Logitech G435 Gaming Headphones REVIEW

The market is awash with gaming headsets – headphones designed to help give gamers an edge – and their families some peace and quiet. Logitech’s effort, the G435, manages to be both lightweight and reasonably priced compared to most other gaming cans.

When I say it’s lightweight, I’m not kidding. Weighing in at a mere 165g, the G435’s are impossibly light. They have some serious environmental cred too. Logitech has crafted them out of recycled plastics, and they’ve kept plastic packaging to a sensible minimum. Logitech’s bumf says that the G435 are carbon neutral.

Would you like to support our mission to bring intelligence, insight and great writing to entertainment journalism? Help to pay for the coffee that keeps our brains working and fingers typing just for you. Witchdoctor, entertainment for grownups. Your one-off (or monthly) $5 or $10 donation will support Witchdoctor.co.nz. and help us keep producing quality content. It’s really easy to donate, just click the ‘Become a supporter’ button below.

Instead of being green, the review sample had a funky white and lilac finish. While it looks trendy, I couldn’t help but wonder if this was a case of style over substance. Thankfully, all my doubts were dispelled when I fitted them to my noggin, pairing them with my trusty PS5.

The first thing that struck me was that the G435 offers a comfy fit. Other gaming headphones I’ve tested have left me feeling like my brainpan was in a vice and my ears in a sweatbox. Their super lightweight design combines cleverly crafted earcups and some well-executed ergonomics that saw them fitting my noddle and ears perfectly. After several hours of gaming, I’d almost forgotten I was even wearing them.

I particularly liked their breathable fabric ear cushions. They’re comfortable and helped to keep my ears cool. They’re removable too. This is for easy access to the battery, which given the G435’s environmental chops, is user-replaceable. It’s a nice touch at this price point and is something other wireless gaming headset makers could learn from.

I was also taken with their sound. Thanks to their 40mm drivers, they delivered solid bass and detailed midrange and highs. This helped gaming audio along nicely. Surprisingly, listening to music or watching TV shows worked well. Most other gaming headsets tend to sound too bright or shrill when listening to music.

Good audio is one thing, but connectivity is a make-or-break factor. The best sounding wireless cans in the world are about as effective as a fart in a hurricane if they don’t have decent connectivity options. The G435’s come with not one but two wireless connectivity options. You get Logitech’s 2.4Ghz Lightspeed wireless, or you can use Bluetooth. This means the G435 will work with a PC, games consoles or any other gear that supports Bluetooth. So you can use Bluetooth on a game console and switch to Lightspeed wireless on a PC, even if it involves fiddling about with pressing and holding the mic button. However, if you’re looking for a wired pair of cans, you’re out of luck. As good as their wireless connectivity options are, the G435 has no 3.5mm audio jack.

Logitech has sensibly opted to keep charging as simple as possible. It’s done using a USB-C cable. One charge gives just over 18 hours of use. A big factor in their stellar battery life is the lack of flashy RGB LEDs. So many manufacturers want to stick LEDs all over their gaming gear. Yet their absence makes a huge difference to battery life. Another upside is that your head doesn’t look like a Christmas decoration.

As well as listening to game audio, many games also support voice chat. Where a lot of gaming headsets sport a cumbersome boom mic setup, the G435 uses dual beamforming mics. Because they’re built into the earcups, they don’t get in the way. Knocking back a Pepsi while gaming is miles easier. Voice chatting is clear, although some background noise was noticeable.

With most wireless gaming cans sitting at the $300-$400 mark, Logitech’s G435 $250 sticker price makes them surprisingly good value for money. Add to this the fact that they’re comfy for extended wear and manage to combine style with decent audio, and there’s plenty to like.

www.logitechg.com