I don't mind wearing a mask but I’m not ready for the Razer Zephyr Pro

Before 2020, you’d get some funny looks wearing a mask on the street but now you’re more likely to get stared at for not wearing one. However, there’s one mask that is still likely to turn heads. 

The Razer Zephyr Pro is the company’s second wearable air purifier and it’s far from subtle. Announced at CES this year, it’s an upgrade to the original Razer Zephyr launched at last year’s show, and comes with voice amplification to avoid that typical mask muffle. 

The mask looks identical to the original Razer Zephyr. It features large air filters on each side which are surrounded by a ring of LED lights powered by Razer’s Chroma RGB that can be customized to display a range of colors. Inside there are dual-speed intake fans to allow you to breathe comfortably and changeable N95 filters to ensure that air is properly filtered. The same filters from the Zephyr will also work with the Zephyr Pro. 

The central section of the Zephyr and Zephyr Pro are both see-through, so you can actually see your lips through the mask. However, the Zephyr Pro has the added benefit of voice amplification. This is designed to give you clearer speech – presumably using the technology from Razer’s gaming headsets. 

I’m hopeful that the voice will be as crisp and clear as a Razer microphone and speaker can deliver but there’s also a part of me that would love the ability to add a filter to sound like Bane from The Dark Knight Rises. 

While the technology and filtering are impressive, Razer is clear that the Zephyr Pro is not a certified N95 mask and not a replacement for a surgical mask. I’m pretty sure you wouldn’t be allowed on a plane wearing one and if I wore one into my local Walgreens, I’m pretty sure it would cause some serious alarms to ring. Perhaps the only place I could wear it would be CES itself, so maybe next year. 

The Zephyr Pro is expected to go on sale later this year, priced $149 in the US (no UK or Australia availability has been confirmed). There will also be a starter pack for $199 with 33 replaceable filters. The original Zephyr mask is currently sold out on the Razer website.