The SteelSeries Arctis Nova 3 Wireless is every bit as capable as the Arctis Nova 5 Wireless. It just happens to be a tad more affordable and colorful. It’s another one of those instances where I could probably copy-paste what I said in the Arcist Nova 5 review and it’ll mostly be true. 

So, I’ll make this simple and just give you a nice little rundown. 

Competitively priced

The Arctis Nova 3 Wireless (PhP 6,335/ $109.99 USD) is priced pretty darn close to the Arctis Nova 5 (PhP 7,765/ $129.99 USD) that it’s a little baffling. 

For the most part, they do feel like the same headset except for a couple of obvious differences. The first is that the Arctis Nova 3 Wireless is available in more colors. Second, the mic on the Arctis Nova 3 Wireless is removable while the one on the Arctis Nova 5 is retractable. 

That means choosing between the two will really come down to color preference, mic usage, and budget. 

But we’re getting ahead of ourselves, let’s talk about the Arctis Nova 3 Wireless more.

Headset highlights 

To best illustrate my point, I’m going to use the exact same highlights (save for 1) of the Arctis Nova 5 on the Arctis Nova 3 Wireless. 

Game specific presets through the companion app. 

Both headsets use the same companion app –  Arctis. That means you get pretty much the same settings options as well as sound profiles. And those sound profiles cover a lot. 

Adding to the ones already previously available, the app is constantly updated to include more recent releases. Titles released in 2025 like BLEACH Rebirth of Souls, Claire Obscur: Expedition 33, Monster Hunter Wilds, among others have already been added to the exhaustive list. 

You can be sure that any major upcoming title will likely be supported. And if not, you only need to look for a similar-genre game to get the most out of the Arctis Nova 3 Wireless. 

To me, this really is the headsets’ greatest strength. While the differences between certain genres may be marginal, they do quite a good enough job of making sure they are tuned specifically for the game you’re playing. 

Lightweight. 

The Arctis Nova 5 tips the scale at 256g while the  Arctis Nova 3 Wireless does so at 260g. That’s a pretty negligible difference for most people. It also means they are comparatively light. 

So, same comments apply: 

The headset is mostly made of plastic making it extremely light. That means there’s absolutely no strain whatsoever on your head when wearing it for an extended period. 

Some might view this as a markdown in build quality. However, I think the weight and price byproducts balance the steady but not stellar build.

Battery Life. 

The controls, btw, are mostly on the left cup. The volume rocker/roller? doubles as a button for play/pause as well as skip to next track.

Yeah, this one’s a battery beast. I fully charged it before going on a 19-hour flight. I didn’t formally keep track of the numbers but I’m pretty certain I used it for 10 of those 19 hours. 

When I checked the battery life before I hopped off the plane, it still had 60% left. That was pretty insane. I used it both on my iPad Mini 7 to catch-up on Yaiba and rewatch some episodes of The Designated Survivor. And I also used it on my Nintendo Switch 2 playing both Street Fighter 6 and Ultra Kaiju Monster Rancher. 

Connectivity. 

I’m not even sure what to add here except to say that the connection is pretty darn good. I never experienced any issues and the instant toggle is a pretty nice touch. 

And even if you’re just switching the bluetooth connection from one device to another – which is what I did during the plane ride – it’s a pretty painless experience. I love it when things just work.

Removable microphone.

This one I’m not sure how to feel about. I would say I definitely prefer the Arctis Nova 5’s setup where there’s a retractable microphone. That way, no matter where I go, if I need it, I can just pull it out easily. 

On the Arctis Nova 3 Wireless, the mic is removable and I ended up not bringing it with me on the trip. It’s also a bit of a waste of a 3.5mm jack as it seems to work only as an input port. That’s a bit of a bummer. 

Making it so that the port works as both input and output would have the decision to not make the mic retractable more justifiable.

But hey, at least you do have a separate mic that sounds nice.

No ANC. 

Ah, here we are again. I already knew what I was getting into when I brought it with me on the flight. The Arctis Nova line isn’t really something you bring for travel. It’s for those stationary gaming moments in your room or other, more tranquil spaces. 

I suppose adding any sort of ANC would shoot the price up to close to $200 USD and that’s not the market SteelSeries is going after. 

Still, it’s a little baffling that they managed to add one to their in-ear model and not in any of the recent over-ear ones. 

A slot for the 2.4Hz USB-C dongle.

Same refrain here as well. As someone who tends to misplace stuff, some way to carry the dongle with you on the headset would have been nice. 

Again, it’s one of those things that they were able to add on the decidedly more premium Arctis Gamebuds, but couldn’t on a larger body personal audio device. 

Curious design choices, more than anything. 

Is the SteelSeries Arctis Nova 3 Wireless your GadgetMatch?

Despite my personal displeasure with the lack of ways to integrate both the mic and the dongle on the headset, the merits of the SteelSeries Arctis Nova 3 Wireless still make it a Swipe Right. 

It shares the same audio capabilities as the Arctis Nova 5 Wireless while being available in more color options. That may seem trivial to some, but I know many people make their purchase decisions based on the color of the device alone. 

What you’re getting is still a lightweight, plenty-capable headset built for gaming, that can also add a pop of color to your setup. That’s a pretty good deal.