To say I’m a big fan of Logitech G would be an understatement. Their G533 gaming headset blew me away when I reviewed it, and I’m a pretty big proponent of most of the products in their peripheral catalog. So it’s no surprise that I jumped at the chance to get my hands on the Logitech G433, the newest headset in an ever-growing line.
We’ll get into specifics in just a sec, but the G433 is a universal headset that does a lot of things very well — it just doesn’t seem to push the bar forward in substantial ways. And coming in at $100 (just $50 less than Logitech-G’s robust G533 flagship), you’d expect it to give you just a little more bang for the proverbial buck.
The G433’s Design is Sleek, Understated Chic
Before we get into the nitty-gritty of the headset’s sound quality and comprehensive performance, let’s talk about the G433’s overall design out of the box.
Compared to Logitech G’s other headset offerings such as the G430 and G633, the G433 is more vibrant in color. Coming in red, blue, camo blue, and black, it’s sleek and streamlined — and it makes sense, seeing as it’s made for people on-the-go and for use across multiple devices. Not only does the G433 work on your PC, console, and mobile phone, but it also looks and feels like a pair of Beatz headphones — which is great for its portable, platform-agnostic ethos.
On top of that, the G433 comes packaged with interchangeable earpads (cloth and suede) that provide two distinct feelings. Though the cloth earpads were rougher, they were breezier and did a better job of wicking sweat away from my ears during marathon gaming sessions.
Overall, the headset is comfortable and snug, with a padded headband keeping its weight evenly distributed across the top of the head. The G433’s headstrap isn’t as agreeable as those found on the Arctis 3 or Arctis 7, but it’s competent for long gaming sessions and easily adjustable.
However, the biggest gripe I have in this department is that the headset is creaky, especially when eating or when turning your head from side to side. Sometimes this overpowered the sound booming from the 40mm Pro-G drivers. And the headset chassis feels a little flimsy around and above the earcup hinges — but so does the G533 on that last account, so it’s probably something you’re already used to when using Logitech headsets.
Music
From a functionality standpoint, I was never really blown away by the G433 in my 30 or so hours of use. The Pro-G drivers, which are designed to ameliorate distortion at low frequencies and provide tones closer to the quality of the source audio, felt just above average out of the box. While they did their job of effectively eliminating distortion even when the headset (and computer audio) was set to max volume, they weren’t nearly as immersive as the drivers in the G533.
And while the G433 sounds best when plugged into a computer using the USB dongle and Logitech Gaming Software, it also provides competent sound quality when plugged into an iPhone or Android device. The headset comes out of the box with a 3.5mm cable that easily slots into your mobile device and is suited for analog connections, making it more ubiquitous than the G533.
When it came to music, the G433 did an adequate job of parsing individual instrument tracks in songs such as The Way the News Goes from Periphery: III and Wagner’s Flight of the Valkyries. It also brought deeper bass tones out of Kendrick Lamar’s Humble and highlighted the kick drum in Periphery’s Alpha. But overall, it felt as if the music surrounded me — instead of bringing me inside of it. It’s a subtle difference between the G533 and G433, but a difference that’s worth noting as a major variance in immersion.
But when stacked against the Arctis 5 from SteelSeries, for instance, the G433 wins across the board, providing a richer, more vibrant tonal soundscape.
Gaming
But since we’re really here to talk about how the G433 operates in a gaming environment, let’s get to the point. When compared to others in its class, it performs steps above the competition, especially when coupled with Logitech’s hardy gaming software. It doesn’t outperform the G533 or the HyperX Cloud Revolver S, but that’s expected when those are the flagship headsets of their respective lines.
In-Game Sound
When tested in games such as Battlefield 1 (basically the benchmark for impeccable in-game audio) and Nex Machina, the G433 performed well. The thrum of a .50 caliber machine gun brings you into the trenches of the war to end all wars, while the rhythmic thumps and crescendos of Nex Machina‘s psychedelic neon concerto bring you directly into a Robotron-inspired world.
With Paladins, the announcer at times felt obnoxiously present (even with the in-game settings adjusted to lower volumes). But overall, the custom acoustic port proprietary to the G433 brings out the lows and mids that accentuate each game.
The only real gripe I have in this department is that the DTS 7.1 surround sound baked into the G433 (easily turned on and off via Logitech’s gaming software) feels imitated instead of realistic. Using the G533s with Battlefield 1, I was able to pinpoint exactly where enemies were hiding or from what direction they were shooting; but that was harder to do with the G433 — even on the same settings and in the same environment.
In essence, I wasn’t able to get a good sense of directional panning, which keeps this headset from being truly immersive across media when connected to your PC.
In-Game Communication
Another big point for gamers is (obviously) communication when playing multiplayer games such as SMITE, League of Legends, and Overwatch. The G433’s flexible boom mic, which connects via a 3.5mm pin to the headset’s left earpiece, is crystal clear in nearly all gaming scenarios tested. When plugged into your PC via the USB digital sound card dongle, communication is crisp, aided by a 5mm pop filter that cancels most ambient sound. There are no thrums or hums to be had here, which is especially helpful for eSports players and streamers alike.
That story changes slightly when plugged into a phone or mobile device via the 3.5mm cable, with more pops slipping through the filter. However, the mic operates well for meetings and phone calls in this capacity, adding distinct volume and clarity to your voice.
The Verdict
The Logitech G433 is a very well-executed headset that adds ubiquity and style to the gaming headset submarket. It implements new and old technology well, but it doesn’t reset the bar for gaming headsets on the whole. Its main selling point, the custom acoustic port and chamber, is interesting in theory and does provide deeper bass tones and richer mids in practice, but it doesn’t stack up with the G533, which is just $50 more.
However, if you’re a gamer who’s looking for a global headset that provides great sound both on the go and at your PC, you couldn’t do much better than the G433. It doesn’t really matter that I wasn’t blown away by the headset in my time with it or that it doesn’t do everything exceptionally well. What matters is that it’s a competent headset that gets the job done and is ultimately affordable for a section of the market that may not be able to fork over for higher-end models.
If you want to pick up the G433 for yourself, you can grab it on Amazon.
[Note: A G433 review unit was provided by Logitech for the purpose of this review.]
