As its name implies, the SteelSeries Arctis 3 Bluetooth is essentially the analog Arctis 3 with added Bluetooth connectivity, and both connectivity options can be used at the same time. The Bluetooth connectivity greatly improves the versatility of this headset as it can be used to connect the SteelSeries Arctis 3 Bluetooth to a mobile device for Discord, hold phone calls or listen to music while gaming on the PC and/or console. Like most other gaming headsets from the Arctis lineup, the Arctis 3 Bluetooth is comfortable to wear and has intuitive onboard controls. It comes with a solid, retractable microphone. Your teammates will hear you with ease regardless of whether you're using the microphone in wired or Bluetooth mode. Battery life in Bluetooth mode is impressive, as over 40 hours of playtime are offered by the built-in battery.

The sound quality of the Arctis 3 Bluetooth is generally good, especially when it comes to multiplayer gaming, where it excels with its terrific spatial-positioning capabilities enabled by its sharp, treble-focused sound signature. It also performs well in the mid-range, but bass-heads could find its lack of low-end punchiness and bite somewhat disappointing. On most other Arctis headsets this aspect is easily fixable through the system-wide equalizer offered within the SteelSeries Engine software driver (nowadays part of the unnecessarily bloated SteelSeries GG software package), but not here—the Arctis 3 Bluetooth comes with no software support. That means we're missing out on a couple of other nice features, such as microphone sidetone and virtual surround sound.

The biggest problem with this headset is its steep $144 price tag. As I was writing this review, the price changed three times—for a while, it dropped to $116, then shot up to $160 only to settle at $144. There's simply no justification for the Arctis 3 Bluetooth to cost twice as much as the "regular," analog Arctis 3. It also shouldn't be more expensive than the Corsair HS70 Bluetooth (reviewed here), a gaming headset based on the same concept, but with an added third connectivity option (USB), full software support, and a warmer, bass-heavier sound signature, which most users will find more pleasing. The Corsair HS70 Bluetooth currently sells for $100. If you're after a gaming headset with multiple connectivity options, one of which has to be Bluetooth, that's where I'd direct my money to.