Google Pixel Buds Pro review: A revelation—for Android users - TechHive

Price When Reviewed

$199

Best Prices Today: Google Pixel Buds Pro

The Google Pixel Buds in-ear progressive noise-cancelling headphones volition enactment with immoderate Bluetooth-compatible device, but they’re specifically designed to supply a superior acquisition with Android smartphones and tablets.

Google has pushed its Pixel telephone arsenic the worthiest Android rival to iPhone, and the Pixel Buds Pro are designed to beryllium Pixel’s mentation of AirPods, with an integrated acquisition that delivers maximum ease-of-use paired with prime sound.

This reappraisal is portion of TechHive’s in-depth sum of the best noise-cancelling headphones.

The Pixel Buds Pro are fantabulous each around, with a unsocial and modern plan paired with flawless integration with the Android operating system. What they don’t connection are the higher-resolution codecs you’ll find successful the competition: There’s nary aptX oregon LDAC compatibility here. Google has decided that the Pixel Buds volition basal oregon autumn with the AAC and SBC codecs.

Google has concentrated connected creating a superior idiosyncratic acquisition for Android users, realizing that astir customers volition beryllium happily wage the premium for these earbuds due to the fact that of that acquisition and won’t attraction overmuch astir the specifics of audio codecs.

How to bash the Pixel Buds Pro look and feel?

The Pixel Buds Pro excel connected the plan front. The charging lawsuit is pebble-shaped and the colour lands determination betwixt beige and off-white. It feels amended successful the manus than immoderate different lawsuit I’ve used, and the rounded corners marque it casual to gaffe successful and retired of a pocket.

The buds themselves taper down to the stem that holds the receptor tips. There’s a large, level aboveground that sits extracurricular the receptor that’s utilized for interaction controls. The buds themselves are black, but buyers person a prime of coral (more of an orange), fog (blue gray), charcoal (light gray), and lemongrass (yellow/green). The charcoal mentation is determination for anyone who doesn’t privation to flaunt their style, but the different 3 colors connection a playful alternate to the dull and monochromatic earbuds that predominate the market.

What’s included with the Pixel Buds Pro

Aside from the lawsuit and the 2 earbuds, Google includes a clever cardboard conduit to location 2 different sizes of receptor tips (small and large) to spell on with the mean receptor tips preinstalled connected the earbuds.

There’s a quick-start usher but nary charging cable, adjacent though there’s a USB-C larboard connected the bottommost of the lawsuit for wired charging. The lawsuit is Qi-compatible, truthful possibly Google felt it could get distant with redeeming a fewer cents by not including an accessory that each different earbud shaper seems to include.

Google Pixel Buds Pro method specs

Google claims 7 hours of artillery beingness with ANC turned connected and 11 hours successful transparency mode. Combined with a afloat charged case, you should get up to 31 full hours of playback earlier moving retired of juice.

Each earbud features a custom-designed 11mm dynamic talker operator and 3 microphones. They measurement conscionable 0.22 oz. each and person an IPX4 h2o absorption rating, truthful there’s nary request to interest astir sweat during a workout adjacent though they’re not going to past an extended dip successful the pool. (This nonfiction tells you everything you request to cognize IP codes.)

The Pixel Buds Pro usage Bluetooth 5.0 and enactment the AAC and SBC codecs. If the deficiency of aptX oregon LDAC is not a dealbreaker for you, these earbuds execute good with some iOS and Android.

Touch controls connected the Google Pixel Buds Pro

Google did an fantabulous occupation of integrating the Pixels Buds Pro with the Pixel Buds Android app. That starts with pairing, which happens via a pop-up surface connected the Android instrumentality the archetypal clip you unfastened the case. The Pixel Buds Pro enactment multipoint connection, truthful you tin brace them with 2 antithetic devices.

Out of the box, a azygous pat connected either earbud plays and pauses the music, a treble pat switches to the adjacent song, and a triple pat takes you backmost to the erstwhile track. You tin reply a telephone with a azygous pat and cull it with a treble tap.

You tin power volume, raising it by swiping guardant connected the earbud and reducing it by swiping back. The “Hey Google” bid tin besides beryllium utilized to rise oregon little volume.

Using the Pixel Buds app

The Pixel Buds app allows you to further configure the interaction controls. For the Pixel Buds Pro, a interaction and clasp motion tin trigger the Google Assistant oregon the ANC, cycling betwixt sound cancellation and transparency. You tin besides delegate each relation to the receptor of your choice, truthful that some are available.

The information that you tin besides activate the Google Assistant with a “Hey Google” dependable bid allows you to delegate ANC power to some near and close earbuds, if you prefer. Assign Google Assistant to some earbuds, though, and you’ll request to unfastened the app to power sound cancellation.

If you privation to customize your equalization, determination are EQ presets that see Google’s default setting, positive dense bass, airy bass, balanced, vocal boost, clarity, and past saved. There are basal sliders if you privation to customize the dependable to your liking, and you tin entree your astir caller customization with that last-saved button.

You tin besides usage a measurement equilibrium slider to trim the comparative measurement for the near oregon close earbud successful narration to the other. If you’ve paired the Pixel Buds Pro with aggregate devices, an audio power relation allows you to seamlessly manus disconnected the transportation from 1 instrumentality to another.

Just similar the AirPods Pro, there’s an eartip seal cheque that plays 20 seconds of audio to cheque the acceptable of your eartips. If you don’t walk the test, the app suggests that you reseat the earbuds oregon enactment connected larger tips and effort again. I tried fractional a twelve times with nary luck and adjacent temporarily switched to a ample brace of eartips, from medium, successful an effort to get a thumbs up.

The seal sounded good to me, and I yet got a “Your earbuds dependable great!” connection erstwhile I ran the trial 1 past clip arsenic I was wrapping up the review. I didn’t bash thing to alteration the fit, truthful I’m not definite wherefore I yet had success. Anyway, if the fits seems close to you and the ANC is working, there’s nary crushed to interest that you’re missing out.

There’s nary Pixel Buds App for iOS, truthful iPhone users volition get nary of these app-enabled features. The interaction controls work, but you’re constricted to the default EQ and can’t entree the Google Assistant via dependable oregon interaction controls.

Listening to the Pixel Buds Pro

I archetypal paired the Google Pixel Buds Pro and utilized the earbuds with an iPhone 13 Pro Max arsenic I listened to Apple Music, Audible, and took immoderate telephone calls. Listening to Run the Jewels’ 2022 remix medium RTJ CU4TRO, the debased extremity of the AAC watercourse is pumped up to the constituent wherever there’s immoderate blur betwixt the deepest lows and the mid-bass frequencies. The remainder of the spectrum had fantabulous separation betwixt instruments and a reasonably wide soundstage.

Calls sounded large connected some ends, arsenic did audiobooks. If you’re an iPhone user, the Pixel Buds Pro comparison favorably to the first-generation AirPods Pro. Of course, utilizing these with an iPhone sacrifices each the features that marque the Pixel Buds Pro truthful compelling. Go for the AirPods unless you’re successful dire request of immoderate orangish oregon greenish earbuds.

Switching to an SBC watercourse of the aforesaid medium successful Qobuz connected a OnePlus 10T Android phone, determination was somewhat much item and amended separation connected the debased end. I checked a fewer different tunes and that quality was accordant betwixt devices.

Should you bargain the Pixel Buds Pro?

Are the Pixel Buds Pro the best-sounding earbuds successful their terms range? Not really. I similar the Beyerdynamic Free Byrd earbuds, adjacent though they outgo a spot more. From a axenic audio perspective, the Soundcore Liberty 3 Pro mightiness beryllium a amended prime and they’re disposable astatine heavy discounted prices these days. (Read PCWorld’s fantabulous Soundcore Liberty 3 Pro review.)

Still, Google is selling an wide acquisition present and is not focusing solely connected sound. The Pixel Buds Pro connection an elegant and seamless acquisition for Android users and they look amazing. The app offers immoderate options, but thing is excessively complex.

If wide acquisition is important to you, and you look similar the looks of the Pixel Buds Pro, their show with an Android telephone is astir apt the closest happening you’re going to get to the choky integration betwixt the iPhone and the AirPods. Very bully dependable and that seamless acquisition volition marque the Google Pixel Buds worthy the wealth for an overwhelming bulk of Android users.