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Updated January 10, 2024·
If your priority is affordability and portability, with a need for exercise-friendly earbuds, the Creative Labs Outlier Air V3 are less expensive and sweatproof, making them suitable for active users. However, if you're looking for a more immersive gaming and listening experience with superior comfort and microphone quality, the HyperX Cloud II headphones are likely a better choice, albeit at a higher price. The HyperX also offers virtual surround sound, which the Outlier Air lacks, enhancing the gaming and movie-watching experience, though they are bulkier and less suited for physical activities. Give Feedback
this description is based on the product variant with some specs and product variant with some specs. At the time of writing, the variant with some specs cost some dollars and the variant with some specs cost some dollars.
Advantages of the Creative Labs Outlier Air V3
Very good for exercise
Very good for air travel
Very good for podcasts and audiobooks
Advantages of the HyperX Cloud II
Good for music
Very good for gaming
Good for TV and video
Key differences
Music
5.7/10
7.7/10
The HyperX Cloud II is good for music, while the Creative Labs Outlier Air V3 is poor.
Gaming
5.1/10
8.6/10
The HyperX Cloud II is very good for gaming, while the Creative Labs Outlier Air V3 is poor.
Podcasts and Audiobooks
8.9/10
7.0/10
The Creative Labs Outlier Air V3 is very good for podcasts and audiobooks, while the HyperX Cloud II is good.
TV and Video
5.4/10
7.6/10
The HyperX Cloud II is good for TV and video, while the Creative Labs Outlier Air V3 is poor.
Noise Reduction
6.5/10
6.0/10
The Creative Labs Outlier Air V3 and HyperX Cloud II are both only fair for noise reduction, though the Creative Labs Outlier Air V3 is somewhat better.
Battery
10.0 Hours
N/A
The Creative Labs Outlier Air V3 has 10 hours of battery life. The HyperX Cloud II does not have a battery.
Cost
$30
$93
$0
$50
$100
$150
$200
The Creative Labs Outlier Air V3 has a price of $30 and the HyperX Cloud II costs $93.
Build Quality
9.0/10
10.0/10
The HyperX Cloud II has best in class build quality, while the Creative Labs Outlier Air V3 has excellent build quality.
"The V3 present the best version of the Outlier Air series yet. The new features such as Active Noise Reduction and Ambient mode are integrated well; the performance of both is as good as you’ll get below £100. The design is less bulky and more comfortable thanks to being smaller and lighter, and the Outlier Air V3 eke out more clarity, detail and definition from music."
"My overall impression of the HyperX Cloud II gaming headset is overwhelmingly positive. In my opinion, this is one of the best mid-priced gaming headsets currently on the market.Solid sound quality, superior comfort, and a sleek, lightweight design – this headset delivers all of the important aspects that a gaming headset should."
Get a great deal on the Creative Labs Outlier Air V3 or the HyperX Cloud II
About Creative Labs
Creative Labs is a Singaporean technology company specialized in the manufacture of multimedia products. They created the world-famous Soundblaster soundcard back in 1989 which was a staple of the gaming community for a long time. Nowadays, besides still marketing their discrete audio systems, they offer a wide array of headphones, gaming headsets and speakers that still preserve that same heritage.
About HyperX
Starting originally as a high-performance and gaming line of memory modules within Kingston and later acquired by HP, HyperX is a dedicated esports and gaming division focused on developing peripherals, microphones and headsets. Providing budget-friendly, comfortable and highly functional products, HyperX has become the go-to for many gamers around the world, resulting in sales of over 20 million headsets throughout the years.
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