March 24, 2023, will undoubtedly be transcribed in a multitude of historical records, notating a monumental moment in the history of humanity as... The day I first had to charge my personal (and all-time favorite) gaming headset. At least, I'm recording the date on the internet right now, which has to count for something, because the aforementioned headset properly amazed me.
Which gaming headset is the topic of this editorial? It's the Razer BlackShark V2 Pro (2023), of course, one of the best PC gaming headsets money can buy right now and the first hardware product I reviewed that earned its perfect 5/5 score. I knew from my week or so with the headset that it had impressive stamina, but I did not expect the updated BlackShark V2 Pro to take just over a month to finally kill its battery for the very first time. Consider this My Recommendation Part 2™.
A battery that just kept on giving
Wireless gaming headsets can be extremely convenient without the tether of a finite, physical cable, but they suffer from two limitations: battery life and wireless latency. The latter problem Razer has practically solved thanks to its HyperSpeed Wireless connection, which ensures there's zero latency (a lag between the action on-screen and the sound in your ears) when playing games, unlike when using Bluetooth.
The former issue, however, is an inevitability with all wireless gear — Sooner or later, you'll need to plug it in and juice that battery up. Hopefully, you don't get hit with a dead battery in the middle of a gaming session. For most wireless gaming headsets, a "good" battery life is around 20-25 hours of combined usage on a single charge. Really good wireless headsets can push that figure closer to 40 hours, and some of the longest lasting wireless headphones can even reach heights of up to 60 hours of combined usage (sometimes even with active noise cancelling, or ANC).
Razer managed to put the BlackShark V2 Pro at the top of pack for battery endurance without added weight or size.
The original Razer BlackShark V2 Pro fell into the "good" category, with a rated battery endurance of around 24 hours that was fairly accurate. The 2023 edition, on the other hand, is in an entirely different league. With absolutely zero addition to the headset's weight or dimensions, Razer was somehow able to nearly triple the battery life for a rated 70 hours of continued usage. Sure, this is without ANC, but Razer accomplished this absurd endurance without simply adding more battery, or relying on swappable battery packs like in some other high-end headsets.
In my review, I used the BlackShark V2 Pro (2023) a ton and was able to get the headset down to 68% after a week of hardcore usage, which was enough data to tell me that Razer's estimation couldn't be too far off. It took me another (nearly) four weeks to finally get the BlackShark V2 Pro down into the low single digits, though, at which point I finally relented and plugged the headset in. All in all, Razer's latest flagship wireless headset clocked in a month of regular usage without ever touching a charging cable.
I wish I had thought to keep careful track of every hour of usage during this month, because I'm fairly certain the BlackShark V2 Pro actually exceeded 70 hours of usage. I used the headset for almost every single meeting here at Windows Central (at least a couple of hours a week), to play Valorant and other games (15 hours or more every week), and to occasionally listen to music and watch videos. I kept waiting for the headset to die, and it kept... Well, not doing that.
As far as I can tell, the battery life has improved since I first got the headset, too. During my time with the BlackShark V2 Pro (2023), the headset has received two firmware updates, which are done entirely wirelessly through Razer Synapse (meaning the headset doesn't need to be plugged in at all). While almost every device I've ever updated will obviously lose a few battery percentage points after installing an update, the BlackShark V2 Pro gained battery life each time.
Each time the BlackShark V2 Pro received a firmware update, its battery percentage actually went up.
No, that's not an innuendo or some kind of complicated metaphor. I mean it literally — Following each firmware update, the reported battery life percentage of the Razer BlackShark V2 Pro (2023) was 3-5% higher than it was before the update, not lower. This percentage wasn't a fluke, either; the BlackShark V2 Pro slowly chewed through this magically obtained battery life at the same rate as at any other time, seemingly translating to impossibly extended battery life. It's almost like Razer included a physically larger battery inside the wireless update.
When I attended a Razer press briefing to learn about the new headset, I asked Razer PR how the company managed to accomplish a nearly 3-times increase to battery life without adding weight or size to the BlackShark V2 Pro. I walked away with no info because Razer's engineers are keeping their secrets close to their chest, but I know the truth; Razer made a deal with some kind of god-like entity, maybe straight from the realm of Diablo 4. If I cracked open this headset, I bet I would find the still-beating heart of some alien creature, providing the BlackShark V2 Pro with limitless life.
At the end of over a month of usage, I finally let the Razer BlackShark V2 Pro (2023) meet its USB Type-C charging cable for the first time. Their connection was passionate but brief, as fast charging meant the headset was back up to 100% in an hour or two. Now the pair is separated once again, their tragic love story broken in two by the vast distances of the BlackShark V2 Pro's battery life. It may be years before they see each other again... Probably close to another month, actually, but who really knows?
Good at everything else, too
The Razer BlackShark V2 Pro (2023) isn't a freakish battery pack that happens to play audio — It's a genuinely amazing wireless gaming headset that ticks every box and excels in every category that just happens to last a ridiculously long time. Its simple design disguises the luscious comfort, premium audio, and one of the best microphones you can find in any gaming headset. There's a reason my Razer BlackShark V2 Pro (2023) review concludes with five out of five stars and an unwavering recommendation.
If you're in the market for a new wireless headset that you plan to use almost exclusively with a Windows PC, just do yourself a favor and buy this headset. In fact, you could probably sell all of your USB Type-C chargers while you're at it, since you won't need them anymore (that's a joke, mostly). A battery that can last 70 hours of combined usage is no joke, though, and that kind of impressive endurance is paired with next to no compromise in any other area.
I know this article has been dramatic and comical (as is my right), but in all seriousness... I've been using the Razer BlackShark V2 Pro (2023) as my primary headset since Razer sent it to me, and it has exceeded my expectations on every front. It's now my favorite headset that I have ever owned, and its ability to last such an absurd amount of time without being charged is just another reason I love it. Well done, Razer.
