If you want better Value for money
Choose SoundPEATS Clip1. It scores 4.8 vs 2.4 for Value for money, with a 4.4 overall score.
Asus ROG Cetra Open Review
Bottom Line
Choose these if you want open-ear comfort, strong awareness, secure fit, and low-latency gaming across devices. Skip them if you prioritize deep bass, isolation, seamless firmware, a compact case, or strong value at the asking price.
Best for
Gamers who dislike in-ear pressure or bulky headsets and want to hear family, traffic, doorbells, or room activity while keeping a low-latency gaming connection.
Not for
Buyers who want deep bass, strong isolation, effortless software reliability, a compact pocket case, or the best value for money.
Verdict
The ROG Cetra Open succeeds at the things that make open-ear gaming appealing: exceptional long-session comfort, excellent situational awareness, a secure fit, strong battery life, and genuinely low-latency play through the USB-C dongle. Dialogue, footsteps, and positional cues are usually clear, and the passthrough charging design is especially useful for handhelds. The tradeoff is that sound quality is inconsistent across listeners, with many complaints about weak sub-bass, sharp treble, coarse volume steps, and a less immersive presentation than sealed earbuds or headsets. Software is another dividing line: Gear Link offers useful EQ and customization, but firmware updates, multipoint behavior, and random disconnects cause real frustration for some owners. The unusually large case and premium price make the package harder to justify unless the open-ear gaming niche matches your needs closely.
Feature Scorecards
Summary
57 reviewed features-
Very positive 4.5-5.018 (32%)
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Positive 3.5-4.421 (37%)
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Neutral 2.5-3.411 (19%)
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Negative 1.5-2.45 (9%)
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Very negative below 1.52 (4%)
Pros highlights
-
Overall opinion is polarized but leans positive for the right niche. Fans love the comfort, awareness, and gaming responsiveness, while critics are pushed away by price, sound compromises, or software instability.
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Sound quality is good for many gaming-focused users, especially for dialogue and positional cues, but it is not a universal win. Some reviewers hear clean, detailed audio while others describe the presentation as thin, compressed, or harsh.
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Comfort is the product’s strongest consensus advantage. Most reviewers can wear the buds for hours without ear-canal pressure, though a minority experience cartilage pain or poor fit depending on ear shape.
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Battery life is usually strong, often lasting through long gaming sessions and in some tests approaching the advertised figures. Heavy use of RGB, Immersion Mode, Phantom Bass, or the mic can cut runtime substantially.
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Mic quality is mixed but generally usable. Many reviewers find voice chat clear and good for earbuds, while several customers report thin, robotic, or poor-sounding voice transmission.
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Low-latency gaming is one of the clearest strengths. The 2.4GHz dongle repeatedly delivers near-wired responsiveness and excellent sync for shooters, rhythm games, handhelds, and console play.
Cons highlights
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Price is the most consistent purchasing objection. Even positive reviewers often call the $230 class price steep, and several experts say cheaper gaming earbuds or headsets offer better overall value.
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Bass is the most divisive part of the tuning. Phantom Bass can add useful punch, but many reviewers still hear weak sub-bass or thin impact compared with sealed earbuds, while a smaller group finds the low end surprisingly satisfying.
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Gear Link is polarizing: several reviewers love the browser/mobile flexibility and deep controls, while others find it buggy, hidden, web-dependent, or awkward during firmware setup.
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The earbuds get very loud, but the volume curve is uneven. Several reviewers complain that even low settings are too loud, while others appreciate the strong headroom.
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Reliability is the biggest technical concern. Multiple customer reviews report disconnects, one-sided audio, distortion, failed updates, beeping, or erratic behavior, although some users find later firmware dramatically improves performance.
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Setup experiences vary sharply. Some users get simple plug-and-play operation, while others encounter hidden apps, multiple utilities, web-only controls, or convoluted firmware update steps.
Compared With Category Average
Compared with other Open-Ear Headphones, this product is above average in Sensors, Cable quality, Touch control responsiveness, near average in Volume output, Stability, below average in Packaging condition, Value for money, Software/setup simplicity.
Comparison summary
52 compared features-
Above average 0.4+ pts higher17 (33%)
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Same as average within 0.3 pts15 (29%)
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Below average 0.4+ pts lower20 (38%)
Largest category differences
| Attribute | This product | Category average | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Packaging condition | 1.0 | 3.7 | -2.7 |
| Sensors | 5.0 | 2.8 | +2.2 |
| Cable quality | 4.5 | 2.4 | +2.1 |
| Value for money | 2.4 | 4.0 | -1.6 |
| Software/setup simplicity | 2.8 | 4.3 | -1.5 |
| Touch control responsiveness | 5.0 | 3.3 | +1.7 |
| Portability/foldability | 2.0 | 3.4 | -1.4 |
| Maximum volume clarity | 1.8 | 3.3 | -1.5 |
Consider This Instead
If you want better Packaging condition
Choose SoundPEATS UU2. It scores 5.0 vs 1.0 for Packaging condition, with a 4.6 overall score.
If you want better Portability/foldability
Choose EarFun Clip 2. It scores 5.0 vs 2.0 for Portability/foldability, with a 4.4 overall score.
If you want better Software/setup simplicity
Choose Shokz OpenFit Pro. It scores 4.4 vs 2.8 for Software/setup simplicity, with a 4.0 overall score.
Compared in Reviews
Products reviewers directly compared with this model, grouped into quick takeaways.
- Better: directional audio The Asus is good directionally, but the Audeze headset is judged better.
- Better: overall gaming experience After a week with the Asus, the reviewer still prefers the Razer over-ear headset.
SteelSeries Arctis GameBuds
- Better: value and versatility The SteelSeries option is expected to appeal more broadly thanks to price and conventional fit.
- Worse: multipoint connectivity The Asus adds multipoint behavior the reviewer missed on the SteelSeries buds.
- Cheaper: price The Asus carries a substantial premium over SteelSeries' premium gaming buds.
FAQ
Are they comfortable for long gaming sessions?
Usually yes. Comfort is the strongest consensus point, with many reviewers wearing them for hours, though some ear shapes develop pressure or cartilage soreness.
Are they good for competitive gaming?
The 2.4GHz USB-C dongle is repeatedly praised for very low latency, and footsteps and positional cues are usually easy to pick out.
How good is the bass?
It varies. Phantom Bass helps, but many reviewers still find sub-bass weaker than sealed in-ear or over-ear options.
Do they block outside noise?
Not much. Immersion Mode can soften steady background noise, but the open design intentionally keeps you aware of conversations, traffic, doorbells, and room activity.
Is the microphone good for Discord and calls?
Generally usable to good, with effective noise suppression in several tests, but some customers report robotic or poor voice quality during unstable connections.
Are they worth the premium price?
Only for buyers who specifically value open-ear comfort plus low-latency gaming. Price is one of the most consistent complaints, especially given the bulky case and software reliability issues.
Sample Expert Reviews We Analyzed
These are a few of the reviews included in our analysis.
Video Reviews
YouTube - Game Go (Games live)
- Review score
- 4.7
YouTube - GadgetryTech
- Review score
- 3.8
Article Reviews
gamesradar.com
The Asus ROG Cetra Open wireless gaming earbuds never quite reached the audio heights I was hoping for, but they sure are comfortable.
- Review score
- 3.5
androidguys.com
Discover ASUS ROG Cetra Open Wireless earbuds, designed for gamers with 64-hour battery life, ultra-low latency, and dual connectivity.
- Review score
- 4.5
androidheadlines.com
ASUS is no stranger to gaming audio with its ROG brand of gaming peripherals, but the ROG Cetra Open Wireless is the first time that ASUS's...
- Review score
- 4.0
basic-tutorials.com
ASUS ROG Cetra Open Wireless gaming earbuds review. Discover open-ear design, battery life, sound quality and features for PC, PS5, and Switch.
- Review score
- 3.6
wired.com
These wireless open earbuds are designed for mobile gamers.
- Review score
- 3.9
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