Google Pixel Buds Pro 2 Review

Google’s Pixel earbuds person ever felt for illustration a activity successful progress. The first-gen Pixel Buds was excessively futuristic for its time, nan 2020 version wasn’t reliable aliases comfortable, and nan 2022 Pixel Buds Pro compromised connected nan creation for amended audio. It could ne'er gain nan default Android spot for illustration nan AirPods bid for Apple’s personification base. The latest Pixel Buds Pro 2 changes that: it feels for illustration a coming of property for Google’s true-wireless lineup and takes and improves upon nan champion of its predecessors.

Looking astatine nan Pixel Buds Pro 2, you’d astir deliberation it’s a caller statement of products altogether. Google has markedly shrunk its size – astir 30 percent smaller and lighter – truthful that nan buds are much comfortable to deterioration and don’t bulge retired arsenic much. They besides travel pinch a subtler type of nan stabilizer fin, to support them anchored nary matter your fresh preferences. The Buds Pro 2 besides marks nan debut of nan Tensor A1 chip, Google’s civilization silicon for nan Pixel Buds, for an upgraded progressive sound cancellation capacity and a big of accompanying smart features.

Google has packed a batch into nan second-gen Pro earbuds but these upgrades travel astatine an elevated cost. The Pixel Buds Pro 2 is $30 much costly than nan anterior model. But aft spending weeks pinch them, I recovered Google’s latest earbuds connection a complete acquisition rivaled only by Apple’s AirPods, and good worthy nan $229 price.

Google Pixel Buds Pro 2 – Design and Controls

For a “Pro,” nan Pixel Buds Pro 2 are strikingly compact. Because Google has decided against a stem-equipped shape factor, dissimilar Apple and Samsung, each of its buds is not only 10-15 percent lighter than nan competition, but nan smaller footprint besides ensures they are not a resistance connected your ears erstwhile you usage them for longer periods, specified arsenic connected flights.

Plus, astatine nan different extremity of nan silicon extremity lies a small fin stabilizer that anchors itself to nan protruding of your receptor canal’s opening. You tin twist nan earbud to set really tight you want nan stabilizing helping to be. The unsocial system proved amazingly handy: erstwhile I wanted nan earbud to stay snuggly fit, for illustration connected runs, I could twist it to nan max to forestall it from falling, but during much day-to-day activities for illustration astatine work, I loosened them up a spot for a comfier, yet unchangeable position.

The Pixel Buds Pro 2 ships pinch 4 bud sizes and erstwhile I recovered my lucifer (the S), they remained sealed successful my ears nary matter nan activity, from eating to workouts to moreover playing Nintendo Switch Sports. I besides appreciated that nan buds don’t instrumentality retired arsenic overmuch from my ears. When secured in, they look a spot for illustration an oversized M&M, particularly if you get them successful nan Wintergreen aliases Peony colors.

The tiny artistic extends to nan charging case, which resembles a soft pebble immoderate Gentoo penguin would approve. In summation to a position light, it houses a speaker that alerts you erstwhile it’s debased connected artillery and tin beryllium utilized to find it successful lawsuit you suffer it. While nan vertically-oriented lawsuit is easier to descent into pockets, nan 1 interest I person pinch it is its mediocre IP rating. Though nan earbuds are h2o and particulate resistant (IP54), nan lawsuit tin only withstand a constricted magnitude of moisture (IPX4).

The only branding you’ll find connected nan Pixel Buds is nan etched “G” connected apical of each earbud. This besides functions arsenic a capacitive touch button, enabling a bid of gestures to power nan playback, volume, and sound cancellation. You tin swipe forwards aliases backward connected nan “G,” for example, to raise aliases little nan volume, pat thrice to move trackers, property and clasp to activate sound cancellation, and more.

I typically for illustration stem-based controls because triggering them doesn’t impact nan earbuds’ fit, but I had nary issues pinch nan ones offered connected nan Pixel Buds Pro 2. There’s capable room connected nan capacitive aboveground that nan buds tin intelligibly separate each gesture. The controls, successful my experience, were meticulous and quick, and I liked that I had nan action to customize nan property and clasp action for each bud individually.

Google Pixel Buds Pro 2 – Software

Being a Google product, there’s nary shortage of package tricks connected nan Pixel Buds Pro 2, and to my surprise, nan mostly of them were adjuvant and dependable. The Pixel Buds companion app, for instance, tin actively tally an auditory wellness cheque passim your day, and show you erstwhile your audio vulnerability is complete nan patient limit. It tin besides guideline you done a fresh workout to find whether nan bud size you’re utilizing is perfect for maximizing sound cancellation.

By far, my favourite package instrumentality was speech detection. The earbuds temporarily disable nan ANC and move to nan transparency mode arsenic soon arsenic they observe you’re speaking to someone. The mics guarantee it’s only triggered erstwhile you speak, arsenic opposed to anyone other successful public, and it useful near-instantly, eliminating nan request for maine to manually move disconnected nan ANC while talking. Pairing is speedy too, astatine slightest connected Android. All you person to do is flip unfastened nan lawsuit and a punctual connected your telephone will thief you group them up successful seconds.

Apart from that, nan Pixel Buds Pro 2 checks adjacent to each nan package boxes: they tin link to 2 devices astatine erstwhile and seamlessly move betwixt them, support Spatial audio and caput search for compatible media, and let you to fine-tune nan equalizer.

The Pixel Buds Pro 2 besides has nan expertise to fto you commencement conversing pinch nan Gemini adjunct pinch a “Hey Google, let’s talk” command. While that’s bully to have, Gemini itself is acold from ready. It can’t, for example, group reminders, matter someone, talk astir delicate topics for illustration governmental news, and nan database goes on.

Another downside to nan Pixel Buds Pro 2’s package is Google’s refusal to adhd support for high-quality codecs. Like its predecessors, nan Buds Pro 2 is constricted to modular AAC and SBC Bluetooth codecs. So if you’re personification who subscribes to and prefers high-resolution music, you will person to look elsewhere.

Google Pixel Buds Pro 2 – Performance

The audio capacity of Google’s wireless earbuds has typically erred connected nan broadside of restraint, and nan Pixel Buds Pro 2, for nan astir part, are nan same. However, nan upgrades acknowledgment to nan civilization Tensor spot and a caller “high-frequency chamber” are not each lost. The sound from nan Buds Pro 2’s 11mm drivers, this clip around, is overmuch cleaner and richer successful extracting nan astir specifications retired of your music.

The low-ends aren’t arsenic ascendant arsenic earlier and nan drivers spend nan mids and highs capable abstraction and aerial to intelligibly radiance through. It makes up for a wide soundstage that tin arsenic immerse you successful a track’s underlying footwear drum arsenic nan vocals. While listening to analyzable pieces for illustration Hans Zimmer’s No Time for Caution, for instance, nan Pixel Buds Pro 2 neatly produced nan various overlapping instruments without letting immoderate 1 overpower nan output. Even astatine higher volumes, popular euphony sounds perky without ever getting muddy. By default, nan bass is connected nan little extremity to alteration a sound that will appease astir people, but you tin easy tweak that from nan settings.

The Google Pixel Buds Pro 2’s sound cancellation was awesome too. It comfortably blocked retired little frequencies for illustration nan high-intensive clamor of a engaged thoroughfare aliases a flight. Higher-end noises for illustration honks and sirens still, of course, passed through, but nan ANC toned them down capable that they wouldn’t forestall maine from knowing nan voices connected a podcast I’m streaming.

The 1 facet wherever nan Pixel Buds Pro 2 can’t rather lucifer its peers, for illustration nan AirPods Pro 2 and nan Galaxy Buds 3 Pro, is nan mic quality. In astir situations, it does a good occupation of picking up your sound without making it sound robotic, and callers usually reported my sound crisp and loud. But it does present a fewer disturbances, specified arsenic a moving tap, and it tin distort a small because its mic is simply obscurity adjacent arsenic adjacent and positioned towards your rima arsenic a stem-style earbud.

Google Pixel Buds Pro 2 – Battery Life

The Google Pixel Buds Pro 2 lasted longer than astir ANC earbuds I’ve used, including nan AirPods Pro 2. In my testing, which featured an always-on ANC and 30-40% measurement levels, nan Pixel Buds Pro 2 almost delivered connected Google’s 8-hour claim. On average, they lasted 7 hours connected a azygous complaint pinch ANC on, and 10-11 hours pinch ANC off. Together pinch nan charging case’s endurance, nan Pixel Buds Pro 2 offers a full listening clip of 30 and 48 hours, respectively. You tin complaint nan Pixel Buds Pro 2 via USB-C aliases wirelessly pinch immoderate Qi-certified pad.