Google Pixel Buds Pro: A Buyer’s Guide to Google’s Best Earphones

At Google’s I / O conference this spring, the company confirmed that it’s heading into pro audio segment with a pair of advanced earphones called, what else, Pixel Buds Pro. The new buttons certainly sound convincing and boast ANC, long battery life and convenient features like wireless charging and Bluetooth multipoint. Listen up in your alley? Here’s everything you need to know.

Google Pixel Buds Pro: Design

Pixel Buds Pro shares a strong family resemblance to previous Pixel Buds. Their case is the same smooth pill shape in the same white eggshell finish as seen on both the Pixel Buds A-Series and 2020’s Pixel Buds.

There are four color paths: from left to right in the image above, they are called coral, lemongrass, mist and charcoal. While last year’s Pixel Buds A-Series featured charging cases with accents that matched the knobs themselves, this is not the case this time: the cover is black and white for every color of earphones.

The new Pro Buds are dropping stabilizing fins intended to hold the last two pairs of Pixel Buds in place. Nor do they have the split spatial ventilation which reportedly helped reduce ear discomfort caused by pressure – even though they have what Google calls “active pressure relief in the ear.”

They are larger than previous Pixel Buds models, with each earphone measuring 23.72 x 22.03 x 22.33 millimeters. For reference, the Pixel Buds A-Series is 20.7 x 29.3 x 7.5 millimeters. Pixel Buds Pro will stick out of your ear a little longer than the last two pairs did. However, this is reasonable considering that these are Google’s first earphones with active noise reduction.

Google Pixel Buds Pro: Sound and active noise reduction

We have not had the opportunity to actually hear the Pixel Buds Pro yet – they are only out in July – but both the Pixel Buds A-Series and the 2020 model sound really good. Given that the Pro is an advanced offering, this is one reason why they will sound even better. That said, the last two models had 12-millimeter drivers, and the Pixel Buds Pro has slightly less 11-millimeters. Size is not everything, but still we do not expect a big leap in sound reproduction.

Although they do not sound significantly better than the Pixel Buds that came before them, the Pixel Buds Pro has a big leg up on them in active noise reduction. Google had to change the ventilated design it used in previous earphones to accommodate the feature, but that sounds like a valuable trade-off. The buds also have a transparency state to help compensate for that.

Google Pixel Buds Pro: Software and Features

Like previous Pixel Buds, Pixel Buds Pro will be featured hi Google registration for hands-free assistant access. They have Fast Pair for easy pairing with any Android device, and you manage the knob settings in the Pixel Buds app, which is built into Pixel phones and a separate download for phones from other manufacturers. In a first for Google earphones, Pixel Buds Pro will have Bluetooth multipoint support, which means they can connect to two devices at the same time – for example, your laptop and your phone.

Pixel Buds Pro will also have the same gesture-based controls as 2020’s Pixel Buds. The feature is absent in the Pixel Bud’s A-Series, and we’re very excited to see it come back – meaning you’ll be able to control media volume without having to unplug your phone. Google also said that over time, they will support spatial sound, a kind of virtual surround sound.

Google Pixel Buds Pro: Battery and Charging

The last two pairs of Pixel Buds were smaller than most genuine wireless earphones, and their battery life reflected that: Even without the ANC, the Pixel Buds A-Series only managed to manage five hours of playback on a single charge. Google says that the Pixel Buds Pro will provide about seven hours of listening time with the ANC on or 11 hours with it off, and that the case contains about two full charges for the knobs. Google also claims that charging the earphones in their case for five minutes will provide “up to 1 hour of listening time.”

While 2020’s Pixel Buds had a case that could charge wirelessly, last year’s A-Series did not; they were USB-C only. The Pro brings back wireless charging at 2.5 watts, which is quite slow – but earphone batteries are small so they do not need much power. We are not yet sure how fast they charge via USB.

Google Pixel Buds Pro: Pricing and Availability

Pixel Buds Pro will be available for pre-order from July 21, one week before their street date on July 28. They cost $ 199.99 in the United States.

At launch, Pixel Buds Pro will be available in 12 countries:

You will be able to get a pair directly from Google. We do not know which third-party retailers will be carrying the buds yet, but we expect to see them in stores like Best Buy and Walmart.

Google Pixel Buds ProLook in the Google Store

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