There isn’t any scarcity of midrange earbuds with good Lively Noise Cancellation (ANC). The one hassle is discovering one that gives worth for the cash. Google goes after that aim with the Pixel Buds 2a — and it is doing an okay, however not nice, job.
The Pixel Buds 2a are a good pair of midrange earbuds. They do some issues proper and a few issues fallacious. You will both love them or hate them. I have been utilizing a pair of Pixel 2a earbuds for per week; here is what I discovered.
The Pixel Buds 2a are adorably tiny
Credit score: Joe Maldonado / Mashable
The nice outdated earbuds-and-stem construct has its deserves. Pixel Buds are designed to reside virtually fully inside your earlobe. That is a design that I personally like, although there are some clear shortcomings.
The primary cause I like them: measurement. The Pixel Buds 2a are simply sufficiently small to sleep in your facet with them in. Your mileage will fluctuate relying on the form of your ear, however I discovered I might sleep in them. There’s a little bit of stress on the ear after I do, but it surely’s barely noticeable.
Regardless of being diminutive, these buds are good for about seven hours of playback on a single cost, with one other two prices within the equally tiny case. Within the week I used to be utilizing them, I by no means charged the case – and it nonetheless has 35% cost as I write this. I am additionally not the heaviest earbud consumer, so once more, your mileage will fluctuate.
Left:
Credit score: Joe Maldonado / Mashable
Proper:
Credit score: Joe Maldonado / Mashable
The draw back: the stems protruding of your ears are contact delicate. This will trigger issues if you attain as much as push the bud again into your ear … and inadvertently pause your music or flip off ANC. There’s additionally no solution to modify the quantity of the buds by contact. You possibly can inform Google/Gemini to do it, however that is a workaround at finest, annoying at worst.
The Pixel buds 2a sound and ANC are stable
Credit score: Joe Maldonado / Mashable
The general sound of those buds is fairly good. Out of the field, you get a reasonably balanced tone, although there’s slightly bit much less bass than I might usually like. Google gives a 5 band EQ that you should use to regulate sound. I am often extra of a 7 to 9 band EQ fan, however was nonetheless in a position to tweak the sound to my liking.
One welcome addition to those buds, lacking from the earlier technology, is ANC. I discovered it surprisingly good contemplating the value level. It would not drown out every thing, to make sure, but it surely definitely filters out fairly a bit.
Throughout my evaluation, the workplace in my basement was blasted with sounds from a HVAC system, a 3D printer, and a washer and dryer, all operating on the similar time. Most of that noise was cancelled out. That was a really nice shock.
Transparency mode can also be efficient. There’s a little bit of facet tone if you converse, which generally is a tad annoying. However general, I’ve no complaints about transparency mode.
These earbuds do not do very properly cancelling out wind noise when out driving on a motorbike (in fact, it is best to by no means trip a motorbike with ANC turned on: do not do this at residence). Nonetheless, the buds do job at eliminating wind noise for callers. Regardless of the atrocious wind noise I skilled on the telephone, the particular person I used to be calling did not even know I used to be on a motorbike. So there’s that.
Listening to Well being is a quiet marvel
Credit score: Adam Doud / Mashable
Credit score: Adam Doud / Mashable
One Pixel bud function it is simple to miss: the listening to well being info it feeds you. This can be a function that ought to be constructed into Android, and admittedly each working system you’ll be able to pair earbuds to. It may let you know in actual time how loud your audio is, and the way that loudness has modified over time.
That is an superior function, however Google would not fairly go far sufficient with it. What I would prefer to see is a widget you’ll be able to placed on your property display that offers you that very same info in actual time so you’ll be able to truly see it.
As it’s, this function is buried contained in the settings of the app; it desperately must be extra front-facing. I might find it irresistible much more if Google did not make it really easy to disregard.
Controls are restricted
Credit score: Adam Doud / Mashable
Credit score: Adam Doud / Mashable
One pet peeve I’ve with these buds (and different buds that do the identical factor) is that they restrict what you are able to do with the contact controls. You possibly can management the Pixel Buds 2a with quick and lengthy faucets on the buds, which is okay, aside from the issue of by accident pausing your music. However you’ll be able to’t management what these faucets do, aside from the lengthy faucet.
A single faucet pauses your music, a double faucet skips ahead and a triple faucet skips again. You possibly can management what a faucet and maintain does — both flip ANC on/off or summon Gemini, however that is the one possibility you have got.
I might a lot desire the power to configure your controls nonetheless you need. For the buds, I would somewhat double faucet left/proper to show quantity down or up, and triple faucet left/proper to skip again/ahead; but it surely’s merely not an possibility. That is not cool. They’re my buds; let me management them nonetheless I need.
As with the AirPods Professional 3, and another buds such because the OnePlus Buds Professional 3, the controls are within the Bluetooth settings — however Google routinely provides an “app” to entry these settings as properly. I put “app” in quotes as a result of it is principally only a shortcut to the identical settings panel. Undoubtedly useful, but it surely’s hardly a whole app.
Gemini is at your service… kinda
Credit score: Adam Doud / Mashable
In 2025, a product can’t be launched with out having some sort of AI in-built. The AI right here, in fact, is Gemini, which is usually superior to Apple Intelligence — however what’s good about Apple’s AI is you should use it to immediately management capabilities within the buds, reminiscent of turning ANC on and off.
Gemini on the buds can not try this, which is fairly bizarre. Gemini can management your good gadgets, present plenty of knowledge, or get instructions. However ANC, apparently, shouldn’t be on the desk. This appears to fly within the face of utilizing Gemini to show quantity up and down (which works, by the best way). Utilizing Google’s buds to entry Google’s AI would not make it superior to some other earbuds that reply to “OK Google.”
Total verdict
Credit score: Joe Maldonado / Mashable
The Pixel Buds 2A weigh in at $129: an okay, however not superb worth for what you get. I just like the sound high quality and the ANC, however any set of earbuds you purchase for round $100 may have fairly good sound and ANC.
A great transparency mode helps, however the lack of wi-fi charging specifically is difficult to disregard at this worth. There are simply too many good choices at or beneath that worth which have these options and wi-fi charging moreover.
The primary factor these buds have going for them over their rivals are their measurement, which is adorably tiny, with good battery life (contemplating their measurement), and the truth that they pair very properly along with your Google-branded telephone…when you have one. Listening to well being is a function no different set of earbuds that I’ve examined has, and Google ought to construct on that and make it as front-facing as potential.
If these are all issues that you just’re completely searching for in earbuds, then these are the buds for you. However in the event you’re not essentially enthusiastic about having small buds, otherwise you need the power to manage your quantity with contact (which is rather more vital for me than skipping ahead/again) then there are higher choices.
Finally, Google must both add wi-fi charging or deliver the value right down to $99 to be actually aggressive on this area. Being small and having a “G” on the bud is not sufficient anymore.
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