several benefits to it as well. For starters, TKL keyboards tend to take up less real estate on a desktop; more room is always nice. Additionally, there is some benefit to having your hands closer together while gaming, as reducing the distance between your keyboard and mouse has shown to help gamers perform better over longer periods of time. There’s also the obvious benefit of the keyboard costing less. However, there are benefits to having a numpad as well, so taking your preferences into account, you might prefer the SteelSeries Apex Pro or Apex 7 over the Apex 7 TKL.

The SteelSeries Apex 7 TKL has a very premium look and feel to it. The top plate of the keyboard’s body is made out of aircraft grade aluminium, which is both lightweight and sturdy. The bottom plate is made out of hard plastic, and comes with multiple grooves for cable management, which is nice. The Apex 7 TKL uses doubleshot PBT keycaps, so you shouldn’t have to worry about the legends wearing out anytime soon. On the top right of the keyboard, you’ve got a clickable scroll wheel, which acts as the volume controls. Scroll up or down to control the volume, and click to mute. You’ve got a single button right under the scroll wheel, which acts as a play pause button. Additionally, both the scroll wheel and the media button can be used to navigate the 128x40 OLED screen that’s present just to the left of them. This screen by default displays the SteelSeries logo, but can be customised and used to do a lot more, which we’ll get to in the features section.

You’ve also got a single USB passthrough behind the left side of the keyboard, illuminated by a white light to help you actually locate the port, which is pretty convenient.

The Apex 7 TKL comes with its own magnetic wrist rest, which has a rubbery coating, so you won't have issues with grip. It’s also at a fairly comfortable height, but you always have the option to go without. The wrist rest lines up nicely with the keyboard, and attaches magnetically. The magnet is strong enough that it clicks in place, but it’s not too secure; pick the keyboard up and it’ll come apart.

Steelseries Apex 7 TKL Features

Next we come to the features. Starting with the key switches, the SteelSeries Apex 7 TKL comes with QX2 mechanical RGB switches, which aren’t too different from Cherry MX switches; your overall experience shouldn’t be too different. We’ve mentioned before that many prominent brands are coming out with their own switch variants over Cherry MX, the QX2 are one such variation. The Apex 7 TKL unit that we received for review came with QX2 Reds, which is the linear and quiet switch. In addition to Red, you also have Blue switches which are clicky and tactile, and Brown switches which are tactile and quiet. There’s no difference between the three when it comes to actuation force and travel distance, with all of them having 45cN of actuation force, 2 mm of actuation travel distance and 4 mm total travel distance.

The keyboard comes with per-key RGB Illumination, which can be customised using the companion software, SteelSeries Engine. This is also where you would customise the OLED screen as well. Each of the keys on the SteelSeries Apex 7 TKL is reprogrammable to whatever you want, so there’s plenty of customisation that can be done as per your preferences.

Coming to the OLED screen itself, like we mentioned above, by default you’ve got the SteelSeries logo on it, however you can customise it to your liking, and even have gifs running on it while idle. Through SteelSeries Engine, there are a bunch of preset things you can have running on the OLED screen, including system statistics like CPU or RAM usage, temperature and more. Additionally, certain games are also compatible with the OLED screen, allowing you to display certain statistics on them, however, this may or may not be helpful considering most people aren’t going to look away from the game to look at the OLED screen.

We mentioned earlier how the volume scroll wheel and media button could be used to navigate the OLED screen. Without needing to go into the software or settings, things can be tweaked directly on the keyboard itself, which is pretty handy. Simply holding down the media button for a few seconds will show four settings on the display, which are Illumination, Macros, Profile, and Settings. All of which are pretty self explanatory. Here, you can cycle through a number of lighting options, including preset and custom lighting. Adjust brightness, create or delete macros, and switch between and create profiles. Being able to do all of that without needing to open up the software, even when you’re in the middle of something is pretty convenient.

Steelseries Apex 7 TKL Performance

We had no complaints when using the SteelSeries Apex 7 TKL. The lack of a numpad can take some getting used to, but the overall experience is quite pleasant, both when it comes to gaming and typing. We found the keys to be responsive and the keyboard to be comfortable, even after long gaming sessions. Typing was also enjoyable on the SteelSeries Apex 7 TKL, however, the experience may vary as people have different switch preferences.

We personally prefer red keys for their silence, however, we’ve found that the QX2 switches are pretty loud despite that. This has more to do with the keycaps bottoming out than the switches itself. Basically, the sound is caused by the roof half of the keycaps hitting the top of the switch base. If this is something that carries over to both the Blue and Brown switch variants, then you probably assume the same, probably much louder in the case of Blue switches which are also clicky.

Software - Steelseries Engine

SteelSeries’ companion software, SteelSeries Engine, is intuitive and easy to navigate and has a neat aesthetic to boot. This is where you’ll be able to customise keybindings, macros, lighting, and the OLED settings. While you can adjust these features directly on the OLED screen, the software gives you a lot more information and options to work with. SteelSeries Engine is also where you can download apps for your OLED screen, which can run in the background, like a music player, system monitor, and gamesense apps for specific games; which you’ll need for it to display game relevant information.

Steelseries Apex 7 TKL Verdict

The SteelSeries Apex 7 TKL is the best TKL keyboard we’ve used so far, so it shouldn’t come as a surprise that it was a runner up for our Zero1 2021 best mechanical keyboard. It’s feature-rich and the only thing it’s missing is a numpad, but since this is a TKL keyboard, that’s the whole point. The only complaint we have about it is that it’s loud, so if you’re in the market for a TKL mechanical keyboard and don’t mind it being loud and costing INR 11,999, then go for the SteelSeries Apex 7 TKL.

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Logitech G435 LIGHTSPEED Wireless Gaming Headset Review: Stylish, lightweight, and comfortable

Priced at Rs. 7490, the Logitech G435 is a solid wireless gaming headset offering from Logitech, which is perfect for anyone who wants to wear headphones all day without feeling taxed. The all-plastic build can feel a bit flimsy and cheap, but it's easily ignorable for the comfort you can get out of the G435. We're a bit disappointed about the lack of G Hub support, but the headphones are pretty feature rich despite it. On the audio front, these headphones have an accurate sound profile, making it good for general listening purposes and gaming and they will easily last you a day on a single charge.

Ever since the Logitech G733 released in 2020, we've seen Logitech branching out with their gaming headsets. While they've still got the Logitech G Pro X which still very much looks and feels like a conventional gaming headset, with the G733, the G335, and now the G435, Logitech has gone for a more stylistic approach. With brighter colours and much lighter weight, these headsets are targeted at a more casual user base who might want a headset for more than just gaming.

Logitech G435: Build and comfort

Like the G335 and the G733 before it, Logitech have gone for an all plastic build with the G435. They’ve also got some very bright and vibrant colour variants in addition to the more muted black with neon yellow option that we received. Logitech has made it very clear that these headphones are targeted at younger gamers, and the ability to be able to express yourself through colour is all part of the package with the G435.

The standout feature of the Logitech G435 is it's incredibly lightweight. At just 165g, this is one of the lightest headsets we've ever reviewed. This of course, comes with many benefits when it comes to comfort. Even after several hours of use at a stretch, these headphones do not feel taxing on your ears at all. Unlike the G733 and the G335, the G435 does not have a floating headband, it instead has a hollow plastic frame wrapped in fabric. While this would have been very uncomfortable with conventional gaming headsets which tend to be a lot heavier, with the G435, you will feel almost nothing. The mesh covered, memory foam ear cups exert just enough clamping force to keep the headset secure without feeling uncomfortable, and use very breathable fabric which definitely contributes to why you can wear these headphones for hours on end without feeling a thing. The earcups are however, on the smaller side, so larger ears might not fit into them.

Logitech G435: Features

When it comes to actually using the Logitech G435, things can become a bit complicated. Simply using the headset wirelessly with a PC via the 2.4Ghz USB Dongle is simple; all you need to do is plug the dongle in and power the headset on by holding down the power button. The Logitech G435 has only 4 buttons in total, including the power button, a mic mute button and the volume up and down buttons. However, using a combination of pressing and holding these buttons, you've got access to quite a few features. Unfortunately, these button combinations are the only way to access these features as the G435 isn't supported by Logitech's G Hub companion software.

Coming to the button combinations, you can hold down the mic mute and power button for 3 seconds to initiate Bluetooth pairing. Just holding down the mic mute button for 3 seconds allows you to switch between Lightspeed and Bluetooth connections. Double pressing the mic mute button enables mic monitoring. Pressing the mic mute and volume up button together increases mic monitoring levels, and the same with the volume down button instead decreases mic monitoring levels. Holding down the mic mute and volume down button limits the volume to 85dB, and the same with the volume up button instead, resets the limit to 100dB. The reasoning for the volume limit, according to Logitech, is that listening to audio output over 85dB for over 8 hours at a stretch is known to cause hearing damage, and the hope here is to prevent that from happening.

We cannot confirm whether or not the G435 actually limits the volume to 85dB, but there’s certainly a noticeable difference in volume when the limit is active.

It should be noted that the Logitech G435 does not have any wired connectivity options, but Bluetooth support should cover most platforms where the USB dongle won't work. Xbox users should probably give this one a pass for obvious reasons. There's no support for Bluetooth multipoint, so you can't connect to multiple devices at the same time either. Similarly, you cannot have the G435 connected via the USB dongle and Bluetooth at the same time as well.

Logitech G435: Performance

For a headset that Logitech wants you to wear everywhere, the Logitech G435 offers mediocre isolation at best. This could have to do with the build, or the earpads, but overall, you will hear outside sounds while wearing these headphones.

The Logitech G435 comes with 40mm drivers, is Discord certified, and is also compatible with Dolby Atmos, Tempest 3D AudioTech and Windows Sonic.

Coming to the sound profile, we've got a pretty accurate sounding headset with the G435. There's a slight boost on the high-bass and mids, while the sub-bass is actually toned down a bit. There's plenty of clarity when it comes to instruments, voices and other detailed sounds which aren't drowned out by louder sounds. However, the underemphasized sub-bass means that the super low, rumbling bass sounds lack any impact. This does slightly take away from sounds like explosions and gunfire which feel less impactful while gaming, but we'd also argue that it lets you game longer since those sounds generally tend to strain our ears over time.

The Logitech G435 uses two embedded beamforming microphones, with the intention of simulating a boom microphone. While it certainly isn't nearly as good as a boom microphone, what we have here is still pretty decent. Certainly better than most other embedded microphones out there. Voice sounds clear, and the headphone doesn't have issues with overboosting the bass and making you sound loud or jarring while you're talking. The mic will however pick up sounds around you quite easily, so keep that in mind.

Logitech G435: Battery life

When it comes to battery, the Logitech G435 comes with an advertised battery life of 18 hours on a single charge. However, we found the G435 to last quite a bit longer than the advertised time, and managed to pull a few extra hours out of it. Then again, we tend to keep the volume fairly low. The device comes with a USB-C cable in the box for charging.

Logitech G435: Verdict

Priced at Rs. 7490, the Logitech G435 is a solid wireless gaming headset offering from Logitech, which is perfect for anyone who wants to wear headphones all day without feeling taxed. The all-plastic build can feel a bit flimsy and cheap, but it's easily ignorable for the comfort you can get out of the G435. We're a bit disappointed about the lack of G Hub support, but the headphones are pretty feature rich despite it. On the audio front, these headphones have an accurate sound profile, making it good for general listening purposes and gaming and they will easily last you a day on a single charge.

 

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HyperX Cloud Stinger S Review: A solid pair of mid-range wired gaming headphones

Priced at Rs 5990, the HyperX Clound Stinger S are a decent pair of mid-range wired gaming headsets. They've got a balanced sound profile that packs a punch to breathe life into action scenes in games. They're comfortable for long periods of use, and work well with all mainstream consoles. The microphone is fantastic, and good for use even in noisy environments. The software is the biggest let down, which offers absolutely nothing in the way of customisation, but at least you're getting 7.1 surround sound at this price range.

Here we have the HyperX Cloud Stinger S gaming headset for review. This is a wired, software-enabled 7.1 surround sound gaming headset, and another budget to mid-range offering from HyperX's already versatile lineup of gaming headsets. Priced at Rs 5,990, it's got a fair bit of competiton from the likes of Logitech and Corsair, so let's take a closer look at these headphones to find out if they're worth picking up. 

HyperX Cloud Stinger S: Build and design

Let's start things off with the build and design. The HyperX Cloud Stinger S features a design that's very similar to the Cloud Stinger. They've both got an all-black plastic body, but instead of the red accents on the Cloud Stinger, the Cloud Stinger S has grey accents. The other difference is the microphone. While the Cloud Stinger's microphone can be removed, the Cloud Stinger S's microphone is not detachable, and has a flip-to-mute feature. 

Coming to the build quality, like we mentioned above, the Cloud Stinger S features an all-plastic body, save the metal plate inside the headband. The earcups have faux leather on them, and are pretty comfy, even after long hours of use. There's faux leather on the underside of the headband as well, at the place where it rests on your head. The earcup hinges and the headband itself feel a bit cheap and flimsy when flexxed. Finally, the wire has a soft-rubber coating, i.e., it isn't braided, and is rather thin.

We found the Cloud Stinger S to be very comfortable to use. The earcups didn't feel too tight or put a lot of pressure on our ears, and we didn't feel like there was a lot of heat being trapped on our ears. Then again, the climate is fairly pleasant at the moment, so it could be different in summers when the climate is much warmer. The headphones felt fairly secure on our head, however, tipping your head or intense movement can shake them off pretty easily, which should be a rare situation for most. Unfortuantely, the HyperX Cloud Stinger S is not a good fit for people with smaller heads, who will struggle to get a good seal from these headphones.

At 275g the Cloud Stinger S is also pretty light, which definitely contributes to the overall comfort of the Cloud Stinger S. The earcups on the Cloud Stinger S can swivel, meaning you can face the earcups down and rest them on your neck when not in use for added convenience.

HyperX Cloud Stinger S: Features

The HyperX Cloud Stinger S features Dynamic 50mm neodymium drivers, with a closed back design. They've got a Frequency response of 18Hz-23kHz, which is much wider than usual 20-20kHz. The impedance on these headphones is 32 Ω, which means it should have no trouble being driven by mainstream consoles, and should be just about enough to work with smartphones as well, of course, you lose out on the 7.1 surround sound in this case. 

These headphones feature onboard volume Controls as well, a volume slider that's present behind right earcup. For the connector, we've got a 3.5mm unijack, along with a USB adapter which is required in order to use the 7.1 surround sound.

Finally, coming to the microphone we've got a polar pattern uni-directional, noise-cancelling microphone. Which is also flip-to-Mute, a feature we love and would love to see all headphones adopt.

HyperX Cloud Stinger S: Performance

The HyperX Cloud Stinger S have a pretty balanced bright-leaning sound profile. This is fairly common in gaming headsets, which basically means that action scenes in games pack a little extra punch. Thanks to its balanced profile, the Cloud Stinger S is also decent for listening to most genres of music. However, these headphones have no EQ or sound customisation of any kind. Also, sound quality relies quite a bit on the headphones' fit and positioning. If, like we mentioned above, you happen to have smaller head, then the lack of a good seal will hamper sound quality. Similarly, slight variances in the headphone's positioning can alter the sound you hear.

The HyperX Cloud Stinger S has average soundstage performance at best, even with 7.1 surround sound turned on. It'll get the job done when playing FPS games, but there are certainly better options out there when it comes to more expansive and accurate soundstage performance. The Cloud Stinger S also has poor noise isolation, with most outside noise passing through unless you've got the volume turned up all the way to max. Which in-turn leads to leakage. The leakage is not a lot, and is only really noticeable at louder volumes. 

Another issue we faced was with the volume between the two cups. There were no issues when controlling the volume via the onboard controls, however, reducing the volume through Windows system settings would drastically reduce the volume in the right cup, while the left cup was still fairly loud. This can get extremely annoying, and we found the only solution was to leave the Windows volume at max and control the volume through the headset's onboard controls.

That finally brings us to the HyperX Cloud Stinger S's microphone, which we really had no complaints about. Voice clarity is great and picks up voice easily. The noise cancelling on the microphone is fantastic, it has no trouble picking voice up even in noisy environments, while reducing or eliminating background noise.

HyperX's NGENUITY software leaves a lot to be desired. With the HyperX Cloud Stinger S, its sole purpose seems to be turning 7.1 surround sound on and off. That's it. The headphones' firmware can also be updated here, but there are no other settings or sound customisations to be found.

HyperX Cloud Stinger S: Verdict

Priced at Rs 5990, the HyperX Clound Stinger S are a decent pair of mid-range wired gaming headsets. They've got a balanced sound profile that packs a punch to breathe life into action scenes in games. They're comfortable for long periods of use, and work well with all mainstream consoles. The microphone is fantastic, and good for use even in noisy environments. The software is the biggest let down, which offers absolutely nothing in the way of customisation, but at least you're getting 7.1 surround sound at this price range.

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