Steelseries Arctis 7 vs Logitech G935 (Which to Choose?)
This post may contain affiliate links which means that, if you choose to make a purchase, I may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you.
Did you know? The gaming headset market is expected to grow 7% each year for the next two years.
This sounds plausible, since owning the right headset gives you benefits both inside and outside the gaming realm. While you can still play without one, your gaming experience won’t be at its peak.
Within the gaming realm, headsets allow you to filter sound, transfer it directly to your ears, and give you a microphone for communicating with your fellow gamers. These are fantastic especially if you are always playing at night and don’t want to disturb others in your house. Plus, a headset gives you top-tier sound quality while gaming.
Outside the gaming realm, a good headset allows you to enjoy clearer calls, listen to music better, and even block noise.
Due to these reasons, getting a headset is one of the best gaming investments you can make.
Among the top players in the gaming headset industry are Steelseries and Logitech. These companies make millions of dollars doing what they’re good at― making gaming equipment.
This article will take you through an in-depth analysis of the Steelseries Arctis 7 and the Logitech G935, the companies’ flagship gaming headsets. But first, here’s a quick comparison table.
| Steelseries Arctis 7 | Logitech G935 | |
| Brand | Steelseries | Logitech |
| Weight | 0.8 lbs | 0.8 lbs |
| Size | 7.8 x 6.9 x 3.6 inches | 7.4 x 7.7 x 3.4 inches |
| Connectivity | USB (wireless receiver) | USB wireless receiver) |
| Battery Life | Up to 24 hours | Up to 13 hours |
| Noise Cancellation | Yes | Yes |
| Removable Battery | No | Yes |
| Voice Commands | No | Yes |
| Driver Size | 40mm | 50 mm |
| Price | Check latest price on Amazon | Check latest price on Amazon |
Design
Steelseries Arctis 7
The Arctis 7 is almost as big as the typical gaming headset. However, despite its fairly big size, it’s not that heavy. It has a plastic shell and a matte texture. Unlike other gaming headsets, the Steelseries Arctis 7 has an elasticated fabric band.
The earcups have typical circular patterns. The Steelseries Arctis 7 also has thicker earpads compared to its predecessors. The left earcup houses the retractable microphone, volume control, and charging port. The power switch is found on the right earcup.
The Steelseries Arctis 7 does not have tribal patterns or RGB lighting strips, unlike many gaming headsets.
Logitech G935
The G935 is fairly big as wireless headsets go. However, despite it’s big size, it’s not that heavy. It has a black plastic shell that is partially shiny and partially matte.
The earcups and the headband both have geometric patterns. The earcups resemble squares, which is not typical for a gaming headset.
Like other Logitech headsets, the Logitech G935 has a well hidden retractable microphone in its left earcup. It also hides its USB dongle under a magnetic cover in the left earcup. The back of the left earcup also houses 3 programmable buttons, a mute button (microphone), a volume control, and a power switch.
The Logitech G935 is a pretty colorful headset. It has an LED strip and a glowing ‘G’ symbol on every earcup.
The Winner: Logitech G935
In terms of design, the Logitech G935 is the winner. It’s because it looks like a typical gaming headset with lights and patterns that indicate that you’re a gamer. Its microphone and various controls are also well-hidden. Plus, the USB dongle is properly concealed with a magnetic cover which is really useful since wireless dongles easily get lost.
Comfort
Steelseries Arctis 7
The Steelseries Arctis 7’s elasticated fabric remains comfortable after hours of gaming. Its grip is just right for the average gamer. It has a good tight seal around the ears, while keeping the headphones securely in place. But if you have a slightly bigger head, you might find the Steelseries Arctis 7’s grip tight.
However, the Steelseries Arctis 7’s grip might loosen if you walk around. It seems like it’s made for sitting only, which is pretty reasonable, since gamers mostly sit down.
The earpads are made of airweave fabric. To put it simply, it feels like the earphone pads sit between velour and leather when it comes to rigidity. Due to this, the earpads are not as hot as leather. However, they do not work as well as velour for gamers with glasses.
Logitech G935
The Logitech G935 has a padded headband and leatherette earcups. These are typical features of many gaming headsets. Neither the headband nor the earcups puts too much pressure on the wearer, so you should be able to use the headset for hours without discomfort, even if you have glasses on.
The odd shape of the earcups makes the Logitech G935 a little loose. Its earpads are made of foam covered with mesh fabric.However, what it lacks for grip, it compensates for its capability to prevent your ears from sweating. It’s because the slightly loose seal and the mesh fabric allow your ears to breathe.
The Winner: Steelseries Arctis 7
In terms of design, the Arctis 7 is the winner. It’s mainly because of the Steelseries Arctis 7’s elasticated fabric headband and airweave fabric. Even if the Logitech G935’s mesh fabric prevents your ears from sweating, its leatherette cups might still feel hot after many hours of use. Plus, you might find the Logitech G935’s mesh fabric rougher compared to the Steelseries Arctis 7’s airweave fabric.
Microphone Performance
Steelseries Arctis 7
The Steelseries Arctis 7’s microphone is retractable for up to 4 inches. However, it has less than usual flexibility because it stays in a fixed position each time you pull it out. Like many gaming headsets, it’s pretty easy to mute the microphone during a game, since you can find the mute and unmute button easily.
The sound produced by the microphone is more detailed and clearer compared to the Steelseries Arctis 7’s predecessors. However, you might find some distortion on the microphone sound of the Arctis 7 from time to time. These elements are not that bad though.
The Steelseries Arctis 7 also struggles a bit in separating noise from speech, which might make it slightly annoying to use during loud gaming events.
Logitech G935
The Logitech G935’s microphone is safely tucked in the left earcup. The microphone has a goose-neck design, which allows you to adjust its angle. It is pretty flexible for a gaming headset. It is easy to mute and unmute the mic, too. You can hear a beep and see a red light that let you know that the mic is muted. The mute and unmute button is easy to find as well. You can also opt to retract the microphone back to the earcup, which mutes it.
The sound produced by the G935 is pretty decent. Overall, your voice will sound natural and detailed to your fellow gamers. They won’t have any problems hearing you in both quiet and noisy environments. It is because the microphone does a good job at separating ambient noise from your voice.
The Winner: Logitech G935
In terms of microphone performance, the Logitech G935 is the winner. It’s because the microphone is more flexible and separates noise from speech better than the Steelseries Arctis 7. It also provides many signals that inform you whether the microphone is muted or not. This is handy especially if you get too distracted playing games that you forget whether the mic is muted or not.
Battery Life
Steelseries Arctis 7
Nothing seems to beat the battery life of the Steelseries Arctis 7. With a battery life of up to 24 hours, the Steelseries Arctis 7 is ideal for your longest gaming session. Just make sure that you don’t put the volume at its highest. Plus, it seems like the absence of RGB lighting works in increasing the Arctis 7’s battery life. You can stretch the Steelseries Arctis 7 out for 3 to 4 days, which is way longer than many gaming headsets out there.
The Arctis 7 can also be used while charging. However, it does not let you know its exact battery life. It displays the battery bars only, so it’s sort of a guessing game.
Logitech G935
The Logitech G935 has a decent battery life. With the lights turned off, it has a continuous playback of 13 hours. With the lights on, you can get up to 10 hours of battery life. You can probably stretch this out for up to 2 days. The battery life is not too bad since it’s on par with many gaming headsets in the market.
On the upside, you can use the G935 while it’s charging. You can also use the audio cable even if the battery is dead. However, using the cable won’t let you access the software which you can use to customize a lot of stuff such as the surround sound, RGB lighting, and equalizer bandwidth.
The Winner: Steelseries Arctis 7
In terms of battery life, the Steelseries Arctis 7 is clearly the winner. It’s because it can last way more than the Logitech G935. Even if the Steelseries Arctis 7 has no battery level indicator, you will still be able to know when it’s fully charged. Plus, it lets you play for hours on end, which is not bad for a gaming headset without RGB lights.
Sound quality
Steelseries Arctis 7
You can make some equalizer adjustments using the app that comes with the Steelseries Arctis 7. However, it seems a bit useless because it doesn’t seem to have an effect on the sound quality. If you want to hear everything properly, all you can seem to do is adjust the volume level.
Gaming sound effects are good enough, with subtle ones being heard clearly through the Arctis 7. However, the surround sound doesn’t seem to work as well as many gaming headsets. It didn’t make much of a difference compared to the stereo option in non-shooter games.
On the upside, the stereo mode is excellent. It has lots of details and the mid-range is amazing. The bass may be weak, but it works well for competitor gaming.
Logitech G935
As mentioned earlier, the Logitech G935 comes with an app that lets you customize a lot of stuff like surround sound and equalizer bandwidth. This customization works really well and has an effect on the overall sound quality.
Since the Logitech G935 has a 50-mm driver, the sound quality is impressive. The driver also brings the listening experience to a different level, which typical gaming headsets lack.
The G935 also lets you tinker with the bass and speech effectively. You can get the bass going for more realistic sound effects. You can also choose to highlight your vocals when you are playing games with others.
The Winner: Logitech G935
In terms of sound quality, the Logitech G935 is the obvious winner. Unlike the Steelseries Arctis 7, its equalizer adjustment actually works. Plus, the G935 has a bigger driver, which gives you better sound quality. This comes in handy if you like to listen to music as well.
Noise Cancellation
Steelseries Arctis 7
The Arctis 7 offers noise cancellation for inbound sounds, but not for outbound ones. In other words, the earcups can cancel noise, while the microphone cannot.
Its noise cancellation works properly, with the background noise significantly lower compared to its predecessors. However, the Arctis 7 seems to struggle with its noise pickup. This can be fixed using the right adjustment though.
On the other hand, since its microphone cannot cancel noise, you might want to make sure that you are in a quiet environment before making important voice or video calls.
Logitech G935
Being one of Logitech’s most advanced products, the G935 offers noise cancellation for both inbound and outbound sounds. This means that its earcups and microphone can cancel noise.
The Logitech G935’s noise cancellation works really well. In fact, it is significantly better compared to its predecessors. Its noise cancellation is active, which means that you can use it to block out noise when you are sleeping or working.
In addition, the Logitech G935 can cancel regular noise effectively. It’s just that it has difficulty cancelling low-frequency noises such as a chirping bird or an engine rumble. Thus, it is ideal to use this headset if you are not gaming with a lot of people beside you.
The Winner: Logitech G935
In terms of noise cancellation, the Logitech G935 is the obvious winner. It’s because it offers noise cancellation for both inbound and outbound sounds.
On the other hand, the Steelseries Arctis 7 only offers noise cancellation for inbound sounds. Your fellow gamers might be annoyed talking to you during a game because of this. Plus, it is hard to tweak the Steelseries Arctis 7’s noise cancellation if you are not an expert at it.
Controls
Steelseries Arctis 7
The Steelseries Arctis 7’s manual controls are divided between the two earcups, which can be a little confusing when you’re playing a complex game. As a result, you might press the wrong buttons.
Its control panel is easy to press though, and it responds fast enough. However, the app that comes with it is not as comprehensive for a novice gamer. There were just too many things going on, and it seems like the app is used to track your preferences for marketing purposes. In addition, the controls in the app do not seem to take effect as well as an advanced gamer would hope for.
Logitech G935
As mentioned earlier, the G935 has 3 programmable controls that you can tailor to your liking. This is pretty useful and convenient, because you can set what these controls can do. It can be audio-related like changing the bass or the treble, and cycling your equalizer. You can also choose to customize a mouse click, a keystroke, or copy & paste.
While the control panel seems to be crammed on the left earcup, it’s less confusing. Since the buttons are on the left earcup, there’s a low chance of you pressing the wrong one during a complex game. The buttons respond well, too.
The software that comes with the Logitech G935 actually works. It has an immediate effect on the sound quality. Plus, it shows you the exact battery percentage.
The Winner: Logitech G935
In terms of controls, the Logitech G935 is the winner. It’s because it has 3 programmable controls which the Steelseries Arctis 7 does not. Its control panel is less confusing as well. And unlike the app that comes with the Steelseries Arctis 7, the Logitech G935’s software actually works.
Summary
To track the winner of each section, we summarized the winners for you.
| the Steelseries Arctis 7 | the Logitech G935 | |
| Design | ✔ | |
| Comfort | ✔ | |
| Microphone Performance | ✔ | |
| Battery Life | ✔ | |
| Sound Quality | ✔ | |
| Noise Cancellation | ✔ | |
| Controls | ✔ |
The Bottomline
The gaming headset industry is like a vast ocean. The best headset highly depends on your budget and the games you play. But for us, the Logitech G935 triumphs over the Steelseries Arctis 7.
Offering a better design, microphone performance, sound quality, noise cancellation and controls, the Logitech G935 will get the job well done regardless of what game you want to play all day long.
