Elgato Just Made a Wave That Isn't for Your Desk
By Dan Whitfield··6 min read
Every Wave microphone Elgato has shipped since 2020 has been a thing you put on a desk and talk into. The Wave Go is a 7-gram wireless transmitter you clip to your shirt — or dock into a battery handle and hold like a reporter. It is $99.99, it plugs into a phone over USB-C, and it puts Elgato in a fight with DJI and Rode for the first time.
Prices and picks checked . Prices move — treat them as a guide, not a quote.
Read this part first
The Wave Go does not record anything onboard. Audio goes to your phone or computer and nowhere else. Elgato states this in its own FAQ and goes further than most companies would, saying outright that if a local backup is essential to your work, another system may be the better fit.
That is worth repeating rather than burying. A DJI Mic keeps its own copy, so a dropout mid-interview costs you nothing. On a Wave Go, a dropout costs you the take. For a street interview you cannot re-shoot, that is the whole decision.
Two microphones in one box
The pitch is convertibility, and it is the genuinely novel bit. Most wireless systems make you choose a form factor at the checkout.
Clip-on
The transmitter is 7 grams — about the weight of two sheets of paper — and attaches with a magnetic plate or a clip. Two furry windscreens are in the box for outdoors. This is the mode that competes with every lav system on the market.
Handheld
Dock the transmitter into the Smart Handle and it becomes a reporter's mic. The handle is a battery, so docking also charges the transmitter. This is the part no competitor does in quite the same way, and it is the reason to look at this over a plain clip-on.
Elgato's own introduction
Full specifications
| Price | $99.99, in stock at Elgato when checked |
|---|---|
| Capsule | 6 mm electret condenser, omnidirectional |
| Frequency response | 60 Hz – 20 kHz |
| Max SPL | 115 dB SPL (1% THD @ 1 kHz) |
| Signal-to-noise | 70 dB(A) handheld, 68 dB(A) clip-on |
| Audio | 48 kHz / 24-bit, LC3 codec |
| Wireless | 2.4 GHz, ~30 m (100 ft) range, latency ≤24 ms |
| Battery | ~8 h transmitter; Smart Handle listed as both ~40 h and ~48 h |
| Quick charge | ~10 minutes for about an hour of use |
| Weight | Transmitter 7 g, receiver 7 g, Smart Handle 62 g |
| Connection | USB-C receiver; Bluetooth only for the companion app |
| Colours | Black, Sky Blue |
That battery row is not a typo on our side. Elgato's product page quotes the Smart Handle at ~40 hours in its summary spec block and ~48 hours in the full table, a few scrolls apart. Either figure is a long day's shooting; we are simply not going to pick one for them.
Where it sits against DJI and Rode
This is a crowded, mature category — the DJI Mic and Rode Wireless GO lines have owned it for years — and Elgato has walked in underneath them on price. $99.99 for a transmitter, receiver, battery handle, charging case, two windscreens and the mounts is aggressive.
The split is clean once you see it. Wave Go is built for recording to a phone or a laptop. Its receiver is USB-C, it has no camera output, and Elgato says plainly it is not made for DSLRs or mirrorless bodies. The DJI and Rode systems are built around cameras and carry onboard recording as insurance. If you film on a phone, Wave Go is cheaper, lighter and converts into a handheld. If you film on a camera, it is not a competitor at all — it is a different product that happens to look similar.
One more thing in its favour for our readers: it speaks Wave Link, the same mixing software the rest of the Wave line runs on. If you already route audio through Wave Link at your desk, this drops into that setup rather than sitting beside it.
Two mics, six weeks, one parent company
Worth noting for anyone tracking the market: Corsair owns Elgato, and this is the group's second microphone launch in six weeks. In September, Corsair shipped the VOXARA, its first-ever standalone mic — a $199.99 desktop condenser that runs on, of all things, Elgato's Wave Link software. Now Elgato itself ships a $99.99 wireless mic that runs on the same software.
They do not compete. One is for sitting at a desk, the other is for leaving it, and both feed the same mixer. That looks less like two product teams colliding and more like a company filling a grid — which is a more coherent audio strategy than either brand had a year ago.
Who it's for
Buy it if
- · You film IRL content on a USB-C phone
- · You want one mic that does both clip-on and handheld
- · You already run Wave Link or other Elgato gear
- · $99 against $150+ for the obvious alternatives matters to you
Skip it if
- · You shoot on a DSLR or mirrorless — it will not connect
- · You need an onboard backup recording
- · Your phone is a Lightning iPhone
- · You want a main desk mic, not a second one
If a desk mic is actually what you are after, our best streaming microphones list covers that end, and the IRL streaming kit guide covers the rest of a go-bag.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much is the Elgato Wave Go?
$99.99 on Elgato's own store, where it was in stock when we checked on October 13, 2026, in Black and Sky Blue at the same price. A second transmitter — so you can mic two people onto one receiver — is listed separately at $29.99, discounted to $14.99 and marked as shipping soon.
Does the Wave Go record audio onboard?
No, and Elgato says so itself rather than hiding it: the transmitter sends audio straight to your phone or computer, and the company's own FAQ states that if a local backup is essential to your work, another system may be the better fit. That is the single most important line on the product page. Rivals like the DJI Mic keep an internal recording as a safety net; if your wireless link drops mid-interview on a Wave Go, that audio is simply gone.
Does the Wave Go work with a DSLR or mirrorless camera?
No. Elgato states plainly that it is designed for USB-C devices like a phone or computer and is not made for direct use with professional cameras. The receiver is USB-C, not the 3.5mm TRS output that camera-oriented systems use. If your workflow is camera-first, this is not the product.
Will it work with my iPhone?
Yes if your iPhone has USB-C, which covers recent models. Older iPhones with a Lightning port are not supported. Note also that the companion Wave Go app was still listed as in review with Apple when we checked, so iPhone users may be waiting on it — the mic itself works as a plug-and-play USB-C audio device regardless, since the app only handles settings and firmware.
Is this Bluetooth?
The audio is not. Wave Go uses a dedicated 2.4 GHz link to its USB-C receiver, which is what buys it the ≤24 ms latency, the 48 kHz / 24-bit path and the battery life. Bluetooth is used only to pair the companion app for settings and updates. This is the right design — Bluetooth audio would have meant compression and lag.
How does the Wave Go compare to a DJI Mic or Rode Wireless GO?
It undercuts both on price and beats them on weight, and the Smart Handle is a genuine differentiator — no other mainstream system converts into a handheld mic. It loses on two counts: no onboard recording backup, and no camera support, both of which the DJI and Rode systems offer. So the honest split is that Wave Go is built for people recording to a phone or laptop, and the others are built for people recording to a camera.
Is an omnidirectional condenser a problem for noisy rooms?
It is the normal choice for a clip-on and it is a trade-off. Omnidirectional means the capsule picks up evenly from all directions, which is why lav mics survive you turning your head — but it also means the room comes with you. Clipped a handspan from your mouth that is usually fine. In a loud street or a busy convention hall, expect the background. That is physics, not a flaw in this particular mic.
Can it be used as a desk mic for streaming?
Elgato pitches it as a secondary desk mic for calls, voice-to-text and light podcasting, and it supports Wave Link — the same mixing software the rest of the Wave line uses, on Windows 11 or newer and macOS 15 or newer. It will comfortably beat laptop audio or earbuds. It will not replace a desktop condenser or dynamic for a daily stream, and Elgato does not claim it will — its own comparison post puts Wave Go on phones and interviews, and the Wave:3 MK.2 at the desk.