Pixel Buds Pro 2 Review: Design, Sound Quality, Noise Cancellation, and More

The Pixel Buds Pro 2 costs £219 and comes with new features like active noise cancellation, improved audio quality, and battery life.

If you think the latest Pixel Buds Pro 2 are only for Pixel phone users, you are wrong. It’s surprising (but not really, because Google made them) that these earbuds are second to none in just about every respect. And they are a great improvement over their predecessors, the 2022 Pixel Buds Pro.

The Pixel Buds Pro 2 are 25 percent smaller and lighter than Pixel’s previous earbuds. The audio quality has improved and so has the battery life. Active noise cancellation is more effective and they cost £219, just £20 more than the Buds Pro. Considering all the new features, this is a decent increase.

Pixel Buds Pro 2

For a pair of earbuds to be considered good, they must work well in a variety of environments, like at home, walking on the street, strolling in the park, crossing a street, or standing in the middle of a busy intersection. These are the situations the Pixel Buds Pro 2 have been tested in.

Sound quality, active noise cancellation, comfort while wearing, battery life, Gemini assistant, and ease of setup: these are the parameters we will consider when comparing the Buds Pro 2 to the top-tier earbuds in the market, like Apple AirPods Pro 2, Sony, Sennheiser, and Bose.

Pixel Buds Pro 2 Appearance

The Buds Pro 2 improve all the areas its predecessor, the Buds Pro, fell short in. First, the size of the Buds Pro 2 is 27 percent smaller and lighter. That means they don’t stick out of your ears so much now.

The earbuds retain the round, touch-sensitive with Google’s “G” symbol etched into the top. The egg-like form of the Buds Pro has been done away with. Now, the form is much more ergonomic and compact. The wing tip is made with the “twist to adjust” feature. Due to this, the buds don’t slide out of the ear with the slightest physical movement.

The case is also decked out with new features. A speaker has been installed that helps you find the case using Google’s Find My Device network. Earlier, only the earbuds could make noises. The case also makes a sound when it’s low on battery.

Pixel Buds Pro 2 Sound quality

While the appearance does count, it’s not as important as the sound quality. Fortunately, Google has invested much into improving the latter for the Pixel Buds Pro 2 as well. 11mm drivers and a high-frequency chamber allow for unprecedented clarity of sound and volume, from bass to treble.

The default equalization in the Buds Pro 2 leads to a wide and detailed sound for a range of genres – from country music to jazz, from Mozart to Dua Lipa. This is something woefully missing in the Buds Pro. The Pixel Buds A-series, on the other hand, generate flatter and more compressed sounds by comparison. The Sony WF-1000XM5 pays a little more attention to the bass, but the Buds Pro 2 can bust up the bass without sacrificing the crisp treble.

Active noise cancellation in Pixel Buds Pro 2

Active noise cancellation (ANC) is the star of the show in the Pixel Buds Pro 2. Google has initiated a noise-canceling technology called ‘silent seal 2.0’ in these earbuds. It can now adapt to the surrounding noise an astounding three million times per second, canceling out unwanted noise twice as effectively.

Of course, this figure is dependent on a variety of factors, your ear canal shape and size being one of the important ones. But still, the improvement in ANC is seriously impressive. It even beats the Sony WF-1000XM5, the top earbuds for ANC till now.

The frequency range of detection for noise cancellation has also been increased. We also have the feature of clear calling, which dials down background noise when a call is ongoing.

But there’s more. Google has installed its new Tensor A1 chip into the earbuds, the first time a chip has been installed in this device. Google says it runs 90 times faster than light to provide a different signal path for the sounds emitted by the earbuds so that the music you are listening to, for example, doesn’t dim as you turn on the ANC. This is a usual issue in most earbuds.

Gemini AI, battery life, and other features

The Buds Pro 2 uses Gemini as the default assistant, as opposed to the Google Assistant in the Buds Pro. However, the Gemini is downright terrible at its job. Maybe it can write a research paper in minutes, but when it’s asked something simple, like “resume my podcast,” it promptly replies, “I can’t do that,” because, apparently, the AI can’t interact with or launch Spotify.

There are more examples. If you request walking directions, those will be generated within seconds but sent to your phone. You can try again, which works sometimes, but if the surroundings are noisy, then no one can help. You’ll get responses to questions you didn’t ask and be delivered things you don’t need.

The conservation detection feature pauses the playback when it detects the user has started speaking, but it’s too easily triggered by a cough, for example, or if you sing to yourself. Audio sources can be switched smoothly, like going from the Pixel Watch to the Pixel Tablet.

Let’s now turn to the battery life. With the ANC off, the Buds Pro 2 will give you 12 hours of battery life by themselves and the case will recharge them for another 36 hours, making it a total of 48 hours. With the ANC on, the hours drop to eight without the case, and with it, you get about 30 hours in total.

The bottom line is that the Pixel Buds Pro 2 are a solid option for earbuds and can compete with any brand in the market right now. The improved ergonomics and comfort, great sound quality, and improved ANC are something you won’t see everywhere. With the exception of Gemini AI, everything is top-tier.