The Google Pixel Buds Pro are good for neutral sound, but they have a v-shaped sound. The buds don’t fit well in the ears, so they produce a flat sound. The closed-back in-ear headphones have a passive soundstage, but it doesn’t sound particularly immersive.
Design
But they are a very good buds. The sound quality is excellent, and the battery life is very good. They are also very comfortable to wear, even if they are a bit small for your hand.
The Lemongrass and Coral colors are much more vibrant than our review pair, which is a pretty dull Charcoal color. The Google Pixel Buds have some great creative options that other earbuds don’t have, and these colors look fantastic. The charging case is bigger than the one for the Galaxy Buds Pro 2 but about the same size as the AirPods Pro, fits the earbuds magnetically, has a nice soft finish, and has a USB-C port for charging on the bottom.
We tested a lot of truly wireless earphones this year, and this one’s fit isn’t as good as, say, the Beats Fit Pro. The buds would fall out at the slightest headshake, and whenever we had to run for the bus or bend down to pick up something at the grocery store, we always felt as though they might.
Google’s “Fit Test” is a simple setup process that can help you determine if the earbuds you’re considering are a good fit for your ears. However, we found the earbuds to be flimsy and not a good fit for our ears. ..
After using the Pixel Buds Pro for the full 7 hours required to drain the battery, we experienced no pain at all. This surprises us because we can typically only wear AirPods for a few hours before experiencing ear pain. Both earbuds have capacitive touch pads for shortcuts, and they typically function well. In addition to calling up Google Assistant, a long press toggles between the ANC modes. Our favorite addition, which Apple’s AirPods don’t have, was volume control via a quick swipe across the bud. It is a huge convenience not to have to take out our phone to turn down the volume. ..
Google Pixel Buds Pro review: Comfort
The Pixel Buds Pros were comfortable to wear, in our opinion. Unless you have exceptionally small ears, their design should fit most individuals because they are rather compact. The silicone tips included are supple and flexible. There are three sizes; by default, the medium size is used. The ear tips only extend a few millimeters into your ears, not much deeper. Due to friction caused by the ear tips’ exceptional pliability, they almost always turn inside out when you take them out of your ears. In actual use, the Pixel Buds Pros are no more uncomfortable to wear than the majority of other well-designed earbuds. While we were able to wear them for long periods of time, individual results may vary. ..
Google Pixel Buds Pro review: Connectivity
The Google Pixel XL and Pixel 2 XL are two of the most expensive headphones on the market. They come with many convenience features, such as Bluetooth multipoint, audio switching, wear detection, and more. However, some of these features may be too expensive for some people.
Noise cancelling
Google is being secretive about how its active noise reduction works in these first-generation Pixel Buds. It would only mention that a unique 6-core audio chip “that runs Google-developed algorithms” makes the feature possible. Additionally, it promotes a technology called Silent Seal, which “adapts” to the shape of your ear and increases the amount of noise that is blocked. The earbuds are said to have three microphones each.
The Pixel Buds Pro have one of the best active noise cancellation features we’ve ever heard. Naturally, how well of a seal you can obtain will play a role in this. The Sony WF-1000XM4 is not currently in our possession, but based on memory, we believe the Pixel Buds Pro to be nearly as nice. It is uncannily effective at cancelling out wind noise as well as low frequency disturbances.
Google’s Transparency Mode allows you to hear your surroundings, but it can be a little off-putting because some frequencies are being overstated and others are understated. We’re not sure if the mode is reliable, but it sounds quite natural.
Audio performance
The Google Pixel Buds A-Series earbuds are more economical than their predecessors, but they have poorer sound quality than those with a dynamic driver. Additionally, we found that the earbuds were difficult to keep in place and had to be constantly adjusted.
The Waterboy’s “This is the Sea” sounds less dynamic and exciting when streamed on Tidal than it does on the Cambridge Audio Melomania 1 Plus. The cheaper Google Pixel Buds Pro reproduces Mike Scott’s vocal shakers and inflections more accurately than the more expensive Cambridge Audio Melomania 1 Plus. ..
We were disappointed with the Pixel Buds Pro’s ability to reference violins, keys, and alternate vocal harmonies in the song “The Pan Within” from the album This is the Sea, but they are unable to fully stand out in the overall rather compressed-sounding mix. We also become aware that the tune is not as forceful, gripping, or hefty down the bass registers as it should be.
We found that the Honor Earbuds 3 Pro’s sound quality falls short of our ideal level, particularly in the areas of clarity and three-dimensional detail. Additionally, the treble is underplayed to a point where the overall profile sound feels muddy and woolly.
Google Pixel Buds Pro review: Call performance
We’ve found that people are more likely to answer calls if they can hear the person on the other end, and that the quality of the call is better when people are talking in a clear voice. We’re still working on perfecting these features, but so far, these seem to be working well.
Battery and charging
The Pixel Buds Pro advertise a battery life of up to 11 hours on a single charge, however it’s crucial to note that this is only true when Active Noise Cancellation is turned off in the app. We calculated that the correct bud would last for approximately 6 hours and 45 minutes with noise cancellation turned on (though that was with a short call in the mix). ..
The Pixel Buds Pro are significantly better than most other earbuds, but they still fall behind more recent releases. They can last a full 11 hours under ideal circumstances, more for earbud longevity than playtime. Although you probably won’t need to wear earbuds for longer than 4-5 hours very often, the Pixel Buds Pro’s longer battery life may enable you to use them for an additional year or longer than some competitors.
Conclusion
However, the Pixel Buds Pro still falls short in terms of features and performance. The main issue is that it doesn’t have a headphone jack, which means you have to use the included earbuds to listen to music or podcasts. Additionally, the battery life is short, so you’ll need to be careful not to overuse them.
The Pixel Buds Pro are hands-free Google Assistant speakers that don’t do much to persuade people who don’t use them every day to make them their daily drivers.
