Google’s new pro buds are tiny and cute, but they might be a pain in your ears
Google Pixel Buds Pro 2: One-minute review
As a long-time user of Google’s incredible first generation Pixel Buds Pro earbuds, I was very excited to stuff the Pixel Buds Pro 2 earbuds into my ears. Having received them at the same time as Samsung’s also brilliant Galaxy Buds 3 Pros has, however, muted my opinion of the smaller Google earphones.
Google has gone back to the drawing board for the aesthetic of the Pixel Buds Pro 2, with a much smaller design while retaining the egg-shaped case. This new design sits more firmly in the user’s ear with the same brilliant touch controls on the sides, though a new ‘twist-to-adjust stabilizer’, taking the form of a physical plastic fin, may lead to some discomfort in your ears (in fairness with this criticism, a colleague of mine also using the headphones said he didn’t mind).
Battery life is better than ever with the second generation, boasting up to eight hours with noise cancellation on or 12 with it off (30 and 48 hours respectively with case recharging factored in).
Noise cancellation has been improved with a redesigned seal and the transparency mode is just as effective as with the previous model. I’ve certainly noticed a difference between the new noise cancellation and Google’s old noise cancellation in the previous generation when walking beside a busy road, though ultimately I don’t expect all sounds to be blocked out entirely. In fact, with the earbuds placed in some positions at different adjustments, you may notice an odd windy or whistling sound. Adjust your buds the best you can to mitigate this odd noise, but ultimately it makes quick ease-of-use a step more difficult.
Though perhaps the most unfortunate thing about the Pixel Buds Pro 2 earbuds is that they’re priced far too confidently. At $229/£219/AU$379, the buds fall within range of the better Samsung Galaxy Buds 3 Pros, at $249/£219/AU$399. Were you shopping at these price points, I would usher you in the direction of Samsung’s new Pro earbuds.Google Pixel Buds Pro 2 review: Price and release date
Unveiled on August 14
Priced at $229/£219/AU$379
Price increase over the Google Pixel Buds Pro ($199/£179/$AU299)
We can immediately applaud Google for the bold colorways it’s offering the Google Pixel Buds Pro 2 in, which are far more interesting than the finishes you’ll find when shopping for either the Samsung Galaxy Buds or Apple AirPods.
The standard black (Hazel) and white (Porcelain) are here, but also a gorgeous candy pink called Peony is available, along with a brilliant mint green called Wintergreen.
While I won’t admonish anyone for shopping based on color (I have friends who tend to buy a lot of pink tech) I would encourage you to think of the better quality on offer with similarly priced headphones, and to maybe consider the original Pixel Buds Pro if you want a splash of color without spending too much.Google Pixel Buds Pro 2 review: SpecsGoogle Pixel Buds Pro 2 review: Features
Exceptional battery life
Strong noise cancellation and transparency modes
Twist-to-adjust stabilizers may feel awkward in-ear
The feature set on offer with the Google Pixel Buds Pro 2 puts it in direct competition with any other Pro earbuds on the market, but you may find some things are a bit off.
These earbuds are more good than bad, so let’s start with the good stuff. The battery life is not only brilliant, but it also bests the Samsung Galaxy Buds 3 Pros ever so slightly (8 hours versus 7 hours for the Samsung pair). The original Pixel Buds Pro earbuds had great battery life, so it’s great to see Google keep it up.
Noise cancellation has seen a noticeable improvement with the introduction of what Google calls ‘SilentSeal 2.0’. I tend to walk beside a lot of busy roads in Sydney quite often, and switching between the previous generation and current generation Pixel Buds Pro earbuds, I can certainly hear the difference when a bus rolls past. The Pro 2s are able to block out much more noise, not that the first-generation buds did a bad job. If the transparency mode received any upgrades, for which I can’t find any evidence, it’s not noticeable between the earbuds.
A major point of conflict I have for the earbuds is the in-ear comfort, and truth be told I can’t make heads or tails of it.
