Google Pixel Buds Pro 2 hands-on review: these AI earbuds are a better fit
Google’s new earbuds are tinnier and mightier with onboard AI
Pros
✅ 🤏 Pocket-friendly 27% smaller design
✅ 🪶 24% lighter and smaller for a comfortable fit
✅ 🤖 AI-powered sound and ANC-tuning
✅ 🔍 Find my Device support with an audio cue
✅ 🔋 Longer than average battery life
Cons
❌ 🙂↔️ Spatial audio with head-tracking limited to Pixel devices
❌ 📲 Many other features are limited to Android or Pixel devices
❌ 🪫 Fast charging only returns 1.5 hours of ANC-off battery life
When / How much?
📆 Coming soon: Available to preorder now and shipping September 26
💰 Price: it will start at $229, according to Google
I’m so thankful Google has bucked the trend of giving us another AirPods Pro clone like the Samsung Buds Pro 3. Instead, the company has gone in its own direction, making the Pixel Buds Pro 2 way smaller and lighter. Meanwhile, Google has also added AI and its first Tensor chip designed for audio. Larger 11mm drivers give it a broader acoustic range with greater bass and brighter highs. Add in a great ANC, a decent transparency mode, longer eight-hour battery life, and multi-port, and the Google Pixel Buds Pro 2 look fully loaded.
Unfortunately, the $229 price looks equally as impressive for the wrong reasons. Plus, its spatial audio head-tracking tricks will also only work with Pixel devices at launch. Still, Google has greatly improved its wireless earbuds and we can’t wait to spend more time with them in a full review.
🤏 Super small. The Google Pixel Buds Pro 2 has been redesigned to be 24% lighter and 27% smaller. They’re teeny in size when you hold them and they truly feel like they’re not even they’re when placed in your ear. The previous Google Pixel Buds Pro felt comfortable even if they were shaped like pickles, the Pixel Buds Pro 2 feel 10x more comfortable by comparison and look more elegant too.
🔒 Twist to lock. The Google Pixel Buds Pro 2 feel comfortable to wear for a while, but if you want to make them more secure during your workout they also feature an optional stabilizer. All you have to do is give the earbuds a slight twist so that the stabilizer presses against the ridge in your concha. The Pixel Buds Pro 2 stayed firmly placed in my ear even as I pulled off my signature jumps in the hands-on space. It’s amazing what a little tab of plastic can do and if you rather have a comfortable fit you can just rotate the earbuds the other way.
🤖 AI Chip. The Pixel Buds Pro 2 are the first earbuds to feature a Google Tensor A1 chip. The first-of-its-kind Tensor chip employs AI for audio processing and adapts the active noise-canceling up to three million times per second.
👐 Eyes- and hands-free Gemini. Pixel phone users will find the Tensor AI especially useful for talking to Gemini without having to pick up or even look at their phone. All you have to do is call on Gemini and you can ask it questions, have a conversation, or have it perform tasks for you.
🔇 2x better noise-canceling. Google’s latest earbuds add a fantastic noise-isolating seal on their own, but with ANC turned on we basically couldn’t hear anything from the busy hands-on area around us. It’s fantastic for tuning out the world especially when the Italian influencers right next to you are reciting specs without taking a breath. Google promises the Pixel Buds 2 can cancel twice as much sound as its predecessor, thanks to how the Tensor chip constantly adapts the ANC power. Of course, the real test of the ANC will be our flight back to NYC.
🎶 Wider soundstage. The sound of the Pixel Buds Pro 2 has been enhanced with a new set of 11mm drivers too. Google tells me they feature more powerful bass and a high-frequency chamber for smooth treble. In other words, you’ll get better low-end bass and bright highs for a wider soundstage. We weren’t able to play many tracks during our hands-on time, but they sound like a definite improvement over the previous Pixel Buds Pro. We’ll be thoroughly testing them in our forthcoming full review.
🙂↔️ Spatial audio with head-tracking (on Pixel). Google is jumping on the spatial audio bandwagon along with other headphones like the Bose QuietComfort Ultra and Sonos Ace. The only irksome limitation is that head-tracking only works with Google’s Pixel tablet and Pixel 6 phones or newer.
👂Transparency mode. The transparency mode on the Pixel Buds Pro 2 sounds natural enough to keep up with Sony and Apple. One feature I really appreciated though was Conversation Detection, which turns off the ANC and switches on Transparency as soon as the AI on the earbuds detects when you start talking. It’s handy and I love how you don’t have to touch your earbuds or take them off to hear yourself speak.
🗣️ Clear Calling. Speaking of talking, Google has promised the Pixel Buds Pro 2 can enhance your voice and reduce outside noises during calls. Google has made bold claims its updated “Clear Calling” noise reduction algorithms are so good that the other person on the line will only hear you even if you’re on the subway. Unfortunately, we couldn’t make a call with Google’s locked-down demo devices and test these claims just yet.
🎯 Earbud tracking. If you’ve ever lost a pair of earbuds before, Google is making it a little easier to track down its Pixel Buds Pro 2 by adding Find My Device network support. You’ll be able to see the location of your devices on a map and once you get close you can ring a speaker built into the earbuds case.
🔋 Battery life. The Google Pixel Buds Pro 2 pack in eight hours of battery life with ANC turned on and another 30 hours in the case. Battery life on the buds increases to 12 hours and 48 hours in the case with ANC off. Overall, that’s an impressive amount of battery life for how small Google’s earbuds have gotten. Fast charging doesn’t seem nearly as impressive. Five minutes of charge only returns 1.5 hours of ANC-off listening or roughly an hour of ANC play.
Up next: check out our Google Pixel Fold Pro 2 hands-on review
Kevin Lee is The Shortcut’s Creative Director and he has too many earbuds. It’s a bit of a problem really.