For neutral sound, the Google Pixel Buds Pro are adequate. Despite the fact that our graphs depict them as having a pretty flat sound, in reality they have a more v-shaped sound. Since the buds don’t fit the ears well, even in their smallest size, they are probably the cause of the test rig’s ears popping out. They supposedly deliver more thump and rumble with more brightness reserved for lead instruments, vocals, and sibilants. The closed-back in-ear headphones’ passive soundstage, however, doesn’t sound particularly immersive.
Design
In the last year or so, Google’s product design has advanced significantly. The Pixel 6 line of smartphones marked the beginning of a full rethink with a lot more emphasis on sleek, modern design after a number of phones that had any design flourishes at all. This is what the Pixel Buds Pro do. The bean-shaped buds are tiny and light, and the outside is clearly marked with the “G” logo. They are not the smallest or lightest buds available, and in comparison to the diminutive Galaxy Buds Pro 2, they feel bulky. The Lemongrass (a light, pleasant green) and the brighter Coral stand out much more than our review pair, which is a pretty dull Charcoal colour. It’s amazing to see Google offering some more creative options than just white or black, and these colors look fantastic. The case, which is bigger than the one for the Galaxy Buds Pro 2 but about the same size as the AirPods Pro, fits the earbuds magnetically. The charging case has a nice, soft finish and is small enough to fit in a front pocket. A pairing button is located on the back, and there is a USB-C port for charging on the bottom. Three different sizes of tips, each packaged in paper, are included in the box. To help with the fit, we promptly switched from the standard medium tip to the smaller one. This year, we tested a lot of truly wireless earphones, 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. This might be a problem if you purchase these for the gym. In order to make sure you’re getting the best friend fit, Google even provides what it refers to as a Fit Test, which is a simple setup process. Google said we had a good seal after we tried this, but they still seemed flimsy to us. These are without a doubt among of the most comfortable earbuds available, even though we didn’t think the fit was right for our ears. Even 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 Pro were comfy 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 Pro 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 other noteworthy characteristics are all convenience-related. Bluetooth multipoint enables simultaneous connections to two devices, and audio switching enables seamless switching between paired devices that are associated with the same Google account. Then there is wear detection, which stops audio when a bud is taken out of your ear and starts it back up again when it is reinserted. All of these features are appreciated additions, but you’d anticipate them from a pair of flagship headphones that cost close to $200.
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. All of that is nice, and more importantly, it all functions. 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. Additionally, Google offers Transparency Mode, an ambient sound mode that allows you to hear your surroundings. To keep the effect sounding natural and in rhythm, Google claims that the Pixel Buds “processes a wide variety of frequencies with little latency.” We’re afraid the end result isn’t quite as good. Although there is no audible delay between what you hear and what is happening, you get the uneasy impression that some frequencies are being ignored while others are being overemphasized. We are unsure of its reliability. Whatever you do hear, however, actually sounds quite natural.
Audio performance
The more economical Google Pixel Buds A-Series were introduced after the initial Pixel Buds by Google in 2020. The headline also states that compared to Google’s earlier attempts, the sound quality when listening to music has improved even after just a few hours of listening. But the compliments stop there. The relatively large 11mm dynamic driver found inside each Google Pixel Buds Pro earbud should make for a talented performance. But as soon as we begin testing them (after fully running them in, understandably), we notice a number of sonic performance issues. We don’t get the feeling of the song’s rising dynamic build at the beginning when listening to a remastered Tidal file of This is the Sea by The Waterboy. The Cambridge Audio Melomania 1 Plus clearly outperforms the Google product despite being much cheaper, celebrating shakers and inflections in Mike Scott’s vocal in a way that the Pixel Buds Pro cannot. This song is supposed to build from barely audible key progressions, as if starting in the distance. The Pixel Buds Pro make reference to 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 as an electric guitar holds down a low riff. We use “HD audio” throughout our testing (defined as AAC audio codec, better than MP3 but still lossy, and it’s the best you’ll get here), but during our listening, the clarity through the leading edges of notes isn’t as good as we’d like it to be at this level. When using the Honor Earbuds 3 Pro, you can hear three-dimensional and impulsive saxophone detail in Sam Fender’s “Get You Down,” but in this case, the treble is underplayed to the point where the overall profile sound feels a little muddy and woolly, even through the midrange. Each musical passage could use a tiny bit more breathing room, in our opinion.
Google Pixel Buds Pro review: Call performance
Even though we have only tested phoning for a week or so, the outcomes so far have been generally encouraging. Even when we stepped under the bathroom fan, a friend with trained ears assumed we were talking on our phone rather than earbuds the entire time. While the quality of the calls we made on our end was average, this is typical of most earbuds we test.
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 Control 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). you will check our article on Google Pixel Buds Pro review. That figure is significantly higher than the Samsung Galaxy Buds Pro, AirPods Pro, and Beats Fit Pro, but it still falls behind more recent releases like Jabra’s Elite 7 series. It is still impressive that the buds 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
Google has made progress with the Pixel Buds Pro, but if it wants to stand out in the world of true wireless technology, it must do more. From an aesthetic and comfort standpoint, the new design is effective. The audio has also been improved, and the addition of noise cancellation is welcome. However, none of those features distinguish themselves as system sellers in the same way that the hands-free Google Assistant does. It is still the Pixel Buds Pro’s main selling point, which is perhaps to be expected, but they don’t do much to persuade people who don’t use them every day to make them their daily drivers.
