I abandoned Razer after over 5 years for this Alienware headset, and Black Friday finally brought its first-ever sale
My new favorite gaming headset has gone on sale for the first time this Black Friday.
Until recently, Razer was my go-to brand for gaming headsets, as I extensively used and subsequently fell in love with the Razer Kraken Ultimate, Razer's Kraken V3 line, and the Razer Kaira Pro while PC gaming. This October, however, Dell's gaming-focused Alienware division put out a headset so good it made me stuff my Razer options in closet storage: the Alienware Pro Wireless Gaming Headset.
Positioned as a premium offering for folks after top-notch sound, mic quality, comfort, and wireless performance, it hit shelves with a sizable $229.99 MSRP. Thanks to Black Friday, though, it's gone on sale for the first time and is currently available for just $199.99 at Dell — a sweet 13% off the original asking price.
Alienware Pro Wireless Gaming Headset
Was: $229.99
Now: $199.99 at Dell
"Though it certainly doesn't come cheap, Alienware's new Pro Headset delivers impeccable audio and mic quality, stellar comfort, and a minimalistic, durable design. Developed in collaboration with over 100 esports professionals, it stands as one of the best wireless gaming headsets, and has dethroned my favorite Razer option as my daily driver." — Brendan Lowry, Contributor, Windows Central
Windows Central review ⭐⭐⭐⭐½
✅Perfect for: PC and PlayStation players that want a premium wireless gaming headset with fantastic audio, an excellent microphone, top-tier comfort, and lengthy battery life
❌Avoid if: You need something compatible with Xbox consoles, care a lot about having effective active noise cancellation, or are on a budget
Features: 2.4GHz wireless via USB Type-C dongle (USB Type-A adapter included) or wireless via Bluetooth 5.3, wired via USB Type-A, 50mm graphene-coated drivers, two-mic design (detachable) w/ AI noise cancelling, up to 75 hours of battery life, hybrid active noise cancellation (ANC), mic monitoring, fast charging; 15 minutes of charging = 8 hours playback
Warranty: Two-Year Warranty
Launch date: 2024
👉See at: Dell
Return period: 30 days. Price match? No. Free shipping: Yes. Membership: Dell Rewards gets up to 3% back.
💰Price check: $229.99 at Best Buy
🔥The hottest Black Friday deals🔥
- 🎮ASUS ROG Ally (Ryzen Z1) | $349.99 at Best Buy (Save $150!)
- 💻Surface Pro 11 (X Plus) | $899.99 at Best Buy (Save $300!)
- 📺HP Curved Ultrawide (34-inches) | $299.99 at Best Buy (Save $180!)
- 💽WD_Black Xbox Series X|S Card (1TB) | $99.99 at Best Buy (Save $50!)
- 🖱️Razer Basilisk V3 Wired | $39.99 at Best Buy (Save $30!)
- 💽WD_BLACK M.2 2230 SSD (2TB) | $179.99 at Best Buy (Save $60!)
🍁More great Black Friday deals🦃
- Best Buy: Big savings on video games, accessories, and more
- Walmart: Early savings on practically everything
- Target: Live deals on a huge range of products
- Dell: Top deals on laptops, gaming PCs, accessories, and more
- HP: Save big on laptops, desktops, accessories, and more
- Lenovo: Doorbuster deals on all Lenovo PCs, monitors, accessories, and more
- Newegg: Save on PC gaming accessories, components, and more
- Razer: Take advantage of free shipping for a limited time
- Samsung: Holiday deals on laptops, TVs, phones, and more are live
- Amazon: Constantly rotating sales on everything you can imagine
Why I recommend the Alienware Pro Wireless Gaming Headset
Dell's new "Pro" headset complements the Alienware Pro Wireless Gaming Mouse and Alienware Pro Wireless Gaming Keyboard released earlier this year and completes the division's 2024 accessories trifecta. As I wrote in my review of the Alienware Pro Wireless Gaming Headset, it's "the best wireless gaming headset I've used in years," even surpassing my favorites from Razer such as the Razer Kraken V3 Pro HyperSense and the Razer Kaira Pro.
There's a ton to love about this headset, but the thing that ultimately drove me to use it over Razer's offerings is its stellar microphone. One of my few gripes with Razer headsets is that their mic quality tends to be "just OK," but the unidirectional mic on the Alienware Pro is hands down the best one I've ever used. It picks up my voice loud and clear without fail, and I value that a lot considering I spend most nights gaming with my friends over a Discord call. Its AI noise cancellation is a bit aggressive, but you won't have to worry about the mic picking up background noise if you turn it off; in my experience, it's done a great job of blocking it out passively.
Audio quality, too, is phenomenal, with the Alienware Pro featuring 50mm graphene-coated drivers that deliver a rich, yet balanced soundscape with a huge 20-40KHz frequency range. Lows, mids, and highs all sound fantastic with the headset, and folks who like things loud will be impressed with its steep maxed-out volume. In many ways, the speakers seem and feel considerably more powerful than recent Razer headsets even though they lack the latter's HyperSense or Sensa HD Haptics motors.
The overall fit of the headset is a little snugger than the roomy Razer options I've grown accustomed to, but it also feels lighter on my head — a tradeoff I'm ultimately indifferent to. Adjustable headband length and plenty of flex with the headband itself ensure the Alienware Pro can fit heads of all shapes and sizes, while soft memory foam leatherette earcups rest gently against the skin and allow for all-day gaming with zero discomfort whatsoever. I prefer Razer's thick, airy cushions a bit more since they're cooler and more spacious, but the Alienware Pro's comfort is almost completely on par.
Design-wise, Alienware opted for something of a minimalist approach with the Pro Wireless Gaming Headset, eschewing flashy RGB and bright colors in favor of a sleek and simple rounded chassis with a "Lunar Light" white or "Dark Side of the Moon" black colorway. The headset itself is built well and features several useful onboard controls, including a volume wheel, mic mute toggle, a toggle for active noise cancelling (ANC), a power button, and a switch for swapping between 2.4GHz wireless and Bluetooth. Both methods of wireless connectivity have worked flawlessly thus far, and I've been able to get very close to the advertised max battery life of 70-75 hours with ANC off before needing a charge. Note that you have the option of using the headset with a wired connection if you need to for whatever reason.
My only real issues with the Alienware Pro Wireless Gaming Headset are that it lacks Xbox console compatibility and has pretty mediocre ANC, but these things don't bother me too much since I rarely play on my Xbox anyways and dislike ANC in general. You may want to consider one of the other best PC gaming headsets out there if these drawbacks bother you, but if you don't mind them too much, you'll love using this one (and love saving $30 on it while it's only $199.99 at Dell, too). I haven't gone back to one of my Razers for a single day since I was sent my review unit, and I don't think I ever will.
Alienware Pro Wireless Gaming Headset
Was: $229.99
Now: $199.99 at Dell
"Though it certainly doesn't come cheap, Alienware's new Pro Headset delivers impeccable audio and mic quality, stellar comfort, and a minimalistic, durable design. Developed in collaboration with over 100 esports professionals, it stands as one of the best wireless gaming headsets, and has dethroned my favorite Razer option as my daily driver." — Brendan Lowry, Contributor, Windows Central
Windows Central review ⭐⭐⭐⭐½
👉See at: Dell
When is Black Friday?
Black Friday always falls on the Friday immediately after American Thanksgiving in November, so that means this year, it officially begins on November 29, 2024. However, many retailers and storefronts have already kicked off their Black Friday deals in an effort to attract more customers and beat the competition, so taking advantage of earlier deals like this one isn't a bad idea. You could wait to see if better prices come on Black Friday itself, but doing so also risks some things going out of stock.
When is Cyber Monday?
Cyber Monday is the Monday after Thanksgiving and Black Friday weekend, and is essentially an extension of Black Friday's deals. However, many retailers also introduce new deals once Cyber Monday starts, so it's worth regularly checking storefronts once the weekend is over to see if there's anything new on sale. This year, Cyber Monday falls on December 2, 2024.
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Brendan Lowry is a Windows Central writer and Oakland University graduate with a burning passion for video games, of which he's been an avid fan since childhood. He's been writing for Team WC since the summer of 2017, and you'll find him doing news, editorials, reviews, and general coverage on everything gaming, Xbox, and Windows PC. His favorite game of all time is probably NieR: Automata, though Elden Ring, Fallout: New Vegas, and Team Fortress 2 are in the running, too. When he's not writing or gaming, there's a good chance he's either watching an interesting new movie or TV show or actually going outside for once. Follow him on X (Twitter).