GRAMOogle’s latest Pixel Buds headphones got the “pro” treatment, with better sound, noise canceling, multipoint Bluetooth and a more comfortable design meant to compete with Apple’s AirPods Pro but for Android users.
The Pixel Buds Pro cost £179 ($199 / A$299), up from the company’s £100 Pixel Buds A-series like Google’s new top model. They will work with any standard Bluetooth device, including PC and iPhone, but have special features designed for Android.
They’re larger than the A-series earbuds, but have a similarly cute, low-profile look that doesn’t stick out too far from your ear. A soft plastic cap with a subtle “G” marking is all people see when it’s in your ear.
The earbuds are held in place with a traditional silicone tip, three sizes of which are included in the box. They feel secure and comfortable to wear even for extended periods without the “plugged-in” feel of some similar models, but the lack of a stabilizing wing makes them less suitable for exercise.
The colored cover is touch sensitive for a very effective set of gesture controls. Tap once to pause or play, double and triple to skip tracks, or long press to turn noise cancellation on or off. Swipe back and forth to control the volume as well, which is very welcome. The music stops when you take off a headset and resumes when you put it back on.
The Buds Pro last up to seven hours of playback with noise cancellation, which is more than many rivals. They magnetically clip onto a flip-top battery case, which stows easily in your pocket and can recharge the headphones just under three times for a total of 20 hours of playtime. A five-minute quick charge of the headphones adds an hour of listening.
specs
-
Connectivity: Bluetooth 5, SBC, AAC
-
Battery duration: seven hours (ANC) plus up to 20 hours with case
-
Box dimensions and weight: 63.2 x 50 x 25mm; 50 grams
-
Headphone dimensions and weight: 23.7 x 22 x 22.3mm; 6.2g each
-
Waterproof: IPX4 headphones (splash); IPX2 case
-
Controller Size: 11mm
-
Box loading: USB-C, Qi wireless
Good sound and noise cancellation
The Buds Pro are Google’s best-sounding headphones yet. They produce super clear audio with excellent pitch separation even on complex tracks. The bass is precise and punchy, reaching the deepest notes, the mid tones are rounded and the highs are quite detailed, they sound great in most musical genres.
They’re pretty bass-heavy and can sound a bit too clean on some tracks, lacking a bit of raw grunge energy, but I think most will enjoy them. Volume EQ boosts low and mid tones for better balance at lower volumes. Google promises to add a full equalizer and spatial audio for immersive movie surround sound through updates later this year.
Overall, these are great headphones that take a step up from everyday listening, falling short of the best of sennheiser Y Sony.
Noise cancellation is similarly capable, reducing most rumble, road noise and fan noise, and matching the performance of Apple AirPods Pro. They’re not quite as capable as Sony’s best, having more trouble with higher pitches like keyboard clicks, but still very good overall. They suffer a bit from wind noise and their ambient awareness mode is good, but doesn’t sound as natural as the best.
Finally, call quality was very good, sounding natural and clear even in noisy environments, although some background noise from the street crept into the call.
Connectivity and configuration
The Buds Pro are standard Bluetooth 5 headphones that support the standard SBC and AAC audio formats and Google Quick Pair with android They can be used in mono, which is useful for calls, and they support seamless switching between paired devices. They support multipoint to connect to two devices simultaneously, such as a phone for calls and a laptop for listening to music.
They have Google’s new automatic audio switching system that connects the Buds Pro to any of your Android phones or tablets that’s taking a call or playing media. It doesn’t work with PCs, Macs, or other devices, so multipoint is often more useful.
google assistant
Google Assistant is another advanced feature that only works with Android. Touch and hold one of the earbuds or use the “Hey Google” wake-up phrase to have it read your notifications or messages, send replies, control music playback, adjust the volume, give you Google Maps directions, perform real-time translations real with Google Translate and other tasks.
sustainability
Google doesn’t provide an expected battery life, but it should last more than 500 full charge cycles with at least 80% of its original capacity. Like most wireless headphones, the pixel The Buds Pro are not repairable, so they are ultimately disposable.
The case contains recycled rare earth elements. The public company environmental impact reports for some of their products, but not for headphones. Will recycle old devices free.
Price
The cost of the Google Pixel Buds Pro £179 ($199/299 Australian dollars) in a selection of colors.
For comparison, the Sony WF-1000XM4 cost £199, Sennheiser Momentum True Wireless 3 cost £219.99, BeatsFitPro cost £199, Apple AirPod Pro cost £239, Samsung Galaxy Buds Pro cost £149Jabra Elite 7 Pro cost £199, Bose QC Headphones cost £209.95and Samsung Galaxy Buds 2 cost £99.
Verdict
With the Pixel Buds Pro, Google has finally nailed Bluetooth headphones.
They’re comfortable, sound great, and have solid noise cancellation, and the battery lasts a good seven hours. The controls are excellent, as is the pocket-sized case. They have useful features like multipoint connectivity for more than one device at a time and good call quality.
While some flashier features are limited to Android (I wouldn’t recommend buying if you don’t primarily use an Android phone), the basic features work just as well with PC and iPhone if you have a mix of devices.
The best ones outperform them in sound quality and noise cancellation, but for everyday earphones the Pixel Buds Pro are great, and they’re also priced lower than the main rivals.
You cannot repair the earphones or replace the battery, which makes them ultimately disposable and lose them a star.
Advantage: great sound, effective noise cancellation, long battery life, very comfortable, good case, great controls, fast pairing, multipoint, fancy Android Google Assistant features.
Cons: no high-quality Bluetooth audio formats, no cross-platform setup app, waiting for updates to EQ and spatial audio, boxes easily dialed in, no stabilizer wings to work out, not repairable.
