Skip to main content

Both gamers and audiophiles will want Asus’ latest dual-mode earbuds

To go along with the new Asus ROG Phone 6 and ROG Phone 6 Pro smartphones, Asus has a new pair of wireless headphones made especially for gaming. Except they’re not only wireless, as inside the box is a cable that attaches to the earbuds and adds a quad DAC, giving you the option of how to listen. Called the Asus ROG Cetra True Wireless Pro earbuds, they’re designed to appeal to anyone who wants gaming prowess, convenience, and audiophile quality.

Asus ROG Cetra earbuds with case and optional cable.
Image used with permission by copyright holder

Audiophile quality, from wireless earbuds? Yes. The ROG Cetra uses a pair of 10mm drivers and supports Qualcomm’s Snapdragon Sound platform with AptX Lossless for 24-bit, 96kHz CD-quality audio, making it one of the first to arrive with this combination, alongside the NuraTrue Pro headphones. Not enough for you? That’s where the cable comes in. Switch from the Bluetooth connection to the included USB Type-C cable, and it adds an ESS 9280 Quad DAC, which Asus also uses in its ROG Fusion II 300 USB headset, ready to deliver great audio without any lag.

On the subject of lag, Asus claims if you pair the ROG Cetra with the ROG Phone 6 or ROG Phone 6 Pro the latency is reduced to 45ms, making them ideal for gaming. In wired mode, there’s a noise-canceling microphone designed to isolate your voice even in windy conditions, plus there’s Active Noise Cancelation (ANC) when connected with Bluetooth. Asus has added several special modes including one that copes better with wind noise. Other features include touch controls and access to your phone’s voice assistant, plus an IPX4 splash-resistant rating so they can be used in the rain and will resist sweat.

Asus states the battery will last for seven hours or a total of 21 hours without ANC, or four-and-a-half hours or 13 hours with the ANC switched on. The case has a 10-minute fast charge feature that adds one-and-a-half hours of headphone use.

Asus ROG Cetra earbuds with case.
Image used with permission by copyright holder

The Republic of Gamers branding leaves no doubt the ROG Cetra have been designed with the gamer in mind, but the audio tech inside means they could also appeal to anyone with a preference for great sounding audio too. They join several other gaming-focused accessories made to enhance the ROG Phone 6, including the Nintendo Switch Joy-Con-like Kunai 3 controller.

Asus has announced the ROG Cetra True Wireless Pro but it has not provided a final price at the time of writing or given an exact release date. Instead, it says the headphones will be released around September or October this year.

Editors' Recommendations

Andy Boxall
Senior Mobile Writer
Andy is a Senior Writer at Digital Trends, where he concentrates on mobile technology, a subject he has written about for…
Latest Asus gaming phone actually shocked me with its power
Man holding the Asus ROG Phone 6D Ultimate.

The Asus ROG Phone 6D Ultimate is a phone full of surprises. For a start, don’t expect a Qualcomm processor inside. For its 2022 Ultimate version of the ROG Phone 6, Asus has leaned on MediaTek to supply the power. Next, don’t just look at the back of the phone and think it’s basically the same as the recently announced ROG Phone 6 Pro, because it actually has a hidden, motorized cooling port.

We’ve been using the ROG Phone 6D Ultimate alongside the excellent ROG Phone 6 Pro to see if all this makes it as ultimate as Asus says it is.
A motorized cooling port — seriously
The big design difference between the ROG Phone 6D compared to the ROG Phone 6 and 6 Pro is the addition of a motorized cooling port on the back. It’s called the AeroActive Cooling Port, and it opens when the AeroActive Cooler 6 is attached to the phone. The Cooler 6 directly funnels the cold air generated by the external fan into the phone itself, rather than just onto the surface. Asus claims it provides a 20% increase in thermal efficiency.

Read more
I used the ROG Phone 6’s two wild gaming accessories — here’s which you should buy
The Asus ROG Phone 6 Pro with the Kunai 3 controller and AeroActive Cooler 6 fan.

The Asus ROG Phone 6 is the best smartphone made specifically for gaming you can get, but if you’re really keen to make the most of it — and make games even more satisfying to play — then Asus has a pair of accessories to tempt you. The new Asus AeroActive Cooler 6 joins an updated version of the Kunai 3 gamepad, and both perform quite different tasks. Are either worth getting?
What are these ROG Phone 6 accessories?
The AeroCooler Active 6 is an external fan for the ROG Phone 6 and ROG Phone 6 Pro, but unlike some previous versions, it also has four physical buttons on the case — ready to be mapped to controls in a game. Additionally, it has a kickstand to hold the phone upright, plus an RGB light array inside. It attaches to the ROG Phone 6 through the side-mounted USB Type-C port, and there’s a pass-through port so it can still be used to charge or power the phone. It’s worth noting the latest cooler is only for the ROG Phone 6, and previous AeroCooler accessories won’t work with it.

There are three cooling modes. Basic cooling takes place using the fan only, Frosty mode increases the intensity and takes power from the phone, while the top Frozen mode requires the AeroActive Cooler 6 to be plugged into a power source. Asus says it has the ability to reduce surface temperatures by up to 25 degrees centigrade and is best suited to people who play intensive games for more than an hour at a time.

Read more
The ROG Phone 6 Pro proves that Asus remains the mobile gaming king
The Asus ROG Phone 6 Pro seen from the back.

Without a doubt, the Asus ROG Phone is the gaming phone grandaddy. It was there before all the pretenders, and still manages to pulverize the competition with its combination of immense performance, well-considered gaming features, cool design, and of course, the Republic of Gamers (ROG) branding.

The ROG Phone 6 is the latest in that lineup, and while we’re still working on the full review, we’ve been playing games on it. A lot of games, actually. After all, the gaming ability is the reason you’ll want the ROG Phone 6, so what has it been like?
What are the specs?
Before we get into the games, let's talk about the phone itself. There are two versions: the ROG Phone 6 and ROG Phone 6 Pro. For our testing, we've been using the Pro variant. There are only a few differences between them, most notably an increase to 18GB of RAM (yes, really) and 512GB of storage space on the ROG Phone 6 Pro. You also get a color OLED “ROG Vision” screen on the back of the phone, rather than a simple color display on the normal ROG Phone 6.

Read more